Your gut instinct is right: Before making a big purchase, it’s a good idea to see the thing in person first. This logic should naturally extend to TVs, particularly if you’re planning on paying a premium for performance.
But while it’s not necessarily a bad idea to head down to your local Best Buy to peep the wares, there’s a few things you ought to know about brick-and-mortar TV showrooms that very few sales representatives will tell you.
Before you splash out on what looks like one of the best TVs on shelves, take a moment to consider the following.
The shopping environment can make TVs look worse
You will never watch your new TV in a setting that even comes close to resembling the vibes of your local retailer's TV department.
Think about it: The ambient lighting is harsh, there are reflections bouncing off of every screen and there's a good chance you're not going to see any content that's familiar to you on the display models.
It's nice to have helpful sales representatives on hand to guide you through a TV's features, the ins and outs of its software and what separates it from other models, but you can't change the lighting conditions.
There is an exception to this, though: showrooms designed to recreate a living room or home theater.
In my experience, these dimly lit, quiet shopping environments aren't as prominent as they once were, but some big-name retailers and specialty stores feature sectioned-off rooms that trade the brutal, bluish fluorescent lights for a setting that more closely resembles a dark living room.
Even in these environments, though, you ought to be diligent in sizing up a TV's performance.
A TV's "Retail Mode" can make it look better than it really is
Have you ever unboxed a TV, turned it on for the first time only to run into a screen that asks something along the lines of, "Is this for retail or home use?"
While not always easily accessible, most TVs arrive with something commonly called Retail Mode. This mode often plays a colorful, high-definition sizzle reel on a loop, intending to showcase the TV's ability to look bright, vibrant and, well, impressive.
Sometimes it's a bunch of fancy-dressed circus folks blowing fire. Other times it's a chrome ball spinning though an elaborate, rainbow-colored pinball machine. Whatever the content of the highlight reel is, I can guarantee you that the TV is not demonstrating its true potential.
Retail Mode might look impressive under blue-tinted fluorescent lights, but it looks downright garish in the average living room.
In order to compete with the harsh elements of the viewing environment outlined above, Retail Mode ensures that the TV is calibrated in such a way that might look impressive under blue-tinted fluorescent lights, but it looks downright garish in the average living room. And this is to say nothing of the motion-smoothing software it invariably enables.
Even if the TV isn't switched into its highlight-reel-centric Retail Mode, I can all but guarantee that the TV is either in its Vivid or Dynamic picture mode — both of which are TV picture modes to avoid.
How to shop in person for a TV like an expert in three easy steps
Before you head to the store, arm yourself with a little bit of knowledge. You don't need to have an expert-level knowledge of TV terms and jumbled technical jargon, but you can shop like an expert by doing a little bit of preliminary research.
1. Know what TV type you're looking for
You'll likely be choosing between three types of TV: QLED, Mini-LED or OLED. Those last two will almost definitely be your options if you intend on spending over $1,000 on a TV, so be sure to know the difference between Mini-LED and OLED ahead of time. If you're planning on spending less on an entry-level or budget-friendly model, avoid edge-lit TVs.
2. Pick a TV size
We've already done some valuable math for anyone trying to figure out how to choose a TV size, but here's a couple of takeaways: If you sit about 8 to 9 feet away from your TV, a 65-inch TV is ideal. At this distance, most people will still be able to appreciate the details of a 65-inch picture without being close enough to see the pixels. If you sit between 5 and 7 feet from your TV, consider a 55-inch model.
3. Choose a few models ahead of time
We spend all year testing and reviewing the most popular TVs on the market, so we're well equipped to help you understand a TV's potential without the interference that comes with a retail shopping environment. Whether you're shopping among the best 65-inch TVs, the best 55-inch TVs, the best budget TVs or the best TVs overall, we've got more information on hand than the average sales associate.
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