The IT Nerd

It’s the time of year to make that list and check it twice.

Of course checking it is the easy part. The real challenge is making the list in the first place. Even if you know what you want to get people, there is always the risk they won’t like it, it’s the wrong size or not the right kind of item. That is particularly true if you have a video gamer in your life, and you would like to get them the right set up so they can fully enjoy their hobby.

“While it is the thought that counts, you are best to do a bit of research to make sure you are getting the right item,” says Travis Thompson, a product training expert with Hisense Canada. “Not just any TV will do for today’s video game consoles. You need a high resolution, stark contrasts and a quick-moving screen to keep up with action without any lag time.”

When shopping for a TV for the gamer on your list, Travis recommends looking for the following:

• Resolution — 4K is pretty much a given on any new TV nowadays, but all of the modern game consoles are now in 4K resolution. To get the most out of the gaming system, it is best to have a TV that matches what the console supports.
• HDR — The short form of high-dynamic range, it means the TV has a massive range of colours, which appear brighter and in greater contrast. It is great for dark scenes in games.
• Low Input Lag — Video games move fast, and if your refresh or motion rate is low the images on the screen will blur. Look for a refresh rate of 120Hz for crisp, clear action the screen at all times.
• MEMC — A chip (Motion Estimation / Motion Compensation) that is used to interpolate extra images on your TV, which is a fancy way of saying it works with the refresh or motion rate to smooth out the picture.
• Local Dimming — By automatically dimming the backlight on black parts of the image on the screen, local dimming gives deeper and darker blacks and better contrast and colour accuracy.

“Some TVs are ideally for watching movies, others for sports and some for video games,” says Travis. “The Hisense H8 family of 4K ULED TVs is perfectly suited for that escape into the alternate reality of video games.”

For more information, please visit hisense-canada.com

While technically an American phenomena, Black Friday — and the requisite shopping deals that come with it — has invariably filtered north.

It may not coincide with a Canadian holiday, but retailers in this country have jumped into the habit of slashing prices and offering deep discounts on the last Friday of November, giving Canadian shoppers the chance to start checking items off their Christmas list without breaking the bank and having to deal with the hassles of border crossings. But whether shopping in Canada or the United States, it is recommended consumers do a little research lest they get lured into a deal that is too good to be true, and turns out to be exactly like that.

“Home electronics are one of the more sought after products on Black Friday, but not all are created the same,” says Meaghan Wilkinson, Director of Marketing for Hisense Canada. “Most consumers are doing their research before they commit to buying a TV or other device, but even in that process you have to be cautious as not everything on the Internet is true.”

To help you out when looking at that next big screen TV on Black Friday — whether to wrap and give as a gift or for your own personal use — Meaghan wants to break the following myths:

• MYTH: You shouldn’t connect your smart TV to the Internet.

FACTS: For optimal use of a Smart TV, connection to the Internet is critical.  Not only to access all your favourite movies, apps and TV shows , but you will miss bug fixes and software updates that are sent to your TV only when there is an active Internet connection. This isn’t unique to TVs. Your cellphone, video game system, computer, tablet and pretty much any other “connected” device will get updates from time to time. The idea that manufacturers are using these updates to sabotage their own products is pure hogwash.

• MYTH: Any TV will do for any use.

FACTS: Everybody has different TV habits. Some are movie buffs, while others love their weekly sitcoms. Sports fans are tuning in to see their favourite teams and video gamers are potentially spending hours in front of their set. The reality in today’s TV marketplace is there is a TV with features that are best suited to each. Movie and sitcom fans would do well with a Smart TV that gives them quick and easy access to their favourite streaming services. Movie fans should look for nothing less than 4K ULED or Quantum Dot technology for resolution better than they would get in a theatre. A TV that will communicate with your home theatre system is also a plus for optimum sound. High resolution does the sports fan good as well. They should also look for a TV with higher hertz (Hz) — the higher the number, the less drag there is in the action. For video games, go for high hertz and low latency.

• MYTH: Major manufacturers support all their products being sold on retailers websites.

FACTS: Most online retailers have marketplace “partners” that piggyback on the retailer’s online portal to sell from their own stock. Be wary when shopping here. You may be buying an older model, a foreign model or something that is refurbished. And in each of those cases, it is unlikely the manufacturer’s warranty is still valid. This is certainly a case where a deal that looks too good to be true just may be.

For more information, please visit hisense-canada.com.

With colours as vibrant as you would see in nature, the darkest blacks and brightest whites, Quantum Dot technology is providing an unparalleled TV viewing experience.

Quantum Dots are semiconductor nanocrystals that produce pure red, green and blue lights, supporting a TV display that is brighter, with sharper contrasts and more than a billion colours. Whether watching a movie, sports or your favourite sitcom or playing video games, doing so on a Quantum Dot TV will take you to new levels.

A Quantum Dot display is as much as 100 times brighter than a classic cathode ray tube or even liquid crystals. Quantum Dot LEDs have reached in excess of 9,000 candelas per square metre; by way of comparison, an LCD computer monitor is about 500 candelas per square metre.

The result is a bright, crisp picture that can keep up with the action on the screen.

Hisense currently offers Quantum Dot technology in two of its TV families

• Q8 Series — The Q8 — available in 55-inch and 65-inch screens — is a 4K ULED set equipped with Android TV. Local dimming makes it easy to watch from almost any angle, and the colour, contrast and brightness is supported by Dolby Vision High Dynamic Range. It also has Motion Rate technology to minimize lag during fast-moving sequences — perfect for taking in a high-speed chase or action on the ice. The result is a brilliant picture with oceans that sparkle bluer, fiery reds burning hotter and grass that is always greener. The Android TV has Google Assistant built in, allowing seamless networking with your Google Home and voice-activated commands, It also means access to more than 500,000 movies and TV shows through streaming services like Netflix, Google Play, YouTube and Amazon Prime. The Q8 is now available at Costco.ca, Best Buy.ca, Amazon.ca and other retailers across Canada.
• Q9 Series — The superior picture quality and speed of the Q9 makes it an ideal TV for gamers. Similar to the Q8, it boasts more than a billion colours to maximize colour accuracy. It has 132 local dimming zones , Motion Rate technology and 1,000 nits peak brightness, so the picture looks great in a light or dark room. Connect to Google Home or Alexa and stream content in excess of a half-million shows and movies — using voice-activated controls. The Q9 is available at Visions Electronics and in Quebec at Brault & Martineau.

For more information, please visit hisense-canada.com.

One of the world’s leading innovators and manufacturers of televisions is making an aggressive push into the Canadian market.

Globally, Hisense is celebrating 50 years in business, and it has been quite the half century for the Chinese company. It is the top selling TV brand in its home country, and in the Top 5 worldwide. But Hisense has only been in Canada for seven years, and is now making headway in an aggressive retail space, adding 2some of its television lines to Best Buy and Amazon.ca in recent weeks, and into Walmart Canada by mid-month.

Hisense is a global leader in innovation, and has been part of the consortium developing Quantum Dot technology for TV. This latest innovation offers a spectrum of more than a billion colours with sharp contrasts and a screen that can be up to 100 times brighter than a typical TV.

At Best Buy, Amazon and Walmart look for:

• H8 Series — Boasting Hisense’s proprietary ULED technology and Hi-View chipset, the H8 TVs are redefining colour, contrast, brightness and smooth motion. The Wide Colour Gamut offers more than a billion colours with up to 60 local dimming zones to amplify the colour accuracy and contrast range. Motion Rate technology minimizes blurring during fast-moving sequences and it has up to 700 nits peak brightness, ensuring it looks great even in a bright room. It is powered by Android TV with Google Assistant, meaning you can connect it to your smart home through Alexa or Google Home and stream more than a half-million movies and TV shows.
• Q Series — The Q series — available in 55-inch and 65-inch screens — are 4K ULED Quantum Dot sets equipped with Android TV. Local dimming makes it easy to watch from almost any angle, and the colour, contrast and brightness is supported by Dolby Vision High Dynamic Range. It also has Motion Rate technology to minimize lag during fast-moving sequences — perfect for taking in a high-speed chase or action on the ice. The result is a brilliant picture with oceans that sparkle bluer, fiery reds burning hotter and grass that is always greener. The Android TV has Google Assistant built in, allowing seamless networking with your Google Home and voice-activated commands, It also means access to more than 500,000 movies and TV shows through streaming services like Netflix, Google Play, YouTube and Amazon Prime.

For more information, please visit hisense-canada.com.