Roku-based Hisense TVs use the companion app to turn your mobile device into a voice-enabled remote for easier browsing, searching, and hands-free control over your new TV and connected devices. They also feature a simplified remote and home menu for easier access to your favorite apps and playback devices. So whether you’re buying your first smart TV or want to upgrade your home theater with a reliable model, Hisense is a brand to consider. We’ve rounded up our top picks below and broke down their features to help you decide which is right for you. The voice-enabled remote has Google Assistant built in and is compatible with Alexa for hands-free controls over your television; it also is capable of far-field voice controls so you don’t have to actually hold the remote to use voice commands. You can also use the built-in Chromecast to mirror your Android smartphone or tablet screen for more ways to watch videos and share photos. The dual, 10 watt speakers utilize Dolby Atmos audio technology to give you virtual surround sound, and with Bluetooth connectivity, you can wirelessly connect soundbars and subwoofers for a custom home theater setup. The 55R8F is built on the Roku platform, giving you access to thousands of streaming apps, shows, movies, and songs to enjoy with family and friends. The streamlined home menu makes it easy to access apps, over-air antennas, game consoles, and cable or satellite boxes without memorizing HDMI inputs or complicated menus. The Roku app can transform your iOS or Android device into a voice-enabled remote, and the TV works with either Alexa or Google Assistant to give you hands free controls over your TV. Hisense has partnered with Philo to give you two free months of the service with the purchase of this TV; you’ll get live sports and entertainment from networks like MTV and Food Network. The 4K UHD panel uses Hisense’s ULED technology and Hi-View chipset to upscale non-UHD content. It has HDR and HDR10 support for great detailing and color volume. With 90 local dimming zones, you’ll get deep, inky blacks for enhanced contrast. The dual 15 watt speakers use Dolby Atmos technology to produce room-filling virtual surround sound for a more immersive listening experience. With built-in Chromecast support, you can use your smartphone or tablet to stream videos directly to your TV. The TV features Bluetooth connectivity, making it easy to set up wireless sound bars and other external audio equipment for the ultimate home theater configuration. The TV unit itself uses laser projector technology to produce a great picture with a super short throw distance of just eight inches. This means that you don’t have to have a gigantic room to set up this TV or worry about people ruining the movie or watch party by walking in front of the projector. It features a built-in Harman Kardon audio system and includes a wireless subwoofer so you can get the best surround sound listening experience whether you’re watching cartoons, sports, or blockbuster movies. It also features smart functionality so you can download your favorite streaming apps right to the unit. It comes with an Alexa-enabled remote so you get hands-free voice controls without the need for extra devices.
What to Look For in a Hisense TV Buying Guide
Hisense may not be a household name yet, but they’ve begun to prove themselves as a reliable, alternative brand to larger manufacturers like LG, Sony, and Samsung. They offer several lines of televisions that feature different streaming platforms and operating systems as well as a variety of screen sizes and price points. If you’re not looking to spend a ton of money when shopping for a new smart TV, Hisense has several budget-friendly options. They also have higher-end models for those who want to invest a bit more to future-proof their home theaters. Hisense offers both 1080p full HD and 4K screen resolution in their models, allowing you to choose the picture quality that best suits your watch habits. Do you mostly stream high quality video? A 4K model is best. Prefer to get your entertainment from broadcast channels? A TV with 1080p full HD is the better choice. They also pack in smart features like voice controls, HDR video support, and Dolby Audio so you can integrate your new television into your smart home network and get the best cinematic experience available with their models. They’ve even taken a leap into the future of home entertainment with their newest line of laser projection televisons. We’ll take a look at a few important deciding factors when considering a Hisense television, including: Roku and AndroidTV operating systems, how to calculate the right screen size for your space, screen resolution, and the technology behind the laser TV. We’ll make them easy to understand so you can choose which TV is right for you.
Roku vs AndroidTV
What is a Laser TV?
Laser TVs are the newest iteration of projection televisions, using an optical laser rather than a mirror and lamp configuration to produce images. Laser televisions use a digital light processing (DLP) chipset in either single or triple-chipset configurations. These chips use thousands of microscopic mirrors arranged in a rectangular array, and each mirror represents a pixel on the screen; these mirrors reflect white and color light from the laser lamp to create images, and turn on and off rapidly to create grayscale pictures. Triple-chipset configurations use a prism to split the white light emitted by the laser and each primary color is sent to its own micromirror chip. This eliminates the rainbow effect, This configuration is found in high-end home laser TVs, projectors, and commercial cinema projectors, and is capable of a higher number of colors for more lifelike images. Hisense’s 100 and 120-inch smart laser TV system is the absolute best model available right now, with an integrated Harman Kardon sound system, 4K resolution, and ultra-short 8-inch throw distance. Laser TVs can offer many of the same smart features as their LED counter parts; some units have integrated voice controls and compatibility with virtual assistants like Alexa and Google Assistant, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, and preloaded streaming apps. They also can produce great 1080p full HD or 4K resolution for excellent picture quality. Unfortunately, like all new technology, all of these great features come at a high cost; some models sell for close to $10,000, putting them well out of reach of most customers.
Screen Size and Resolution
Before adding a new TV to your online shopping cart or buying one in-store, you have to determine what screen size best fits your space.To do this, pick a spot for a dedicated stand or wall mount and measure the distance to where you are most likely to sit; then divide that measurement in half to get the ideal screen size. For example, if your couch is 10 feet from your TV (120 inches), the ideal TV size is 60 inches. You can go a bit larger or smaller depending on what’s available online and in stores, but having a TV that is too large or too small can cause problems. A screen that is too large takes up an unnecessary amount of space and may not even fit your room at all, and it can cause motion sickness. A screen that is too small makes it difficult to make out details and forces everyone to crowd around the television, making a watch party with friends and family almost impossible. Now that you have the screen size down, it’s time to look at screen resolution. Televisions that provide 4K UHD resolution have become more popular and mainstream in home entertainment. They give you four times the pixels of 1080p full HD, meaning you can get a wider color range and more detailing. Many streaming services offer UHD content so you can take full advantage of your TV’s picture technology. You can still find TV models that use 1080p full HD, and these make excellent secondary TVs in bedrooms, kitchens, or children’s playrooms; especially if you mostly watch broadcast programming and older DVDs.
HDR and Audio
If you’ve been looking to buy a new TV for a while, you may have noticed that many new models offer something called HDR support. HDR stands for High Dynamic Range, and it is a technology that analyzes shows and movies scene by scene for optimal color, contrast, and picture quality. A lot of newer Hisense TVs use Dolby Vision for their HDR support. This is the most common version of HDR, and it is available in many different brands and models. If you’re looking for superior audio quality, many new Hisense TVs also use Dolby Atmos to produce virtual surround sound audio for a more immersive experience. Many TVs also feature Bluetooth connectivity to set up wireless speakers, soundbars, and subwoofers for a custom home theater configuration. With Bluetooth, you can also connect wireless headsets for private listening so you won’t disturb others in your home or dorm while you watch your favorite shows and movies, listen to music, or play video games.
