Choosing the right TV can be a daunting task. With so many options and technical jargon, it’s difficult to know which set will truly meet your needs. That’s where Digital Trends’ TV reviews come in. Our aim is to provide insightful evaluations that go beyond the technical specs, focusing on how a TV performs in real-world usage. We assess not only the picture quality and audio capabilities, but also the usability and overall user experience. This comprehensive approach ensures you get a clear understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of each TV before making your purchase decision.
Unboxing and Initial Setup
The journey begins with unboxing. We assess the packaging’s sturdiness, ensuring your new TV arrives safe and sound. We pay close attention to the ease of unpacking and setting up the TV, including attaching the stand. We also check the TV’s stability to ensure it’s secure and won’t wobble, eliminating any worries about accidental toppling.
Build Quality and Aesthetics
We scrutinize the build quality and visual appeal of the TV. We examine the back panel for strength, feel the quality of the bezel material, and assess the sturdiness of the display panel. The base’s build quality and aesthetic compatibility with the TV are also considered, along with the form factor of the pedestal or feet. We evaluate the placement flexibility of the feet for use on smaller media stands. Stepping back, we examine the display panel’s reflectivity in bright conditions and assess its overall visual appeal, imagining how it would integrate with different home décor styles.
Setup and First Impressions
Knowing that most people don’t hire professional calibrators, we prioritize how a TV performs with minimal user adjustment. We start by evaluating the picture quality in the TV’s ‘Movie,’ ‘Cinema,’ ‘Calibrated,’ ‘ISF,’ ‘Filmmaker Mode,’ ‘Imax Enhanced,’ or any other picture mode specifically designed by the manufacturer for accuracy. By accurate, we mean colors that appear natural, avoiding overly bright settings intended for showroom displays. We then watch a diverse range of video content from 4K Blu-ray discs, popular streaming services, YouTube, and cable TV, gauging whether the TV performs as expected for its price point. If any red flags arise, we contact the manufacturer to verify if the unit is defective. If necessary, we’ll exchange the TV for another model and inform you in our review.
Calibration and Performance Testing
While we primarily test TVs prior to calibration, we also perform calibration to understand the TV’s peak performance potential. Our reviewers calibrate the panel’s white balance to the industry standard (D65) and correct any significant color errors.
We utilize a combination of measurements and real-world viewing to evaluate a TV’s performance characteristics. Our picture quality analysis encompasses various key categories:
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Brightness
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Black Levels
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Total Contrast
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Backlight Performance (when applicable)
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Color Accuracy
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Color Saturation
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Color Volume
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HDR Tone Mapping
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Motion Resolution
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Upscaling
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Panel Uniformity
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Input Lag
Each of these aspects influences the viewing experience. While some, like contrast, have a greater impact than others, like color accuracy, we carefully consider the weight of each performance characteristic in our review. We use Portrait Display’s Calman software and a SpectraCal C6 colorimeter to measure test patterns generated by a VideoForge Pro pattern generator, providing objective data for comparing TVs. However, measurements alone don’t tell the whole story. We incorporate our expertise in evaluating TVs by blending subjective observations with objective data. This combined approach offers a comprehensive understanding of a TV’s performance, including its suitability for different viewers.
Smart TV Platform and Remote Control
With smart TV platforms like Roku, Google TV, Apple TV, Tizen, and WebOS being integrated into most TVs, we analyze the user interaction experience. We evaluate the ease of navigation within the TV’s menu system and home screen, assess the loading time for popular streaming apps, and evaluate the accessibility of key TV settings. We also consider the impact of bloatware, intrusive user recommendations, and the ability to customize the user interaction experience. The easier and faster it is to access what you want to watch, the better the score.
Since the remote control is your primary tool for interacting with the TV, we assess its ease of use and functionality. We prefer remote controls with a sufficient number of buttons for key functions without being overly cluttered. Bonus points are awarded for helpful features like remote finder functions, rechargeable battery power, and Bluetooth capability for line-of-site-free control.
Audio Quality
We acknowledge that not everyone will connect a soundbar or home theater system to their TV, making audio quality an important consideration. While most TVs don’t offer impressive sound, we highlight any efforts by manufacturers to improve the audio, especially those that enhance dialogue intelligibility, and boost the score accordingly.
Bringing it All Together
Finally, we synthesize everything we’ve learned about a new TV into a cohesive conclusion, providing clear guidance on whether or not to buy it. We identify the target audience for the TV, helping you determine if it aligns with your needs. We also list the closest competitors to the TV we’ve reviewed, outlining their pros and cons. Ultimately, our TV reviews aim to help you narrow down your options and feel confident in your purchase decision.
