What is the best TV in 2021 to jump into the football finals action with, watch the umpires check hotspot in The Ashes, or get that hawk-eye close-up in the 2022 Australian Open?
As we jump into finals season and the Ashes just around the corner, it might be time to upgrade your home theatre set up to make it feel more like you’re at the big game. 4K HDR TVs have now been out long enough that there is one suited to fit every budget and living room.
If you’ve been out of the TV purchasing game for a while, the key technologies to be aware of are 4K, HDR and Dolby Atmos. 4K refers to the definition of an image. In the past there’s been standard, HD, Full HD and now 4K is almost four times higher definition than Full HD, aka 1080p, meaning more pixels, less blur and the ability to sit closer to a bigger screen.
HDR is arguably the most important technological innovation in TVs in a long time. High Dynamic Range changes the way colours and textures are presented, giving whiter whites, blacker blacks, and much more accurate textures. It’s the difference between seeing players run around on a green rectangle, and being able to see the texture of the grass. HDR comes in two main formats: HDR10 and Dolby Vision.
Dolby Atmos is the next evolution of surround sound. Whereas surround sound was 5 or 7 speakers in front, beside and behind you and a subwoofer. Dolby Atmos is an object-based surround sound that either uses up to 34 speakers, or simulates them from a soundbar using reflections and psychoacoustics. It’s how you hear the ball sail overhead, and the roar of the crowd behind you.
If you’re watching free-to-air broadcast sports, they’re only going to be broadcast in SD or HD, without HDR, and in stereo sound. But, if you have a smart TV with a powerful processor (like the ones in this article) and a good soundbar or headphones, what you watch can be upscaled to look and sound much, much better to take advantage of your setup.
OLED technology is widely considered to be the best kind of screen you can get because instead of using backlighting, each pixel is essentially self-lit and can turn itself on or off, leading to blacker blacks and less light bleed. That in turn makes it easier to see the detail of players running with the ball, and a high refresh rate means that motion will be smooth and clear like the real thing.
LG’s C1 OLED range is in that sweet spot of having all the latest technology, while still fitting into a lot of budgets, with the 65” and 77” sizes hitting that immersive sweet-spot (remember 4K means you can go bigger). It also utilises the HDMI 2.1 technology, which means it’s fully compatible with the new PS5 and Xbox Series X consoles for when you want to play FIFA or NBA 2K to fill in the time between games.
What makes LG OLED TVs special is that they support both HDR10 and Dolby Vision, when most TVs just support one or the other. This provides more compatibility with more sources of video with more accurate texture reproduction.
Sony also makes great OLED TVs, and are well-known for their powerful XR processors. The A80J series looks great and starts at $2495. That XR processor is key to getting the most out of broadcast sports, because that’s the engine that’s going to upscale everything to look its absolute best. It’s like the difference between driving a Ferrari and a sensible sedan. Both will get you there, but one is more fun. The A80J comes in massive 65” and 77” sizes.
If you’re after something a bit more luxe, the Sony A90J is the absolute best 4K OLED TV Sony has to offer. It has all the bells and whistles, including the same impressive XR Cognitive processor as the A80J, but it’s a bit thinner and has a more sophisticated heatsink, which allows it to get brighter. Brighter TVs are easier to see in daylight, and is something to keep in mind if you have a particularly bright living room. It ranges from a substantial 65” to an absolutely immersive 83”.
But no TV setup is complete without external speakers. TVs can have built-in speakers that are brilliant, given the space limitations in a thin screen. But if you’re finding dialogue is sounding a bit muffled, or the roar of the crowd a bit dead, a sound bar could be the answer to your problems.
The easiest and best way to get a sound bar is to just buy one the same brand, year and width as your TV. They were made to go together, and having one the same width will make sure the sounds come from the right spot, making it more immersive. One that comes with a subwoofer is even better.
Another option is to go for something like the Sennheiser RS175 Home Theatre Wireless Headphones. They have brilliant audio quality, are easy to set up, and mean you can watch sporting events from around the globe at all hours without waking up the rest of the house.
If you’re wanting a smart, cost-effective sound bar for any model TV, the Bose Smart Soundbar 300 sounds bigger than its small frame, and works as a smart speaker.
If ever there was a year to make sure you have the best in home entertainment, it’s 2021, when we’re spending more time inside and the technology has reached a point where it’s almost better than being there.
