The NCAA Final Four is nearly upon us, and while your bracket may have been busted out of the gate, thanks Oral Roberts, there are still a handful of games ahead to watch. And if you’re the kind of person who only wants to tune in on the best kind of TV, there are plenty of fantastic deals to take advantage of before the tournament wraps up April 5.
I don’t have any skin in the game as my college wasn’t exactly known for sports, so I’m not rooting for any team in particular. I am, however, constantly looking for great prices on TVs, because I’m a nerd who’s never happy with the set he has.
With that being, here are some of the best TV deals to snatch up before March Madness is over.
Vizio 65” - $1,799
Vizio (VIZIO), which went public on March 25, has a solid deal on a big beast of a TV for $200 off. The Vizio OLED65-H1 is an OLED set, which means it uses organic light-emitting diodes to light up the screen’s pixels rather than an LCD panel. OLED screens promise brighter colors and deeper blacks by allowing the TV to turn on and off individual pixels, which results in better overall contrast. LCD panels can’t do that. But that improved quality typically comes with a higher price tag.
Like most 4K TVs of this variety, the Vizio set also sports HDR, or high-dynamic range capabilities, which means it’s able to offer better overall color and contrast. HDR is a must-have if you’re going to hold on to your TV for some time, providing a bigger difference in image quality than even the jump from 1080p resolution to 4K.
TCL 55” - $799
This 55-inch TCL TV is a heck of a deal, especially if you’re a gamer in addition to a sports fan. It’s not an OLED set, but instead uses TCL’s micro LED QLED technology. That’s a lot of letters to basically say the TV tries to emulate the vibrancy of an OLED panel, without the added price.
TCL’s TV uses an active matrix-style backlight, which means the set is able to control small regions of the panel to raise and lower brightness more accurately. The mini LEDs also allow for the lighting to be more accurate than larger LEDs that bleed more light.
This TV is also a solid choice for gamers thanks to its THX Game Mode, which offers a variable screen refresh rate that provides a smoother gameplay experience than your average set.
Full disclosure: I had to stop myself from buying the TV while writing this article.
LG 65” - $1,996
I also had to stop myself from buying this LG OLED TV. Priced at $1,996, $200 off its normal starting price, this LG unit packs the company’s formidable OLED capabilities into a big-screen package. At one point, LG was one of the only company’s offering OLED TVs, but as the price to produce such panels has come down, it’s now being made available through a variety of manufacturers.
Still, LG is known for its pedigree; I’ve got an LG set of my own already and it’s hard to argue with how great its screen looks.
LG also packs in compatibility with NVIDIA’s (NVDA) G-SYNC, as well as AMD’s (AMD) FreeSync, which offer incredibly smooth, lag-free gameplay for gamers. Because if you’re gaming on a $2,000 TV, it better look good.
Samsung 55” - $697
Samsung’s Q60T Series TV is a unique offering in this list because it’s surprisingly inexpensive for a 4K set. The setup here uses Quantum Dot Technology, which is essentially Samsung’s version of QLED technology. But this set also uses Samsung’s Dual LED system, which automatically adjusts the color temperature of the LEDs lighting the screen to match what you’re watching.
If you’re looking for a set that offers more than just the basics at a price that won’t make you balk at checkout, this is the one for you.
General shopping tips
Have a budget
Before you head out to the store, or start shopping online, you should keep a few things in mind. The first is your price range. It’s incredibly easy to look at one TV at a relatively low price, then see one for a few hundred dollars more and say, “Meh, I’ll go for the more expensive one.” Stay within your budget, and don’t get overwhelmed by the sheer number of available sets.
Know the size you want
When it comes to TVs, bigger is better — to a point. Just because a 75-inch TV sounds like something you want, that doesn’t mean it’ll fit neatly in your living room. Make sure to measure your space so the set you purchase isn’t bigger than your entire house.
If your TV is too large, you’ll feel like you have to move your head around just to see the edges. Think something similar to sitting in the front row at the movie theater. There’s a reason no one ever wants those seats.
If your TV is too small, though, you’ll be squinting from across the room to make out what’s happening on screen. Your best bet is to check out a few TVs you’re interested in online, get their exact dimensions and then measure your space. I’d suggest using the TV’s actual dimensions rather than its screen size, because the footprint is larger than the display.
And if you don’t want to mount your TV to your wall, make sure to look at its leg or legs. I’ve made the mistake of buying a TV I thought could fit on my existing stand, only to realize the legs were so far to the edge of the TV, they didn’t fit.
Don’t pay for expensive HDMI cables
This is the biggest rip-off in consumer electronics. The mark-ups on HDMI cables are downright ridiculous. Here’s the real deal. HDMI cables are digital, meaning they either work or they don’t. You’re not going to get a higher quality image out of some bespoke cable that sells for $100.
My suggestion is to get an HDMI 2.1 cable. They work with the current HDMI 2.1 standard, which allows for faster image frame rates at higher resolutions. But that’s only if the TV you’re getting supports HDMI 2.1. If your set doesn’t, the cable will just default to whatever your TV’s standard is.
I’ve heard horror stories, from my own parents even, of brick and mortar stores telling them they need to spend more than $100 for an HDMI cable that you can get for $20 on Amazon (AMZN). If anyone tries to sell you on a pricer cable, walk out of the store, and shop somewhere else.
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Got a tip? Email Daniel Howley at [email protected] over via encrypted mail at [email protected], and follow him on Twitter at @DanielHowley.
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