Screen dreams A TV buyers guide

By Simon Webster September 10, 2021 â€" 12.00am

Buying a TV is a big decision. Here’s what to consider.

If you’re looking for a reason to justify a new TV purchase (or need a good argument with which to sway a loved one), consider this: we are living in the golden age of TV. Never have there been so many shows deserving of a binge-watch, and streaming services worthy of a subscription (or at least a free trial). If ever the content merited buying the latest, greatest TV tech, it is surely now.

What to consider when buying a new TV.Credit:Getty.

But buying a TV these days is complicated business â€" and it pays to do a bit of research. Whether you’ve been inspired by a living room renovation, or just feel your viewing needs an upgrade, here’s all you need to know.

What size screen should I get?

Wanting a bigger screen is a big reason people decide to upgrade their TVs. The small-screen experience is rapidly turning into a big-screen experience. All you need is a choc top, a fizzy drink, and one annoying person in the room laughing at the serious bits, and it’s just like being at the movies.

The bigger the better is a perfectly reasonable rule of thumb to follow â€" some people swear there’s no such thing as a too-big TV. But if you want to get a bit more scientific about it, you could follow Samsung’s advice and base your screen size on how far away you plan to sit.

It is said that the most immersive viewing experience is when 40 degrees of your field of view is taken up by the screen. To achieve this, multiply your screen size by 1.2 to work out the optimum viewing distance. For example, to get the best out of a 75-inch TV, you should sit 90 inches away (or 2.3 metres).

What do Neo QLED, 8K and 4K mean?

Neo QLED stands for Quantum Mini LED. It’s a top-of-the-range TV technology that uses Quantum Matrix Technology and a Neo Quantum Processor to precisely control the Quantum Mini LEDs to deliver immersive and true-to-life viewing experiences.

The exclusive Quantum Mini LED is 1/40 of the thickness of a standard Samsung LED[1], which allows for more precise light control in a smaller package. Due to the dramatic change in size of the Quantum Mini LEDs, Neo QLED TVs are packed with more light sources than other Samsung LED TVs providing ultimate control in producing a picture quality to elevate the big screen experience.

Don’t worry; you don’t have to remember all that. But if you’ve ever taken a look at a Neo QLED TV you will notice that the picture is crisp and bright, thanks to all those Quantum Mini LEDs having a dramatic effect on brightness, contrast and colour.

Samsung’s Neo QLED offerings includes the QN900A Neo QLED 8K Smart TV and the QN90A Neo QLED 4K Smart TV.

Both offer bells and whistles including that great Quantum dot picture quality, with deep blacks and vivid colours; anti-glare technology (great for open plan environments) and wide viewing angles (great if you’re the one sitting on the floor at the end of the couch); Smart TV connectivity and built-in voice assistants; and Intelligent Mode, in which the TV fine tunes its settings based on the room it’s in and the show being watched.

The key difference lies in the 8K and 4K bit: 8K means the TV has a horizontal resolution of about 8000 pixels; 4K means 4000 pixels. Across the whole screen, 8K TVs have four times as many pixels as 4K TVs, and therefore better resolution.

Do I need a soundbar?

Do you need a soundbar? No. The best TVs these days have great sound. Can your acoustics get even better if you add a soundbar? Absolutely.

For that next level sound experience, Samsung’s Neo QLED TVs are also clever enough for its speakers to work together with a Samsung Q-Series Soundbar. Q-Symphony delivers an incredible surround sound experience that takes advantage of both the TV’s amazing sound quality, while further enhancing it with the extra depth that you can only get out of a Soundbar with a separate subwoofer.

Will my new TV match the style of my home?

The best new TVs are pretty sleek. Samsung’s new flagship Neo QLED can be positioned almost flush to the wall, they’re slim (15mm!) and the flagship model QN900A has an Infinity Display, with virtually no border.

When the TV’s off, Ambient Mode+ allows your screen to display art or photos, or just match the wall and blend in.

Not that it’s likely to be off for long. This is the golden age of TV, and you’ve got a lot of binge-watching to get through.

To learn more, visit samsung.com/au

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