Podcast #1160: The Best HTDVs for the Summer - RTINGS.COM

HDTV and Home Theater Podcast

On this week’s show we take a look at the summer’s best TVs according to RTINGS.COM. We also read your emails and take a look at the week’s news.

News:

• This ‘Google TV Streamer’ set-top box is what comes after Chromecast
• Spotify HiFi likely to cost $17 or $18 a month
• Verizon Can Get Free NFL Sunday Ticket on YouTube TV or YouTube
• DirecTV Warns FCC: Without Early Termination Fees, Our Equipment and Installation Costs Are Going To Be Paid For by Our Customers Upfront

The Best TVs - Summer 2024 - RTINGS.COM

RTINGS.COM has published an article “The 8 Best TVs - Summer 2024” and we take a look at four of them. The article has the entire list.

Best Budget TV - Hisense U6/U6K (Street Price $780 for 75” if you can find it)

If you want to spend less, the best budget TV we've tested is the Hisense U6/U6K. It delivers a surprisingly great performance for the price. The Hisense has excellent contrast, so dark scenes look amazing in a dark room, with little blooming around bright areas of the screen. It also has good peak brightness in SDR and decent reflection handling, so glare isn't an issue in a brighter room. It has an excellent color volume, making this TV very colorful overall. It's bright enough in HDR for a pleasant viewing experience, and just like the Hisense U7N, it supports both HDR10+ and Dolby Vision HDR, although it doesn't support advanced DTS audio formats. Full Review…

Mixed Usage 7.4, TV Shows 6.9, Sports 7.0, Video Games 7.8, HDR Movies 7.5, HDR Gaming 8.0, PC Monitor 7.7

Best Mid-Range TV - LG B3 OLED (Street Price $1800 for 77”)

The LG B3 OLED is the best mid-range TV we've tested if you want something cheaper and still want high-end features. It's a great mid-range TV and can be an excellent entry point into the OLED market. The TV has all the features of the more expensive LG C3 OLED, but the B3 is dimmer and has only two HDMI 2.1 ports. It still delivers outstanding picture quality, especially in a dark room, with its near-infinite contrast ratio delivering deep, inky blacks with no distracting blooming. Its built-in webOS platform is just as fast on this lower-tier model, and it still has very good image processing, so it has no issues upscaling lower-resolution content if you watch DVDs, cable boxes, or Blu-rays. It also has Dolby Vision HDR and supports DTS advanced audio formats, which is great for physical media as it tends to use DTS for their audio tracks. Full Review…

Mixed Usage 8.7, TV Shows 8.3, Sports 8.5, Video Games 9.3, HDR Movies 8.8, HDR Gaming 9.0, PC Monitor 9.2

Best Bright Room TV - Sony BRAVIA 9 QLED (Street Price $3500 for 75”)

If you need a TV for a room with a lot of lights on, the Sony BRAVIA 9 QLED is an amazing option. Its superb reflection handling and SDR brightness mean it easily overcomes glare in the brightest rooms, so you aren't distracted by reflections on your TV screen. As impressive as this TV is in a bright room, it's also spectacular for use in a dark room. It has exceptional contrast that delivers incredibly deep blacks that are close to what you get from an OLED, with almost no blooming, thanks to its highly effective local dimming control. It's also a great option for 4k Blu-ray collectors or those looking to get the most out of high-quality streaming services due to its support for Dolby Vision and DTS audio formats. Full Review…

Mixed Usage 8.8, TV Shows 8.4, Sports 8.3, Video Games 9.1, HDR Movies 9.0, HDR Gaming 9.0, PC Monitor 8.7

Best Home Theater TV - Sony A95L OLED (Street Price $5000 for 77”)

If you're looking for the absolute best TV for a home theater setup and don't care as much about the price, check out the Sony A95L OLED. Although it's a very similar TV to the Samsung S90C OLED, it's better for home theaters thanks to its advanced video format support. Compared to Samsung's HDR10+ format, the Sony TV supports the more popular Dolby Vision HDR, so you'll enjoy the most advanced HDR experience possible from almost any source. Sony's processing does a better job following the content creator's intent, so the brightness and colors of HDR content look the way they're supposed to. It also offers better audio format support than the Samsung, including DTS:X passthrough over eARC, so you can simplify your connection to your audio-video receiver by running everything through your TV without sacrificing audio quality. Full Review…

Mixed Usage 9.2, TV Shows 8.9, Sports 9.1, Video Games 9.3, HDR Movies 9.3, HDR Gaming 9.1, PC Monitor 9.4