Walk into any store that sells technology, and the chances are great that you will be faced with entire departments overflowing with multiple models of the same item, from microwaves to vacuum cleaners – not to mention the TVs! There comes a time when upgrading your current TV becomes a very viable option, but how do you navigate your way through the oceans of options that are available out there, while taking your personal preferences and budget into account? If you do not know your 1080 from your 4K, and LED and OLED are just letters to you, keep reading as we cast some light on the magic world of Smart TVs. 

The resolution of a TV refers to the picture quality relative to the size of the screen. The overall is determined by the number of pixels that are present in the screen. The more pixels in the screen, the better the picture quality and the higher the price, as a result. 1080 is the most common resolution and comprises approximately 2 million pixels. 1080 is also known as standard HD. UHD stands for Ultra High Definition and comprises around 8 million pixels. If you do the math, you will see that it is 4 times the resolution of Standard HD, which results in a very defined picture quality. If you encounter the term “4K” on your search for a Smart-TV, do not get confused – it is simply the alternative name for UHD TV. If recent industry rumors are correct, we can look forward to seeing the first generation of 8K TVs on the market soon. This amazing resolution promises displays of over 33 million pixels – more than quadruple the resolution of 4K UHDs.

Other than budget, the one factor that is going to affect your purchase decision more than anything else, is the size of the screen. The screen measurement is based on the measurement that is diagonally taken across the screen. The most popular choices for screen size fall in the 20-to-80-inch range. In terms of what the best screen for you might be, that will be dictated by your personal preference, as well as your budget and requirements. If you are uncertain about what size will be right for the space you have available, you can make use of one of many useful online calculators to help you calculate the best use of space for the unit you have in mind. Your choice of resolution will also be dictated by your budget, as the price goes up as the resolution does. Your best bet is to do as much online research as you can before entering a shop, as you will be under much less pressure to decide if you can at least be partially informed about what your options are, without having to worry about pressure from the store sales assistants. Do not be pressured into going for top of the range if you cannot afford it – simply get the best model you can afford at the time.