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ESSENTIAL 2022 TV BUYING GUIDE STACK’S

LIFE TECH FEATURE

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Close encounters While saying that bigger is better, common sense suggests that you wouldn’t want to fit an 85-inch TV to the wall if you’re only sitting a metre from the screen. So it’s important to consider how far your viewing position is from the TV. While you can find detailed equations to calculate optimum viewing distances online (a bit of overkill in our opinion, as it completely depends on your level of eyesight), you can actually sit a little closer to a 4K TV because of the smaller pixels. As a rule of thumb, multiply the screen size by 1.2, so a 65-inch TV comes out at 78 inches. Convert that to metric and you have a 1.99 metre optimal viewing distance. Alternatively, you can do what several of the STACK team did when they recently bought newTVs – go into a JB store, walk up to the TV display, pick the size you’re interested in and step back until you feel comfortable with the viewing distance. Count those steps, and voila! View to a thrill This is an important consideration, especially for a big family or those who like to entertain a large group for sporting events or movie nights. The optimal viewing position for your big screen TV is dead centre with the middle

5 WAYS WE USED TO WATCH TV 1 Before streaming and catch-up services, you were bound by the show’s scheduled start time. Fortunately, the arrival of the VCR made recording possible – if you could work out how to set the timer. 2 You had to physically move from the couch to adjust the volume, change the channel (by cranking a dial on the set) and turn the TV off. Unless you owned a set with a remote control attached to a very long lead. 3 Prior to March 1st, 1975, TV shows were broadcast in black and white in Australia, with the advent of colour surprising Sesame Street fans with the revelation that Cookie Monster was blue, not grey! 4 Older TV sets used a cathode ray tube that beamed electrons onto a phosphorescent surface to create an image. Today we have flat screens with quantum dots and self-lit pixels to do the job. 5 CRT TVs were connected to an outdoor antenna (for the best picture quality) or an indoor one with rabbit-ears design. A bent wire coat hanger would also do the trick.

One of, if not the biggest driver in making a buying decision on a newTV, is price, so having a budget in mind before you start shopping is a good place to start. If you’re looking for a TV that will just perform the basics, you can expect to get away reasonably lightly

at the register. However, to take advantage of the leap forward in technology and get the very best out of your visual experience, expect to pay a little more. The good news is that even top-tier TVs are now more affordable than ever. Size Matters A decade ago, 55 inches was deemed to be a large screen for a TV, but now it really is a case of the bigger the better. The last two years have taught us that it’s quite feasible to put together a complete home theatre setup where

you can enjoy a full cinema experience without getting out of your pyjamas and spending $100 on lollies. Pull out a tape measure and do the calculations on available wall space – you’ll never regret going bigger.

of the screen ideally at eye level. But move to the side of the couch or room and you may experience a reduction in contrast and less vibrant colours. This can vary depending on the type of screen you’ve chosen – OLEDTVs will deliver consistent image quality from every angle, while some Samsung and Sony models feature Ultra-Wide Angle and X-Wide Angle, respectively. Like the aforementioned distance test, you should also size up the viewing angle when checking out TVs in-store.

MAY 2022

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