5 Best 55 Inch TVs in the US - February 2021

'Game Mode' on a TV is a specialist mode that scales down the graphical fidelity of the video in order to free up processing power for response time.

In effect this trades slightly worse graphical capabilities for lessened input lag, meaning a smoother, more responsive experience when gaming.

High Dynamic Range Imaging (HDRI) on a TV is a system that allows preserves details in the darkest and brightest areas of the screen that are lost using standard display methods.

HDRI on a TV allows for better contrast levels, greater brightness levels and a wider colour palette on films and TV programs. This translates into more natural, true-to-life colours that are closer to how we see them in real life.

'Digital Clean View' is a function on Smart TVs that reduced the noise from low-quality signals.

Using Digital Clean View can drastically improve the picture quality on both analogue and digital signals by removing as much noise and blurring as possible from the picture.

A Wifi (wireless LAN connection) on your TV means that you can connect your TV directly to your WiFi network.

A wifi connection means that connecting your TV to the net will be easier and can be done without cables.

An ethernet port lets you connect the TV directly to your router with an ethernet cable.

An ethernet connection is more reliable than wifi and is useful if you do not have a wiki network or the wifi signal is weak. Depending on the speed of your wifi network and ethernet connection may be faster than wifi which means less buffering when streaming content to the TV.

Miracast is a peer-to-peer wireless screencasting standard formed via Wi-Fi Direct connections in a manner similar to Bluetooth.

TVs with Miracast can use it to stream media from computers and mobile phones at very high quality without the need to attach cables first, making the whole process far easier.

Wi-Fi Direct is a system to allow your TV to connect directly to other device without requiring a wireless router as a go-between.

Wi-Fi Direct is helpful on a TV because it allows a TV to connect to another device (such as a computer or phone) directly, meaning there is far less setup required - the devices just need to be 'paired' (normally at a press of a button) and the y can transfer data between each other. This is extremely useful for streaming media onto your TV from a computer or phone.

'Game Mode' on a TV is a specialist mode that scales down the graphical fidelity of the video in order to free up processing power for response time.

In effect this trades slightly worse graphical capabilities for lessened input lag, meaning a smoother, more responsive experience when gaming.

High Dynamic Range Imaging (HDRI) on a TV is a system that allows preserves details in the darkest and brightest areas of the screen that are lost using standard display methods.

HDRI on a TV allows for better contrast levels, greater brightness levels and a wider colour palette on films and TV programs. This translates into more natural, true-to-life colours that are closer to how we see them in real life.

'Local Dimming' on a TV is a function that dims certain sections of the backlight to control the level of light/color intensity in a given part of the screen.

Local dimming can be used to make blacks on the screen appear darker and richer by removing the backlight behind them.

'Digital Clean View' is a function on Smart TVs that reduced the noise from low-quality signals.

Using Digital Clean View can drastically improve the picture quality on both analogue and digital signals by removing as much noise and blurring as possible from the picture.

A Wifi (wireless LAN connection) on your TV means that you can connect your TV directly to your WiFi network.

A wifi connection means that connecting your TV to the net will be easier and can be done without cables.

An ethernet port lets you connect the TV directly to your router with an ethernet cable.

An ethernet connection is more reliable than wifi and is useful if you do not have a wiki network or the wifi signal is weak. Depending on the speed of your wifi network and ethernet connection may be faster than wifi which means less buffering when streaming content to the TV.

Wi-Fi Direct is a system to allow your TV to connect directly to other device without requiring a wireless router as a go-between.

Wi-Fi Direct is helpful on a TV because it allows a TV to connect to another device (such as a computer or phone) directly, meaning there is far less setup required - the devices just need to be 'paired' (normally at a press of a button) and the y can transfer data between each other. This is extremely useful for streaming media onto your TV from a computer or phone.

Screen Mirroring on a TV is a system that allows you to view the screen from a computer or mobile phone on your TV.

Screen mirroring on a TV is helpful because it allows you to easily display media and info running on a phone or laptop to a big screen for easy viewing with a minimum of effort.

'Smartphone Remote' states whether the TV has the capability to be controlled using your smartphone, acting as a surrogate remote. This will usually require the installation of an app onto your phone.

Using your smartphone as a remote is helpful because it means that you don't have to use the official remote to control the TV - your smartphone will work instead. Helpful since you will quite often already have it in your pocket!

'Game Mode' on a TV is a specialist mode that scales down the graphical fidelity of the video in order to free up processing power for response time.

In effect this trades slightly worse graphical capabilities for lessened input lag, meaning a smoother, more responsive experience when gaming.

High Dynamic Range Imaging (HDRI) on a TV is a system that allows preserves details in the darkest and brightest areas of the screen that are lost using standard display methods.

HDRI on a TV allows for better contrast levels, greater brightness levels and a wider colour palette on films and TV programs. This translates into more natural, true-to-life colours that are closer to how we see them in real life.

'Local Dimming' on a TV is a function that dims certain sections of the backlight to control the level of light/color intensity in a given part of the screen.

Local dimming can be used to make blacks on the screen appear darker and richer by removing the backlight behind them.

A Wifi (wireless LAN connection) on your TV means that you can connect your TV directly to your WiFi network.

A wifi connection means that connecting your TV to the net will be easier and can be done without cables.

A Bluetooth connection on your TV means it can send and receive data from Bluetooth-enabled devices, such as headphones, mobile phones or remotes.

A Bluetooth connection on your phone allows you to use many newer wireless devices with your TV, such as wireless headphones and controlling your TV using your phone.

An ethernet port lets you connect the TV directly to your router with an ethernet cable.

An ethernet connection is more reliable than wifi and is useful if you do not have a wiki network or the wifi signal is weak. Depending on the speed of your wifi network and ethernet connection may be faster than wifi which means less buffering when streaming content to the TV.

Miracast is a peer-to-peer wireless screencasting standard formed via Wi-Fi Direct connections in a manner similar to Bluetooth.

TVs with Miracast can use it to stream media from computers and mobile phones at very high quality without the need to attach cables first, making the whole process far easier.

Voice Control on a TV is a system that allows users to control various functions of their TV (volume, channels, etc) purely with voice commands, rather than having to use the remote.

Voice controls mean that you can control the TV from your couch without having to find a remote or move to manually change the channel or adjust the settings, leading to a more streamlined experience.

Whether the TV has a desktop stand included with the purchase.

A desktop stand allows you to mount the TV on a desk or table for easy viewing. Without one, you'll have to either mount the TV on a wall or buy a stand at additional expense.

A subwoofer is a specialised bass speaker for your TV, designed to provide punchy and powerful low notes for music and movies. Alternatively, an underground dog.

A built-in subwoofer will give your TV's sound system a serious boost on the low end bass notes. This will be best experienced in the bangs, thumps and explosions of movies, or in bass-heavy music.

RMS rated power stands for Root Mean Square rated power and it is typically used to measure the power output of the audio element of the TV.

A higher RMS rated power means that the audio system on the TV is more powerful and will be able to play the audio at higher volumes. A higher RMS power may also result in better quality audio at normal volume levels.

'Timeshifting' on a TV is the ability to record movies and programs to be viewed or listened to after the live broadcast.

TVs with timeshifting abilities mean that you don't have to watch programs when they are first broadcast - you can record them and watch them at your leisure.

Screen Mirroring on a TV is a system that allows you to view the screen from a computer or mobile phone on your TV.

Screen mirroring on a TV is helpful because it allows you to easily display media and info running on a phone or laptop to a big screen for easy viewing with a minimum of effort.

Parental controls on a TV allow users to limit the films and programs that can be viewed on the TV, preventing adults-only content from being viewed by children.

Parental controls are a good way of stopping children accidentally (or totally not-accidentally) watching violent or sexual programs when parents aren't around to stop them.

'Smartphone Remote' states whether the TV has the capability to be controlled using your smartphone, acting as a surrogate remote. This will usually require the installation of an app onto your phone.

Using your smartphone as a remote is helpful because it means that you don't have to use the official remote to control the TV - your smartphone will work instead. Helpful since you will quite often already have it in your pocket!

'Game Mode' on a TV is a specialist mode that scales down the graphical fidelity of the video in order to free up processing power for response time.

In effect this trades slightly worse graphical capabilities for lessened input lag, meaning a smoother, more responsive experience when gaming.

High Dynamic Range Imaging (HDRI) on a TV is a system that allows preserves details in the darkest and brightest areas of the screen that are lost using standard display methods.

HDRI on a TV allows for better contrast levels, greater brightness levels and a wider colour palette on films and TV programs. This translates into more natural, true-to-life colours that are closer to how we see them in real life.

'Local Dimming' on a TV is a function that dims certain sections of the backlight to control the level of light/color intensity in a given part of the screen.

Local dimming can be used to make blacks on the screen appear darker and richer by removing the backlight behind them.

A USB recording function on a TV allows you to record live TV onto a USB device.

Recording live TV onto a USB device is a good way to save films and TV programs for later viewing.

Noise reduction helps reduce intrusive audio and visual noise for a clearer and better viewing experience.

A Wifi (wireless LAN connection) on your TV means that you can connect your TV directly to your WiFi network.

A wifi connection means that connecting your TV to the net will be easier and can be done without cables.

A Bluetooth connection on your TV means it can send and receive data from Bluetooth-enabled devices, such as headphones, mobile phones or remotes.

A Bluetooth connection on your phone allows you to use many newer wireless devices with your TV, such as wireless headphones and controlling your TV using your phone.

An ethernet port lets you connect the TV directly to your router with an ethernet cable.

An ethernet connection is more reliable than wifi and is useful if you do not have a wiki network or the wifi signal is weak. Depending on the speed of your wifi network and ethernet connection may be faster than wifi which means less buffering when streaming content to the TV.

Miracast is a peer-to-peer wireless screencasting standard formed via Wi-Fi Direct connections in a manner similar to Bluetooth.

TVs with Miracast can use it to stream media from computers and mobile phones at very high quality without the need to attach cables first, making the whole process far easier.

Wi-Fi Direct is a system to allow your TV to connect directly to other device without requiring a wireless router as a go-between.

Wi-Fi Direct is helpful on a TV because it allows a TV to connect to another device (such as a computer or phone) directly, meaning there is far less setup required - the devices just need to be 'paired' (normally at a press of a button) and the y can transfer data between each other. This is extremely useful for streaming media onto your TV from a computer or phone.

Picture-in-Picture is a special mode for a TV that allows two programs to be shown at the same time, one in a smaller screen overlaid on top of the first.

Picture-in-Picture on a TV is very helpful for browsing the net or taking Skype calls while still watching a movie or TV programme on the main screen.

Voice Control on a TV is a system that allows users to control various functions of their TV (volume, channels, etc) purely with voice commands, rather than having to use the remote.

Voice controls mean that you can control the TV from your couch without having to find a remote or move to manually change the channel or adjust the settings, leading to a more streamlined experience.

Whether the TV has a desktop stand included with the purchase.

A desktop stand allows you to mount the TV on a desk or table for easy viewing. Without one, you'll have to either mount the TV on a wall or buy a stand at additional expense.

OLED TVs use organic material that creates light when electricity is passed through it. This means that they do not require a back light, unlike standard LED TVs.

OLED TVs have much higher contrast than LED TVs as they have no back light. They also have a fast response rate, rich colours and a wide viewing angle.