Choose your next TV (Step by Step Guide)

Choosing a TV can be very challenging if you know nothing about technology.

So I created this quick, newbie guide to have help you focus on what's really important to you.

If you are looking for recommendations (specific models), check the bottom of this page.

Step 1: Where will you use it?

Think of the application of your new TV.

Home or Office?
Living room or Outdoor? or Bathroom?

Brands have made TVs that are better suited for each application.

Step 2: Choose your price range

How much are you willing to spend on your next TV?

The more you spend, the better the features. But you need a limit, a budget.

A budget will allow you to narrow down alternatives and save you time.

Step 3: Choose your TV size

Usually bigger is better and more expensive.

But first you have to check if you meet the distance requirement.

Measure the amount of inches between you (or your couch) and your screen.
Divide that number by two.
The result is your optimal screen size.

Source: Samsung

Examples

65in - minimum 2.5m (Full HD) or 2.1m (4K)
50-52in - minimum 2.2m (Full HD) or 1.7m (4K)
46in - minimum 1.9m (Full HD) or 1.5m (4K)
40-42in - minimum 1.7m (Full HD) or 1.3m (4K)
32in - minimum 1.3m (Full HD)

Source: SMPTE

Step 4: Technologies

OLED or LED?

OLED is better but they're more expensive.

Would you like a voice assistant?

Alexa
Google Assistant

Other Technologies

There are additional technologies you may want to have:

HDR: If you want the most colors.
Dolby Vision: Is a more demanding version of HDR, created and licensed by the folks that brought us Dolby noise reduction and surround sound.
Smart TVs: Most TVs are already smart. You should avoid non smart TVs unless you know what you are doing.

Note: Stay away from 3D TVs.

Step 5: Choose your TV resolution

Higher resolution is better but more expensive.

The more pixels you have the more details you will be able to see.

If you can afford it, choose 4k (or 8k). These high resolution TVs may even improve the quality of 1080p content.

Step 6: Refresh Rate

Faster is better but more expensive. You get less blurry images.

Example: 120Hz is faster(better) than 60Hz.

Note: Refresh rate is usually more important for people who play action games. For most people 60Hz is OK.

Step 7: Connections

Make sure you have all the connections you need. Example:

HDMI (At least 2)
USB
Ethernet
Bluetooth

Note: Not all HDMI cables are made equal.

Optional Step 1: Brands

Narrow down by brand, if you can.

LG - best picture quality
Samsung - best overall
Sony - best sound system
TCL - best budget TVs
VIZIO - good value

Optional Step 2: Better audio?

No TV comes with awesome audio.

If you are a huge fan of music, movies and games, consider buying separate sound hardware.

Recommendation

This is what I recommend if you are looking for a high quality TV, that is also affordable:

The best TV

If you want to buy the cheapest TV you can, but also with decent specifications:

Affordable TV, with decent specifications

Technology (EN)