Is it time to upgrade your TV?

February 23rd, 2015

TV, Audio & Electronics TVs

Once upon a time, your old TV would last for decades, and only need replacing if knocked over and smashed by a disobedient pet or stupid householder.

But modern TVs, just like computers, phones and Doctor Who stars, need to be replaced every few years to keep up with the times.

Sure, nobody likes the extra expense and hassle of upgrading their TV technology. But in the end, the results can be worth it.

Here are a few signs that it might be time to replace your old TV:

Your old screen’s too small

There may be nothing wrong with that cheap TV you picked up a while back, but aren’t you sick of squinting into its tiny screen?

Isn’t it annoying not being able to read the subtitles when trying to follow a complex story with an international cast of globetrotting characters?

Isn’t it weird when the biggest, most spectacular action scenes in cinematic history play out as if being re-enacted by Lego figures? (unless you’re watching The Lego Movie, in which case that’s completely normal)

Of course, while bigger, as they say, is better, you still don’t want to overwhelm your room with too large a TV. A good guideline is to base your TV’s size on the distance you’ll be sitting from the screen.

Get out your measuring tape, and use the following formula as a decent guideline to start from:

TV screen size = viewing distance ÷2.5

So for example, if you’re sitting back about 105 inches (that’s 8 ¾ feet, or 263cm) from your TV, you’ll get the best viewing experience with a screen size of approximately 42 inches (or 105cm).

Start your TV search with screens around this size, and make your final decision based on your personal preferences and your home’s unique layout.

Your TV’s picture quality is worse than you realise

As someone who wears glasses, I’m always amazed when I go to the optometrist for a checkup and discover just how blurry my vision used to be when I compare it to my brand new prescription.

The same kind of principle applies to your TV’s picture quality. It may appear just fine to you, with nothing obviously WRONG with it, but what if you’re giving yourself the short end of the image detail stick without even realising it?

Panasonic TH-42AS640A 42″ 107cm Full HD Smart LED LCD TV

For example, if you haven’t already updated to an HD TV, you won’t be enjoying the high definition free to air TV channels (ABC News 24, SBS HD, 7mate, GEM, ONE, etc.) in their highest quality. And if you’re watching an HD Blu-ray on a standard definition TV, you may as well be watching Betamax for all the good it’s doing you.

And that’s just resolution. Colour, contrast and other details can all make a big difference to how you enjoy your favourite movies and TV shows. If your favourite movies look oddly different on your home TV compared to how you remember them looking on the big screen, think about investing in that TV upgrade.

You want to stay future proof

When updating any technology, it’s usually sensible to select the most advanced options available, allowing you to get ahead of the curve and maximise the amount of time before you have to upgrade again.

If you want to future-proof your home theatre, you may want to consider a 4K or Ultra HD TV, which offer four times the detail of Full HD.

TCL U50E5691FDS 49.5″ 126cm 4K Ultra HD Smart 3D LED LCD TV

Sure, this level of detail isn’t NECESSARY at the moment , as there’s currently not a great deal of native 4K content available to watch on one of these bad boys. But as an early adopter, you’ll be sitting pretty when more entertainment starts being produced and distributed in Ultra HD resolution.

You want to try out 3D

While 3D movies technically aren’t a new idea – as Stan “Excelsior!” Lee has pointed out, they were around decades ago – the recent 3D renaissance has been a fascinating time to be a filmgoer, with many great filmmakers experimenting with the format to create unique cinematic experiences.

If you want to see movies like Avatar, the new Hobbit trilogy, and that true classic, My Bloody Valentine 3D (where the body parts fly right at you!) in the way their creators intended, it’s not too pricey these days to pick up a 3D TV for your living room.

Plus, by watching these movies in the privacy of your own home, you can choose exactly who gets to see you wearing those somewhat dorky 3D glasses.

You want to go wireless

If you’re anything like me, over the years of owning a TV, you’ve also built up an impressive collection of accessories and other home theatre paraphernalia to go with it. A lot of these gadgets are products of their time, and haven’t made a completely smooth transition to our wonderfully interconnected modern world of digital entertainment on demand.

So rather than using a terrifying snarl of wires, cables, and gadgets plugged into other gadgets to enjoy the “convenience” of digital media, why not just let a Smart TV handle all that for you? Most of them have built-in Wi-Fi, allowing the TV to connect straight to the internet without having to plug in a lot of extra devices or dongles, or snaking cables across the house.

Smart TVs have a bit of a bad reputation for being needlessly complicated. And while that may have once been the case, most newer designs are much better, with simpler and more intuitive operating systems replacing the clunky menus of yesteryear.

And if your Smart TV is DLNA-certified, it can easily share media between compatible devices throughout the home.  For example, if your home includes a DLNA Smart TV and a DLNA Blu-ray player, you can watch a Blu-ray movie on your Smart TV even when the player is in a different room, all through wireless networking.

You want to save energy and money

If you bought a Plasma TV a while back, you’ve no doubt appreciated its smooth motion display and deep, rich black levels over the years.

What you may NOT have appreciated is the way it guzzles energy and drives up your power bills.

source: CNET

Considering that manufacturers are no longer selling Plasmas, and that reliable support for these older technologies probably won’t last forever, it may be worth upgrading to a newer LED-based TV.

Not only do the latest iterations of these technologies allow for excellent picture quality, but they also make smarter and more efficient use of power, which can hopefully reduce your home’s environmental footprint a bit, and also shave a percentage off your energy bills.

Your old TV has crappy sound quality

We tend not to think too much about sound quality when picking out a new TV. After all, it’s the pictures that we buy the things for.

However, some newer TVs have replaced the dinky speakers that we’ve come to expect with some much heftier designs, allowing you to enjoy a thumping soundtrack without the need for those extra accessories.

Of course, the other simple option to improve a regular TV’s sound quality is to add a Home Theatre system or Soundbar.

You’ve found some really good TV deals

If you’re in the market for a new TV, but don’t want to over-spend, it’s usually worth checking out the runout specials that arrive just before the next generation of TVs starts hitting shelves. Even if they are last’s year’s models, they still offer everything you need to keep your entertainment looking its best.

For example, you can find some great bargains on 2014 model TVs, plus a range of AV accessories and other consumer electonics, right here at Appliances Online during our AV Runout Week – pick one up while stocks last!