How to choose a TV for console gaming?

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Find out what parameters you should pay attention to when buying.

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Good day! Please tell us how to choose a TV to play on the console. Preferably with specific models. Thanks in advance.

Sergey Kapustin

Good day! The requirements for TVs for console gaming are not so critical, so you could just say "buy the model with the largest diagonal for which you have enough money." But I will still try to answer in a more detailed way and tell you what is worth looking at first.

What parameters to pay attention to

1. Delay time

In fact, this is the main criterion that interests us (it is also called input-lag). This is the time it takes to process the image from the signal source - in our case the console - before it appears on the screen.

Accordingly, the lower the delay, the better. On average, for TVs, this figure fluctuates around 60 ms. Esports players and hardcore gamers aim for 10-15 ms, but for ordinary people, TVs with input lag of 30 ms or less are quite suitable.

The problem is that manufacturers do not always indicate this parameter: it is rather difficult to measure and it depends on the resolution and picture display modes. You can find information about the delay time on specialized sites like.

2. Screen refresh rate

Refresh rate is the number of frames a TV displays per second. Here everything is exactly the opposite: the higher it is, the smoother the picture will be and the more noticeable the change in details in dynamic scenes will be. Most console games do not support frequencies higher than 60 Hz, so this figure will be more than enough. However, if you are also going to connect your TV to your PC and play online shooters, you should consider the 120Hz models.

3. Resolution

There are two options here: 4K TV or Full HD TV. The latter are already hard to find on sale, but you should not write them off completely. The 4K or Ultra HD standard has been around for many years, but content in this resolution has only recently begun to appear massively. Most games on the current generation of consoles are released in Full HD, and titles in 4K are literally on the fingers of one hand.

If you are buying a TV with an eye on the next generation, it is definitely worth taking models with 4K. If you plan to play on PS 4 and Xbox One, then you can limit yourself to Full HD, especially if there is a good deal. The screen size also matters: the difference in picture detail can be seen on diagonals from 45 inches.

4. HDR support

But HDR is noticeable regardless of resolution and diagonal. This technology makes the picture better and more detailed by dynamically changing the contrast, allowing you to achieve truly black dark and bright highlights. If your budget allows, it's best to stick with HDR-capable models.

5. Availability of ports

An important point that many people forget. Your TV should have enough HDMI ports to connect your console and other devices so you don't have to mess with splitters later. The number of connectors that support HDMI 2.1 or 2.0 is also important - especially when buying a TV with an eye on the next generation of consoles.

Which TV to buy

LG 43UM7300 43 ″

A successful model with a small diagonal, which is suitable for cases when there is no free space for the TV or the purchase budget is very limited. There is support for 4K and HDR content, but due to not the highest peak brightness, the TV, unfortunately, cannot boast of deep blacks. However, the 10.7ms input lag makes it one of the best budget options for gaming.

Hisense H65B7300 65 ″

A TV set for those who want to get the maximum diagonal at the lowest price. The latency of this model is quite high at about 50ms, but for not very demanding gamers this will be enough. The rest of the TV has everything you need: support for 4K and HDR, a built-in smart platform, a rich set of interfaces and powerful speakers.

Samsung UE55TU8000U 55 ″

A decent 4K TV with excellent contrast and HDR 10 support. The model has realistic color reproduction and very low input lag - only 9.7 ms for 4K video with HDR. Other features include support for AirPlay 2, that is, you can stream images from the screen of iOS devices to TV.

Samsung QE49Q60RAU 49 ″

A VA-matrix TV that falls short of the expensive OLED displays in terms of color reproduction, but produces an impressive picture when viewing HDR content. The model has a fairly low input lag (14.6 ms) and supports FreeSync technology, which adds smoothness to games on Xbox One.

LG 55CXR 55 ″

Ideal for those who want maximum quality. Thanks to the use of an OLED panel, the TV produces rich colors and detailed pictures even in the darkest scenes. There is support for FreeSync and a variable screen refresh rate, and the input lag is only 13.6 ms. In addition, this model has a well-implemented function of scaling content in low resolution, which will be very useful for games from consoles that produce pictures in 1080p and 720p.