So you want to get a nice new television to add that wow factor to your living room, but you’re unsure where to start? Baffled by all of the technical jargon about 4K, and not sure how big to go? Let us help……
Switch Rentals has a great range of pay weekly TVs for rental, which include free delivery, free repair, and regular upgrades.
This is our TV buyers guide to help you navigate the technology, and get a television that truly suits your needs……
Questions To Ask…
When deciding which television you’d like to, get there are various factors to take into account.
How big is the room where you will use your television? This will have an impact on the size of TV you should choose so that everyone can watch comfortably.
Are you using it for Gaming, Movies, Sports, or general use? This will affect things like audio options. Is it worth getting a soundbar, for example? Does the TV have 4K to support high resolution streaming services like Netflix
Will the TV be wall mounted or sit mounted on a small cabinet? You need to think about where you will position the TV.
What Size TV Should I Buy?
Size is one of the most important ways in which we decide which TV to buy. Television size is measured diagonally, from corner to corner, so a 50 inch TV, for example, measures this length from the top right hand corner, to the bottom left hand corner.
When deciding which TV to buy, it’s important to note how far you will be sitting away from the television. Smaller televisions measuring 32 to 42 inches may be suitable for your bedroom, or kitchen, but bigger screens measuring 49 inches and above are best suited to the living room.
What is a HD Television? What is 4K TV?
HD stands for ‘High Definition’, and is the standard screen resolution for high quality video images, an improvement on the old terrestrial TV signal which was broadcast in Standard Definition.
HD is broadcast digitally, typically at 720 pixels or 1080 pixels (each pixel is at least one dot on the screen). Most modern TVs now broadcast in HD.
A 4K, or Ultra HD TV is one with a high resolution screen, featuring at least 8 million active pixels, delivering 4 times the resolution of a standard 1080 HD display. The resolution of 4K images is instead 3,840 x 2,160 pixels. This makes for much clearer pictures, depending on the signal and format being sent.
Where can I find HD and 4K TV Content?
Some of the content on Netflix, Youtube, Amazon Prime and other streaming platforms is recorded in 4K, and clearly marked (you will need to subscribe to Netflix’s premium service to get their 4K streams).
4K TVs typically come with ‘upscaling’ technology, which allows them to transform lower resolution images into clearer resolution for higher quality images.
Note that you’ll also need a good broadband connection to deliver the bandwidth necessary to receive content from these streaming platforms.
What is a Smart TV and what can it do?
A Smart TV is an internet connected TV which gives the user access to a range of apps and on demand television streaming services, including Netflix, Amazon Prime, Youtube BBC iPlayer, ITV, Now TV, and so on. You can use them to also access music services such as Spotify and Deezer. Smart TVs connect via wifi or a wired connection, to your broadband service.
Smart TVs can often also connect to the other devices such as your mobile phone, if you wish to watch a video on the big screen, for example. This type of TV can also be voice operated, for even more convenience.
Smart TVs are wifi enabled. You will need to access a reliable broadband connection to be able to use them fully, including accessing streaming services.
What about TV Energy Efficiency Ratings?
The energy efficiency rating system has been developed to help consumers find electrical products that use less energy, relative to the type of product in question.
Televisions can use a lot of energy – for example, a 40 inch television can use £28 of electricity in a year., while a similar TV rated A+ can use £8 during the same period. So choosing an efficient product can be better for the environment – and save you money on energy bills.
By paying attention to the energy rating of the television you order you could potentially save money. .