Podcast #943: The 7 Best 4K TVs - Spring 2020 (RTINGS.com)

The 7 Best 4K TVs - Spring 2020 (RTINGS.com)

The editors at RTINGS.com have just updated their Seven Best Best 4K TVs for the Spring and we bring those to you. RTINGS.com is a great resource when you are looking to buy a new UHD TV. They have the most thorough reviews of any site on the Internet. All the TVs that we discuss come with an in depth review that can be found at the links below.

Best 4k TV: LG B9 OLED (Street Price $1,900 65")

The best 4k TV we've tested so far is the LG B9 OLED. With OLED technology, you get an amazing picture quality that's suitable for almost any type of setting. It has exceptional dark room performance due to its infinite contrast ratio and perfect black uniformity, and its excellent reflection handling and good peak brightness make it a good choice for bright rooms too. Its out-of-the-box color accuracy is a bit disappointing, but on the bright side, it supports a wide color gamut to produce rich and vibrant colors in HDR content. Full Review

8.9 Mixed Usage

9.3 Movies

8.5 TV Shows

8.7 Sports

9.4 Video Games

9.0 HDR Movies

9.0 HDR Gaming

8.9 PC Monitor

PROS

• Perfect blacks and black uniformity.
• Image remains accurate when viewed from the side.
• Nearly instantaneous response time and very low input lag.

CONS

• Has the risk of permanent burn-in with static content (see here).
• Automatic Brightness Limiter (ABL) can become distracting at times.

Best 4k TV Cheaper LED Alternative: VIZIO P SERIES QUANTUM X 2019 (Street Price $1,000 65")

If you'd rather not have to worry about the possibility of burn-in on an OLED TV like the LG B9 OLED, then consider the Vizio P Series Quantum X 2019. It has a VA panel with an outstanding native contrast ratio, and it also has a great local dimming feature that boosts the contrast even more, producing deep, inky blacks when viewed in the dark. And best of all, VA panels are virtually immune from image retention and permanent burn-ins. The most notable aspect of this TV is its incredible peak brightness. Combined with its excellent wide color gamut, HDR content is delivered the way it was intended, with saturated colors and bright highlights. Response time and input lag are both outstanding, but unfortunately, it has sub-par viewing angles, so images don't look as good when viewed from the side. Vizio's SmartCast platform is easy to use; however, it's still quite limited when it comes to app availability. Full Review

8.4 Mixed Usage

8.4 Movies

8.1 TV Shows

8.1 Sports

8.9 Video Games

8.5 HDR Movies

8.7 HDR Gaming

8.7 PC Monitor

PROS

• Outstanding peak brightness in SDR and HDR.
• Deep, uniform blacks.
• Great motion handling.

CONS

• Image degrades when viewed at an angle.

Best 4k TV For Color Accuracy: Sony X950G (Street Price $1,400 65")

The TV with the best color accuracy out of the box is the Sony X950G. This TV has a great picture quality and a host of features to please most people. It has outstanding contrast ratio and impressive black uniformity, making it a good choice for dark room viewing. It even has a full array local dimming feature, though the performance is somewhat mediocre. If you have a wide seating arrangement, the VA panel can cause colors to shift when viewed from the side, but the larger variants of this TV has Sony's 'X-Wide Angle' feature to improve viewing angles, albeit at the expense of contrast ratio. Full Review

8.3 Mixed Usage

8.4 Movies

8.1 TV Shows

8.0 Sports

8.7 Video Games

8.3 HDR Movies

8.5 HDR Gaming

8.6 PC Monitor

PROS

• Outstanding peak brightness.
• Amazing out-of-the-box color accuracy.
• Great motion handling.

CONS

• Poor viewing angles.

For the remaining TVs will list category, model, price, and mixed usage rating. We'll also provide a link to the full review.

Best 4k TV For Color Accuracy Wide Viewing Angle Alternative

• Model LG SM9000
• Street price $1,100 65"
• Mixed Usage 7.9
• Full Review

Best 4k TV For Color Accuracy Alternative for Gaming

• Model SAMSUNG Q70/Q70R QLED
• Street price $1,100 65"
• Mixed Usage 7.9
• Full Review

Best Budget 4k TV

• Model Hisense H9F
• Street price $900 65"
• Mixed Usage 8.4
• Full Review

Best Budget 4k TV (Cheaper Alternative)

• Model Hisense H8F
• Street price $600 65"
• Mixed Usage 8.0
• Full Review