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Playing LoL on the TV - Does That Make Sense?
You've been playing League of Legends on your boring old monitor, but now you're wondering, whether you can go bigger so you think to yourself, "is it even possible to play on a TV?" Well, the short and simple answer is 'Yes'. In theory it works...
But there are a few technical differences between a monitor and a television, which you should know about. That's why we're going to let you know what to look for in your first-ever (or next) gaming television, just in case you want to play League of Legends on the biggest possible screen.
Size Matters
The biggest difference between a monitor and a television is oft the size. Monitors are made to sit atop your desk. This means you're pretty close to the screen, while the television is usually either hung up on your living room wall or on a little table a good distance away from where you're sitting.
That's why TV's often start with a diagonal 55-inches. Monitors can start at 24-inches, though most of the ones gamers use are at least 27-inches.
It isn't a problem to play on a 55-inch television, or even bigger models, but you'll have to sit far enough away to be able to take in everything you see on the screen. Otherwise, you might miss something on the mini map because you are only focusing on a small portion of the screen and we all know how important the mini map is, right?
So, if you're sitting by your desk with a giant television right in front of your nose, then this whole endeavor of playing League of Legends on the television will be for nothing. Just stick to your regular gaming monitor and enjoy a good ARAM instead. So, make sure to have enough distance between yourself and the television to take in the whole map.
TV Panels Are Often Not Designed For Gaming
Since TVs are usually not designed for gaming, neither are their panels. Many TVs are equipped with an IPS panel. This is not ideal for LoL because the response times are a bit higher than with a TN panel, for example, but it is still tolerable. The biggest drawback here is that you hardly have a selection.
Many newer TVs have an OLED panel. These panels in turn have an extremely fast response time and currently the best contrasts on the market. The disadvantage of OLED panels, especially for gaming, is that they have a tendency to "burn in". This means that static objects can be permanently visible on the screen under certain circumstances.
Especially in video games, the HUD elements, which are static in League of Legends, can burn into the TV after many long gaming sessions. However, this problem has already been reduced in newer OLED models.
Another big drawback here is the price. OLED TVs are much more expensive than those with IPS panels, for example. The first QD OLED monitors and TVs will also be launched soon. These are quasi OLED monitors that are better suited for gaming. They don't burn in as quickly and display HDR content particularly well. If you're interested, then LG has just recently released brand new OLED TVs.
These devices will also be more expensive than IPS models. Read more about displays and the perfect monitor for League of Legends here:
Pay Attention To The Refresh And Reaction Time
Normal TVs often offer fewer hertz and a slower response time than gaming monitors. This is because you rarely need more than 60 hertz for movies, series and console gaming. Even though the new console generation supports up to 120 hertz, not every gamer uses that.
The response time is also completely irrelevant for normal TV programs, Netflix, Disney Plus or Amazon Prime. That's why TV manufacturers often use technologies that improve the picture quality but have a longer response time. However, you want the exact opposite in League of Legends: You need fast reactions while the graphics are a secondary concern. League of Legends isn't the highest quality visually, and we all know that.
That's why many TVs have a so-called gaming mode. This turns off the picture enhancement techniques and gives you the best possible response time. So if you want to play LoL on your TV, you should definitely make sure that this is activated.
In addition, the TV should have 120 hertz. This is the only way you can play LoL with 120 frames per second. This not only looks a lot smoother, but also gives you an advantage in the game.
Chroma Subsampling And Synchronization Are Also Important
Older TVs often have a technique called chroma subsampling. This is designed to reduce data by omitting color information. You won't see any difference in movies and series, but in games this leads to blurry writing and color fringes.
You can tell if your TV uses this technique by labels like "4:2:2" or "4:2:0". These two labels mean that the TV compresses the picture. For games, you want an uncompressed format called "4:4:4".
Additionally, it would be an advantage if the TV has a synchronization technology like G-Sync or FreeSync, but that is not a must-have. These features ensure that the picture flickers less and there is no tearing.
G-Sync works with compatible graphics cards from Nvidia, while FreeSync is compatible with cards from AMD. However, these features are usually reserved for gaming TVs, so you won't find them on regular TVs.
Conclusion: Play League of Legends On TV
If you want to play League of Legends on your big TV, that's basically no problem. However, you should make sure that you have the right TV and enough distance so that you can see everything. If you're looking for the perfect television, just check right here!
Once you've found the perfect monitor — or television — then make sure that you've also got the best gaming headset, as well as the best gaming mouse. You want o be able to hear your friends ranting at the enemy Yasuo, right?