Before purchasing a PS5, it's crucial to understand the TV requirements to ensure you get the optimal experience from the next-gen console. Although the specifications for a compatible TV might seem straightforward, they are actually more nuanced than you might expect.
What are the TV requirements for PS5?
To ensure your TV works with a PS5, it should have at least a 720p resolution and an HDMI 2.0 or 2.1 port. The PS5 supports multiple resolutions: 720p, 1080i, 1080p, 4K, and 8K (pending a future update), but not 1440p.
Understanding 1080i and 1080p can be helpful. 1080i uses interlaced scanning, refreshing odd and even rows alternately at 30 fields per second. In contrast, 1080p uses progressive scanning, refreshing each row 60 times per second. The visual difference between 1080i and 1080p is minimal and won’t significantly impact PS5 content.
However, while your current TV may meet the requirements to be compatible with a PS5, it may not offer the exact gaming experience you're looking for...
What are the TV requirements for optimal use for PS5?
The PS5 boasts some impressive specs, with native 4K at 120fps, ray-tracing, ultra-fast loading times, and more, but what will you need from a TV to access this output?
If you want to be able to play games at maximum resolution and 120fps, at the very least you'll need a 4K TV with HDMI 2.1 capabilities.
HDMI 2.1 refers to the latest upgrade to the HDMI connection standard that allows for 4K at 120Hz output and 8K at 60Hz. To get the best out of your powerful display though, picking up one of the best HDMI 2.1 cables will also be quite useful so you can be sure of full support.
However, as mentioned before, while currently, 4K is the highest resolution available, the PS5 does support 8K, although, there is a debate as to whether it is worth investing in 8K just yet.
If you're looking to 'future-proof' your gaming experience and use 8K features as soon as they become available, it may be worth considering a standout 8K TV over a 4K option.
Which TV should I use for PS5?
This ultimately comes down to exactly what you're looking to get from your PS5, if you're a casual gamer and already have a 1080p TV compatible with the console, we'd say there isn't a need to upgrade. However, if you want to take your setup to the next level and experience the new-gen of gaming at the max, we'd definitely recommend checking out some of the best TVs for PS5.
Bear in mind, to access 120fps at 4K, an HDMI 2.1 slot is required as this can process 120Hz at a 4K resolution, whereas HDMI 2.0 cannot, if you're unsure check out our HDMI 2.1 monitors guide for help.
We also mentioned earlier that 1440p resolution on PS5 is not currently supported, therefore, if your TV/Monitor is 1440p, it will be automatically downgraded to display 1080p on PS5.
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