When selecting a budget 4K-TV users often wonder about technical details that manufacturers don't always bring to the fore. - Xiaomi Mi model TV 4S It's a huge hit because of aggressive pricing and support for basic dynamic range standards, but to know if a device is worth your money, you need to go deeper than the specs and find out what technology is used in the display.
The main intrigue for most buyers is what matrix is installed in a particular diagonal of this series. The type of panel directly depends on the viewing angles, depth of black and response speed in games. In this article, we will discuss in detail the design features of the screen so that you can make an informed choice before buying or properly configure an existing device.
Xiaomi, like many other major brands, can use components from different suppliers depending on the production batch, but repair statistics and laboratory tests are highly likely to determine the dominant technologies used in this line of TVs.
Type of matrix used: IPS or VA
The answer to the question of what matrix is in Xiaomi Mi TV 4S, It's not unambiguous without diagonal binding. Engineers are taking a differentiated approach, for diagonal models. 43 Inch panels are most often used IPS (or variations of them like ADS/PLS). This provides excellent viewing angles, which is critical for small rooms where the TV can be viewed from different angles.
That's a game-changer when it comes to 50-inch and up versions, and that's where the manufacturer moves to the panel type. VA (Vertical Alignment: This choice is based on the physics of the process: vertically aligned crystals allow for much deeper black and high contrast, which is required for large screens.
- 📺 IPS/ADS: Excellent color reproduction and wide viewing angles, wearing contrast and possible lights at the edges.
- 🌑 VA: Deep black and high static contrast, but narrow viewing angles and possible color change when viewed from the side.
- ⚡ Response: IPS-The panels in this series usually have slightly better native response, which is important for dynamic scenes.
⚠️ Warning: There is no single standard for all diagonals. If you buy a 43-inch version, you have a 90% chance of getting the same. IPS-It is a similar matrix, and in a 55-inch one will stand VA.
It's important to understand the difference in how you perceive a picture. If you plan to watch TV in a large living room with guests sitting on either side, you can see that you're not watching a picture. IPS-The matrix in the younger models would be preferable, for a home theater in a darkened room, where the viewer is strictly in the center, VA-The panel in older models will give a more cinematic picture.
Lighting technology and screen uniformity
Regardless of the type of matrix, all Mi TV 4S series TVs use Direct LED backlighting, which means that LEDs are evenly positioned across the entire back panel area, not just on the ends (as in Edge LED), a solution that allows the device to be thinned and provide a more uniform distribution of light.
Despite the use of Direct LED, this budget series does not have local dimming, which is an important nuance that you should know about: LEDs burn with the same brightness throughout the field, and the control of the brightness of individual sections of the picture is exclusively programmatic, due to the operation of the matrix.
Users often experience cloud-based or uneven lighting around the corners, a common feature of Direct LED budget panels where the diffusing layer may not be of sufficient quality.
- 💡 Overall, better than Edge. LED, Hotspots are brighter spots in the center.
- 🎚️ Control: Lack of area management limits potential HDR.
- 🔧 Settings: In the menu you can turn off dynamic lighting to reduce the effect of flickering.
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To check the uniformity of the backlight, run a completely black image on the TV (youtube can find) and turn off the lights in the room, which will help to detect the lights immediately after purchase.
If you find that the backlight is uneven immediately after unpacking, don't panic. Often, this effect is only noticeable against a black background and disappears when you watch regular video content. However, if the spots catch your eye even when watching TV, this may be a reason for returning the goods within the warranty period.
HDR support and color coverage
One of the key features advertised by the manufacturer is support for HDR10 and HLG standards. The presence of these technologies in the Xiaomi Mi TV 4S formally allows the TV to decode content with extended dynamic range.
The peak brightness of the screen in this series rarely exceeds 300-350 For a full-fledged HDR10 brightness recommended 1000 So the high dynamic range effect is more likely to be simulated by software algorithms. HDR-signal and tries to expand dynamic range, but no miracles occur.
However, the color gamut of the panels in the Mi TV 4S covers about 90% of the DCI-P3 standard (depending on the batch), a decent indicator for the budget segment, allowing you to display rich and natural colors, especially in content from Netflix or Disney+.
| Parameter | Meaning/Description | Impact on the picture |
|---|---|---|
| HDR standard | HDR10, HLG | Expands the brightness range in compatible content |
| Peak brightness | ~300-350 nits | Not enough for bright HDR, but enough for SDR |
| Color coverage | ~90% DCI-P3 | Saturated, close to natural colors |
| Depth of color | 8 bits + FRC | Smooth gradients, minimal posterization |
⚠️ Attention: Marking"4K HDR" The box does not guarantee that you will see the difference between HDR and SDR content due to panel brightness limitations.
To improve perception HDR-It is recommended to select the "Cinema" or "Normal" mode in the image settings and activate the option HDR Effect, if it's available in your firmware version, that will maximize the color rendering capabilities of the screen.
Update frequency and gaming capabilities
An important parameter for gamers and sports fans is the refresh rate of the screen. In the vast majority of models Xiaomi Mi TV 4S installed matrix with a native frequency of 60 Hz. This is a standard indicator for TVs in this price segment.
Some users mistakenly believe that supporting 4K video decoding at 60 frames per second means having a 120Hz screen. It's not. The TV receives a 60 FPS signal and displays it on a 60 Hz panel without interpolating additional frames, which, however, provides a clear picture without artifacts.
For owners of next-generation gaming consoles like the PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X, this means a limitation. You can play 4K, but only at 60 frames per second. 120 FPS modes and VRR (Variable Refresh Rate) technologies are not supported in this model.
- 🎮 Input Lag: Delay in game mode is about 15-20 This is a good result for casual games.
- 🏃 Sports: 60Hz frequency is sufficient for football and hockey, lubrication artifacts are minimal.
- 📉 MEMC: Motion smoothing technology can artificially increase frequency, but often introduces delays.
What is MEMC and should it be included?
If you plan to use the TV mainly for first-person shooters or competitive games where every millisecond matters, it is worth considering models with a higher refresh rate. However, for story projects and console gaming in general, the capabilities of the Mi TV 4S are quite enough.
Problems with broken pixels and lights
As with any mass-produced electronics, Xiaomi TVs are likely to have a matrix failure, the most common problem being the presence of broken pixels. According to ISO 13406-2, multiple defective dots are not considered a defect unless they exceed a certain limit.
The second common problem is backlight bleeding, which can be a black background with light spots on the edges of the screen, a design feature of budget panels with Direct LEDs, and often it is not warranty repairable unless it interferes with normal viewing.
To check the screen upon purchase, use special test images.
☑️ Checking the screen when buying
If you find a defect in the store, you better discard this instance right away. If the TV is already delivered home and you find one or two broken pixels, use software methods of "treatment", although they do not always help.
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Having 1-3 bit pixels is not a warranty case according to international standards, but depends on the policy of the particular store.
Setup of the image for different types of matrices
After buying a Xiaomi Mi TV 4S, it is recommended to conduct a basic calibration, as factory settings are often over-enhanced. For IPS and VA matrix recommendations may be slightly different.
First of all, go to the image settings menu. Usually the path looks like Settings → Image → Image Mode. Select Mode Mode Mode Mode Mode Mode Mode Mode Mode Mode Mode Mode Mode Mode Mode Mode Mode or User Mode. In this mode, the color temperature is closest to the 6500K standard, which provides a natural picture.
To improve the quality of the picture, perform the following actions:
- Reduce the "Noise Reduction" parameter to a minimum to avoid washing out the details.
- Turn off Dynamic Contrast if you want to keep the author’s idea of the director.
- For IPS-matrixes, you can add a little brightness of the backlight, since their native-contrast is lower.
Recommended values for the "Cinema" regime:
Brightness: 50-60
Contrast: 90-95
Saturation: 50
Sharpness: 0-10Remember that settings can be reset when you update your firmware or switch the signal source (for example, from HDMI to built-in Android TV), in which case you will have to reset the settings for each input separately.