New Delhi, Jan. 12 -- A new TV should look better than the old one. Yet day one is when many of us see the opposite. Blacks look grey. Faces look either sunburnt or icy. The motion feels strange, like a daytime serial. It is annoying because it makes you doubt the purchase. In most cases, the panel is fine. It is the default setup that is meant to stand out in a brightly lit store. The fix is not a deep dive into menus. It is a handful of settings that usually sort things out in minutes.

Start with Picture Mode. If you are on Standard, Dynamic, or Vivid, that is the problem half the time. Move to Filmmaker Mode if your TV has it. If not, movies or the cinema are the next best bet. The picture usually settles instantly, with calmer colour...