How to Reduce Glare on Your TV

Even with all their bells and whistles, most modern televisions are prone to at least some type of glare. Whether it’s caused by sunlight streaming through a window, or various light fixtures in the room, there are certain times...

How to Reduce Glare on Your TV

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Even with all their bells and whistles, most modern televisions are prone to at least some type of glare. Whether it’s caused by sunlight streaming through a window, or various light fixtures in the room, there are certain times of day when the color of at least part of the screen appears distorted.

Depending on the TV and the way a room is set up, it may not be possible to completely eliminate the glare on the screen, but there are ways to reduce it. Here are a few you might want to try.

How to reduce glare on your TV

While there are dedicated products available that claim to reduce or eliminate the glare on your TV screen, we’re going to stick to methods that don’t require an additional purchase, like these:

Position the TV based on windows

Sometimes the layout of a room dictates the placement of the TV. But if you have options, avoid putting the television in front of or opposite windows—especially those facing west.

Adjust the settings on your TV

The default brightness, contrast, and color intensity settings on a TV are typically based on the assumption that you’re indoors, in a room without a glare problem. That’s why most instructions for setting up outdoor TVs recommended adjusting the settings listed above to get the best picture. You can try the same tactic to help reduce glare on your TV indoors.

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Put a lamp behind the TV

Placing a lamp behind your TV increases the ambient light in a room, which, in turn, decreases the light being reflected off your screen. Just be sure that the light emitted from the lamp is as color-neutral as possible—otherwise, it will make that color less visible on your TV. For example, lights with a blueish tint may make the blues on your screen appear less vibrant.

Tilt the TV

Some mounted TVs are set up so that they’re adjustable, allowing you to point them in different directions. These models can usually be tilted as well, giving you the ability to move the screen slightly towards the ceiling or floor, which could be enough to eliminate glare on the screen.