Choosing the Right Size and Brand for Your Home Theater TV

Totally subjective but here’s a tip: go to the room that will be your theater with a measuring tape. Figure out where the TV will be and where you will be sitting to watch it. Measure the distance. Now go to the TV store with the measuring tape and start looking at TVs from that distance. Figure out what size you will be satisfied with. Then buy the next bigger one. Or go up two sizes. Why? Because no one EVER said “Oh shit my TV is too big”.

The Optimal TV Size for Your Home Theater

For standard viewing distance, 50” is conservative, 55” is a good size, and 65” is what I have and is very immersive. Unless the room is huge, a 75” TV will have you swiveling your head around like watching a tennis game trying to see the whole screen. Long story short, I would go with the Samsung Q8 65” for an expensive TV with the best picture. The Q9 is 1000 more and is better, but I don’t think it’s 1000 better. If you want the longer version, read on!

Best TV Brands for Home Theater

Right now, if money is not an issue or a huge concern, and you want a great TV, the best options are OLEDs and QLEDs. LG makes OLED panels for themselves and other companies because they have the patent for them. OLEDs are made with an organic compound that lights up, goes dark, and changes color on its own, allowing for very dark blacks and thinness. LG has a model that is so thin it's recommended you only install it by an expert - otherwise, you can RIP YOUR TV!

The Disadvantages of OLEDs

The disadvantage of OLEDs is that organic things can die or adapt. This is called burn-out: one pixel can shoot off or turn a color (hopefully not pink) and stay that way. Burn-in is where a very bright image is onscreen for too long, for example, a channel logo in the upper corner, or a paused sunset. The pixels adapt, and you get a white smear there.

How QLEDs Address these Issues

Samsung, to avoid burn-out and to avoid paying LG for the patent, makes QLEDs. Samsung has been making a lot of TVs so they get their materials cheaper and do a lot of product testing. The QLEDs have the brightest pictures which can be toned down by changing the picture mode from Vivid to Cinema. I like Vivid for the computer correction and how it treats light, so I leave it on but lower the brightness and color saturation slightly in Advanced Controls. This is very attractive and best for rooms with lots of light. They have computer controls to enhance the blacks, which has brought the darks very close to OLEDs without the danger of an expensive TV getting burn-in or burn-out.

High-End Curved TVs and Brightness Control

The best looking TV I have ever seen aesthetically is the Q6 curved. There are many theories behind curved TVs, but the main reason is that the slight curvature makes it so at 10-12 feet, your eye contacts the entirety of the TV at the same distance, so it's all in focus. Some people think it makes things look 3D. Unfortunately, Samsung is the only manufacturer who still makes curved TVs, and they don't make a full-array version.

The Q8 Full-Array Technology

The Q8 is full-array. What this means is that behind the panel of pixels producing colors is another panel of LEDs that does an under-painting of light or mimics the lights and darks of the picture by turning on or off LEDs so your brights are brighter, and darks are darker. It's a whole different viewing experience. If you’ve seen Avatar, you know the aliens have blue skin and wear leather outfits. On a QLED, they are actually blue with faint darker blue stripes. In Avengers, fake pores in his nose are visible.

The Samsung User Experience

Unfortunately, you can see too much sometimes. Harrison Ford's complexion looks like someone is trying to flatten out tree bark with caked-on makeup. The Samsung also has voice controls with their own Bixby, which works great. It's the first voice controls I've had that actually works so much better than my 2016 Ford Fusion, which has voice controls but unfortunately doesn't understand anything I say and is very complicated.

By considering the factors discussed, you can make an informed decision about the best TV for your home theater, ensuring a viewing experience that is both immersive and enjoyable.