5 Must-Have Features When Buying a 4K TV

When purchasing a TV, one of the very first things you probably look out for is the resolution. In this instance, 4K TVs are a good choice since they have a higher resolution compared to a full HD TV due to having more pixels on the screen. This allows them to produce images that are four times sharper. While resolution does play a part in picture quality, it isn’t the only defining factor. There are several other considerations to think about when you’re buying a TV. It pays to do due diligence, since buying a TV, especially a top-market one like a 4K TV, is a huge financial commitment. With so many options out there, what are some other features to look out for?  

1. A GOOD LEVEL OF BRIGHTNESS

Most of us will be attracted to TVs with bright and intense colours, which is why most showrooms tend to set their TVs on display to the highest brightness levels to attract customers. While brightness in a TV is important as it can improve visibility in a room with lots of light or make intricate details in a scene more visible, too much brightness isn’t necessarily a good thing. Prolonged periods of watching TV set to a high brightness level can lead to eye strain and fatigue. Overly bright images can also cause washed out effects on the screen. Sure, you can always adjust the brightness levels on your TV, but why pay a premium for high brightness levels when you don’t need them? When buying your TV, check to see if the TV you’re planning to get can be adjusted to a brightness level that won’t produce a washed-out effect. The faces of the soccer players can be seen clearly on the screen of the LG SJ850T. No washed-out effect here! The LG SJ850T TV has a brightness level of about 800 nits, which is enough brightness for the standard home. Most TV programmes actually only require a brightness level between 250-500 nits for the most accurate depiction. A surge in brightness is also usually in selected scenes, rather than the entire TV programme. For a more comfortable viewing experience, make sure you aren’t viewing your TV at too high a brightness level. What this essentially means is that there really isn’t a need for you to get a TV that purports high brightness levels.  

2. ACCURATE AND NATURAL COLOURS

It is important that your TV is able to portray accurate and natural colours that illustrate what directors and cinematographers intended. You will want to know what you’re watching is as close to their reality as possible so as to get the most out of the show. Intense and vivid hues may look beautiful but unless those are what the makers of the TV show envisioned, there really isn’t a point, is there? To test this out when buying a TV, here’s a handy tip: get a printout of a Pantone colour chart with a colour of your choice. Bring the chart along when you’re shopping for your TV and compare that with the same colour as seen from the TV screen (search for the colour on the Pantone website). See how close the colour on the screen is to your physical colour chart. You will want to get a TV with hues that closely resemble those on your colour chart, as this means the colours depicted are more natural and accurate. We used the Pantone colour chart to test the LG SJ850T out. As seen below, the Starbucks Green colour on the screen closely resembles the Starbucks Green colour on the chart: The nano cell technology behind the LG SUPER UHD TV is what makes such accurate and natural colours. The technology uses uniform, 1-nanometre particles on its LCD cell that help to absorb unwanted light, helping to reduce colour fading and improve colour gamut and accuracy for clearer, more consistent and natural colours that are closer to the real thing. We also played a Youtube video to test out the colours: Notice the natural greenness of the football pitch and the clarity in details?  

3. PERFECT VIEWING ANGLES FROM ALL SIDES

Watching TV is more often than not a social or family experience and you don’t always get to sit right smack in the middle. Therefore, you will want a TV that provides perfect viewing angles no matter where you’re sitting. Based on a Japan Ergonomics Society research survey in 2012, only nine percent of consumers watch TV from the centre. Most of those who were surveyed actually watch TV at a 15-degree angle or more. Expectedly, those who watched from the side cited a loss of quality when viewing the TV. This is because most TVs in the market are not able to depict accurate colours when viewed from the side. This isn’t the case with the LG SJ850T however. We viewed the TV from different spots to see if the colour scenes are consistent no matter which angle we viewed it from: Consistent hues and no loss of quality no matter where we're viewing it from! As the photos show, the colour scenes are consistent no matter where you’re watching from. Colours remain accurate and there isn’t any colour fading effect. This is possible because of their panel technology, which accommodates for wider viewing angles, even from 60-degree angles. Inferior picture quality (due to viewing from the side) is particularly problematic, as it can actually lead to wrong information. This video shows just how poor quality side viewing can make all the difference:  

4. A SOLID HOME ENTERTAINMENT SYSTEM

You should also look out for TVs that support HDR, which is the next big thing in TV. HDR is basically a technology that ensures what you see on TV is as close to the vision of the filmmaker as possible. HDR content is available in a wide variety of formats today including Dolby Vision and HDR10. You will want to make sure your TV is able to support the different standards in order to get the best possible viewing experience. Thankfully, the LG SJ850T can. It supports a wide variety of HDR formats like the Dolby Vision, which is favoured by Netflix as well as major Hollywood Studios including Warner Bros, Universal Studios and Walt Disney. It also supports the generic HDR10 and HLG. Supporting a wide variety of formats means you don’t have to worry which type of format you’re watching; the LG SUPER UHD TV will give you the best viewing quality at all times. As a bonus, it also generates great precision with every scene, thanks to its scene-by-scene precision technology leading to a more immersive and near-cinematic experience. For an even more striking immersion, pay attention to the sound quality of your TV. The LG SUPER UHD TV comes with speakers that are co-designed with harman/kardon, a premium brand known for great sound clarity, particularly at high pitch levels. So what you get with it is a crisp, clear and balanced audio. You don’t need an additional sound bar with these speakers embedded in the TV if you don’t want to.  

5. A SMART AND SIMPLE INTERFACE

Watching TV nowadays is more than just staring into the box set. It has become such an immersive and interactive experience, which is why it’s really important that your TV has an intuitive interface that provides ease of navigation. You will want a TV that lets you search for your favourite videos with just a point and click and one that allows you to switch between live TV channels and TV apps without any difficulty. The LG SUPER UHD TV features a webOS 3.5 Smart TV system that comes with a launcher bar that you can customise to reach your favourite TV shows fast: The accompanying Magic Remote also allows for easy navigation as it works more like a mouse rather than a standard remote (the latter can sometimes be a chore to navigate on a smart TV!). Good news if you love to watch Netflix, as the Magic Remote comes with a button that leads you directly to all your favourite programmes on the app. Besides ease of navigation, you should also look out for a safe and secure TV. For a smart TV, make sure there are security measures in place to prevent unauthorised third party access to your information online. The good thing about LG TVs is that their webOS 3.5 System is a closed platform that provides a safe environment for online activities like web surfing. Earlier this year, their webOS 3.5 system was also certified for its effective cybersecurity capabilities by UL, the world’s foremost expert in safety and sustainability. The system was tested for malware susceptibility and vulnerabilities, software weaknesses and security controls that help protect users’ private information. With their system having passed these tests, you can be assured of a safe and secure web browsing experience on the LG SUPER UHD TV.

GET THIS!

If you’re looking for the perfect 4K TV that fits the bill above, look no further than to the LG SJ850T. This model is priced at $3,588 for the 55-inch and $4,888 for the 65-inch. It features a Nano Cell Display that provides clear and accurate colours and an IPS Display that accommodates for wide angle viewing. It also supports a variety of HDR formats including Dolby Vision, and functions with the safe webOS 3.5 system via a user-friendly Magic Remote. This is a sponsored post by LG. For more information, visit http://www.lg.com/sg/tvs/lg-55SJ850T-superuhdtv.  

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