5 essential features to look for when buying a new TV for the World Cup from beating reflections to finding the right balance of value

Date:
Fri, 22 May 2026 15:16:16 +0000

Description:
Our TV experts explain what you should look for in a TV upgrade, and why they're so important to balance

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter If you're thinking about upgrading your TV in time for the World Cup, you may already be discovering that the world of TVs is incredibly confusing these days. With different screen-tech options, a wide range of sizes, and prices ranging from a few hundred dollars or pounds to several thousand, making a decision isn't straightforward.

Don't worry, because we're here to help. Our team of reviewers has tested the best TVs on the market, paying particular attention to sports viewing, since live sports demands smooth handling of fast-moving action. And in this guide, I'll explain the features that matter most when buying a TV for sports, and why they're important. Note that not everything you should consider will be listed on the box. I've highlighted the key things to look out for, but much of this information is more likely to be found in reviews and online store descriptions, rather than on the packaging itself. Latest Videos From You may like As TechRadar's TV tester, I've created 4 TV and soundbar setups to suit every budget The best TVs for sound: from Sony, Panasonic, Hisense and more The 3 OLED TVs I recommend for World Cup viewing, based on my testing Sponsored Save $200 Hisense 65 UR9 RGB Mini LED TV: was $2,199.99 now $1,999.99 at Best Buy The UR9 is the first smart TV to hit the market that is designed for natural, real color that is gentler on the eyes. The RGB MiniLED powered by Chromagic display technology produces color using individual red, green, and blue lights for a richer image with better contrast, while
reducing harmful blue light by up to 50% without compromising accuracy or picture quality. Hisense has earned TV Rheinland certification for eye comfort, ensuring you experience less eye fatigue and fewer disruptions to your circadian rhythm. View Deal Good upscaling and motion handling (Image credit: Future / Stock Videos-Copyright Free) Technically two features, but upscaling and motion handling go hand in hand to deliver clarity when
watching sport and if only one of the two is good, youll end up
disappointed.

Upscaling is the process by which a 4K TV takes lower-resolution video and turns it into higher-resolution video to fill all of its pixels. Most people wont be able to watch the World Cup in 4K natively, so upscaling will be necessary. There are many ways that TVs can do this, and many models these days will advertise themselves as using AI-assisted upscaling.

Motion handling is a similar process but for the movement of objects on the screen. A TV will tweak the image to improve the appearance of objects in motion, because in digital video, fast movement of something like a ball
being kicked is difficult for video encoders to keep up with. This means it can lose a lot of detail in motion, causing fast-moving objects such as a football to appear blurred or smeared, or even leaving ghostly trails behind them.

Motion handling is designed to track fast-moving elements such as the ball
and players, then process them to reduce blur and other motion issues to action is clear and easier for the viewer to follow. Some TVs can even generate new frames, creating the impression of a higher frame rate and smoother-looking motion. Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from
us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

The downside of poorly implemented motion handling in some cheaper models, for example is that such changes can look odd and unnatural. The ball might have an odd halo around it, players will appear strangely hard-edged, and the overall look will be very artificial, instead of naturally more detailed.

And this is the reason motion handling and upscaling tech need to work together to deliver the best results. For example, an upscale might be adding plenty of detail, but if motion processing is poor, that detail can become blurred in fast-action shots and difficult to see . Equally, if motion processing is great but the upscaler is adding weird edges to the ball, that again will undo the hard work.

LG s OLED TVs, such as the LG C5 or LG G6, are excellent at upscaling and motion, as are Samsung s higher-end TVs, including the Samsung QN90F and Samsung S95F. Sony s TVs had a great reputation for this for years, but most recently weve found LG and Samsung to be superior. TCL and Hisense TVs generally handle these elements well in the more mid-range models, with the Hisense U8QG and TCL QM7K (both are US models) being especially impressive
for their respective prices. Amazon s Ember QLED TV is also decent out of the box compared to most budget-friendly TVs, as is the Roku Plus Series in the US. What to read next I spoke to the CEO of a TV manufacturer about the
future of TV hardware Here are my top 4 Dolby Atmos soundbars to level up
your World Cup viewing Ive chosen the best TVs you can buy to suit every budget, after hundreds of hours of real-world testing Good screen uniformity (Image credit: Future / No Copyright 4K Zone) You might have heard this
talked about as the "dirty screen effect". Basically, screen uniformity is a TV's ability to display an evenly lit image across the entire screen, without patches that appear darker. It's an issue that mainly afflicts LCD-based TV, including LED, QLED, mini-LED and RGB models.

LCD TVs work by shining a backlight made of LEDs through a grid of pixels,
and the design of this backlight plays a major role in screen uniformity. If LEDs are unevenly arranged or lit, some areas of the screen can appear slightly darker or brighter than others. This is especially noticeable in scenes where there are large areas of solid colour the grass on a football field, for example.

If your TV's screen uniformity is poor, you'll see odd dark patches rippling across the field as the camera follows the ball. Some people might mistake it for dust, hence the informal name.

The larger a TV, the more susceptible it can be to the dirty screen effect, simply because theres a bigger area that needs to be lit evenly. This is why opting for a super-large budget model can sometime work against you, since they're less likely to come with the higher-quality backlighting required to maintain consistent screen uniformity.

While you cant know for sure how a particular TV will perform, you can get a clue by considering the number of "dimming zones" listed in a TV's specs. In general, more dimming zones means more control over the backlight, which
often goes hand in hand with a higher number of LEDs in the panel and better screen uniformity.It's also worth checking out reviews where people discuss screen uniformity.

Ive talked about LED TVs a lot here but what about OLED? In theory, OLED TVs display issues with screen uniformity, because every single pixel is its own LED. OLEDs can have problems with the evenness of the image, but its more likely to be the result of an actual fault rather than just a poor-value TV.
A reflection-beating screen The difference between a low-reflection panel (left) and a screen without such an advanced layer (right) (Image credit: Future) Watching sports generally means a lot of daytime viewing, and that tends to mean a lot of light. Even if youre watching in the evening, you
might still have lots of lights on in your room. The glossy screens of most TVs means they reflect like a mirror, making it difficult to see whats on-screen.

Mirror-like reflections are particularly distracting, not only because they pull your attention away from the game, but also because your eyes will naturally try to focus on the reflection, rather than the image on the TV. Since the reflection appears to sit at a different distance to the TV image, constantly refocusing between the two can cause eyestrain.

TVs use a several methods to reduce reflections, and almost all TVs have a polarizer built in to help control how light travels through the panel. However, in budget TVs this can be very basic, and so wont appear to make a huge difference in bright rooms.

So, in a more affordable TV, higher brightness can often present the best method of counteracting any reflections. Mini-LED TVs excel here because they use a huge number of tiny LEDs, allowing them to produce much higher brightness across the whole screen over what OLED TVs can achieve.

Some TVs also have specific anti-reflection layers. Samsungs higher-end mini-LED and OLED TVs come with a Glare Free" coating, which is basically a matte layer that scatters light rather than reflecting it. Any reflections instead appear as a dim haze rather than an object of focus, making it more easily handled by the TV's own brightness to overcome and therefore less distracting for the viewer. Hisense has also added a less-aggressive matte layer to its high-end and mid-range mini-LED TVs. The LG G6 OLED TV includes
a very impressive layer that massively reduces the brightness of mirror-like reflections.

Basically, if youll be watching your TV in a bright room, then the higher the level of brightness in your TV the better and a premium TV with an extra anti-reflection layer will help even further. Sound that extends beyond the screen A good built-in speaker system really helps bring the atmosphere
(Image credit: Future) When you're watching the World Cup, you want to feel immersed in the atmosphere of the event, and the sound is a major part of that. If the crowd noise seems confined to the TV itself, its hard to forget that youre simply watching a screen. But when the sound feels like it's
coming from beyond the box, you'll feel more like youre part of the action.

Similarly, audio with deeper bass and clearer highs will deliver a more immersive feeling, because drums, stamping feet, voices and the roaring of a whole crowd will sound more full and realistic.

Once again, while theres no way to know for sure from the specs alone if a TV will deliver a decent, you can make an educated guess.

Budget TVs are likely to have a very basic speaker system, usually comprising just two small speakers that point downwards. As such, their ability to
engulf you in audio will be limited. If a TV has just a 2.0-channel speaker system, odds are that will be small-sounding.

A TV with forward-firing or side-firing speakers is far more likely to
deliver expansive audio. Look for models whose specs feature a bass system (either a subwoofer or just passive bass radiators), which achieve a much fuller sound.

The good news is that mid-range TVs and upwards are increasingly capable of delivering full, well-handled sound straight out of the box. Models such as the TCL QM7K and Hisense U7 perform well in this area, but step up to the TCL QM8K, Hisense U8 or especially the Samsung QN90F, and you'll experience a
much bigger and more spacious feel.

Of course, another way to ensure superb sound quality is with a soundbar or speaker system. Around this time of year, you'll find plenty of TV deals with soundbars thrown in, or offered at a low price, so keep a lookout. Its possible that a mid-price TV with an affordable soundbar turns out to be the best-value combination overall for mixing a big screen with big sound. A big screen size balanced with price (Image credit: Future) A lot of people
looking to buy a TV for World Cup viewing will be tempted to go for the biggest screen possible, and there many huge sizes available for not much
more than the cost of an 65-inch model, which will tempt people even more so to go big.

But big isn't necessarily best, because of all the factors Ive mentioned above. All the potential dangers Ive mentioned. Poor motion handling, weak detail, uneven screen uniformity, distracting reflections and limited sound are all more noticeable on a larger screen, where flaws have nowhere to hide.

If you have a budget of $1,000 to spend, you could buy a basic 85-inch TV, or a good 75-inch model, or a higher-quality 65-inch set. How you balance size, quality and budget is ultimately a personal choice, but it's important to
note that unless your budget increases alongside the screen size, youll usually be trading performance for acreage.

If you're wondering what the "right" screen size is for your particular
setup, check out this calculator, which will help you figure it out: Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds.



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