From today’s blockbuster movies with million-dollar budgets like The Avengers or Top Gun: Maverick to streaming services that have every show under the sun, we certainly don’t have a shortage of entertainment to choose from.
At the same time, advances in display technologies have ushered in a new age for the at-home cinema: cutting-edge TVs are not only getting bigger and better – they’re also becoming more affordable. Now that the latest TV tech is elevating viewing experiences to a whole new level, how do you know when it’s time to get new TV?
1. You’re struggling to see the details
Whether it’s for sports, movies, or gaming, having a bigger screen is almost always better. If you’re still squinting behind a sub-HD screen that doesn’t really do your home cinema any justice, finding a bigger size with higher resolution is usually the best place to start. But beyond having a bigger TV to feast your eyes on, it’s also crucial to consider the resolution of the screen. Full HD screens that provide 1080p resolution are now old tech reserved for low-end TVs. In comparison, a 4K TV has four times the number of pixels of a Full HD screen, and an 8K TV has an astounding 16 times more pixels than Full HD.
The math is simple: more pixels mean more detail and crisper picture quality. And with 4K and 8K content becoming widely available on streaming services, there has never been a better time to invest in seeing the bigger picture. This year’s FIFA World Cup, for example, will be broadcast in stunning 4K on DStv. If you really want to see every goal as though you’re actually inside the stadium, make sure to get your hands on a 4K display, like LG’s range of UHD 4K or OLED TVs.
2. You might as well skip through dark scenes
If you tried watching the latest season of Stranger Things and struggled to see everything in the darker scenes, backlight bleeding is probably the culprit. Most traditional LCD TVs rely on backlighting to produce an image, but the brightness from some parts of the screen tends to ‘spill over’ onto adjacent areas. This has a big impact on contrast and colour quality – and is most noticeable during darker scenes.
But there is a more advanced technology that doesn’t use backlighting at all. Since their debut in 2013, LG’s OLED TVs represent an evolutionary leap forward for display tech. OLED (which stands for organic light-emitting diode) TVs use self-emissive pixels that turn on and off individually to create an image. And because each pixel can be turned off completely – rather than just being dimmed – OLED TVs don’t suffer from backlight bleeding and deliver a level of contrast far beyond that of any other display technology. If you’re looking for the best contrast, most vibrant colours, and incredible picture quality, OLED is in a league of its own.
3. Your TV can’t connect to the internet, and it’s never heard of AI
There’s a lot more to the latest TVs than bigger screens and better picture quality. Having a smart TV has become essential for accessing the endless world of content today’s streaming services have to offer. But having an internet connection and an app store isn’t the only thing making our TVs smarter these days: other software-enabled technologies are also intelligently optimising our viewing experiences.
For example, LG TVs with the latest processor, called Alpha 9 Gen 5 AI, use artificial intelligence to analyse things like faces, objects, or scenery, and then automatically improve the picture and sound quality based on what’s on screen. And if you’re worried that watching a classic movie or YouTube videos in low resolution on a stunning 4K screen won’t do the TV justice, this intelligent software can also upscale picture quality and transform any HD content into 4K, or even 2K content into spectacular 8K. No more grainy or pixelated images. Similarly, this AI-powered tech can up-mix movie audio from flat and two-dimensional stereo to virtual surround sound that places voices and sound effects in different parts of your living room.
With this kind of innovative tech, you don’t have to go find 4K content to make the most of your TV. You can simply put on your old-time favourite movies, or any other low-resolution content, and enjoy as they are upscaled to a higher definition automatically.
4. The sound is flat and two-dimensional
To make your living room truly feel like a world-class cinema, you also need world-class sound. High quality sound filling your ears from all directions can put you right in the cockpit of Tom Cruise’s F-14 Tomcat, or transport you directly to the inside of a stadium when it’s a big game day. And one sound technology that enables the most immersive sound experiences is Dolby Atmos. This revolutionary sound format, which is used by thousands of cinemas worldwide, takes conventional surround sound to a new level: it enables true 3D audio by adding a height dimension to the ‘soundscape’. It can also recognise unique sound objects and place them more precisely in different parts of your living room. There's a world of difference between realistic, three-dimensional sound and simple stereo, so make sure to keep an eye (or an ear) out for a Dolby Atmos-enabled TV and sound system combination.
Home is where the cinema is
The world of television has seen some incredible technological advances in recent years, making it possible for any family to enjoy a cinema-quality experience within the comfort of their living room. But choosing the right TV requires some consideration. For example, you wouldn’t want to buy one today only to realise later that it doesn’t support HDR (high dynamic range) or only has one HDMI 2.1 port (which is essential for watching 4K content at 120Hz).
You also won’t know what you’re missing out on with your old TV before you lay your eyes on what’s new on the market today. With all the innovative display tech and new streaming content coming out every year, it’s certainly a feast for the eyes – but how long will your current TV keep up?
If you want to truly transform your living room into a world-class cinema, you can learn more about LG’s cutting-edge TVs and soundbars.