Best TV Buying Guide: Settle in for TheIndianSubcontinent's round-up of the best TV sets you can get your hands on in 2018.Picking a TV is no simple task.
If you're a movie buff, this screen may end up as your best friend not just for the coming months, but years while we replace our phones on a fairly regular basis, the best TV screens should sit prettily in our living rooms for a good long while.
They're pricey purchases, and we expect to get our money's worth.
With the 2018 World Cup ready to take over screens this summer, football fans may be particularly keen to upgrade.And with so many features to consider, with new TV technologies being introduced all the time, making a decision is getting harder all the time.
A brand new top-of-the-line TV can offer such a wide range of different technologies and features that it can be hard to know what you're looking for.
With the major manufacturers in a yearly arms race to outdo rivals, keeping up with all the latest developments isn't always easy.Confused about high dynamic range Don't miss our guide to HDRFeeling flummoxed Don't worry, TheIndianSubcontinent is here to be your guide.
Our guide to the best TVs available will help you separate the cheap panels from the best 4K screens.
We'll help you find an awesome flatscreen without wasting hours of research comparing spec sheets.If you're looking for a buying guide that deals with TVs that only support the new Ultra HD resolution, check out our guide to the best 4K TVs.If getting a flatscreen on the cheap is your main concern, check out the best 4K TV deals.But, if you're looking for the best-of-the-best TV out there today without limits or stipulations, this is the place for you."So, should I buy a TV now or wait it out"We hear this question a lot.
Like most technology, TVs are getting incrementally better all the time, but recently there has been a huge flurry of progress as manufacturers have rushed to embrace new display standards including Ultra HD and HDR.
Thankfully, things seem to have settled down a little in this department, and the majority of TV manufacturers now support these next generation of features, including newer versions of HDR such as Hybrid Log Gamma.So long as your next TV purchase supports these technologies (looking for an Ultra HD Premium certification is a good way to go), we reckon you won't be kicking yourself in six month's time when the next batch of sets arriveThat said, we'd be remiss if we didn't let you know about the cool technologies that are just around the corner in TV tech.
Chief amongst them is support for the new HDMI 2.1 standard, which as well as allowing support for 8K at 60 frames per second and 4K at 120 will also allow for FreeSync to be supported over HDMI.It's cool technology for sure, but unless you're seriously into your gaming then we reckon you're safe making a purchase now.Want better audio Check out our guide to the best soundbars available.Once you've decided on a panel, make sure you read our guide on how to set up your TV to make sure you're getting the most out of it.1.
Sony XBR-Z9D Series (2016)Sonys 2016 flagship TV set new standards in picture quality65-inch: Sony XBR-65Z9D | 75-inch: Sony XBR-75Z9D | 100-inch: Sony XBR-100Z9DStunning HDR picture qualityGround-breaking backlightAndroid TV feels sluggishPretty average audioFrom the moment we laid eyes on the the XBR-65Z9D weve been desperate to get our hands on one.
It is, hands down, the holy grail of television for 2017: a TV able to combine the extreme, high dynamic range-friendly brightness of LCD technology with a backlight arrangement capable of getting LCD closer than ever before to the stunning light control you get with OLED technology.This backlight arrangement comprises more than 600 LEDs that sit behind the 65Z9Ds screen that are capable of outputting their own light levels independently of their neighbors.
This should enable the TV to produce more of the extremes of light and shade associated with new high dynamic range (HDR) technology while suffering less than other LCD TVs with distracting clouds, stripes or halos of unwanted, extraneous light.As if this wasnt already attraction enough, the 65Z9D also sports Sonys new X1 Extreme video processing system and the latest version of Sonys reliable Triluminos wide color technology for unlocking the extended color spectrums associated with HDR sources.Sony XBR-65Z9D2.
LG Signature Series W7 OLED (2017)LG's W7 OLED melds into the wall65-inch: LG 65W7OLED | 77-inch: LG 77W7OLEDInsanely slim designColor, clarity and contrastFuture-proof HDRMotion issues with TruMotionThe LG W7 OLED is truly something special.
Not only is it one of the thinnest TVs to ever grace our vision (its 2.75mm thin), but its also one of the most gorgeous.
When fed the right kind of content in this case, 4K HDR10 or Dolby Vision video it truly shines.A super-slim design alone wouldnt have been enough to warrant the extra cost to upgrade to LGs latest panel.
But the thin frame on top of a Dolby Atmos soundbar on top of four types of HDR support on top of the magnetic mounting system on top of the new webOS 3.5 operating system surely did the trick.
This incredibly gorgeous TV isnt without its faults (see: motion handling, its sticker price and soundbar issues), but in terms of sheer picture performance theres nothing else like it right now.3.
Samsung QLED Q9F (2017)Getting the hots for metal Quantum Dots75-inch: Samsung QE75Q9F | 65-inch: Samsung QE65Q9FUnprecedented colour levelsUltra high brightnessOccasional backlight cloudingLimited viewing anglesIt looks like someone on Samsungs TV design team has been watching 2001: A Space Odyssey.
The 65-inch Q9 is a ringer for that films mysterious black monolith thanks to the way both its front and back sides are completely flat and feature ultra-robust, polished finishes.Ultra HD HDR playback is what the Q9F was created to do and, given Samsungs potent HDR track record, it's no surprise to find that it does it supremely well.Even though the Q9F has 4K HDR optimisation in its DNA, its capable of looking seriously good with high definition standard dynamic range content too.4.
Sony XBR-X930E Series (2017)Sony turns to the bright side using its Slim Backlight Drive65-inch: Sony XBR-65X930E | 55-inch: Sony XBR-55X930EBlisteringly bright HDR imagesStunningly rich colorsAndroid TV is cumbersomeRuns sluggishly at timesThe X930E Series builds on last year's X930D series in a few important ways, the first of which is by including one of Sonys new X1 Extreme chipsets.
These are around 40% more powerful than the original X1 chips, and introduce separate databases to help the TV analyze noise and upscale sub-4K sources to the screens native 4K resolution.Add in an apparently much-improved sound system and Sonys Triluminos technology for delivering todays wider color ranges and the X930E series seems to tick all the right boxes.Unfortunately, though, even an improved version of Sonys Slim Backlight Drive cant completely hide the fact that with current edge LED technology theres always a backlight-based price to pay for all that HDR-sating brightness.5.
Samsung KS9800 Series (2016)Samsung's 2016 flagship UHD/HDR TV raised the barStunning HDR picture qualityAppealing curved screen designSome HDR backlight issuesStriping with UHD Blu-raysWhen it came out, the KS9800 produced the most dramatic demonstration of what new high dynamic range technology was capable of.
Its brightness in particular was unprecedented, which helped it deliver a much fuller sense of HDR's expanded light range and color capabilities than we'd ever seen.The screen features that helped it excel with HDR also made the UN65KS9800 gorgeous to behold with standard dynamic range sources, and it even sounds fantastic despite having no visible speakers.
That said, it was expensive.But instead of going straight for Samsung's flagship from last year, consider LG's E6 or G6 OLED TVs as well.
The OLED screens deliver superior black levels, avoid backlight bleed issues and excel with standard dynamic range content, but the UN65KS9800 delivers more punch, dynamism and detail with HDR.No price information6.
Sony Bravia A1 OLEDSony's brand-new TV for 2017 is returning to OLED65-inch: Sony Bravia 65A1E | 55-inch: Sony Bravia 55A1EGorgeous picture qualityStartling, monolithic designInnovative and excellent soundIts not very brightIf LG's OLED isn't your thing, spend some time checking out Sony's version.The 55A1 and the A1 OLED series overall are crowd pleasers in just about every way.
Their picture only design has been beautifully realized, managing to be simultaneously subtle and dramatic.Their vibrating screen delivers a far more powerful and effective sound performance than Id thought possible, too.The real stars of the show here, though, are the A1s exquisitely detailed, contrast-rich and colourful pictures.These prove emphatically what weve long suspected: More brands using OLED technology can only lead to good things.Only it's exceptionally high price tag prevents it from toppling LG's budget panels.Continue on to page two to read about what to look for when buying a TV!5b61f3f9cded5deeec34cf763758d960.jpg#