How To Buy An Ultra HDTV

Tips for navigating a post-HDTV world.

- Al Griffin

IF YOU’RE CONSIDERING BUYING a new TV, you can be forgiven for having questions, possibly many of them. Several big-screen TV technologies—Ultra HDTV, high dynamic range (HDR), OLED—have been introduced over the past few years. At the same time, some older ones, including 3D and plasma, have faded from prominence. There have also been changes on the connectivity front, with new versions of the HDMI standard added to sets to accommodate new, higher-bandwidth signal formats.

The good news is that changes in TV tech have settled down to a degree, making buying a set a relatively safe bet today. The number of display types has been effectively reduced to two, LCD and OLED, and many new Ultra HDTV models are now compatible with HDR. Also, virtually all sets that were introduced in 2016 sport at least one HDMI 2.0a input—the latest version—along with the necessary copy protection to enable viewing new formats like Ultra HD Blu-ray.

LCD or OLED?

The most common TV display technology, one that’s offered by all manufacturers large and small, is LCD. The main benefit to LCD is light output: Picture brightness can be cranked high enough to accommodate situations such as watching sports in a well-lit room. At the same time, many high-end LCD TVs feature backlight modulation technology, which lets them achieve the deep black levels and high contrast ratios that are favorable for watching movies. Another LCD benefit is cost, with 50-inch Ultra HD models currently selling for as low as $500.