Audio Video News

For the latest installment of our continuing Best Gear series, we’ve compiled a list of Top Pick-worthy TVs and projectors we reviewed so far this year. Featured are three 4K Ultra HD TVs — a Samsung LCD model plus OLED sets from Sony and LG — and projectors from Epson, Sony, and JVC. The Epson comes in at three grand but JVC and Sony take it to the limit with cutting-edge light canons that will please even the most video-obsessed enthusiast.

4K TVs

Samsung QN65Q80R LCD Ultra HDTV: $2,800

Apart from putting up an invitingly bright 4K image with excellent color rendering and superb high dynamic range (HDR), the 65-inch QN65Q80R is extraordinarily well equipped for a TV that sells for less than three grand, offering a full complement of features — including numerous picture adjustments, an Ambient Mode that displays photos and art when the TV is not in use, and a wealth of smart TV features, including voice control. Summarizing his impressions, veteran TV reviewer Tom Norton praised the QN65Q80R for its “excellent brightness, impressive blacks and shadow detail, and crisp, noise-free image.”

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Brightness to spare
Good off-center viewing
Superb HDR
Minus
Blooming
No Dolby Vision
Small, non-backlit remote

Full Review Here

 

LG OLED65E9PUA OLED Ultra HDTV: $4,299

Organic light-emitting diode (OLED) technology’s long streak of delivering the best overall picture quality among today’s 4K televisions continues with LG’s 65-inch OLED65E9PUA. Though not as bright as its LCD counterparts, the E9’s impossibly thin screen comes as close to fully covering the P3 color gamut as we’ve seen from any TV, while delivering breathtaking images with superb black levels, outstanding color and detail, and almost unrestricted off-center viewing.

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Powerful contrast with inky blacks
Wide viewing angle
HDR format support includes Dolby Vision, HDR10, and HLG
Minus
So-so built-in audio
No HDR10+ support

Full Review Here

 

Sony Bravia XBR-65A9G OLED Ultra HDTV: $3,800

People tend to forget that Sony introduced the first (11-inch) OLED TV way back in 2008 and then disappeared from the scene for a decade. As far as we’re concerned, the more OLED TVs, the better, so it’s great to have Sony back in the game, this time with an award-winning 65-inch model. The XBR-65A9G is guaranteed to wow you with incredible detail, eye-popping color, lifelike contrast, and a surprisingly good onboard sound system. And we would be remiss if we didn’t mention that the 65A9G was also named top dog in the 15th Annual TV Shootout hosted by Value Electronics.

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Unsurpassed contrast
Superb color and resolution
Viewable from any angle
Minus
Complicated picture adjustments
Pricey

Full Review Here