TV Specifications

4 TV Specifications That You Can Ignore

Looking for a new television can be a very daunting task. There are a huge range of TV specs to compare, many of which don't seem to make any sense. If you want to make your task a lot simpler, then here's a guide to the 4 main TV specs that you can largely ignore.

1) Response Time

Technically, response time is very important in any television. It helps to measure how well the TV is going to cope with fast motion, hinting at whether it'll leave a blur or not. But the way most manufacturers report it is simply misleading. The measure of milliseconds shows how long it takes for one pixel to go from white to black and back again. But because many manufacturers measure shades of gray instead, some TVs may have an artificially inflated response time.

2) Resolution

TV resolution is something you will want to understand, but in truth there's very little difference between the resolution on a 1080p TV and a 720p TV. Manufacturers will always overstate the differences as an excuse for higher price tags.

3) Contrast Ratio

As with the specs mentioned above, contrast ratio is important for the way images are displayed on the screen, but the specs themselves are so misleading you can ignore them. In truth, there's simply no way of measuring this spec accurately. Most manufacturers will pretty much make the figure up. You shouldn't trust what they say - it's far more accurate to just look at the screen display instead.

4) Refresh Rate

Like response time, the refresh rate gives an indication of how well the TV will deal with fast motion and avoid blurring - especially important for sports fans. Yes, you will notice a difference between a refresh rate of 60Hz and 120Hz, but beyond that it's unlikely you'll be able to tell. The truth is that some higher refresh rates can even have a negative effect on the picture!

As you can see from the list above, it's not that these TV specs are unimportant, it's just that they aren't reported accurately. Sales staff in shops are likely to give you big numbers as a way of impressing you, but now you know what you can safely ignore.

The best option is to see the screens for yourself, in person, to get a feel for how well the picture is shown. If you can't do that, reading quality reviews will give you a feel for whether the manufacturer has done a good job or not. Whatever you do, never base your buying decision on a long list of TV specs without reading more into it!