Here's The 𝗕𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗧𝗩 𝗼𝗳 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟰 as Voted by Experts in A Blind Test

Summary

In the 2024 TV Shootout, four top OLED models were tested across various categories such as near black handling, HDR accuracy, upscaling, and motion performance. After a rigorous evaluation by nine video professionals and enthusiasts, the LG G4 emerged as the overall best TV, praised for its bright room performance, out-of-the-box color accuracy, and motion handling. The Samsung S95D and Sony A95L followed closely behind. This shootout highlights the strengths of these premium models, with the LG G4 ultimately winning due to its balanced, all-purpose performance and accuracy, especially in brighter settings.

Takeaways

• 😀 The best TV of 2024 in terms of picture quality, as judged by professionals, was the LG G4 with 28.97 points.
• 😀 The Samsung S95D came second with 28.61 points, offering excellent near black luminance and HDR performance.
• 😀 The Sony A95L, last year's winner, placed third with 27.79 points, facing challenges against newer and brighter OLED panels in 2024.
• 😀 The LG G4 excelled in bright room performance, offering the sharpest upscaling and the brightest SDR light output without auto dimming.
• 😀 The Samsung S95D was praised for its QD-OLED panel, which contributed to its top performance in near black luminance and color accuracy.
• 😀 The LG G4 also won the category for the best living room TV due to its ability to handle bright rooms, compression, and sports content well.
• 😀 The judges used a 30,000-dollar reference monitor to evaluate the TVs, ensuring an objective and rigorous comparison.
• 😀 Sony's A95L was noted for its strong tone mapping in HDR content but had a slight disadvantage in bright room settings and upscaling.
• 😀 The Panasonic Z95A OLED, while well-balanced in HDR tone mapping, showed issues with chrominance overshoot and soft upscaling performance.
• 😀 Uniformity testing showed that the LG G4, Sony A95L, and Samsung S95D performed well, but the Panasonic Z95A exhibited noticeable dark blotches.
• 😀 Calibration, especially for HDR color accuracy, was a significant factor, with LG G4 being the most accurate out of the box relative to the reference monitor.

Q & A

What were the criteria used to judge the best TV of 2024?

The best TV of 2024 was judged based on categories such as near black handling, color accuracy, HDR performance, uniformity, motion handling, upscaling quality, low bit rate handling, bright room performance, and more.

Which TV came closest to matching the reference monitor in terms of near-black luminance?

The Samsung S95D OLED came closest to matching the reference monitor for near-black luminance, with no flashing or glowing artifacts.

How did the LG G4 perform in terms of HDR color accuracy?

The LG G4 performed well in HDR color accuracy, particularly in low luminance colors, where it came closer to matching the reference monitor compared to the Samsung and Sony QD OLEDs.

What was notable about the tone mapping of the Sony A95L?

The Sony A95L performed well in tone mapping, particularly for 1000 nits, and showed the best results in mimicking the reference monitor's presentation during the shootout.

Which TV had the best performance for bright room output?

The LG G4 performed the best for bright room output, with the brightest SDR light output, high ambient contrast, and no issues with logo detection or auto dimming.

What issue did the Panasonic Z95A face during the shootout?

The Panasonic Z95A showed noticeable chrominance overshoot in certain scenes, as well as dark blotches along the left side of the screen during uniformity tests, leading to a lower overall score.

Which TV was considered the best for handling low bit-rate material?

The LG G4 and Sony A95L were both deemed better at handling low bit-rate material compared to the Samsung S95D and Panasonic Z95A.

What did the judges think about the upscaling performance of the LG G4?

The LG G4 scored the highest for upscaling, likely due to its always-active microcontrast enhancement, even with sharpening and super resolution controls disabled.

How did the Samsung S95D perform in terms of 10-bit gradation?

The Samsung S95D excelled in 10-bit gradation, outperforming the Sony A95L, which seemed to have lost some of its traditional edge in this area after a firmware update.

What made the Samsung S95D stand out in terms of HDR light output?

The Samsung S95D was noted for having the best HDR light output during the white room sequence from Moonfall, largely due to its advanced QD OLED panel.