Tag Archive for: Tv tips

Top 3 Gaming TVs for Sony PS5 and Xbox Series X

So you already have your PS5 preorder and/or Xbox Series X preorder locked in, but is your television ready? You need the best gaming TVs for the PS5 and Xbox Series X or Xbox Series S if you want the best looking picture. Both consoles are built to create a true 4 K image that the PS4 Pro or Xbox One X can look significantly better than anything, so you will certainly want to get the best 4 K gaming TV money you can buy and there are actually quite a few budget gaming TVs for you.

The crop of gaming TVs this year is stepping up things by offering HDMI 2.1 ports for 4 K 120Hz gameplay, like the next-generation consoles, and almost all of them come with FreeSync support to help smooth your frame rate. What’s more, we’re seeing some of the brightest TVs ever launched, as well as some blow your mind picture clarity.

Here’s a look at our top three personal picks for best TV for gaming in 2020

LG 65″ Class CX Series Smart OLED 4K TV

AS far as we are concerned, the best gaming TV you can buy is the LG 65 ‘Class CX Series Smart OLED 4 K TV (OLED65CXPUA). It costs a pretty penny at $2,500, but thanks to its quick response time and native 120Hz refresh rate, it is one of the best gaming screens. As OLED displays are emissive, which means that each pixel produces its own light rather than a backlight, you can also get true blacks right next to bright highlights.

The LG OLED65CXPUA also comes fstandard with four HDMI 2.1 ports so that you can enjoy the 4 K gaming from either the PS5 or Xbox Series X at up to 120Hz streaming. The OLED line of LG is also one of the few TVs that supports both FreeSync and G-Sync at the same time, so you will never see screen tearing or a rocky frame rate regardless of your game choice.

Sony 65″ Class X900H Smart LED 4K TV

For a 4 K 120Hz experience that won’t cost a lot, there’s no better choice than the Sony XBR65X900H if you’re looking for a gaming TV (read our review). The Sony X900H provides a full suite of HDMI 2.1 ports with all the high resolution and quick response time you need for both the Xbox Series X / S and the PS5, at $1,699 or less for a 65-inch display. Better still, this 4 K TV also supports variable refresh rate support on the next-gen consoles for a tear-free gaming experience and, by our calculation, the low-latency game mode decreases latency to just 17.2ms.

The TV uses a VA screen, which with vivid colors provides the perfect combination of responsiveness and picture quality. For superb blacks and contrast, there’s also a full-array local dimming, and expect vivid colors from this 4 K TV. It’s not all that shabby for one of the most affordable gaming televisions on the market right now.

TCL 55″ Class 6-Series QLED Roku Smart TV

If you’re planning to get the Xbox Series X or PlayStation 5 and want an affordable TV that’s ready to let you make the most of them, the latest 55-inch TCL 6-Series TV is it. This 4K TV can deliver an amazing picture thanks to its use of Mini LED and QLED technologies, giving you a stunningly bright picture with vivid colors. The HDR experience is aided along by 240 local dimming zones to deliver a strong contrast ratio, letting you take full advantage of Dolby Vision and HDR 10. All that, and it’s only $650.

When it comes to gaming, you’ll find this TV is the first to have THX Certified Game Mode. This ensures the TCL 6-Series can automatically detect games and switch into game mode, which enables a variable refresh rate, reduces processing to minimize input lag and pixel response time, and does still more to improve the visual quality of your games. Though the new TCL 6-Series offers a 120Hz refresh rate, it doesn’t support 4K inputs at 120Hz, so you’ll have to decide whether you want to game at 4K at 60Hz or prefer to go with 1440p at 120Hz.

A Word About Wall Mounted TVs and TV Calibration

If you are going to invest in a new TV as well as a new gaming console you might be wondering if you’ll enjoy a better gaming experience if you have it mounted on the wall.

The majority of new flats screen TVs are designed to be wall mounted, with pre-made holes in the back for attaching to mounts and brackets. The room it saves you is the most important advantage of wall mounted TVs. They hardly stick out at all, because they are so thin and can be secured so close to the wall, ensuring you don’t need to take up floor space with a table or stand.

As the focal point of a room, wall mounted TVs are used and offer a sleek and modern finish. It is possible to cover the cables, make the space less cluttered and decrease the chance of tripping over them. It will also leave lots of room for your gaming console and peripherals.

Mounting a TV that has cost you a lot of money is something best left to the pros however, and the nest TV mounting professionals are those who can also calibrate your TV properly. A correctly calibrated TV would actually look more appealing to the eye, and can draw less power and even last longer, depending on its light output afterwards.

This is because, in general, a calibrated TV has a dimmer image than the default settings for “torch mode.” Therefore, since the TV generates less light, it requires less power and, due to decreased pressure on the light-generating sections of the TV, can enjoy a longer lifespan. This is particularly true of OLED TVs.

Buying Your Dream Big Screen TV? Important Things to Consider Before You Do

You’ve found it. The TV of your dreams. It’s big, it’s bold, it’s 4K – or maybe even 5K. The picture is beautiful and the sound is spectacular. It does ‘smart things’, is splendidly streamlined and the price is not giving you as much of a panic attack as you might have imagined when you set out on this particular shopping expedition.

All of these things are observations you are making in the showroom or on the store floor though. Where the TV you are so in awe of has been perfectly set up to attract as much attention as possible. But will it really work in your home? Here are some things to think about before you eagerly hand over your credit card to that lurking store clerk.

Where Will It Fit?

Big TVs have been ‘in’ for years now and they probably aren’t getting any smaller any time soon. The idea of having a big screen in your living room is, for most of us, a very appealing one.

Thanks to both streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Prime and the speed at which big movies are transplanted from movie theaters to DVD these days watching a big blockbuster flick not too long after its debut is perfectly possible and it’s often much nicer – and cheaper- to snuggle down on your own sofa with a bowl of freshly popped homemade popcorn rather than deal with all the annoyances of a trip to the movie theater.

Many of us have been happy that we had that luxury during the COVID-19 lockdowns., and so may be inspired to make our home entertainment set up even better, in case it happens again.

One potential downside to a big TV though is where to put it. When you are admiring that 60″ stunner in the store do remember that that measurement refers to the the size of the screen measured diagonally, not to the dimensions of the TV itself. In some cases the housing can add several inches on either size, as well as a tangle of wires.

So, it may be that you have to find 70″ worth of space in your living room. That’s over five feet. Where do you have five feet’s worth of space in the room? What will need to be moved in order to accommodate the TV safely?

One popular option though is the mount the TV to a wall. That way it does not ‘steal’ any floor space and, with some thought, can look super stylish, especially as it’s a great way to ‘hide’ all of those unsightly cords. Another is to house it in a built-in, although that does involve more fuss and expense.

Can You Set it Up Properly?

The literature for the TV says it’s ‘easy set up’. But all too often people find that when they get home and turn everything on it’s more complicated than it seems.

Which is the right setting for the picture? Which of the multiple sound options will reproduce that lovely sound that seduced them in the showroom. It’s often confusing, and frustrating, trying to get the right balance. And then there are all of those ports. Which one should the PS4 go in? And the Roku? And the DVD player? And how do you make it all work together? The instruction booklet has some pictures, but they aren’t much help.

Investing in Some Professional Help

For all of these reasons and more, when you get around to investing in your dream TV you should consider budgeting in professional installation like the service we offer at Data Installers as well.

If you want to mount your TV to the wall you need to ensure it’s going to stay there, and a pro really is the best person for that job. In addition, once your TV is installed, securely, where you want it, you can sit back and let the expert do all of that programming and wiring up for you, ensuring that the TV that you just made that big investment in does exactly what you paid for it to do; bring your hours and hours of hassle free enjoyment and entertainment for years to come.