You can enjoy on-demand Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, and other content providers in your living room with a suitable smart TV. To find a television set that best suits your viewing habits, you’ll need to decide on the display resolution, image processor, and platform.

Everything from LED to OLED to 4K to HDR televisions is available for purchase. Every day, the television industry improves, but it is also becoming more complex. So, if you’re having trouble deciding between a variety of high-definition (HD) and 4K Ultra HD televisions on the market, here are some essential factors to consider before making a well-informed decision.

Check its size

The size of your new television is one of the most important considerations when purchasing. Depending on your budget and the location you intend to set it, the answer is different. Watching a show from a distance is also an important consideration. If you’re standing right in front of a large set, your eyes will be overwhelmed.

Decide on the resolution

The number of dots or pixels that make up a television’s screen is known as its resolution. However, screen size is also a factor—the same number of pixels on a larger display won’t appear as clear as on a smaller one.

It’s easy to decide now because the market is saturated with 4K TVs (with a resolution of 3840 by 2160 pixels). “Ultra HD” is used by some television companies, but the resolution is the same, and almost every new set today has this specification.

Become familiar with display technologies

LED LCD and OLED are two competing technologies used in today’s television displays.

LEDs are used in both types of screens, but diverse ways. LED LCD screens use white light-emitting diodes, or LED pixels, as the backlight to create images through a liquid crystal display or LCD filter. If you buy a cheap set, you may only get LEDs on the edges of the screen. In general, LED LCDs are sharper and more realistic looking than OLED displays.

Instead of using a backlight, organic light-emitting diode (OLED) screens use an electric current to illuminate each pixel individually. This improves the responsiveness of the screen. OLED displays, on the other hand, have better contrast because they completely turn off the black pixels (LED LCD screens dim them).

Decide on the software

The software that runs your smart television shouldn’t take up a lot of your time or influence your choice. Primary services like Netflix, Hulu, and YouTube are available on all smart TV platforms.

Samsung, LG, and Panasonic utilize proprietary smart-TV software, while Sony mainly uses Android TV from Google. TCL, a bargain brand, relies on Roku. You may notice tiny variances in app selection between platforms (Android TV and Roku, for instance), but these differences are negligible.

Conclusion

Don’t get caught up in the nitty-gritty of things. You won’t have to worry about your smart TV becoming antiquated in a few years because televisions have extended shelf lives relative to more regularly updated products like smartphones. Even if it’s a slightly older model, it’s still a viable option.