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TVs in 2022 look pretty exciting: A buyers guide
TVs in 2022 look pretty exciting: A buyers guide
This story is part of The Year Ahead, CNET's look at how the world will continue to evolve starting in 2022 and beyond.
CES 2022 has come to a close, and the important news about new TVs is out of the bag. Most major TV-makers have introduced their biggest and best screens, talked up improved picture quality and dropped buzzwords like HDMI 2.1, mini-LED and 8K resolution. Most will be familiar to TV shoppers, while some that are actually new, like QD-OLED, are mashups of existing terms that still require lengthy explanation.
As CNET's resident TV reviewer, I can link you to plenty of places to readthoselengthyexplanations, but this article isn't one of them. Instead you'll find my best advice on what those new introductions mean and how, when and even if it's worth buying a new TV. Let's dive in.
Do you need a new TV in 2022?
Unless your current TV is broken, no you don't. But if you want a TV in another room, or your current TV feels like it's getting long in the tooth, its screen is too small or you want better picture quality or a better smart TV system, you might want a new TV. And if you've saved a bunch of money during the pandemic by not traveling or commuting to work or eating out, maybe you have a little extra to indulge that want.
Depending on how old your current TV is, a new model -- whether one released in the last year or a new TV just announced at CES -- could be a sweet upgrade you'll appreciate every time you watch.
What's the best time of year to buy a TV?
Starting in the fall . New models like the TVs introduced at CES 2022 appear in spring and their prices are highest then. Significant discounts start in November and go through Black Friday and the holiday season. Around the beginning of the new year after CES (i.e. now) they'll remain affordable, and sometimes the Super Bowl in February has the best deals on last year's TVs. Soon those will start to disappear and be replaced by the new models in spring again.
Buy a 2021 TV now or wait for a 2022 model?
It all depends on how long you can wait. If you want the latest and greatest technology, you're probably already set on a 2022 model. But if you want the best value, without missing much, a better move is to buy a 2021 TV now, before they disappear later this spring and summer. A 2021 TV at a given size or price will generally have very similar picture quality and features compared to its 2022 counterpart.
If you can't decide, and you're not in a hurry, just wait until fall to get the best price on a 2022 TV.
What new CES 2022 TVs and features stand out?
Here's a short list of my favorites so far, based on prior experience and information the manufacturer provided. Reminder: I did not attend the show and haven't seen any of these, with the exception of LG, in person.
The 42-inch LG C2 is the smallest OLED TV yet.
David Katzmaier/CNET
LG C2 OLED TV: As the successor to my Editors' Choice TV for the last two years, the latest version is the odds-on favorite to win again. The fact that it comes in a new 42-inch size is great news for people who couldn't fit bigger OLEDs into their rooms, but I'm excited to see how low the price will fall on the 77-inch version.
Sony X95K Mini-LED TV : Last year the Samsung QN90A earned my respect as the best high-end alternative to OLED, but Samsung has yet to announce any specific 2022 QLED models, so this Sony is my pick for now. Sony has an excellent track record with full-array local dimming and this is its least expensive model with mini-LED. It won't be cheap, however.
QD-OLED: The first Sony and Samsung TVs featuring a new OLED panel by Samsung Display are going to be expensive, and I probably won't recommend most people buy over more-affordable OLEDs like the C2, but I can't wait to see them in person.
Sony's remote finder: This isn't a reason to buy an expensive TV, but it sure is cool and I hope every TV maker adopts it soon. It allows the remote to emit a sound so you can find it under the couch cushions or wherever you lost it.
Samsung's gaming hub: I'm not into cloud gaming, but I love the idea of consolidating all the game-related stuff, including game mode settings and access to consoles, in one place. There's also the ability to split-screen YouTube videos and your game at the same time. LG's game optimizer was my favorite last year, and still seems to offer more options, but so far Samsung's gaming features look easier to use.
Samsung's new gaming hub for 2022 TVs offers one-stop access to cloud and console games.
Samsung
What else does a 2022 TV buyer need to know?
Basically, it's early. CES is the beginning of what we know about new TVs this year, not the end.
Brands I've lauded as the best TV values in the past, namely TCL and Vizio, haven't unveiled their bread-and-butter 2022 models yet. Both are still selling their older TVs, including models I still highly recommend like the TCL 6-Series Roku TV and the Vizio MQ7 series.
And if you're looking for an inexpensive TV, something you can put in a kid's bedroom or guest room and stream smart TV apps with ease, my top pick is still TCL's 4-Series Roku TV. This venerable workhorse hasn't changed much in the last couple years, and I don't expect any major differences when the new version is inevitably announced soon. Maybe it will get Google TV, but the safe bet is still Roku in my book.
My buying advice will continue to evolve as prices are announced, new models appear and I get the chance to review them in person. Stay tuned to CNET throughout the year for updates.
4K and 8K TV refresh rates from 60hz to 120Hz: Everything you should know
4K and 8K TV refresh rates from 60hz to 120Hz: Everything you should know
Refresh rate is one of the more confusing aspects of TV technology and TV makers don't do much to explain it. In fact, they often obscure it.
Refresh rate is a number that specifies how many times per second the image on your TV changes. With most TVs it's 60, though it's rare you'll ever see a TV with that number listed. Instead, manufacturers use different technologies, such as the soap opera effect and black frame insertion, to claim a higher number. Sometimes those claims are justified, sometimes they aren't.
Higher refresh rate claims with numbers like 120, 240 and higher are common, but not always accurate. In fact, no matter what number you see listed with a 4K TV, no 4K TV has a native panel refresh rate higher than 120Hz. As we'll explain, though, a number higher than 120Hz doesn't necessarily mean the claim is false.
Here's the basics:
Refresh rate is the number time times per second (written in hertz, or Hz) a TV refreshes its image.
Movies are almost always filmed 24 frames per second, or 24Hz. Live TV shows at 30 or 60.
Most TVs refresh at 60, some midrange and higher-end models at 120. Some older 1080p LCD TVs refreshed at 240Hz.
One benefit of a higher refresh rate is to reduce the motion blur inherent in all current TV technologies.
Motion blur is the softening of the image when an object, or the entire screen, is in motion.
Another benefit is compatibility with 120 frame-per-second signals from PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and some video cards.
TV manufacturers use multiple technologies in addition to refresh rate to come up with an "effective refresh rate."
Effective refresh rate means the TV refreshes its image at a lower rate, but might appear to have similar motion resolution as a TV with an actual higher refresh rate.
What TV makers say
Let me start with the terms you'll see on various TV makers' marketing materials and web sites. Each one calls the TVs motion handling capability something different, and many don't even mention the term "refresh rate" or use "Hz" at all.
LG: TruMotion
LG's web site lists the panel's native refresh rate up front. On TVs that have a 120Hz refresh rate it simply says "120Hz Native," while with 60Hz models it lists "TruMotion 120 (60Hz Native)."
Samsung: Motion Rate
Samsung is better than it used to be about this, albeit not as transparent as LG. The 4K TVs and 8K TVs on its site list a "Motion Rate." This is, generally, twice the native refresh rate. So Motion Rate 240 indicates a native refresh of 120Hz while Motion Rate 120 means a 60Hz refresh. In the least expensive of their TVs, a Motion Rate of 60 means a 60Hz refresh.
Sony: MotionFlow XR
For most of its 2021 TVs Sony doesn't list a number on its website, instead it just says "Motionflow XR." On some, however, it lists a number along with the native refresh: "Motionflow XR 240 (native 60 Hz)" and "Motionflow XR 960 (native 120 Hz)."
Vizio: Refresh Rate
Vizio used to list an "Effective Refresh Rate" on its web site, which was just double the native refresh rate. For 2021, however, none of its TVs use that term as far as we could find, and most don't list any refresh rate spec. The bottom line? All of Vizio's 2021 TVs are 60Hz native, except for the P-Series and the H1 OLED, which are 120Hz native.
TCL: Clear Motion Index or Natural Motion
TCL's sets are all over the place. Some don't list any motion term -- those are 60Hz native. Some say "120Hz CMI," which stands for Clear Motion Index, but they're actually 60Hz native too. And some say Natural Motion 240, but they're 60Hz as well. The only TCL TVs that are true 120Hz say Natural Motion 480.
For the most effective increase in motion resolution, and compatibility with next-gen gaming consoles' best video output modes, you need a native 120Hz refresh television. That said, it is possible to have some improvement in motion resolution even with a 60Hz TV if it uses some other feature, like backlight scanning or black frame insertion, that improves motion resolution.
That's a lot of technical jargon, so let's tackle it from the beginning.
Back up a second: What's refresh rate?
Refresh rate is how often a TV changes the image (also known as a "frame") onscreen. With traditional televisions, this was 60 times each second, or "60Hz."
Some modern TVs can refresh at double this rate, or 120Hz (120 frames per second). We've covered this before, with 1080p HDTVs, and it's the same idea with 4K TVs. Certain parts of the world have TVs that refresh at 50Hz normally, with some TVs that refresh at 100Hz. That just depends on the electricity in your country.
For the purposes of this article, 50 and 60 work the same, as do 100 and 120. For my own sanity, and ease of reading, I'm going to stick with 60 and 120, but feel free to read that as 50 and 100 if you're in the UK, Australia or any place that has 50Hz electricity.
So are these higher refresh numbers just another "more is better!" marketing ploy? Not entirely. Higher refresh rates can reduce motion blur in LCDs and OLED TVs.
What's motion blur? Glad you asked...
Your brain on blur
All LCD and current OLED models suffer from "motion blur." This is where anything in motion, either an object on screen or the entire image (like when the camera pans), blurs and looks softer than if it was stationary.
Motion blur makes images in motion look softer than stationary ones.
Geoffrey Morrison/CNET
Interestingly, this blur is largely created by your brain. Basically, your brain notices the motion, and makes assumptions as to where that object (or overall image) is going to be in the next fraction of a second. The problem with LCD and current OLED TVs is that they hold that image there for the full 60th of a second, so your brain actually smears the motion, thinking it should be moving, when in fact it's just a series of still images.
It's actually quite fascinating, but the details are beyond the scope of this article. I recommend checking out BlurBuster's great article for more info.
The motion blur we're talking about here, despite coming from your brain, is caused by how the television works. This is separate from whatever blur the camera itself creates.
Some people aren't bothered by motion blur. Some don't even notice it. Others, like me, do notice it and are bothered by it. Fortunately, it can be minimized.
One sure sign of a native 120Hz TV? The ability to accept a 4K/120Hz input.
David Katzmaier/CNET
Antiblurring technologies beyond refresh rate
Refresh rate itself is really only part of the solution. Just doubling the same frames doesn't actually do much for reducing motion blur. Something else is needed.
There are two main methods. The first is frame interpolation, where the TV itself creates brand-new frames that are sort of hybrids of the frame that came before, and the one that comes after. This can fool your brain enough that it doesn't blur the image. Depending how aggressive the interpolation is, however, it can lead to the soap opera effect, which makes movies look like ultra-smooth reality TV shows. Some viewers like the effect, but it's generally hated by film buffs and others who pay close attention to image quality.
There are different levels of this processing, where a little might reduce motion blur some, and not cause undue harm to the quality of the image. Or on the other end of the "dial," it's cranked up so that there's even less motion blur, but the movement is hyper-realistic and for many, distractingly unreal. Some TVs let you choose how much of this processing gets applied to the image, others have just a single setting. More on these settings further down.
The other alternative is black frame insertion (BFI) or a scanning backlight. This is where all or part of the backlight of the TV turns off (goes black). This effectively means the image doesn't "hold" in place, so your brain doesn't blur it. Do it poorly, however, and many people will see the image flicker. The light output of the TV also drops, as it's not outputting any light for a period of time.
Both of these techniques are what manufacturers use to come up with their "effective refresh rate" numbers. For example, a TV with a 60Hz refresh and a scanning backlight might claim to have an effective refresh rate of 120. A TV with a more elaborate BFI mode, and frame interpolation, might have a claimed effective refresh rate of "540." There's no transparency in how companies determine their "effective rate" numbers, but there is at least more consistency than there used to be.
It's also possible these features, when enabled, are bothersome over time. Some people are especially sensitive to a flickering backlight, so you might need to turn these features off. If you're concerned about that, or notice motion blur, it's best to find a TV that actually has a 120Hz refresh rate.
Bottom line (should you care?)
There are two things at play here. The first is simple, and one we've said many times before: don't trust marketing. At least, don't trust it at face value. Marketing is designed to sell you a product, not give you information about a product. That's secondary.
The second is being able to reduce motion blur. When 120Hz 1080p TVs first hit the market, they offered a noticeable improvement in motion resolution. The technology has only gotten better.
But if you're sensitive to motion blur, or you want to get the most from your Xbox Series X or PlayStation 5, it is worth checking for a true 120Hz TV. It would be a shame to let all that extra 4K resolution go to waste due to blur. It's also worth checking reviews for measurements and subjective takes on how the TV handles motion -- that's more useful than any manufacturer-supplied spec.
Note: This article was originally published in 2015 but has been updated regularly since.
Got a question for Geoff? First, check out all the other articles he's written on topics such as why you shouldn't buy expensive HDMI cables, TV resolutions explained, how HDR works and more.
Still have a question? Tweet at him @TechWriterGeoff, then check out his travel adventures as a digital nomad on Instagram and YouTube. He also thinks you should check out his best-selling sci-fi novel about city-sized submarines and its sequel.
Make way for Matter, the smart home's would-be skeleton key
Make way for Matter, the smart home's would-be skeleton key
At Wednesday's Alexa Live 2021 event, Amazon confirmed that its Echo lineup of speakers and smart displays will soon support Matter, a new, universal smart home standard. The product of a multiyear joint effort with other industry titans, including Apple, Google and Samsung, Matter aims to help your smart home devices play a little nicer together -- and soon, the majority of Echo, Echo Dot, Echo Plus, Echo Studio and Echo Show devices already in people's homes will sync up with the standard via a software update.
The news follows similar curtain-lifts from Google and Apple, each of which announced respective support for Matter in Android and in iOS earlier this year. Together with buy-in from Amazon, it all seems to set the stage for Matter to make a splashy debut in the coming months. It likely won't be long before you start seeing the Matter logo featured prominently on the product packaging for a wide variety of the gadgets that want a place in your home.
The Matter logo signifies smart-home devices that are certified to get along well with each other and with the Amazon Alexa, Apple Siri and Google Assistant voice control systems.
Connectivity Standards Alliance; illustration by Stephen Shankland/CNET
Matter's potential popularity stems from the appeal of its pitch: a single, IP-based, open-source standard that works over Wi-Fi, supports all major control platforms, and acts like a universal language that smart home devices can use to connect with and understand each other. Think USB, but wireless. After all, the Internet of Things ought to be like the internet -- platform-agnostic and 99% the same, regardless of which device or operating system you're using to access it.
That's the ideal, anyway. At the same WWDC presentation where Apple announced that Matter would make its way to iOS 15, the company also showcased newly opened third-party Siri access that lets you trigger and talk to Apple's AI assistant from devices like the voice-activated Ecobee thermostat. The catch is that you'll still need an Apple HomePod Mini (or the discontinued, full-size HomePod) on your Wi-Fi network to do localized speech processing and security authentication. Let that be a reminder as Matter draws near: The big tech companies might be willing to share the cockpit in your connected home, but they're each going to want a hand on the steering wheel, and that can make for a jerky ride.
Still, smoothing out bumps like those -- while keeping big tech in firm control of the category -- might be Matter's mass effect on the smart home. The three inward-pointing arrows that make up the perhaps soon-to-be ubiquitous Matter logo might as well represent Amazon, Apple and Google, each one focused in on a common center -- and each fixed in place at the center of the action. With Matter, you could move into a home or apartment with preinstalled smart gadgets and have a much easier time controlling them however you like: Apple HomeKit, Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa, Samsung SmartThings, take your pick. And, if you're an Android user who lives with roommates or family members who prefer iOS, Matter might help your smart home harmonize a little better, too.
"It's not just another light bulb standard," said Amazon's Chris DeCenzo, a principal engineer for the smart home, as he outlined the company's goal of making Matter relevant by finding new and practical ways of putting it to use. One of the first areas of focus: smarter smart TVs.
"The industry is really a mess of different protocols," DeCenzo explained, before going on to describe how Matter might be able to help standardize TV voice controls or improve casting performance. There are a number of TV manufacturers already on board with Matter via the Connectivity Standards Alliance, DeCenzo notes.
That's not to say that you should expect the smart home experience to be vastly different than before. These companies are still fierce competitors seeking to outdo each other with new products and features. Their incentive is to differentiate, not to share. Matter won't let you access Apple TV's HomeKit camera controls and multiview interface on a Fire TV Stick or a Chromecast, for instance. And devices like Philips Hue bulbs that communicate using Zigbee, Z-Wave or some other low-powered alternative to Wi-Fi will still need a bridge connected to your network in order to put Matter to work, so don't expect that ugly mess of pucks and hubs on your router shelf to disappear, either.
Where Matter should make the biggest impact is with developers, no doubt exhausted after a decade spent jumping through hoops to keep their devices up to date with the ever-shifting demands of each of the platforms their customers care about. (Imagine a busy restaurant with cooks who all speak different languages, while the waitstaff has to work to understand everyone and get food to the right customers.) With Matter, those device-makers will be able to develop around a single standard that brings all of the big names into play. That's a much lighter lift, and one that could free up time and resources that could be better spent developing better devices in the first place.
So, does Matter matter? The answer is undoubtedly "yes" -- even setting the smart home aside, it's a noteworthy thing when big tech circles the wagons and agrees to baseline standards involving security and data privacy. And while the smart home will never be truly seamless, Matter would seem to be a much better framework for the current landscape, one that's dotted with devices from whatever manufacturer had the best Black Friday sale, and controlled by whichever big tech company you're most comfortable (or least uncomfortable) sharing your home with. Matter won't change that smart home status quo, but it could reinforce it in ways that help the category accelerate. You might say it's just a matter of time.
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Apple has axed its original HomePod and will turn its attention to the smaller version of its smart home assistant, the HomePod Mini, the company said Friday.
"We are discontinuing the original HomePod, it will continue to be available while supplies last through the Apple Online Store, Apple Retail Stores and Apple Authorized Resellers," Apple said in a statement. "We are focusing our efforts on HomePod mini."
Read more: Apple HomePod Mini features you should know about: Every tip and trick we've found
Apple will continue providing existing HomePods with software updates and support through Apple Care, the company said.
The HomePod Mini was launched in November last year, costing $99 in comparison with the $300 HomePod original. When it was released in 2018, CNET reviewer Megan Wollerton praised its "stellar" sound but said it didn't offer as many features as competing speakers powered by Amazon's Alexa and Google's Assistant. "If you and everyone else you live with has an Apple device and you're sold on having an Apple smart home, the HomePod is worth a close look," she wrote at the time.
The HomePod Mini earned similarly strong praise from CNET reviewer Molly Price for its sound when it was released in 2020, with a note that the lower price made it much more attractive. "The HomePod Mini is as on-par as Apple wants to make it with Google and Amazon's offerings, and I'd recommend it to anyone invested in the Apple universe," she wrote.
The news about the original HomePod's demise was reported earlier Friday by TechCrunch.
TV Shopping? Consider buying a 2021 TV (and Save Money)
TV Shopping? Consider buying a 2021 TV (and Save Money)
What's happening
New 2022 TV models are now available, but plenty of 2021 TVs are still out there.
Why it matters
2022 TVs might be newer, but they're also more expensive and have similar features to the 2021 models. You'll save money right now by grabbing a 2021 unit. Or wait until the fall when 2022 TVs will be on sale.
If you're looking to get a new TV without breaking the bank, opting for last year's model or waiting a few months until prices drop on 2022 models are your best bets to get all the features you want while still saving money. That's because TVs are a mature technology, which means that new, groundbreaking features don't come out every single year. Changes are incremental, with new models adding only minor updates year-over-year. For example, a 2021 TV at a given size or price will generally have similar picture quality and features to its 2022 counterpart. There are still deals on 2021 TVs, which are significantly less expensive than the current models.
When deciding which TV to buy and when, everyone should know about the annual television pricing cycle. It starts at CES, the huge tech show that happens every January, when new TVs (plus other tech like laptops and car technology) are announced each year. Later in the spring and summer -- basically now -- many of the new models are already on the shelves. But those new sets are at their highest prices of the year. During the fall, manufacturers start slashing prices to make way for next year's crop of new TVs.
If you want the latest and greatest technology you're probably already set on a 2022 model and you'll certainly be able to save money on those in the fall. But if you're looking to get a new TV right now, scooping up a deal on a 2021 set is going to be the most affordable option. Just know that you'll probably have to jump on a bargain when you see them, as eventually manufacturers will sell out of their 2021 models.
Read more: LG C1 vs. LG C2: Which OLED TV Should You Buy?
Sony and Samsung TVs with QD-OLED, a new technology promising better picture quality, are expensive and only available in 55- and 65-inch sizes.
Sony
If I buy a 2021 model now, what new features am I missing?
To put it succinctly, not too much. There's always something new around the corner, but changes from year-to-year are usually incremental. If you worry about missing out on the latest and greatest tech, it should give you peace of mind that even if something really new hits the market, it's going to be very expensive.
New QD-OLED TVs from Samsung and Sony are a good example. They combine OLED displays with quantum dot technology, and claim higher brightness and better color compared to current OLED TVs. One of these new sets might sound enticing, but QD-OLEDs come with a premium price tag, so they might be tough to recommend over more-affordable OLEDs like the LG C2.
Read more: QD-OLED: Everything We Know About the Newest TV Tech From Samsung and Sony
In 2022, traditional OLED TVs are arriving in untraditional sizes. This year, LG introduced the 42-inch C2 Series TV, the smallest OLED on the market, while also laying claim to the largest OLED available with the 97-inch G2 TV.
New for 2022, LG's OLED C2 now comes in 42- and 97-inch sizes.
Richard Peterson/CNET
Mini-LED TVs are also on the rise and could deliver close-to-OLED picture quality, but the new models we know about so far will also be expensive. The Sony Z9K and X95K are the company's first models with mini-LED, and the TCL X925pro has a new kind of slimmer mini-LED backlight, but none of them will be cheap. Samsung, TCL and Vizio are expected to announce more TVs later this year, many of which will use mini-LED, but we doubt they'll offer huge improvements over the 2021 models.
Also rolling out across the country is NextGen TV, aka ATSC 3.0. This is free over-the-air 4K TV, and it's moving forward quite quickly -- it might already be available in your city. In 2022 we'll see more TVs with built-in tuners that cost less than ever. Don't feel you need to rush to upgrade, or get those specific models however, since in the worst case you'll be able to buy a cheap external tuner and connect that to your TV.
Read more:Gaming Modes, Webcams and QD-OLED: Which 2022 TV Trends Stand Out?
There's also HDMI 2.1. While 2.1 has several new technologies that are great, it's not going to make any current TVs obsolete (unless it's a current 8K TV, but that's yet another story). As long as your current TV works with your current sources, you should be fine.
Really old TVs, older than 10 years, might have issues connecting to modern streaming and disc sources, but there's no real workaround for that. If your TV doesn't work with a new Roku or Blu-ray player, then you might need to upgrade if you want to use one of those.
Do I need to upgrade?
Forget all the new tech. If your TV works and you're happy with it, keep it. Don't feel any pressure to upgrade.
Modern TVs are, on average, brighter and have better picture quality than the TVs from a few years ago. Unless you're the type of videophile who wants to tweak every setting and fixates on nits and color accuracy, however, you probably don't need a new TV.
The pressure to upgrade is pervasive in our tech culture, but TVs tend to last (and be perfectly functional) longer than most devices. They don't, for example, have batteries that lose capacity like mobile phones -- or have wires that wear out like headphones. A TV from five or even 10 years ago likely works fine, though it might not look as good as the current 4K HDR TVs. So again, if that's not a huge deal for you, you can likely keep what you have for a few more years.
Read more: Best TVs for PS5 and Xbox Series X, Series S
This is even true when considering new consoles, the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X. If you've got a PS4, Xbox One or any console connected via HDMI, the new consoles should work fine. They might look better on a new TV, but they'll still look great on yours.
If your TV is having issues, or you just want something larger, that's a different story. New TVs are much cheaper per inch than TVs of the past. You'll be able to replace your current TV with something the same size, looks better and is cheaper than your old TV. Or you can pay the same amount as your old TV and get something that's far bigger.
When is the best time to buy a TV?
TV sales are the biggest in the fall and culminate on Black Friday and Cyber Monday. There are always some incredibly cheap 4K TVs on offer, but that's not the whole story.
First of all, the TVs that get the huge discounts are usually either no-name brands, or low-end models from name brands. They're fine if you just want a cheap TV, but they're not going to offer the picture quality of an even slightly higher-end model. The best TVs go on sale as well, but deep discounts on those are less common.
TV sales happen all year, but Black Friday season sees the biggest discounts.
Roberto Machado Noa/Getty Images
Second, massive discounts on TVs are rare in general. It might be counterintuitive, but TVs typically don't have much mark-up. There isn't a lot of profit in a $500 TV. So unless the store is trying to clear out stock, you shouldn't expect a gigantic drop in price even during sales. Plenty of good discounts are available, they're just not going to be "50% off" or similar, unless there's a specific reason that model is getting such an extreme discount. Or it's a doorbuster in limited quantities.
Third, most big companies don't allow stores to offer their own pricing. This is called UPP, or unilateral pricing policy. It means that a TV from that company is going to cost the same, whether it's on Amazon, in Best Buy, or anywhere else. Well, anywhere else that wants to continue selling TVs from that company. If this sounds sketchy, it is, but that's a topic for a different article.
The Samsung Frame may look sophisticated, but your current TV might work just as well.
Samsung
All in all, is it worth upgrading my TV?
Here's the short version:
Get a new TV now if:
Your current TV is having issues, or is too old to connect to a streaming service like Netflix.
You're willing to buy from a place that has a price-match policy, in case there's a sale.
You want something bigger than what you have now.
Don't get a TV now if:
Your current TV works fine.
There's literally anything else you need or want to spend money on.
If you've got the itch for something new, but you're still on the fence, consider giving your TV a bit of a makeover. If you've never adjusted the settings, it's easy to do and will probably make your TV look better than it ever has. That might tide you over for a bit.
And if you finally decide that, yes, you're ready to buy a new TV now, we at CNET do have some guidelines and suggested models.
As well as covering TV and other display tech, Geoff Morrison does photo tours of cool museums and locations around the world, including nuclear submarines, massive aircraft carriers, medieval castles, airplane graveyards and more.
You can follow his exploits on Instagram and his travel video series on YouTube. He also wrote a bestselling sci-fi novel about city-size submarines, along with a sequel.
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NextGen TV, aka ATSC 3.0, is continuing its rapid rollout across the country. Major markets like Los Angeles, Atlanta, Denver, Houston and more all have stations transmitting. Meanwhile New York, Boston, and many other markets are slated to have broadcasts later this year. While not every station in every market has a NextGen TV counterpart, more and more are coming on the air.
What's NextGen TV? It's an update to the free HDTV you can already get over-the-air in nearly every city in the US. There's no monthly fee, but you do need either a new TV with a built-in tuner or a standalone external tuner. The standard allows broadcast stations to send higher quality signals than ever before with features like 4K, HDR, 120 Hz, and more. ATSC 3.0 proponents also claim better reception indoors and on-the-go -- whether it's on your phone, or even in your car. The best part is that if you're watching it on your TV it uses the same standard antennas available today.
One potential downside? ATSC 3.0 will also let broadcasters track your viewing habits, information that can be used for targeted advertising, just like companies such as Facebook and Google use today.
Read more:Best TV antennas for cord cutters, starting at just $10
NextGen TV to you
ATSC.org
Here's the top-line info:
If you get your TV from streaming, cable or satellite, NextGen TV/ATSC 3.0 won't affect you at all.
The transition is voluntary. Stations don't have to switch. Many have already, however, for reasons we'll explain below.
It's not backwards-compatible with the current HD standard (ATSC 1.0), so your current TV won't be able to receive it. Your current antenna should work fine though.
Stations that switch to NextGen TV will still have to keep broadcasting ATSC 1.0 for five years.
There are multiple models and sizes of TV with built-in tuners available now from Hisense, LG, Sony, Samsung and others.
As of the beginning of 2022 the majority of the largest markets in the US have at least one channel broadcasting NextGen TV. By the end of 2022, nearly all major and many minor markets will have multiple channels .
Here's the map of actual stations as of January 2022. Orange denotes stations that are live now. Blue is launching before summer. White sometime after the summer.
ATSC
How it will work in your home
Put simply: If you connect an antenna to your TV you will receive free programming, just like most people can get now. Yet, that is selling the potential benefits of NextGen TV short.
NextGen TV is IP-based, so in practice it can be moved around your home just like any internet content can right now. For example, you connect an antenna to a tuner box inside your home, but that box is not connected to your TV at all. Instead, it's connected to your router. This means anything with access to your network can have access to over-the-air TV, be it your TV, your phone, your tablet or even a streaming device like Apple TV. There will be traditional tuners as well, of course, but this is a new and interesting alternative.
This also means it's possible we'll see mobile devices with built-in tuners, so you can watch live TV while you're out and about, like you can with Netflix and YouTube now. How willing phone companies will be to put tuners in their phones remains to be seen, however. You don't see a lot of phones that can get radio broadcasts now, even though such a thing is easy to implement. We'll talk more about that in a moment.
'Voluntary'
In November of 2017, the Federal Communications Commission approved ATSC 3.0 as the next generation of broadcast standard, on a "voluntary, market-driven basis" (PDF). It also required stations to continue broadcasting ATSC 1.0 (i.e. "HD"). This is actually part of the issue as to why it's voluntary.
During the mandatory DTV transition in the early 2000s, stations in a city were given a new frequency (channel, in other words), to broadcast digital TV, while they still broadcast analog on their old channel. These older channels were eventually reclaimed by the FCC for other uses when the proverbial switch was flipped to turn off analog broadcasts. Since a changeover isn't occurring this time around, stations and markets are left to themselves how best to share or use the over-the-air spectrum in their areas.
Because there's no new bandwidth, broadcasters will temporarily share transmitters. Two or more stations will use one tower for ATSC 1.0 (HD) broadcasts and those stations will use another tower for ATSC 3.0 (UHD) broadcasts. This will mean a temporary reduction in bandwidth for each channel, but potentially a limited impact on picture quality due to the better modern HD encoders. More info here.
ATSC/TVTechnology.com
While it's not a mandatory standard, many broadcasters still seem enthusiastic about NextGen. At the beginning of the roll-out, then executive vice president of communications at the National Association of Broadcasters Dennis Wharton told CNET that the improvement in quality, overall coverage and the built-in safety features mean that most stations would be enthusiastic to offer ATSC 3.0.
John Hane, president of the Spectrum Consortium (an industry group with broadcasters Sinclair, Nexstar and Univision as members), was equally confident: "The FCC had to make it voluntary because the FCC couldn't provide transition channels. [The industry] asked the FCC to make it voluntary. We want the market to manage it. We knew the market would demand it, and broadcasters and hardware makers in fact are embracing it."
Given the competition broadcasters have with cable, streaming and so on, 3.0 could be a way to stabilize or even increase their income by offering better picture quality, better coverage and, most importantly, targeted ads.
Ah yes, targeted ads…
Broadcast TV will know what you're watching
One of NextGen TV's more controversial features is a "return data path," which is a way for the station you're watching to know you're watching. Not only does this allow a more accurate count of who's watching what shows, but it creates the opportunity for every marketer's dream: targeted advertising.
Ads specific to your viewing habits, income level and even ethnicity (presumed by your neighborhood, for example) could get slotted in by your local station. This is something brand-new for broadcast TV. Today, over-the-air broadcasts are pretty much the only way to watch television that doesn't track your viewing habits. Sure, the return data path could also allow "alternative audio tracks and interactive elements," but it's the targeted ads and tracking many observers are worried about.
The finer details are all still being worked out, but here's the thing: If your TV is connected to the internet, it's already tracking you. Pretty much every app, streaming service, smart TV and cable or satellite box all track your usage to a greater or lesser extent.
Return data path is still in the planning stages, even as the other aspects of NextGen TV are already going live. There is a silver lining: There will be an opt-out option. While it also requires Internet access, if this type of thing bothers you, just don't connect your TV or NextGen TV receiver to the internet. You will inevitably lose some of the other features of NextGen TV, however.
That said, we'll keep an eye on this for any further developments.
Free TV on your phone?
Another point of potential contention is getting ATSC 3.0 tuners into phones. At a most basic level, carriers like AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile are in the business of selling you data. If suddenly you can get lots of high-quality content for free on your phone, they potentially lose money. Ever wonder why your phone doesn't have an FM radio tuner? Same reason.
T-Mobile made a preemptive strike along those lines all the way back in September 2017, writing a white paper (PDF) that, among other things, claims, "In light of the detrimental effects that inclusion of ATSC 3.0 can have on the cost and size of a device, the technology trade-offs required to accommodate competing technologies, and the reduced performance and spectral efficiency that it will have for other mobile bands and services, the decision as to whether to include ATSC 3.0 in a device must be left to the market to decide."
"The market" determined you didn't need an FM tuner in your phone, and in the few phones that had an FM tuner, if you bought it through an American provider, it was almost always disabled.
TV broadcasters, on the other hand, are huge fans of ATSC 3.0 on mobile phones. It means more potential eyeballs and, incidentally, a guarantee of active internet access for that return data path. John Hane of the Spectrum Consortium feels that tuners built into phones is "inevitable," and that international adoption of ATSC 3.0 will help push it forward. Wharton says that the focus is getting TVs to work, but mobile is in the plan.
Then there's portable TVs, of which there are HD versions on the market and have been for years. The next-generation ATSC 3.0 versions of these will likely get better reception in addition to the higher resolution offered by the new standard.
Sarah Tew/CNET
Cost (for you)
NextGen TV is not backward compatible with current TV tuners. To get it, you'll eventually need either a new TV or an external tuner.
However, you shouldn't feel a push to upgrade since:
1. NextGen TV/ATSC 3.0 isn't mandatory, and it doesn't affect cable, satellite or streaming TV.
2. HD tuners cost as little as $30 to $40 now, and NextGen TV tuners, which currently sell between $200 and $300, will eventually be cheap as well.
3. Even after they start NextGen broadcasts, stations will have to keep broadcasting regular old HD.
Here's the actual language:
"The programming aired on the ATSC 1.0 simulcast channel must be 'substantially similar' to the programming aired on the 3.0 channel. This means that the programming must be the same, except for programming features that are based on the enhanced capabilities of ATSC 3.0, advertisements and promotions for upcoming programs. The substantially similar requirement will sunset in five years from its effective date absent further action by the Commission to extend it."
In other words, the HD broadcast has to be essentially the same as the new 3.0 broadcast for five years, perhaps longer depending on future FCC actions.
Which brings us to point 3. By the time people had to buy them, HD tuners were inexpensive and are even more so now. The HD tuner I use is currently $26 on Amazon. The first generation NextGen tuners available now are more expensive than that, though they're not outrageous. We'll discuss those below. By the time anyone actually requires one, however, they'll almost certainly be affordable.
Which is good, because there aren't any planned subsidies this time around for people to get a tuner for cheap. I'm sure this is at least partly due to how few people actually still use OTA as their sole form of TV reception. Maybe this will change as more stations convert, but we're a ways away from that.
As you can see, there are lots of parts that need to get upgraded all along the chain before you can get 3.0 in your home.
ATSC/TVTechnology.com
Here's another way to think about it: The first HD broadcasts began in the mid-90s, but when did you buy your first HDTV? As far as the 3.0 transition is concerned we're in the late-90s, maybe generously the early 2000s, now. Things seem like they're moving at a much more rapid pace than the transition from analog to DTV/HDTV, but even so, it will be a long time before ATSC 3.0 completely replaces the current standard.
How to get NextGen right now
LG
If you want to check it out for yourself, many of you already can. The first stop is to go to WatchNextGenTV.com. That website will help you find what stations in your area are broadcasting, or which ones will soon.
Next up you'll need something to receive it. If you're in the market for a new TV there are several options available from Hisense, LG, Samsung, and Sony. Here's our list of all the 2022 TVs with built-in next-gen tuners.
If you want to check out NextGen TV without buying a new television, you'll need an external tuner. It's still early days, so there aren't many options.
The Tablo ATSC 3.0 Quad HDMI DVR
Nuvvyo
At CES 2022 Nuvvyo announced the Tablo, a quad-tuner box that can connect to a TV directly, or transmit over a network to Rokus, Apple TVs, or computers on your home network.
The Silicon Dust has two models, the $199 HomeRun Flex 4K and the $279 HomeRun Scribe 4K. Both have ATSC 1.0 and 3.0 tuners.
If you want a more traditional tuner, BitRouter plans to start shipping its first ZapperBox M1 tuners in the spring. You can reserve one now for $249. It doesn't have internal storage, but BitRouter plans to add the ability to save content on network-attached storage, or NAS, devices via a firmware update. They also plan to add the ability to send the content around your home network, like what the Scribe 4K does.
Zapperbox
Then there's what to watch. Being early in the process, you're not going to find much 4K content, possibly not any. This was the same with the early years of HDTV. It's also going to vary per area. There is certainly a lot of 4K content being produced right now, and that has been the case for several years. So in that way, we're in better shape than we were in the early days of HD.
Basic and paid cable channels over-the-air?
One company is using the bandwidth and IP nature of NextGen to do something a little different. It's a hybrid paid TV service, sort of like cable/satellite, but using over-the-air broadcasts to deliver the content. It's called Evoca, and right now it's available only in Boise, Idaho. Edge Networks is the company behind it, and it wants to roll it out to other small markets where cable offerings are limited, and broadband speeds are slow or expensive.
It's an interesting idea for underserved and often forgotten-about markets.
Read more: Cable TV channels and 4K from an antenna?
Seeing the future
The transition from analog broadcasting to HD, if you count from the formation of the Grand Alliance to the final analog broadcast, took 16 years.
Though many aspects of technology move rapidly, getting dozens of companies, plus the governments of the US and many other countries, all to agree to specific standards, takes time. So does the testing of the new tech. There are a lot of cogs and sprockets that have to align for this to work, and it would be a lot harder to fix once it's all live.
But technology moves faster and faster. It's highly doubtful it will take 16 years to fully implement NextGen TV. As we mentioned at the top, dozens of stations are already broadcasting. Will every station in your city switch to NextGen TV? Probably not, but the bigger ones likely will. This is especially true if there are already other NextGen TV stations in your area. There's a potential here for stations to make additional money in the long run with 3.0, and that's obviously a big motivator.
There's also the question of how much content there will be. If it follows the HDTV transition model, big sporting events in 4K HDR will come first, followed by lots and lots of shows featuring nature scenes and closeups of bugs. Seriously -- this was totally a thing. Then we'll see a handful of scripted prime-time shows. My guess would be the popular, solidly profitable ones that are produced (not just aired) by networks like CBS and NBC.
So should you hold off buying a new TV? Nope, not unless you only get your shows over the air. And even if you do, by the time there's enough content to be interesting, there will be cheap tuner boxes you can connect to whatever TV you have.
For now, NextGen TV seems to be well on its way.
As well as covering TV and other display tech, Geoff does photo tours of cool museums and locations around the world, including nuclear submarines, massive aircraft carriers, medieval castles, epic 10,000 mile road trips, and more. Check out Tech Treks for all his tours and adventures.
He wrote a bestselling sci-fi novel about city-size submarines, along with a sequel. You can follow his adventures on Instagram and his YouTube channel.
