5 things to look for in a new television

It’s been 88 years since Idaho farm boy Philo T. Farnsworth successfully demonstrated the first “moving pictures” transmission.

Little did the humble inventor of television know we’d still be staring at the fruits of his labor well into the 21st century – though today’s models bear little resemblance to the 3-inch flickering black-and-white box first shown in 1928.

Today’s televisions are huge, thin, smart, and most importantly, many offer an ultra-high resolution picture that’s incredibly lifelike.

If you’re in the market for a new television — perhaps while taking advantage of pre-holiday price drops — the following are five trends to consider.

4K UHD

Your next TV will be a whole lot sharper.

Referred to as “4K” TV, these ultra-high-definition televisions offer four times the resolution of an 1080p HDTV. In other words, instead of a screen that has roughly 2 million pixels – the little dots that make up the image – these televisions boast more than 8 million pixels.

4K TVs present images so true-to-life it’s like slipping on a pair of prescription glasses for the first time.

Speaking of glasses, there’s also a greater sense of depth, so it’s as close to three-dimensions you can get without requiring silly 3D glasses.

HDR

While 4K refers to the resolution of the television -- how many pixels make up the picture – this isn’t the whole story. The latest televisions also offer HDR, or “high dynamic range,” which reproduces a wider range of brightness levels, higher contrast ratio, and richer colors. Contrast ratio is the measurement of the difference in brightness between the whitest white and the darkest black. When seen side by side with non-HDR content, HDR-enhanced video is incredibly bright and with vibrant colors, especially yellows and oranges.

Smart TV

Most new TVs today – even entry-level $199 models – allow you to connect to the Internet via Wi-Fi.

Smart TVs allow you to access online content, be it for video streaming (Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, etc.), social networking platforms (Facebook or Twitter), or photo galleries, music services, on-demand news and sports scores, and so on. Many Smart TVs give you a full web browser, too, so you can use a search engine or visit and bookmark websites. Some let you play interactive games. In most cases, you’ll choose which apps you want to see on your screen, not unlike selecting icons on your smartphone.

OLED, Quantum dot

Instead of an LED-backlit LCD television – often the panel of choice today – some TVs use OLED (pronounced “oh-led”) screens for a superior image and other benefits.

Made by LG, televisions packed with organic light-emitting diodes are incredibly thin because each pixel is its own light source, therefore no backlighting is required. Along with sharp color and unprecedented contrast ratios (with super dark blacks), these televisions are more energy efficient than other TV panel types.

Another major TV maker, Samsung, has a few TVs powered by “quantum dot” technology. Quantum dot TVs can match the “infinite” contrast ratio of OLED. Quantum dots are teeny nano crystals, microscopic dots about a fraction of the width of a human hair. Quantum dot TVs also deliver a wider and more vibrant color palette -- especially reds, greens, and cyans – to rival the quality of pricier OLED-based displays.

Curved

Finally, some television manufacturers, like Samsung and LG, offer curved TVs that slightly bend towards the user, just like the screen at your local movie theater. To many viewers, these concave screens offer a more cinematic view of the action.

It’s all in the eye of the beholder, of course, but it’s hard to deny these curved TVs are attractive -- even when turned off.

Unlike the first generation of curved TVs, where it was recommended to sit in the center for the best seat in the room (“sweet spot”), the latest curved TVs deliver a consistent, sharp picture, and good sense of depth from virtually any angle.