Black Friday is approaching and for many gamers this year may well be the year to buy a new 4K TV to enjoy the next-gen consoles. Wondering what to look out for when you buy one? Read on quick.
LG CX Oled 55 inch –€1279,00
LG OLED55BX6LB – €1057,00
Samsung QLED 4K 55Q74T –€899,00
Samsung QE55Q70T – 4K QLED TV (Benelux model) –€814,00
Sony 4K KD-43XH8505 –€699,00
Sony 4K OLED KD-55A85 – €1499,00
LG OLED65CX6LA – €1899,90
Sony KD-55XH9505 – €1299,00
LG OLED77CX6LA – €4499,00
Sony OLED KD-55AG9 – €1999,00
Samsung QLED 55Q75T – €949,00
LG 49NANO866NA –€759,00
LG 55UM7100PLB –€475,00
LG OLED55E9PLA –€1249,00
Samsung QE65Q77T –€1109,00
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Picking out a new television is fun, but rarely a simple or quick task. Choosing a TV for gaming in particular is a challenge, as nearly all specifications affect the final experience. In this article we therefore indicate which specifications you should pay attention to if you are going to do your own research. This way you are well prepared for the purchase of a new television on Black Friday!
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Support for UHD
The range of HDTVs without UHD is very limited nowadays, but it is still important to check that the panel of the TV you have in mind supports this. UHD (3840×2160 pixels) is also often referred to in practice as 4K, a collective term for resolutions that contain approximately four thousand horizontal pixels.
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HDMI 2.1 is really one for the next-gen consoles mustand a big step forward from HDMI 2.0, starting with maximum bandwidth. For example, HDMI 2.0 is suitable up to 18Gb / s, while HDMI 2.1 makes no less than 48Gb / s possible. This extra bandwidth is needed to be able to transfer high resolution images with a high frame rate. HDMI 2.1 is required for 120fps in 4K. The next-gen consoles support this, so make sure your new TV has HDMI 2.1.
In addition to the higher bandwidth, HDMI 2.1 has a few features, some of which are very interesting for gamers. All HDMI 2.1 features at a glance:
- VRR (Variable Refresh Rate)
- ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode)
- eARC (Enhanced Audio Return Channel)
- QFT (Quick Frame Transport)
- QMS (Quick Media Switching)
- DSC (Display Stream Compression)
Not all of these features are equally interesting for gamers and some are even possible on HDMI 2.0 via software updates, but HDMI 2.1 already has all these features as standard.
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Support for HDR
Also for HDR, the range of TVs without this functionality is very small nowadays. Almost all 4K TVs claim to have support for HDR, but the problem with recognizing HDR support is that there are multiple standards. In addition, each manufacturer uses a different definition of HDR, even if they do not support a common HDR standard such as HDR10, Dolby Vision or Hybrid Log Gamma.
It is therefore advisable to specifically check for the presence of one of these standards in the specifications of the TV. The Xbox Series X supports HDR10 and only Dolby Vision for streaming services at the moment. The PlayStation 5 only supports HDR10. So keep this in mind when you look at the HDR options of the TV.
Brightness and black values
HDR not only offers a wider color spectrum, it also defines a TV that can achieve high contrast ratios. A contrast ratio describes the difference in brightness between the brightest white and the darkest black. To qualify for the HDR TV rating, the Ultra HD Alliance applies a minimum peak brightness of 1000 cd / m2, or 1000 nits, and a minimum black value of 0.05 nits. This equates to a minimum contrast ratio of 20000: 1. In practice, however, there are hardly any panels that can achieve this without using the backlight to make certain parts of the screen brighter or darker. A more realistic minimum for the static contrast ratio is therefore 1000:1, everything above that is a bonus.
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