Pitch-perfect World Cup TVs

Let’s face it — the last time high-profile football was played purely for stadium audiences was decades ago. Fifa estimates 909.6 million viewers tuned in for the last World Cup finals.
This year’s edition won’t just be bigger, but look better too, with Fifa mandating that teams wear single-coloured kits since they look better in HD. Here are a few buyer’s tips to enhance your football viewing.
Refresh rate — critical
With the fast pace of football, a low refresh rate creates motion blur — a trail left behind by objects moving rapidly on the screen. Look for a refresh rate between 120Hz and 240Hz.

LCDs are cheaper and come in bigger sizes while LEDs are more expensive, but offer better picture and contrast. Plasma TVs, though being phased out, give you the best contrast and depth without motion blur. If you find a good deal on a plasma, go for it. For LEDs, get a backlit model where individual pixels light up.

The optimal TV size for you depends on the room and the viewing distance. Try this
Amazon.com formula:
Minimum TV dimensions = Viewing distance (in inches)/3
Maximum TV dimensions = Viewing distance (in inches)/1.5
For example, sitting ten feet (120 inches) from your TV suggests a minimum of 40 and maximum of 80 inches in screen size.

When auditioning TVs at the showroom, see how they look from various angles, as watching football tends to be a group exercise. In-Plane Switching panel models perform better off-axis.

Curved screens look amazing when viewed head on, but if you are off by 40 degrees or more, the visuals look a bit distorted. Avoid a curved display — unless you will watch games alone.

You may have trouble hearing the match over your friends’ chatter. With a surround sound system, this won’t be a problem. If not, note that TVs with slim bezels can be weak in the audio department. Look for at least two front-firing speakers.

No, but you will still get it! Most new TVs include 3D by default, but we doubt you will be using it for football.

Check out what different sort of apps different brands are offering - particularly during live games. If you are getting killer live content that will enhance your viewing, go for it.

Research firm NPD DisplaySearch predicts 30 million 4K TVs will sell in 2014. In the UAE, however, 4K is a future-proof investment that won’t bring much benefit this year.

— Special to GN Focus