Best Curved-TV

According to their manufacturers, the curved displays have several advantages over TV sets with flat screens. In addition to a stronger perception of width and depth, curved TVs compensate for the loss of contrast and colour that occurs at the edges of conventional sets. And finally, the concave shape offers the viewer an extended field of vision. This causes the curved TV screen to appear larger than it actually is with an identical screen diagonal. After all, all these improvements make for a film experience in home cinema that almost corresponds to that of a real cinema.

Another advantage of curved TVs is their high resolution. All newer devices on the market with curved screens support 4K or Ultra-HD resolution. A curved TV thus offers four times more pixels than a TV set with Full HD resolution. The difference can be seen at first glance if the input material is turned in 4K. The corresponding UHD Blu-ray Discs and Blu-ray players are already available in stores. Content that is available in Full HD or HD is projected by Curved TV to 4K resolution, so that even here a difference is discernible. Further content is provided by VoD services such as Amazon and Netflix. The two providers have already begun streaming their first films and series in 4K. To get a smooth picture, a fast internet connection from 50 Mbit/s upwards is required.

Thanks to the higher resolution (3,840 x 2,160 pixels), the sofa can be placed closer to the set for a curved TV. While a 55 inch TV with Full HD required at least 2 meters between the TV and the sofa, a 55 inch curved TV like the Samsung UE55JU6550 requires 1 to 1.30 meters. Despite the reduced distance between the seats, no individual pixels are visible that cloud the film experience.

In order to benefit from the advantages of a curved TV, the viewer should sit exactly in the middle of the set. Of course, this is not always the case. Especially on film evenings with friends, it is therefore possible that people sitting on the outside left and right may find the curved shape disturbing and perceive loss of contrast and colour at the edges. The simple formula applies here: The more viewers, the bigger the display should be. A larger screen diagonal also makes sense for distances of 3 and more metres between the TV and the sofa. We recommend devices from 65 inches like the Samsung UE65JS8500T Curved TV.

When selecting a curved device, the final choice is between the display technologies LED, LCD and OLED. LCD display work with liquid crystals that are controlled by electrical impulses. You need a backlight, which can lead to unsatisfactory black levels. LED TVs that work with light-emitting diodes do not need them and can therefore be made flatter. The result: better black levels and lower power consumption. However, the future of curved TVs belongs to OLED (“Organic Light Emitting Diode”). This technology combines the worlds of plasma and LCD and convinces with a very wide colour spectrum, intensive contrasts and excellent black values. Curved TVs with OLEDs such as the LG 55EG9109 are still more expensive than models with other display technologies, but represent a sensible investment in the future.

The remaining equipment of Curved-TVs depends on the individual needs of the user. Many of the devices are so-called smart TVs, can be connected to the local WLAN and contain apps such as games, news and video portals. In addition, some curved TVs are 3D-capable and can reproduce three-dimensional content from 3D Blu-rays, for example. An example of this is the Sony KD55S8005CBAEP UHD TV.