Almost every television review is written in a dark room. Most living rooms in Dhaka are the opposite: a wall of windows, sun until four in the afternoon, and a television placed exactly where the glare lands. The panel that wins a review can be the wrong buy for that wall.
Stand where the television will go and look back at the room. If you can see a window reflected on the wall, you need brightness and a matte coating more than you need perfect black. If the room is curtained for evening watching, contrast matters more than brightness and OLED is worth the money.
| Specification | Bright room | Dark room |
|---|---|---|
| Peak brightness | 600 nits and above | 400 nits is plenty |
| Panel type | QLED or bright LED | OLED |
| Screen coating | Matte, anti-glare | Glossy is fine |
| Contrast ratio | Less important | The whole point |
- Two metres away — 43 to 50 inches
- Two and a half metres — 55 inches
- Three metres or more — 65 inches and up
- If in doubt go one size larger; nobody returns a television for being too big
- Two HDMI 2.1 ports if a PS5 or Xbox is involved
- eARC, so a soundbar needs only one cable
- A panel warranty that mentions burn-in by name if you buy OLED
- Wall mounting by the seller — a 65-inch panel is not a two-person job on a drill
