Hardware: Gaming TV in the big test: Slimmer, sharper, smarter

Every year again…

The release calendar in winter is tightly packed: In the cold season – just before Christmas – game publishers and developers give their all and, as expected, release their biggest blockbusters. While God of War: Ragnarok already excited masses of PlayStation owners, amateur racers are happy about Need for Speed: Unbound and horror fans on that The Callisto Protocol. But especially with the latter title – in which many passages are shrouded in darkness – a particularly eerie atmosphere only arises on the right TV. The magic word for this is HDR – which stands for High Dynamic Range – but more on that later. First, it’s worth taking a look at our field of participants…

Gaming TV: courage to go big

LG’s new spearhead: the top model OLED C2 in the test.

There are nine 65-inch models in the test. Unfortunately, the Philips OLED807 was only available in the 55-inch version at the time of the test and is therefore considered separately. Either way: All ten candidates are great. Because while the Philips model already has a screen diagonal of around 139 centimeters (cm), the larger 65-inch models have a size of 164 cm. The TVs become the main attraction in the living room just by their mere presence. Much to the delight of many Germans: Current market figures from gfu – Consumer & Home Electronics GmbH show that televisions larger than 50 inches are still in vogue. At the beginning of the year, these models recorded a constant share of 55 percent. There are many reasons to have a large TV, especially if you want to play on it. And especially in the past five years, a lot has happened on the market in this regard. The most exciting developments are:

  • Big and sharp at the same time: The Full HD era lasted a long time, but nowadays you hardly find TVs with this screen resolution anymore. Because Ultra HD, UHD for short, has taken this place. Here four times as many pixels as in Full HD – to be precise 3,840 x 2,160 pixels – crowd the screen. This is particularly beneficial for large televisions. The positive result: Individual pixels are no longer recognizable even at close range. This means that a 55-inch model can easily stand in a rather small living room without a grid being visible in the picture. Although there are already models with 8K resolution, there is still a lack of content, which is why a purchase is currently not worthwhile.
  • Image extras on the rise: In addition, the manufacturers equip their current TVs with all sorts of extras. These include special image modes (e.g. a game mode) and AI technologies that constantly optimize the image in line with the built-in processor. Standards such as Dolby Vision and HDR10 are also used in the top TVs. Roughly speaking, the television delivers even better colors and contrasts – so it gets the most out of the available material.
  • Smart screens: The term “television” is now misleading and has been replaced by the Anglicism “smart TV”. No wonder, because since TVs have been Internet-enabled and equipped with an operating system and a processor like a computer, they have resembled a PC in many respects. As a result, televisions combine many functions. They give you access to dozens of apps and, in combination with game consoles, some models adjust the image directly to the respective game. The TVs can also serve as the control center for smart home devices such as smart speakers. Updates at regular intervals are of course also part of the game.
  • Gaming on a new level: As already mentioned, switching to a current TV model is particularly worthwhile for gamers. Connected to this, for example, the current generation of consoles can develop their full potential. Means: Gaming in 4K with up to 120 frames per second. Functions such as variable frame rates and an “Auto Low Latency Mode”, which reduces the reaction time (latency) to a minimum when activated, ensure an even smoother gaming experience. In addition, manufacturers such as Samsung and Panasonic are constantly expanding their operating systems and adding special player menus and settings, for example.

Wow, are they slim!

Extremely delicate: the panel of the Samsung S95B is almost not recognizable from the side.

Extremely delicate: the panel of the Samsung S95B is almost not recognizable from the side.

But before you can beat up gods with Kratos and Atreus or race through a city flooded with neon lights in the Nissan 350Z, the purchased TV first has to be set up. It was already negative in the test: When unpacking, you are greeted by a lot of packaging waste. Remote control, batteries and various screws are sometimes in different packaging – an absurdity in times of sustainability campaigns and resource conservation. What is really amazing, however, is how thin current televisions have become. While the Panasonic TX-65LZW2004 is only 3.9 cm thick, the Samsung S95B is even a touch slimmer with a thickness of 3.5 cm. The frame is so thin that it almost cuts your hands when you pick it up – crazy.

This super slim design is mainly made possible by the OLED display technology. Background: Self-illuminating diodes (so-called OLEDs) are responsible for the image generation – a backlight is therefore no longer necessary – which has some positive effects: Since the pixels simply switch off in dark displays, OLED models boast perfect black display. They also shine with better contrasts and finer details in light and dark areas of the image. Eight out of ten models tested here are equipped with this display technology or a modification. Precisely because of these strengths and fallen sales prices, OLED panels now dominate the market. The two outliers: the mini LED TV Sony X95K (XR-65X95K) and the much cheaper QLED TV Sharp EQ3 (65EQ3EA). In the former, tiny light-emitting diodes form the backlight, in the latter, a layer of nanoparticles ensures purer colors.

Thin TVs with a proud weight

The base of the Sony X95K is very bulky and thus denies space for additional technology such as a soundbar.

The base of the Sony X95K is very bulky and thus denies space for additional technology such as a soundbar.

Despite their slim dimensions, the televisions weigh a lot. 65-inchers are often in the range of more than 30 kilograms with their base. These include the Medion Life X16595 and the “Made in Germany” television bild i.65 dr+ from the traditional German brand Loewe. Setting up the TV on your own may still be possible with a 55-inch model, but with a 65-inch model it gets tight – especially if you want to hang the screen on the wall. Practical: All candidates are equipped with threaded holes – according to the VESA standard. The construction of the LG OLED C2 (OLED65C27LA) worked really quickly. Thanks to a sophisticated plug-in mechanism, the base quickly landed on the screen – great. The base of the Sharp TV, on the other hand, has to be screwed together in painstaking detail work, which consists of several separate pieces of metal. The base of the Loewe television also deserves a mention. With this, the TV can not only be rotated, but also adjusted in height. The column can even be placed in the middle of the room, which gives you more options in the design of the living room.

source site