Sometimes, watching TV or movies at home can prove problematic because of the distracting glare of the TV screen – whether from sunlight or the lighting in your room. In this article, we will give you six helpful tips on how to reduce, if not eliminate, these reflections.
1 - Place the TV away from the window
Many different light sources can interfere with watching TV, but the brightest of them is sunlight coming through the windows. It is especially noticeable in the evenings when the sun is setting and shining low.
To avoid the glare, it is better to put the TV as far as possible from the window. While it may not be convenient to rearrange furniture every time the sun sets, do consider placing the TV so that it does not face the window.
Besides, it might be worth checking out tabletop TV stands such as ONKRON PT2 or PT3 that tilt, swivel, and, overall, provide a lot more stability than the standard TV base. Mobile TV stands such TS1551 or TS1351 are also a great solution to this problem as you can roll them wherever there is no direct sunlight and, therefore, no glare.
2 - Use a wall mount
Mounting the TV on the wall will save space, give the room a stylish look and help to cope with the problem of reflections. A tilting mount is perfect for rooms illuminated by the sun all day. It will let you tilt the screen up or down to avoid reflections and achieve the ideal viewing angle.
In especially bright spaces or outside on the patio, it is better to mount the TV on a full-motion wall bracket. Adjusting the screen's position makes it possible to get rid of the glare completely.
Glare is just one of the problems that a full-motion mount solves. Full-motion wall mounts make it possible to move the TV in any position, so you can always be sure that yours is the optimal viewing angle. Whether you are sitting on the couch or cooking dinner in the kitchen, you can choose an angle that best suits your needs.
Mounting a TV on a wall has many other advantages, too. For example, it saves valuable space in the room and eliminates the need to use special furniture for the TV. Also, the wall mounting of the TV is much safer as it allows you to avoid injuries in case an unstable large TV decides to suddenly tip over.
3 - Place the light source behind the TV
In addition to the sunlight from the window, watching TV is also influenced by the light sources in the room and their location. For best results, they should be placed so that they do not shine directly on the screen - possibly, next to or behind the TV.
4 – Use blackout curtains
While lamps and lights that cause glare on the TV screen can be easily turned off, we cannot turn off the sun. Therefore, in a room with a TV, it may be a good idea to hang drapes and close them when daylight is particularly bright.
Make sure you choose the right color for the curtains. Orange curtains, for example, fill the room with orange light when shined upon, which can affect image quality. So, ideally, the shades should either block the sunlight entirely or be of any neutral color.
5 - Adjust the brightness of the screen
Another way to improve the image quality in a bright room is to increase the brightness of the TV screen. The logic here is simple – to compensate for the light in the room, the TV itself needs to emit more light to make the image more visible.
You can notice the same effect when using your cellphone outdoors – the picture on the screen is much more vivid if you increase the brightness. Find the brightness settings in the TV menu and change them. Some smart TVs can adjust the brightness automatically.
6 - Choose the best screen technology
If you are in the process of choosing a TV, consider how indoor light will affect your viewing experience. Two things should be taken into account – screen type and the intensity of light it emits.
Ideally, the screen should be made of a material that does not reflect light. Plasma televisions, for example, often have a glass layer that reflects light, while LED/LCD televisions typically do not. LED/LCD televisions emit more light than plasma screens and are better suited for brightly lit rooms. Most such TVs also use special technology that reduces the amount of reflected light.
Important: Eye fatigue
Finally, although an abundance of light in a room can interfere with watching TV, you should not enjoy your favorite TV series in absolute darkness. If the TV is the only light source in the room and the person is looking directly at the screen, it can cause eye strain. A little ambient light is better than no light at all!