After the decline of plasma TV’s, shopping for the perfect TV has become quite complicated, especially now when almost all new TVs are LED sets. But, buying a TV still involves many choices, some of which may be new to a lot of people.

The market is loaded with plenty of HD (high definition) and Ultra HD (UHD) 4K TVs that promise great picture detail, improved contrast and vibrant color production. One question that most of you would face is whether a regular 1080p HDTV suffice or spending some extra dimes for an Ultra HD would actually be worth it.

Buying a new LED television can be an overwhelming experience if the selection is right.  A wrong choice can hamper your peace of mind along with resulting in a heavy monetary loss.

TV manufacturers and marketing people use extra features, alien-sounding technologies and hyperbolic claims about picture quality to get the customer to spend more. Sales people take full advantage of the internet as it is undoubtedly a mess of conflicting facts, opinions and unexplained jargons.

As with all electronic appliances, there’s a profound level of complexity that most people could never hope to understand — and others wouldn’t really care to know about it at all.

There are dozens of options out there, so many brands with numerous price tags and obviously massive claims, but how would you know what’s best for you? 

So to solve your TV buying issues once and for all, we have compiled a checklist of what you should consider while purchasing one. This ultimate guide is an oasis in the vast desert of information about modern TVs. We hope that this post will provide you with the basic tools you need to feel confident when you buy that new set.

Without further ado let’s get down to the points you need to consider while buying a perfect TV.

Size

Perhaps the most important point to consider while buying a LED TV is the size of the screen. TV sizes can vary anywhere from 20 inches up to 80 inches. However, most people won’t shop at the extremes, they’ll probably settle for something in between. For determining the appropriate TV size for yourself, it is important to take viewing distance into consideration. The question is how would you know what TV size is perfect for you?

Consult the given table to solve this tough equation.

While considering the size you’ll also have to pay attention to your budget. Screen size, features and built quality definitely affect pricing.

Following are a few typical selling price ranges for some LED screen sizes:

• About Rs. 20k to Rs. 21k for a 32-inch model

• Rs. 46k to Rs. 47k for a 50-inch set

• Rs. 60k to Rs. 69k for a 55 inch variant

• Rs. 75k or above for a 60 inch LED

• Rs. 100k + for a 65-inch television

1. High Definition Vs. Ultra-High Definition 4K

2. 

HD and UHD are technical terms that refer to the TV’s native resolution.  Resolution describes TV picture, usually in terms of horizontal and vertical lines of pixels. A traditional high-definition (HD) set is also a called a 1080p model, as its screen resolution is 1920 x 1080. Meaning it has 1,920 pixels horizontally and 1,080 pixels vertically, so it contains approximately 2 million pixels in total. For those who don’t know, pixels are tiny individual picture elements or dots that make up the TV's picture.

Ultra-High-Definition (UHD) TVs, commonly  called 4K TVs, have a screen resolution of 3840 x 2160, containing  8 million pixels, or four times the number of individual pixels as compared to an HD set. The more closely packed array of pixels in UHD 4K sets make them capable of presenting greater picture detail, richer color, life like imagery and superb clarity. The only problem with 4K TV’s is that there isn’t much 4K content available and all other rental streaming options are just a handful. 

Bottom Line: While Full HD 1080p is still the most common screen resolution today, 4K is increasingly becoming popular owing to its better features and usability, and without an inch of doubt it's a better choice if you want to future-proof your investment.

Viewing Angle

Despite many improvements in the LED technologies, most of them still have a fairly significant shortcoming: restricted viewing angles. Viewing angle refers to the extent of picture clarity from fairly narrow spots of the screen. In order to check the accurate viewing angle of a TV, move towards the sides, away from the center of the screen. The point before where you start experiencing dim images, lost contrast and decreased color accuracy, consider it the maximum viewing angle of a LED TV. The degree of picture degradation may vary from model to model. It is recommended to purchase LED’s that offer wider viewing angles.

To be 100 % sure that you’re buying a LED that offers maximum viewing angle, refer to orient.com.pk as their LED TVs offer the maximum available viewing angle in the market.

Seek the Right Input/ Output Channels

Always take special consideration of available connections / Jacks while buying the perfect LED TV. Make sure that it has the right type of input and output channels for all kinds of support.

Most of the TVs you’ll come across these days  have side input connections as well as rear inputs to provide ultimate  flexibility for connecting additional  components. 

Make sure you get the following in a LED TV

HDMI

HDMI inputs are a must. It has now become the most common technology for connecting cable boxes, streaming media players, Blu-ray players, laptops and gaming consoles to a TV. When choosing your LED TV, look for at least three HDMI connections to avoid hurdles while connecting additional hardware. Some television sets have an HDMI input marked "ARC," which stands for "audio return channel".  This input allows you send sound back out of the TV to the connected hardware, such as a sound bar speaker, using the same single HDMI cable.

If you're spending hard on a UHD TV, you'll always want to check whether it has the newest version of HDMI, called the HDMI 2.0. This standard supports up to 60-frames-per-second of 4K video content. You may also look for an even newer update, the HDMI 2.0a as it supports 4K HDR. Most new television sets also have HDCP 2.2, the latest copyright protection, which is required to play prerecorded 4K movies from a UHD Blu-ray player connected via HDMI.

Component/Composite Video Inputs

Most TVs now days will also include component-video inputs, which have RCA-type connectors in red, blue, and green colors. Generally, they are marked PR, PB, and Y. These analog video-only connections are normally used for connecting obsolete gear that lacks HDMI outputs.

RCA Audio Jacks

Almost all TVs have the conventional red/white RCA jacks used to send output or receive input stereo sound signals. Many of them may also encompass a headphone jack so you can enjoy content without disturbing others. A Bluetooth enabled TV will let you perform this action wirelessly if you have Bluetooth headsets.

USB Ports

LED TV’s with USB slots will let you connect a Pen drive in order to play music, watch photos or videos on the TV seamlessly. Many TVs usually have a slide-show feature for viewing digital photos.

Digital Optical Audio Output

In order to send digital audio from your TV to a sound bar speaker or A/V receiver in the event when an HDMI output isn't available, one may use a digital optical audio output for handling multi-channel audio signals. Another less common digital audio connection is the digital coaxial audio output, but they are slowly disappearing due to rapid advancements in television technologies.

Ethernet (LAN) Jack

Almost all smart LED TVs come with an Ethernet jack, commonly called a LAN port. Even though all smart TVs these days have built-in Wi-Fi module, wired connections to your home network usually provide better, more reliable experience, especially with video streaming services.

RF/Antenna Input

Make sure your new LED TV includes an RF (antenna/cable) input to feed high-definition TV signals, either from an off-air antenna or from cable hookup or digital cable boxes.

Make Sure the LED TV is Smarter than a 5^th Grader

You’ll see smart TVs everywhere. These increasingly popular television sets can access online content, help you stream videos, enable web browsing,  provide access to Google play store applications, allow you to connect to Pen drives and let you play content from smart devices such as phones, tablets & laptops.

Smart TVs can serve as a bridge to a world of unlimited online content. The best part about them is that they also let you visit social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter so that you can interact socially and enjoy TV at the same time.

With a smart LED TV, the possibilities are just endless.

Like other smart devices, smart TVs need to be connected either to your wired Ethernet connection (LAN) or a Wi-Fi network for accessing internet.

Bottom line: If it’s not smart, don’t waste your hard earned cash.

Brand Warranty

Warranty is the best way to protect your investment. Considering the fact that most of the components in LED’s are remarkably fragile, chances are you might end up with a faulty piece.  Before buying a LED, make sure the manufacturer is offering a decent warranty period, to secure your purchase.  

Bottom Line: Save your money and contact the manufacturer before making a purchase to clear ambiguity about warranty and claims policy.

HDR Feature

Always look for HDR if you want the most colors. HDR is a feature of 4K Ultra HD sets which stands for high dynamic range. The term is a reference to a TV’s capacity to deliver more vivid colors, enhanced contrast levels and increased brightness. HDR is basically an upgrade of the 4K, or Ultra HD format. Refer to the specifications to distinguish standard 4K Ultra HD TVs from HDR enabled sets.

Dolby Vision is a more advanced version of HDR, created and licensed by the people that brought us Dolby noise reduction and surround sound. As per theory, a Dolby Vision set has to meet a stricter set of criteria to display HDR content.

Bottom Line: For more detailed image production look for HDR support.

Fully Array vs. Edge lit Display

What’s the difference?

All LED TVs are actually LCD TVs illuminated by LED backlights.  In full array displays light-emitting diodes are equally distributed across the whole panel, whereas edge lit variants only incorporate LED backlights at the edges. In short, more the LEDs, better the overall picture quality.

Following are the two major types of displays available in the market.

Full-array with Local Dimming:  This configuration has the ability to automatically dim or brighten individual zones of LEDs, resulting in an improved picture quality with much better black levels and a more even picture across the LCD panel.

Edge-lit without Local Dimming:  In this type of arrangement the LEDs placed on the edges operate uniformly to illuminate the LCD panel.

Enough of the technical chitchat! Which one is better?

Without any doubt Full-Array with local dimming has the edge.

Refresh Rate: Faster Is Better

The refresh rate, articulated in Hertz (Hz) describes how many times per second a picture is refreshed on the LED TV. The standard refresh rate is about 50 to 60 times per second or commonly 50-60 Hz. Most of the reputed consumer electronics companies in Pakistan will ensure that this standard is adhered strictly.

Bottom line: Don't buy a TV with less than a 50 Hz refresh rate.

Contrast Ratio

The contrast ratio refers to the range of brightness levels a LED TV set can display. TV’s with better contrast ratio’s exhibit more subtle shadows and hues, resulting better detail. However, the way manufacturers’ measure such ratios vary widely.

The best way to examine this is to see how a TV displays shadow detail (dark scenes). It is recommended that you experiment with the TV's brightness, sharpness and other settings before making a final judgment.

 (Hint: select “movie” or “cinema” mode on the LED TV.)

Bottom line:  Ignore what the manufacturers say about contrast-ratio specs, inspect them yourself.

Audio

Even the finest, most expensive LED TVs have an Achilles' heel: poor sound. It's a consequence of the slim design of flat panels — there's not enough room for large speakers to produce full, rich sound. Rarely will you find a brand that has a solution to this problem. Only Orient LED TVs have the smartest, slimmest and the most powerful speakers in the market to deliver mind blowing sound. They come with customized settings to cater the audio requirement of different kinds of content.

Recommendations: When it comes to rich sound, nothing beats Orient’s Smart LED TVs.

Thin Profile

A television is just like furniture, it represents one’s persona. It is important to select a LED TV that goes not only with the arrangement of your room but your personality as well. Manufacturers are now more focused on making their sets thinner and classier to meet the requirements of modern users.  Not will a slim & lightweight device provide comfort in terms of mounting but will also be easy to carry from one place to another.

Color Reproduction and Color Depth

The good news is that most TV manufacturers will keep their color depth at a level that won’t frustrate customers. But if you’re shopping on a tight budget, make sure that you get one with at least a bit depth of “8 bits per channel” or more, with specific emphasis on “per channel.” Following this will ensure whether the TV is able to produce ample colors to satisfy the human eye and present photo-realistic images.

Aspect Ratio

This point isn’t much important as compared to the rest. The aspect ratio is merely the ratio of a television’s width to its height. It has no particular consequence on the quality of the image created by the LED TV. If you watch a lot of movies, you should probably be looking for wider aspect ratios. You’re likely to find a lot of 16:9, and that would probably be good enough, but if you want to watch a lot of modern, widescreen Hollywood movies, you may look around for something higher, let’s say 2.4:1 to be quite precise.

 Ok! How Do I know Which Brand is offering all the Points Mentioned Above?

When looking for the perfect LED TV, Orient has the best options available.  Orient being a market leader and  top-tier TV manufacturer in Pakistan offers a wide range of models at varying prices for sizes ranging from 24’’ all the way up to 65’’ including feature packed UHD 4K TVs that incorporate the latest Android technology. Orient LED TVs are value-oriented sets as they are priced below similarly featured TVs from other brands. Orient has everything for everyone in terms of size, price, and feature level. Owing to their innovative features, industry-leading technology and consumer-centric approach they are gaining a valued position in the international consumer electronics market as well.

To make sure that you buy the best in class LED TVs in Pakistan, simply log on to orient.com.pk, place the order online and receive your product with free shipping & cash on delivery across the country. Orient’s valued online customers will also be entitled to enjoy their after sales services.

Shopping home electronics online in Pakistan was never easier.