STACK #235 May 2024

FEATURE TECH

the beauty of 4K. Moreover, video shot using a 4K camera will really pop on a big screen 4K TV. Most smart TVs have inbuilt image processing and intelligent picture controls that adjust and optimise the quality according to the amount of ambient light in a room, so there’s no more need to fiddle with brightness, colour, and contrast settings.

Picture upscaling is another feature to look out for. This enhances SD and HD content to near 4K quality (depending on the quality of the source resolution), giving old TV shows and DVDs a shiny new look. Plus, some movies on Blu-ray discs can look every bit as good as a native 4K transfer when upscaled. If you’re a movie buff, look for a TV that has Filmmaker Mode, which disables any picture processing to present the movie exactly as the director intended it to be seen. 3. OLED or Mini LED TV? This will depend on your budget. OLED is a premium TV tech (and worth every penny), while Mini LED can be more affordable and is now advanced enough to deliver near OLED picture quality in terms of true blacks and contrast.

1. Screen size

A TV with a wide viewing angle is recommended, so there's no reduction in colour and contrast when you aren’t seated directly in front of the screen. 2. Picture quality This should also be at the top of your list, for obvious reasons – you want the very best that your budget allows. 4K Ultra HD has become the standard resolution for today’s smart TV displays – that’s four times the resolution of Full HD 1080p. You’ll find a wide range of streaming content in 4K, as well as physical 4K Blu-ray discs, so there's plenty of native content to take full advantage of

The first, and perhaps most important, thing to consider is the size of the screen and where you’ll put your new TV. Will it be mounted on the wall or sit atop an entertainment unit? Supersize screens of 65-inches and above are becoming the go-to for many Aussie homes, and bigger can be better as long as you’ve got the space – a 98” screen might be luxurious, but can be overwhelming in a small apartment or room. Measure up your wall space or entertainment unit beforehand to ensure that you get the right fit, and also the distance between the couch and the screen. There’s immersive viewing and then there’s sitting way too close!

9