STACK #223 May 2023

TECH FEATURE

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Credit: LG Credit: Samsung Credit: Samsung

No matter which way you go when upgrading your TV to a 2023 model, if you’re a gamer then you’re in for a treat. A raft of features aimed squarely at players will feature on all the big manufacturers’ ranges, and they can add extra weight to justifying the decision to update. Words Bec Summer P articularly if you’ve entered the powerful new generation of games consoles that the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X have heralded, you’ll be wanting a TV that supports their high-powered capabilities. checklist will be whether the TV you’re eyeing has a game mode. Different manufacturers GET YOUR GAME ON, 2023 STYLE!

’Game Mode’ engaged You’ll find a setting named ‘Game Mode’ or similar on pretty much every recently made television, but what makes it so special? Basically, no matter what type of TV you have, there’s a slight delay between the video going into the TV and the result appearing on the screen – all the picture-tweaking cleverness that the TV does takes a little time. That’s not great for gaming, as it can cause a delay between your controller input and the action happening onscreen. Game Mode switches off most of the picture processing, making response times as fast as possible.

use variations on the wording, but they all essentially do the same thing, which is optimising the screen’s settings for the smoothest, most unhindered gameplay experience possible. Of course, you can override them with your preferences but, in our experience, they do a top job. With the latest consoles bringing such new gen graphical features as ray tracing – which creates more realistic lighting and shadows – and the aforementioned VRR and ALLM to the table, having a TV that has HDMI 2.1 ports is also necessary to take full advantage of the new technology. Make sure to tick that box! Ultimately it comes down to getting the most enjoyment out of the new-generation console

It’s Freesync in here – and that’s good! A true advancement in bringing top gaming performance to the masses, AMD FreeSync technology puts an end to choppy gameplay and broken frames with fluid, artefact-free performance at virtually any frame rate. There are three levels, all featuring tear-free vision with low latency. AMD Freesync Premium adds support for low frame rate compensation and a refresh rate of at least 120Hz at minimum FHD resolution, while AMD Freesync Premium Pro also adds low latency in both SDR and HDR.

Both systems offer 4K resolution gaming capabilities coupled with HDR which, when supported, allows for wider breadth between dark and light reproduction, as well as more accurate colour presentation. So, when considering a newTV, you’ll want to go for a minimum of 4K with HDR. The new gaming consoles also offer such features as variable refresh rates, or VRR, and auto low latency mode, or ALLM. These are designed to improve your gaming performance, with VRR reducing such bugbears as screen

tearing and input lag. ALLM, meanwhile, is handy in that it automatically kicks the TV into its game mode if it has one, adjusting the settings for optimal performance. So, another tick on your

experience. You have the latest and greatest gaming tech, so having a TV that’s capable of handling it all effortlessly just makes sense. Game on!

Credit: Samsung

Up until recently, the version of the HDMI inputs on your TV had been all about keeping up with new video tech. HDMI 1.4 added support for 3D and 4K, for example, while HDMI 2.0 opened the way for HDR video. With HDMI 2.1, the main benefits go straight to gamers, with support for 120fps in both 4K and 8K, an Auto Low Latency Mode that lets TVs automatically switch to Game Mode when a console or PC is detected, and Variable Refresh Rate for silky-smooth gaming. Both the PS5 and Xbox Series X are equipped with HDMI 2.1, so make sure to look for it on your next TV.

The joy of HDMI 2.1

34 MAY 2023

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