Setting Up the Ultimate Party Sound and Lights System

Buying A New TV? Know What Features To Look For

15 July 2019

Sarah Gray

Trying to navigate all of the different television models can be a challenge when purchasing equipment for a home theater system. You want the best, but may not be sure what you are looking for other than the price. Here are some tips for finding a good TV.

Inputs

One thing that you want to consider is how many inputs the TV has and how you plan on using them. Think about what devices you want connected to the TV at all times, how you are going to connect your speakers, and what devices you would be willing to put onto an HDMI switcher so that you can leave them connected with a small bit of inconvenience. 

The reason you want to know how you will connect your speakers is because some connect over ARC, which stands for audio return channel. The speakers actually use a special HDMI port that has been designated to send audio to your audio receiver. While it can provide excellent audio quality, it will use up one of the TV's HDMI ports. 

Contrast and Screen Lighting

A TV with a high contrast ratio is going to display deep blacks that look as if parts of the TV are turned off when black is displayed on the screen. This is possible because of how the TV screen lights up. 

TVs that are edge lit are going to have lights around the outside of the screen to light it up, which makes it difficult to make parts of the screen dark when the need comes up. Local dimming is a better option, which has multiple arrays of lights throughout the screen which can turn on and off. While the contrast ratio will not be perfect, it provides a much better contrast ratio than edge lit screens do.

OLED screens will provide the best possible contrast ratio since every pixel provides its own light source. This type of system doesn't depend on lights behind the screen, so individual pixels can be turned off when the picture is pure black. You'll notice less light bleeding over the edges of a letterboxed picture, causing the screen to blend in with the bezel in a dark room. 

These are just a few things to consider when purchasing a new TV for your home theater. Reach out to a home theater specialist for their recommendations on selecting the right TV for your needs and budget. 

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