HD TVs have come a long way since the days of the first flatscreens, but here’s a little secret for you: this year’s new, fancy, top line TVs aren’t really going to improve much on last year’s new, fancy top line TVs. If you’re in the market for a new display, you’re better off looking for older, discounted models.
In recent years we’ve seen 4K TVs becoming more widespread, as well as image enhancing HDR technology. But the biggest thing with 4K HDR is that it’s not enough to have your TV support it – you also have to be watching content that was produced in 4K HDR.
We’re only just starting to get more of this on the market, with 4K options available on Netflix, Stan and Amazon Prime Video. Netflix and Amazon also offer some shows shot in HDR.
Gaming wise, you need to have a high powered console like the PS4 Pro or Xbox One X to play games in 4K HDR, and for digital media you need Ultra HD Blu-ray discs and a player to go along with it.
With 4K available for a number of years and HDR becoming popular in 2016’s TV range, you can still get top quality visuals on even the most demanding high definition content.
Looking ahead, some manufacturers have started to look at 8K displays, but widespread adoption of 8K is still a long while off yet.
More recent upgrades to high range TVs since the advent of HDR have tended to target software more than hardware, or an increasing mission to get rid of TV bevels altogether which, let’s face it, doesn’t really impact your viewing experience. (Most movies come with black borders anyway due to the different screen ratio.)
So if you’re after a new TV, look back a few years, grab something that’s on sale, and as long as it’s got 4K and HDR you’re going to be right for a good while yet.
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