The best TVs from Samsung, LG, Sony, and TCL compared

When it comes to choosing the best TV, the Samsung QN90B is my top pick. 

It offers an extensive range of screen sizes that cater to various living spaces, ensuring that you get the perfect viewing experience. What's more, it has a powerful audio system that features Dolby Atmos and Samsung's Object Tracking Sound+ technology for immersive, virtual surround sound. 

Gamers will appreciate the support for AMD FreeSync Premium Pro, enabling them to experience smoother playback with lower latency. Additionally, the Samsung QN90B comes with the Google Duo app, allowing you to make video calls right from your TV. With these exceptional features, this TV is sure to take your entertainment experience to the next level.

Note: Prices may vary depending on merchants and promotions.

After determining your budget, it's important to ensure that your new TV will fit comfortably in your space. Start by measuring the distance (in inches) between your couch and where the TV will be wall-mounted or placed on a stand. Divide that number in half to find the ideal TV size for your room. For example, if your couch is 120 inches (10 feet) away from your TV, the recommended TV size for your room would be about 60 inches.

Additionally, it's a good idea to consider accessibility features such as voice controls, screen readers, and closed captioning to ensure that everyone can enjoy the entertainment. These features can provide an enhanced viewing experience for those who are hearing or visually impaired, and they can be especially helpful for households with young children or elderly family members.

Choosing the best TVs required extensive research and comparison of the top TV brands, as well as speaking to other ZDNET editors for their opinion. I also combed through user reviews on retail websites to get a better sense of customer satisfaction with the different TV models. To ensure that I made the best selection, I went hands-on with one of the TVs and evaluated its picture, sound quality, and more.

Finally, I considered the accessibility features that these TVs provide, such as voice controls, screen readers, and closed captioning to provide great entertainment for everyone.

My ultimate goal was to provide a selection of TVs that offer the best possible viewing experience and a range of features to meet different needs. I believe that my careful selection process, combined with extensive research and testing, has resulted in a list of TVs that offer excellent quality and value for a variety of budgets and room types. Whether you're looking for a TV for your living room, bedroom, or home theater, I'm confident that I've found the best TVs on the market to suit your needs.

My pick for the best gaming TV is the LG C2. Not only does it deliver exceptional picture quality, but it also supports both Nvidia G-Sync and AMD FreeSync Premium variable refresh rate technology for smoother playback and lower latency. It even supports cloud gaming via Google Stadia and Nvidia GeForce Now, so you can play your favorite PC games on your couch.

IT depends on your personal preference. Both platforms have pros and cons. Roku TVs tend to be some of the most affordable on the market while still providing a great streaming experience via a suite of preloaded, popular apps. Roku TVs also have a simplified home menu with your most-used apps and HDMI-connected devices in one easy-to-navigate hub, so you never have to scroll through confusing menus or memorize input locations. The downside? They often don't have native voice control or support for Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision. 

Android-based televisions are a bit more expensive, but you get more features, like built-in voice controls, Bluetooth connectivity, support for variable refresh rate technology, as well as Dolby Vision HDR and Dolby Atmos sound processing. 

When comparing Roku and Android-based TVs, consider your must-have features so you can choose the model that best fits your needs and budget.

The best way to find your ideal TV screen size is to measure the distance (in inches) between your couch and where the TV will be wall-mounted or placed on a dedicated stand. Next, divide that distance by two. So if your couch is 120 inches (10 feet) from where the TV will be, the ideal size would be 60 inches. 

You can always go a bit bigger or smaller depending on your budget and what's available, but you don't want to go wild and get a huge screen if you don't need to. Not only do you run the risk of having your new, expensive TV not fit your space, but a screen that's too big can overwhelm a room and even cause motion sickness. On the other end of the spectrum, while smaller screens tend to be more affordable, a TV that's too small for a room can make the space feel cavernous and force everyone to crowd around in order to see.

As of right now, we're inclined to say no. Not only are 8K televisions very expensive, but there isn't any 8K content available over broadcast, streaming, or gaming outlets to justify buying one. A conservative estimate would say that 8K streaming and gaming will be available within the next five years or so -- and it will require a very fast internet connection to handle the bandwidth needed to consistently stream in ultra-high definition. 

If you've always been an early adopter of tech, want to get a jump on future-proofing your home theater, and have extra cash to spend, you might get more value out of an 8K television than someone who just wants to watch Succession on HBO Max.

If you're looking for an 8K panel, I personally recommend checking out the Samsung QN900C. I had a chance to check it out, and during my initial testing, I really, truly enjoyed the display.

OLED and QLED panel types use the same basic component to create images on screen: a power source, a light source, and a color source. The key differences are exactly how these panels get power, light, and color. 

A QLED screen, mostly seen in Samsung, TCL, and Hisense models, uses a modified LED panel and a "quantum dot" screen to create images. The "quantum" in QLED seems to be more of a catchy marketing term than an allusion to actual quantum tech, but it does give you enhanced color and detailing over a regular LED display. 

An OLED panel, found in LG, Sony, and Vizio TVs, uses an array of mini LED lamps that are individually lit along with organic substrates for color. The individual LEDs allow for true blacks to create stunning contrast and make colors pop. It's an expensive technology to produce, so OLED TVs are pretty pricey. But if picture quality is your top priority, it's a worthwhile investment. 

The best TV for a living room can vary depending on the size of the room and your budget. However, some of the best options available include the Samsung QN90B, the LG C2, and the Sony X80K. These TVs provide excellent picture and sound quality, a range of features, and a variety of screen sizes to suit different room types.

It really depends on your preferences and the TV model you choose. Some TVs have excellent built-in speakers that provide ample sound quality for most viewers, while others may benefit from a separate soundbar or audio system for a more immersive audio experience. If you're a movie or gaming enthusiast, you may want to consider investing in a soundbar or dedicated audio system to complement your TV.

Also: The best soundbars

There are about as many TVs on the market as there are customers shopping for them. No matter what your priorities are (surround sound, picture quality, or smart networking), there's a TV model out there to suit your needs. Here's a short list of other models that are great choices: