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How to understand the latest TV terminology

BROADBAND

A high-speed internet connection. There are three main types:

Asymmetric Digital

Subscriber Line (ADSL) broadband, which is provided through existing BT phone lines; cable broadband, which is connected through new fibre-optic cables, and 4G broadband, which is transmitted over mobile phone networks and requires no cabling.

CATCH-UP

You no longer need to remember to press ‘record’. Most of the main channels now have a catch-up service, where you can either stream or download most shows that have aired within a certain time frame. BBC’s iPlayer is the best-known catch-up service.

HD

High definition. Nearly all new TVs are now 4K TVs (see below) or HD TVs. Most HD TVs have a screen resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels, about four times an old-fashioned TV. An HD or 4K TV is recommended if you want to get the best from add-on smart TV boxes. When HD TVs receive sub-HD pictures, they use processing to convert them to HD.

4K/ULTRA HD

These televisions produce an even sharper, richer picture than HD. This is because they have four times the number of pixels – those little dots of light that make up the picture – of ‘normal’ HD sets. 4K is only worth having on a big screen, more than 40in or so. Anything smaller and you won’t notice the difference.

HD-READY TV

This means your TV is capable of showing high-definition channels. However, the set does not have a high- definition tuner built-in. To watch the programmes in HD you will need a set-top box – from Sky, Virgin or any of the various other suppliers – that’s capable of broadcasting HD.

HDMI CABLE

A wire you use to connect any high-definition device to your TV, such as a DVD player, set-top box or games console. HDMI stands for highdefinition multimedia interface.

HDMI PORT

This is a socket at the back of your TV set into which an HDMI cable or device plugs. All TVs made since 2012 have them and you need them to plug in a settop box or ‘TV stick’ (see later in glossary).

HDR

High Dynamic Range. While 4K gives you more pixels, HDR gives you better pixels. It works by expanding the range of light in a film or TV programme, to show brighter whites and deeper, darker blacks for a much more punchy and lifelike picture.

LCD SCREEN

TVs with liquid crystal displays overtook oldfashioned cathoderay tube televisions in popularity a decade ago. They use lamps to shine light through liquid crystal cells in the TV’s screen to create a better picture.

LED SCREEN

Light-emitting diode TVs are the same as LCD sets, but the backlight lamps are replaced by tiny light-emitting diodes – devices that emit light when a current passes through them. LED TVs are slimmer and more energy efficient than LCD ones.

NATIVE 4K Native means the programme was originally recorded in 4K, using 4K cameras, rather than it being an HD programme that’s been ‘upscaled’ – digitally boosted – to 4K. Native 4K on a 4K TV will give you the sharpest pictures.

OLED SCREEN

Organic light-emitting diode TVs don’t need a backlight and so can be thinner than LED TVs but can display even deeper, darker colours. Also, the picture won’t deteriorate if you’re sitting to the side of the screen – which wasn’t the case with early versions of LCD TVs. OLED TVs tend to be very pricey, though. However, LCD screens can go much brighter than OLED TVs – worth considering if you find your current favourite drama too dark.

PVR A personal video recorder (below). A digital box that allows you to set recordings of live TV programmes to watch later. Many let you pause live TV. Increasingly obsolete, as some smart TVs have in-built PVRs.

QLED SCREEN The full expression QLED is derived from is ‘quantum dot lightemitting diode’. These advanced screens have arrays of tiny, different-sized dots – instead of pixels – capable of producing a wider range of colour. Predictably, though, such models will cost you more than LCD.

SET-TOP BOX These used to be crucial if you wanted to watch digital channels. Now, with smart TVs, you can watch an awful lot of channels, and SVOD services (see later in glossary), without the need for a box. However, many major content suppliers, such as Virgin and Sky, still require a box.

SMART TV Sadly, this isn’t a television that’s smart enough to make you a cup of tea. It just means one that’s connected to the internet.

SOUNDBAR

An extra speaker that can dramatically improve a TV’s sound (see page 11). It is normally the width of – and sits underneath – the TV set, and is usually connected to it by an HDMI cable.

STREAMING

Watching programmes or films, or listening to music, directly from the internet, without downloading – saving the whole thing – beforehand. The downside: it sometimes stutters halfway through if your broadband is patchy.

SVOD

Subscription video on demand: Netflix, Amazon and Now TV are the main suppliers (see VOD, below).

TV STICK

These used to be called dongles. A simpler (and cheaper) version of a set-top box. Plug them into your TV and they’ll connect to the internet and offer you on-demand video, extra channels and catch-up channels.

VOD

Video on demand. Any TV show or film that is not watched live from a traditional TV channel – but is either downloaded or streamed from either a catch-up service, such as iPlayer, or from a subscription service such as Netflix. At the moment about one hour of our daily average of four hours’ viewing is VOD, but that is expected to grow over the next few years.

WI-FI The system of radio waves that allow computers, smartphones or other devices to connect to the internet or communicate with one another within a particular area without the need for connecting wires. It is also often referred to as wireless.