Top 10 Best Smart TVs in the Philippines 2020 (LG, Sony, Samsung, and More)

If your old TV that has been gathering dust in your spare rooms works only when connected to an HDTV antenna, A/V source, or cable, smart TVs, on the other hand, offer internet connectivity. It is just like those slim phones or tablets and iPads nowadays but the size of your entire wall and displayed in the living room. It supports various apps and streams videos from different viewing sites. 

Smart TVs can also be hooked up to AI devices like Alexa and other compatible devices for that seamless entertainment experience. Most of the time, smart TVs use wired Ethernet and/or built-in Wi-Fi to keep internet-connected. 

Just make little tweaks here and there, and you are ready to enjoy blasting that techno music, listen to radio services like Spotify, or visit video and social media sites like Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube, all with that smart TV of yours. 

Before you virtually swipe your credit card for that smart TV purchase, take a look at the things you should bear in mind. 

There are a variety of choices that comprise the display on the smart TV you've always been wanting.

LED (light-emitting diode) TVs are the most desired TV type when it comes to energy consumption, thus, they are longer-lasting. 

It assures a better viewing experience compared with earlier iterations of LCD by achieving better contrast with its deeper blacks and brighter color projections. Size-wise, LED ones are also slimmer than its plasma TV or cathode ray tube (CRT) counterparts. 

Organic light-emitting diode or OLED displays, on the other hand, amazingly provides an unusual property to be able to produce both light and color from just one diode when given enough power supply. They also do not need separate backlights. 

Probably the massive difference between LED and OLED is that each pixel is independently powered and has its own luminance. This results in deeper contrast and higher per-pixel accuracy than your average LED TV.

Not to be interchanged with OLED, there is also the QLED technology, where Q stands to Quantum Dot material, raising the bar when it comes to viewing by reiterating the TV technologies already mentioned earlier but better. Its efficiency and brightness translate to better, brighter color and grayscale. 

QLED stands in a middle ground between OLED and LCD TVs. It is cheaper than an OLED but pricier than an LCD TV.

LCD TVs are still widely used today, though it has seen the peak of its marketability around the mid-2000s. Today, technology has allowed marriage between LEDs and LCDs. Some LED TVs use an LCD to control where light is displayed; in other words, LED is based on LCD. 

The only difference, however, where LED LCD TVs use an array of more minute and yet more energy-efficient light-emitting diodes to illuminate the screen, older LCDs use cold cathode fluorescent lamps (CCFLs) for its lighting which greatly distorts the color brightness in some, with little to no regard about dimming. 

The LCD panel of CCFL LCDs fails in areas where high contrast makes all the difference since it is constantly and evenly illuminated, washing out the dark portions by making it appear brighter than intended. This will have glaring effects, especially when viewing in a dark room. 

If you are the type of person whose job is to critique wins and fails on different movie remakes like the latest Lion King live-action movie, then screen resolution matters a big deal to you.

The higher the resolution, the more lifelike the images you see before you. Nowadays, resolutions are categorized into four, differentiated by their lines of resolution and number of pixels. 

High Definition (HD) provides double the resolution of any analog TV with 720p lines of resolution and 921,600 pixels. Full HD delivers massive resolution even on a smaller screen as it doubles the clarity of standard HD, equipped with a 1080p line of resolution and 2.1 million pixels. 

4K Ultra High Definition (UHD) quadruples the Full HD counterpart, given its superior pixel power of 8 million pixels and a 2160p line of resolution. 8K UHD maybe the most unbeatable of the four, designed with 33 million pixels and 4320p line of resolution. 

It might be quite unusual to hear someone wishing for a small TV in a day an age when size matters. Who needs the cinema when your smart TV is as wide as the ones in movie houses?

Nevertheless, you must not rule out the space you need to fit your TV in. It makes sense to choose the TV perfect for the size of your living or entertainment room. Sometimes, bigger is not always better. 

Turning to augmented reality (AR) viewer to visualize how the TV will fit and look in your home is a great help when you are so torn between which size to settle with.Viewing distance must also be taken into consideration. 

If you are the type to sit close to the screen, getting a smaller TV may be best. But for those who like to watch from afar, choose the bigger TV. A 50-inch HD TV will still look okay when viewed two meters away.

This is different from the resolution as HDR refers to the color palette which allows for more lifelike images with richer colors, enriching the contrast in each movie experience. 

If you want to catch up on your favorite Netflix series or K-Drama, you might want to consider whether your smart TV supports HDR to enable you to see in more detail a show with a lot of dark scenes. Gamers would also bet their money HDR supported TV for their videos and games which they can turn on and off for HDR and non-HDR video and games, respectively.

It is safe to mount the smart TV especially if you have rambunctious toddlers who cannot prop themselves without reaching for anything sturdy. Just position it on an eye-level so you can sit through series binge-watches stiff-neck free. Otherwise, you'll be uncomfortable all throughout. 

But if you are annoyed with the difficulty in keeping the cords hidden – which would be eye-sores when you wall-mount the TV – sitting it on top of a table will keep you from headaches. 

The refresh rate is a huge deal for those belonging to the gaming community. Hz as it is commonly called means the number of times the screen is refreshed within a second. This translates to the difference between smooth images vis-à-vis images that appear shattered. 

Refresh rate can go as high as 120Hz, perfect for viewing action movies, games, and the like. A lower version, 60Hz, is effective for moderately-paced entertainment. If your pastime is binging on Korean drama, however, you can forego refresh rates altogether. Probably staring for a longer time at glass-skinned Koreans on screen does more good to your soul than harm.

Smart TVs are mostly designed with the latest audio features such as Dolby Atmos sound and High-Definition Multimedia Interface Audio Return Channel (HDMI ARC) support. 

Dolby Atmos is found in everything from smaller home theater systems to big commercial cinemas, having been branded the most popular surround sound format. Currently, Dolby has been expanding to the format into music; it has got you covered. 

Meanwhile, if you have already previously or currently own any other electronic gadgets, like laptops, you are no stranger to HDMIs. You may accessorize your smart TV with a soundbar or a speaker and enable audio input and output through the proper cords attached to the HDMI ARC. This is for when you are still unsatisfied with the built-in audio features. 

As the TVs are now slimmer than ever, much of the space used to be allocated for the speaker had now been utilized for a more aesthetically pleasing TV frame. Thus, people opt to purchase a separate speaker system.

Smart TV makers generally roll out regular software updates for their products. Reasons for such routine updates are to patch bug and security issues, to refine old feature and/or add new ones. 

Good examples are TVs that run on Android. The TV receives a current version of the software, the newer being a better performer than its predecessor. 

Sure smart TVs are internet-enabled but can it replace cable services and get local channels? As for cable, it totally depends on your tasteful judgment. You may, of course, cut ties with your cable services provider and switch entirely to YouTube, Netflix, and the like, to listen to local news, and binge watch on gory series during the community quarantine. 

This is for only for as long as you are internet-connected, so during connectivity jams, you need to have better of your time than to wait for the internet to be back on. 

As for local channels, yes, as a smart TV features do not in any way hinder the TV's access to local stations. Unless when the availability of local channels is only feasible through cable, then stay cable-connected. This is a far as we can tell you about what to consider on your smart TV purchase. 

We also come to your rescue in times when you are nothing but torn between the myriad of options to choose from. Here, we collated the best smart TVs are will suit your viewing preference, plus other add-ons that come with your purchase.

As millennials or gen-Zers, we leave a ton of footprints on the internet. Tech people say, in one way or another, your online activities are being tracked more than you will ever know. Which is why it pays to have a secure password on your home Wi-Fi. 

But, to be honest, companies do collect personal information about users of a smart TV. For instance, sometime in 2013 LG acknowledge their receipt of information as to what the channels the owners were tuned in to. Later, LG amended the statement by saying such was due to a software bug. 

Don't tremble in fear, however, because the most that these manufacturers gather from your streaming habits are data relating to products or brands they think you like or are currently using. 

You will probably spend some cash on the TV purchase and yet, when it finally gets home, the entertainment system will charm everyone at home or anyone who pays a visit. 

The TV is not yours alone but your family’s, your children’s, or visitors’ – often, it takes a village to appreciate a smart TV. Like we said earlier, you may accessorize your smart TV with other smart options. Amp your smart TV with these gizmos.

As we've learned in this article, most of the improvements sought in the old 'dumb' television were energy-efficiency and aesthetics. The best of minds has made it possible do such – to create TVs which appeals to our auditory and visual senses. 

However, this is no reason for us to make thick-waisted individuals of ourselves by sitting for too long in front of our slim and smart TVs. These machines are here to help make better, smarter versions of ourselves. 

Author: A. Ugay