Gone are the days of DVDs and expensive sky subscriptions. ‘Yeah’ I hear you say! But, also gone are the days of small tinny televisions as well. We all agree that people should come here to be on holiday and not to watch TV. But, today we expect and demand the same quality from our holiday homes as we do from our own homes. So that includes a nice glossy, large and very Smart TV!

The benefit of staying in a holiday home is that you can relax after a day out and watch a movie or TV series if you fancy, catch up on the news whilst enjoying breakfast or have a bit of quiet time and keep the kids occupied in front of a cartoon (we’ve all been there!). TV’s are smarter than the average bear nowadays. Being connected to fast reliable wifi means we can view anything we choose by logging on to our own subscription of Netflix, Amazon, Prime, Disney+ you name it and watch what we want, when we want.  It’s not just movies either, I use my Smart TV to do my HIIT and yoga workouts on You Tube and as a family we connect the tv up to our IPAD so we can Zoom or House Party family and friends. Not to mention music! Whenever we go away we always play music through the tv so we have full access to any music we want.

I also have to tell you it’s true size does matter! I bought a 32 inch Smart tv a few months ago thinking it would be perfectly fine in a small room. How wrong could I be. I was shocked how small it seemed and the sound was tinny when turned up to a moderate level and now my eye sight is not quite what it was, I couldn’t see it anyway! So we decided no smaller than 40 inches. 43 inches was the perfect size we found. The size has a massive impact on quality of picture but also sound. Sound isn’t that great on tv’s anymore because  they are so thin so you might want to invest in a sound bar.

Cost is obviously an issue. We 100% understand as a second home owners ourselves you don’t always want to spend huge amounts of money. But, bear in mind holiday rentals that don’t have a decent Smart TV earn 25% less rental income a year and homes without a tv as much as 50% less income. We spent Euros 290 on an LG 43 inch Smart tv and 90 euros on a sound bar and it’s great for watching movies and listening to music. Sony and Samsung are obviously very good trusted brands but there are others around that do a perfectly good job for a holiday rental home.

Here are some good tips when buying a new Smart tv:

Don’t buy a TV with less than 4K resolution Avoid full HD or 1080p sets.

Avoid 8K tv’s for now. 8K TVs are super expensive, and 8K movies and shows aren’t available yet.

Expect to pay 200 to 300 euros for a decent performing  40 – 43 inch 4K TV from a brand like Toshiba and Samsung. 350 to 450 euros for a good 50 inch tv and if you’re after a monster 60 to 65 inch tv about 500 to 700 euros.

Look for 60 Hz or 120 Hz refresh rate: When it comes to refresh rates, 60 Hz is good, but 120 Hz is better. A higher refresh rate provides smoother motion for everything from movies and shows to live sports and gaming.

Look for HDR compatible set. This offers more realistic colours and better contrast.

OLED tv’s may look better but it’s early days and they are overpriced in comparison to most LCD sets. If you want to go the extra mile and you spend a good amount of time in your holiday home then QLED TVs from Samsung are affordable middle ground.

Look for at least four HDMI ports. And opt for the newer HDMI 2.1 format if you can.

If you think the sound needs boosting when playing music or watching a movie then invest in a sound bar. TV speakers are worse nowadays because the screens are thinner. You can pay about 90 euros for a good quality one.

Avoid extended warranties. Your credit card company may already provide purchase protection

If you need help choosing, ordering or installing a new Smart tv in your Stay YNA home then let us know and we can arrange it hassle free!

Published by Amanda Walker