How to choose a TV in 2026: a complete buying guide

• Latvian TV channels are broadcast in SD and HD. A 4K screen has to fill in millions of pixels that are not in the signal, and a large screen makes compression artefacts easier to see: blocks in dark scenes, banding in skies. If you mostly watch TV channels, invest in the processor rather than record brightness.
• 4K and HDR streaming come only with the pricier plans. Netflix Standard shows 1080p, while 4K and HDR require the Premium plan. HBO Max works the same way: Standard is Full HD, Premium is 4K. Operator bundles more often include the basic plan; LMT, for example, advertises HD quality for its Netflix Basic bundle.
• Internet speed is rarely the problem in Latvia. According to Ookla, the median fixed broadband speed in March 2026 was about 147 Mbit/s, while a single 4K stream needs 15 to 25 Mbit/s. Weak Wi-Fi in the room is a more common culprit.
• An expensive TV earns its keep if you watch 4K streams on a Premium plan, 4K Blu-ray or play on a console. These are exactly the sources OLED and good Mini LED TVs are built for.

• Some Latvian shops still recommend 3 to 3.5 m for a 65 inch TV. By RTINGS geometry, a screen that size works for films from 2 m and for everyday viewing from about 2.7 m.
• 43 inches from 3 m fills only about 18 degrees, below the RTINGS minimum of 20. The detail you pay for with 4K simply gets lost.
• Can a TV be too big? It will not harm your eyes: the American Academy of Ophthalmology says there is no evidence of damage, only possible temporary eye strain. Above 40 degrees, though, fast sport and games become harder to follow. The experts at What Hi-Fi? find that people far more often make the opposite mistake and buy a screen that is too small.
• When is 4K actually visible? A 2025 study by the University of Cambridge and Meta (Nature Communications) found that the eye resolves more detail than previously thought. Even so, a small screen seen from far away will not show the benefits of 4K: the larger the screen, the more sense 4K makes.

• LED and QLED are LCDs with a conventional backlight. QLED adds a quantum-dot layer for richer colour but remains an LCD. Budget models have no local dimming, so black looks greyish and HDR makes little impression.
• Mini LED uses thousands of tiny LEDs grouped into zones. These screens are bright and suit bright rooms well, but a faint halo can appear around bright objects on dark backgrounds.
• RGB Mini LED (Micro RGB at Samsung and LG, True RGB at Sony) is the headline innovation of 2026: the backlight uses separate red, green and blue LEDs. It is the brightest and most colourful class of LCD, yet the halo is only smaller, not gone. Despite the name, "Micro RGB" is not MicroLED.
• OLED (LG WOLED and Samsung QD-OLED) delivers perfect black, the best viewing angles and the fastest response time. In HDTVTest's 2026 shootout, the Samsung S99H OLED took first place, a Sony RGB model second and the LG G6 third.

• Dark room, films in the evening: OLED. Black stays black, and there is no halo around subtitles.
• Bright living room with large windows: a bright Mini LED or RGB Mini LED. An OLED with a matte anti-glare finish, such as Samsung Glare Free, also handles reflections well.
• Matte or glossy screen. A matte screen diffuses window reflections better, but in daylight black looks greyish. A glossy screen shows reflections more sharply but keeps a deep black. In the dark there is no difference.
• Placement. If the TV faces a window directly, reflections are unavoidable. A slight turn of the screen, curtains during the day and lamps beside rather than behind the viewer all help.

• If you mostly watch Latvian channels, the processor and a moderate screen size matter more than record brightness.
• Processor names (α11, NQ4 AI, XR, AiPQ) cannot be compared across brands. Trust tests, not advertising.
• No processor can restore detail that is not in the signal. It can only hide defects.

• The safest choice in Latvia is LG, Samsung or Google TV. Go3, Tet+ and Balticom work on all three.
• For the new Tet+ app to work on Samsung, LG and VIDAA TVs, Latvia must be selected as the country in the settings.
• The main platforms do not support voice control in Latvian. Google Assistant and Samsung Bixby understand neither Latvian nor Russian, and LG voice recognition is not available in Latvian. For searching, the on-screen keyboard or your phone works better.
• If an older TV no longer receives app updates, an inexpensive streaming box will help. See TV boxes and media players.

• LG Magic Remote works like a mouse in the air: pointer, scroll wheel, voice button. Many people find it faster for typing and searching, though not everyone likes the pointer.
• Samsung SolarCell charges from room light or via USB-C, so there are no batteries to replace. It has few buttons.
• The Google TV remote is simple, with Netflix and YouTube buttons. Sony remotes often have backlit buttons and a sound to help you find them.
• Hold the remote before you buy. If the TV is on four hours a day, a comfortable remote matters more than an extra 10% of brightness.

• HDMI 2.1 and 4K at 120 Hz. The PS5 and Xbox Series X output 4K at 120 frames per second only through an HDMI 2.1 input. Consoles need 120 Hz; 144 and 165 Hz are useful for a PC.
• Not every port supports HDMI 2.1. The Sony Bravia 9 II, for example, has two such ports out of four. If you have a console and a soundbar, count the inputs in advance.
• VRR and ALLM. Variable refresh rate prevents screen tearing, and ALLM switches game mode on automatically.
• Input lag on good TVs in game mode measured 9 to 13 ms in 2026 tests, so it is no longer the main differentiator. What matters more is 120 Hz, VRR and response time, where OLED is the fastest.
• Budget models with a 60 Hz panel do not support 4K at 120 Hz, even if the box says "Motion Rate 100" or "120".

• On the wall. Check the VESA standard (the spacing of the mounting holes in millimetres) and the bracket's load rating. A matching VESA pattern does not guarantee the bracket will hold the weight. Samsung The Frame comes with a slim wall mount, as does the LG G series in some markets, so check what is in the box.
• Feet at the edges or a centre stand. Most new models have feet at the edges of the screen, so the cabinet must be at least as wide as the distance between them. For a narrow cabinet, look for a model with a centre stand or feet that can be moved closer to the middle. A swivel stand is another option.
• Height. The centre of the screen should be at seated eye level, usually about 1 m from the floor (95 to 110 cm). Mounting above a fireplace is hard on the neck.
• Safety. According to the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), a falling TV was involved in 70% of child deaths caused by furniture tip-overs. Anchor the TV or the cabinet to the wall, especially in a child's room.
• Soundbar and feet. With low feet, a tall soundbar can block the bottom of the screen or the remote sensor. Compare the heights in advance.

We do not run lab measurements ourselves, so we rely on independent labs. RTINGS buys TVs from ordinary shops, has tested more than 500 models and runs a long-term reliability test. HDTVTest holds blind comparisons against a studio reference monitor. Stiftung Warentest and Which? also test how TVs handle ordinary TV channels with SD and HD signals. Latvian data come from the official websites of LVRTC, Go3, Tet, LMT and Balticom. If anything changes, we will update this guide.

Torn between two models? Write or call us, and we will help you choose a TV for your room, viewing distance and the content you watch. Browse all TVs, as well as 55 inch, 65 inch and 75 inch and larger models.

Sources. All facts checked in October 2026.