OLED TVs have been around for some time. However, they have only been widely accessible to the public for the better part of the last decade. As the technology continues to improve and become more efficient, the cost of OLED TVs has seen a steady dip! As such, you’re probably feeling ready to grab a brand-new OLED TV of your own!
Buying a new TV is no small order, however. You’ll want to make sure to grab an OLED TV that is perfect for you and your budget. And we’re going to show you exactly how to do it! Read down below to find out all of the most important things to look for in your new OLED TV!
What Should You Consider When Buying An OLED TV?
Size
When most people think of buying a TV, the first thing that comes to mind is the total screen size. After all, who hasn’t ever dreamt of having the largest TV in the neighbourhood?
We totally recommend making size the first thing to consider when on the lookout for your new TV. It will help to significantly narrow down your choices. To make the hunt for your perfect OLED TV all the more easy.
However, you should always be sure to exercise some level of restraint. While it’s great to grab a large and immersive screen, you always want to ensure it’s never too big. “But how could a TV ever be too big?” We hear you ask. A TV would be too big if you had trouble fitting it into the room and taking the image in!
While larger OLED TVs always sound like a better idea, you should ensure your chosen room has enough space for you to take it all in. Stuffing a larger TV into a smaller space is a recipe for unsatisfying viewing.
To make the most of a TV, you should ensure there is enough space within the room to view it. The larger the TV, the more distance will need to be between you and the screen for maximum viewing pleasure. Let’s say you wanted to get a 75-inch TV. To make the most of its screen size, you’ll want to position your favourite sofa around 9 to 15 feet away. These measurements are achieved by multiplying the diagonal width of the 75-inch screen by 1.5 and 2.5.
Resolution
Resolution and screen size very often go hand in hand. 4K TVs, which are becoming more and more popular each year, have four times the pixel count of standard HD TVs. This means they can really benefit from much larger screen sizes! While you’re taking a look at some of the varying sizes on the market, be sure to consider the resolution you want to opt for.
If you’re planning to grab a giant 98-inch TV, we really recommend paying a little more for a 4K or 8K model! The greater screen size allows plenty of space for those highly inflated pixel counts, allowing all of your favourite content to look better than ever before.
If you’re just looking for a basic OLED TV that you can put into a bedroom, then you should opt for a screen with a slightly lower resolution. UHD TVs need to be viewed at larger sizes in order to take in the greater pixel count.
Brightness
Let’s address the elephant in the room right away. OLED TVs simply are not as bright as many other competing TV types, such as QLED TVs. Becasue of this, you’ll want to make sure to find one that offers enough “Nits” to make your content look its best. When we say “Nits”, we don’t mean the kind you’d dread finding in your hair. Instead, nits are a form of measurement that helps us to understand the brightness of a specific screen.
Usually, OLED TVs tend to have a nits value of around 700. This is usually plenty of light to help content to look its best. But if you really value extra brightness, then you should look for an OLED that offers a nit level higher than 700!
OLED TVs are not quite as bright as their QLED or LED counterparts, so you’ll want to place them in a room that is not constantly bombarded with natural light.
To make the most of an OLED TV, it’s best to watch it in a room that does allow too much sunlight into the space. If you have a living room with large windows, we recommend making use of blackout curtains or blinds that help you to shut out light. Never position an OLED TV directly opposite a window. OLED TVs are highly susceptible to glare!
Refresh Rate
Most OLED TVs have a total refresh rate of around 60Hz. For those planning to watch blockbuster movies or binge-worthy box sets, this is more than enough. However, if you are planning to use your OLED TV to enjoy the best of modern gaming, and to enjoy live events such as key football fixtures, you’ll want a much higher refresh rate.
The refresh rate of a given TV refers to how quickly the screen itself is able to go from one image to the next. The faster the refresh rate, the smoother footage will appear. If you’re having trouble visualising this, let’s use animation as an example. Animation is created by drawing a number of sequential images and then playing them, one after another, in quick succession. The more images there are, the smoother the animation looks!
For sports fans, faster refresh rates allow every movement on the playing field to be rendered with complete attention to detail. If you want to cheer along with the crowd as the star player’s foot connects with the ball, then refresh rates will be king!
Gamers seeking to go pro will absolutely need to opt for an OLED TV with a greater refresh rate. Greater refresh rates allow games to run at silky-smooth frame rates, for maximum control.
Different Modes
If you’re planning to use your new OLED TV for more than just films and shows, we’d recommend looking out for one that is suited to displaying a variety of content types. Many modern OLED TVs allow you to easily switch between specific “Modes” that automatically adjust the display settings based on a specific type of content.
For instance, if you’re an avid gamer looking to conquer the online leaderboards, you’ll want a TV that offers a specialised “Game mode”. This works by disabling post-processing features so that any content rendered by your game console is displayed on the TV as quickly as possible.
Game mode also helps to significantly lower input lag. If you’re keen on gaming, you likely know input lag as that dreaded period of time that happens between pressing a button and seeing a response on-screen. If you want to game at your best, you want to ensure that input lag is lower than 20 milliseconds!
Many OLED TVs also feature sports modes that automatically optimise the refresh rate of the screen, to render realistic motion, while also boosting things such as saturation. These help to draw you much closer to the action, and can help you to feel as though you’ve stepped into some of the world’s best sports stadiums!
Processors
Want an OLED TV packed full of modern smart features? Then you’ll want to grab one that’s up to the task! You might wonder what difference a processor would make in a smart TV, but the difference between a stronger processor and a weaker processor could not be more night-and-day!
It’s best to picture a smart TV’s processor as the central brain that helps to keep everything running. The greater this brain is, the more equipped the TV will be to perform all of the smart functions you need. An effective processor will allow you to quickly hop around from streaming service to streaming service, and app to app, without a hitch. A smart TV that can’t keep up with your demands is nothing short of annoying!
TV processors can also be used to upscale and optimise footage as it is played, to look best on that specific display. If you want your OLED TV to look its best, no matter what you are watching, then a greater processor is always a fantastic added benefit!
Smart Features
To make the most of any OLED TV, you’re going to want to make sure that it boasts the best smart features to give you the ultimate sense of control. Make sure to think about what you plan to use your smart TV for. Want to use it to stream TV from platforms like Netflix? To play the hottest games consoles? Then you’ll want to look around for smart features that work around your needs.
Luckily, smart TVs are always intuitively designed, and feature easy-to-navigate operating systems, so you can easily customise your experience as you see fit. In fact, most major models come with the most popular streaming services, such as Netflix and Amazon Prime, already pre-installed, so you can stream right away.
Sound Features
What good is a high-resolution OLED display if there isn’t great sound to back it all up? While it might ultimately cost you a little bit more, it’s worth hunting for an OLED TV with fantastic built-in sound quality.
Many of the best OLED TVs feature object-tracking technology. This allows different speakers, built into the unit, to follow the movement of specific elements on the screen to create immersive sound that is true to the motion displayed on-screen.
If you already have a great sound system, such as a sound bar, that you plan to use, then you might be able to save a little bit of money by opting for an OLED TV with lower-quality built-in sound.
Screen Burn Protection
Screen burn is a problem most commonly associated with OLED TVs. This problem is more likely to happen to such TVs thanks to the unique display technology. Each of the individual pixels in an OLED display is self-illuminating. This helps to create more lifelike colours and much deeper contrast but does increase the risk of screen burn. If any number of pixels are subjected to a lot of energy for too long, they run the risk of burning out and being dulled.
Luckily, modern OLED TVs are sure to account for this risk by employing a number of protective measures. We strongly recommend making use of features such as screen savers, which automatically take over the screen when left idle for an extended period. Make sure to also look out for pixel shift. This feature changes how much light individual pixels are using intermittently to keep them from burning out.
Protecting your OLED TV from screen burn helps it to last much longer, saving you a lot of money.
Price
Ultimately, everything will come down to price. We’ve covered a number of unique OLED features above, and all of them will directly affect the price of the TV. If you have a tight budget, we’d recommend narrowing down features to just the essentials, to save money.
If you’re willing to spend a little more, then why not opt for some extra features that can improve the experience of your OLED TV?
Frequently Asked Questions
Things To Consider When Buying An OLED TV?
OLED TVs are great for displaying images with far greater contrast, and more lifelike details. To make the most of these benefits, you’ll want an OLED TV of the right size and the right resolution. Make sure to also consider some of the features of your new OLED TV that can make it easier to find your favourite content. Make sure to keep a close eye on your budget as you hunt around!
What Are The Downsides Of OLED?
One of the major downsides of an OLED TV is that such displays are usually not as bright as their closest counterparts. This means that OLED TVs tend to look best under low-light conditions. Another downside of OLED TVs is their greater susceptibility to screen burn. Luckily, modern OLED TVs have protective measures to prevent this.
What Is The Life Expectancy Of OLED?
OLED TVs are certainly built to last. They can easily last more than ten years, especially when provided with plenty of care during their lifetime. This equates to around 100,000 hours of frequent use! However, if you want your OLED TV to last this long, you will want to work to prevent issues such as screen burn from occurring.
Is It Bad To Leave OLED TV On All The Time?
Absolutely! If you were to leave an OLED TV turned on, displaying a static image, it would be at great risk of screen burn. Luckily, many modern OLED TVs have automatic functions that seek to prevent the screen from ever being left on accidentally. These include automatic shut-down functions that automatically turn the TV off after a certain period of inactivity.
