TV buying mistakes: common regrets and how to avoid them

Most TV regrets are not about picture quality in the abstract. They come from a mismatch between the TV and the buyer's room, seat distance or gear. These are the mistakes that keep surfacing in review guidance, with fixes.

1. Ignoring the room

Tom's Guide warns that the more affordable an OLED is, the lower its peak brightness tends to be. It puts one entry-level OLED at around 800 nits for small highlights and says that in a sun-soaked room it will not impress. The fix is to be honest about when you watch. For mostly evening viewing, OLED is wonderful. For a room with lots of daylight, consider a Mini LED or an OLED with an anti-glare screen. See Best TV for your room.

2. Buying the wrong size

Many people choose by price or by what fits the wall. TechRadar's size finder suggests sitting about 1.6 times the screen diagonal away for general viewing, or 1.2 times for a cinematic feel. At 8 feet, that points to roughly 60 inches. The fix is to measure first. Our size guide has the table.

3. Assuming one model name means one TV

TechRadar reports that LG's 2026 C6 line comes in two versions, with the 77-inch and 83-inch sizes sold as the C6H on a brighter panel, and that the smaller 42-inch and 48-inch C6 sizes are dimmer than the other C6 sizes. Reviews of the 65-inch may not describe the 83-inch. The fix is to confirm the full model code and read size-specific reviews. See TV model numbers explained and use the decoder.

4. Assuming every HDMI port is the same

HDMI.org describes the Ultra High Speed cable and the 2.1-era features as built for setups up to 48Gbps, but the ports on a TV do not all necessarily offer them. TechRadar's gaming guide counts the HDMI 2.1 ports on each model, as with the four on the LG C6. The fix is to list your devices (console, PC, soundbar, streamer) and check that enough ports have the speed you need. Read HDMI 2.1 explained.

5. Buying a soundbar that cannot share HDMI

TechRadar notes that some soundbars have no HDMI passthrough, and that a budget bar without 4K 120Hz passthrough is a poor fit for someone with a current-generation console. The fix is to connect devices to the TV and send audio to the bar through eARC. See eARC vs. ARC and the soundbar buying guide.

6. Reading one brightness number

TechRadar measures peak brightness on a small window and full-screen brightness on the whole picture, and says the full-screen number is usually lower, especially on OLED. Tom's Guide says even a very bright OLED may not match the average picture brightness of a similarly priced LED TV. The fix is to compare both numbers and to compare the same picture mode. See nits explained.

7. Being scared off, or over-reassured, about burn-in

Tom's Guide's tester says modern OLEDs are far better protected than early ones and that burn-in should not stop you from buying one, but suggests resting the TV if you often leave static elements on screen. The fix is to match the TV to your use: varied viewing suits OLED, while a TV that shows the same news channel all day might suit Mini LED. See OLED burn-in explained.

A short pre-purchase checklist

1. Measure seat distance and room light.
2. Pick a size, then a technology.
3. Confirm the exact model and size you will receive.
4. Count HDMI ports and note which devices need full speed.
5. Decide on a soundbar and check its HDMI connections.
6. Compare current prices at several stores, and read the return policy.