Exclusive:
To help prevent damage and get the best out of your television, an expert from Which? has revealed the five things they would never do to their new TV – plus a few things they would
TVs can be expensive, so you want to make sure you look after your television so it lasts as long as possible.
It costs between £120 and £1,300 to buy a 32 inch to 38 inch TV when we checked the website of a popular electrical retailer today. To help avoid damage and to get to the best out of your television, an expert from Which? has revealed the five things they would never do to their new TV – plus a few things they would.
Lisa Barber, Which? Tech editor, said: “Even though, for many of us, settling down to watch a good show or film on our TV is part of our daily routine, it can be tricky to understand what all the settings and features do and how they can affect your viewing experience.
“By taking simple steps, such as disabling adaptive brightness and contrast, and also avoiding using surface cleaner or polish on the screen, you can really improve your TV watching.”
Don’t turn on adaptive contrast
Adaptive contrast – sometimes known as auto contrast or contrast enhancer – is a setting that adjusts the darkest and brightest parts of the picture on your TV. But these settings can force the whites and blacks beyond what the content can cope with.
Don’t mess with adaptive brightness
Adaptive brightness adjusts the brightness of the screen and picture, depending on how light your room is. However, the fluctuations in brightness can affect the picture quality. Which? recommends turning it off or setting it to low.
Don’t assume energy-saving modes will save you much money
Which? testing found energy-saving modes made minimal difference to overall cost – however, it can affect your picture qualify. Eco modes were found to sap all the brightness from the screen, making the picture too dark in some cases.
Some of the TVs Which? tested saw the star rating drop from five stars to one when we turned on the eco mode or energy saving settings.
Don’t hit ‘accept’ on all the terms and conditions
If you’ve just bought a new TV and you’re setting it up, you’ll generally find a screen that asks you to select what data you are willing to share. Which? recommends reading these carefully – as you may be giving permission for more data to be shared than you’d like.
Don’t use surface cleaner or polish on the screen
This can affect the coating on the screen and damage it, Which? warned. Brands recommend using a clean cloth and making circular motions to get streaks and marks off the screen.
And here are two things Which? would recommend doing:
Do check Which? optimal picture settings
Check the Which? guide to getting the best TV picture and enter your model name to see optimal picture settings. Even if you don’t use this, make sure you adjust your settings to suit your preference.
Do try out motion compensation
Motion compensation is a function that improves blurring, so try adjusting your settings if you like a smoother and crisper image. Some TVs have a filmmaker mode that automatically disables all motion compensation.
