If you’re TV shopping this year, you’re not alone. With a huge wave of new models hitting stores in 2026, the choices can feel overwhelming. And most of us default to comparing screen size and resolution specs and calling it a day.
But according to Patrick Chen, Product Training Specialist at TCL Electronics Australia, those aren’t the only numbers that matter. Two simple, easy-to-miss checks can make a genuine difference to your day-to-day viewing experience. And the best part is, you can do both right there on the shop floor.
Check #1: Does Skin Actually Look Like Skin?
Ever notice how TVs in showrooms look almost too good? That’s because retailers often crank up the contrast and colour to make the picture pop and catch your eye. The trade-off is that all that extra vibrancy can throw off how natural things look. Especially people.
Chen says the fix is simple: look at the faces on screen.
“TVs in-store are normally tuned to be as eye-catching as possible to impress potential customers,” Chen explains. “Often bright hues such as reds, greens, and blues can make a person on-screen look unrealistically bright or artificial, so ensuring skin tones still look natural is key.”
His tip? Find a scene with both a striking backdrop and a person in it — think a vivid blue sky or a tiger’s bold orange stripes — and see if the skin tone still looks true to life.
“You should ideally be able to look at the bright blue sky or strong orange stripes of a tiger during a movie scene and still see someone’s skin tone remain as you would expect in real life, just as the director intended it to look,” he says. “As a product trainer, this is one of the first things I would look out for myself, and consumers who keep this small detail in mind can ensure they’re getting the best television possible.”
It’s also worth keeping an eye on how blacks hold up in darker scenes. If they start looking washed out or grey toward the edges of the screen rather than staying deep and even, that’s a sign the picture quality may not be as sharp as it first appears.
Check #2: Does It Still Look Good From the Side?
Here’s one most of us never think to test in-store: what happens when you’re not sitting dead-centre in front of the TV?
Realistically, few of us watch TV perfectly centred every single time. Maybe you’re curled up on one end of the couch, or catching the news from the kitchen island. That’s why Chen recommends stepping away from the middle of the display before you buy.
“Depending on the screen technology, watching the TV side-on can cause the picture quality to change or degrade,” Chen says. “The screen’s colour and tone should remain consistent regardless of where the viewer is positioned, be it in the middle of a couch or from a kitchen island off to the side.”
His advice: don’t just plant yourself in front of the screen and admire it. Walk five or so paces to either side and watch from an angle to see if the contrast or colour shifts.
“It’s much better to discover any issues in-store than after the TV’s been set up at home,” he adds.
The Takeaway
Size and resolution will always be part of the TV-buying equation, but they’re not the whole story. Next time you’re comparing models, take a minute to check whether skin tones look natural and whether the picture holds its own from an angle — two small tests that could save you from bringing home a TV that looks great in the showroom but disappoints on movie night.
