Our television reviews are extensive, combining technical laboratory tests with real-world viewing experience. We use testing procedures based on Imaging Science Foundation calibration methodology and standards. The process with which we test TVs is similar to how processional calibrators evaluate home theaters, and is performed by an ISF Level II-certified analyst using some of the most advanced calibration and measurement tools available. This lets us accurately measure the amount of light a television puts out, how dark it can get while still generating a picture, how accurate its colors are out of the box, how much input lag it generates, and how much power it consumes. Equipment To test televisions, we display test patterns generated by a Murideo SIX-G test pattern generator to send a 4K (and, if the TV is compatible, HDR) signal to the TV, ensuring accuracy and consistency in the video source. After a basic dark room calibration, we measure the light and color output using a Klein K10-A colorimeter, a specialized light meter that can precisely track luminance from 0.0001cd/m2 to 10,000cd/m2 (for comparison, most LCD televisions can't display black levels darker than 0.01cd/m2, and we've seen very few capable of putting out more than 1,000cd/m2 under very specific conditions), and color measurements up to and beyond the BT.2020 color space. We feed data from the meter into SpectraCal's CalMAN 5 software, which we also use to produce our color charts for each review. Calibration Most televisions currently available can be tweaked to offer excellent color accuracy if calibrated using ISF procedures and advanced testing equipment. However, we've found that TVs are offering increasingly accurate color levels out of the box—if you use the right settings. Putting your TV into Movie, Cinema, or Calibrated mode and making sure the color temperature is set to the warmest preset (usually labeled Warm) will generally produce the most accurate color out of the box for standard dynamic range content. To best measure the average consumer experience, we test TVs based on these settings rather than giving each a full calibration. While we recommend calibration for high-end TVs in complex home theater systems, we also recognize that very few users who spend $800 on a new TV will then spend another $300 on calibrating it. We do, however, check each TV's picture modes against light and dark PLUGE charts to ensure that clipping, the phenomenon of very light grays displayed as flat white and very dark grays displayed as flat black, doesn't occur. The Test We measure black level and peak brightness using a consistent selection of test patterns produced by our signal generator. For LED-backlit LCD TVs, we measure peak brightness using a full-screen white field. For OLED TVs, we use an 18 percent white field surrounded by black to record how bright it can get. All OLED TVs get brighter as more power is focused on a smaller space on the screen, but we've observed that most LCD TVs don't, which is why we use the different field sizes. For black level, we use a test pattern that illuminates part of the screen while providing a flat black field. This ensures an accurate black level reading, since many TV backlights simply turn off when receiving a signal that's completely black. After we measure peak brightness and black level, we move on to color testing. With the growth of high dynamic range (HDR) and wide color gamut, many TVs can reach beyond the Rec.709 broadcast standard color space. For HDR-compatible TVs, we measure white, red, green, blue, cyan, yellow, and magenta levels in both standard dynamic range and HDR modes, enabling any wide color setting for the latter. We compare the SDR color measurements with Rec.709 levels, checking them for accuracy. We then compare the HDR color measurements with Rec.2020 color space levels, measuring how much of the space each TV can color. To date, no consumer display can cover the full Rec.2020 color space, but how close they can get is a notable detail as color gamuts get wider. Input Lag and Power Consumption With luminance and color measurements recorded, we then measure input lag using a Leo Bodnar Video Signal Input Lag Tester, a small device that plugs into a TV's HDMI port and measures flashes on the screen to determine the amount of time between when the television receives a signal and the screen updates. This isn't affected by refresh rate, since TVs with settings above 60Hz manipulate the signal to produce interstitial frames to make the video look smoother; the vast majority of video signals won't contain more than 60 frames per second. Motion-enhancing modes that claim 120Hz or higher refresh rates can make games look smoother, but they can also produce a jarring "soap opera" effect when displaying movies and television shows. After all of that, we peform our last quantified test: power consumption, using a power meter and video content we estimate produces the best everyday picture (meaning not too bright, not too dark, and very colorful). This lets us see how much electricity a TV will consume with regular use. We measure power consumption with energy-saving features both turned off and enabled. If a feature has different levels, we evaluate each level and determine the highest one that doesn't disrupt the viewing experience. If a level makes the picture too dim to watch comfortably in a moderately lit room, it's generally not the level most people will use at home. Viewing Experience Finally, it's time for some real-world testing. To this end, we watch a variety of content to get a sense of general performance. We have a library of films and documentaries on Blu-ray and Ultra HD Blu-ray to observe how well each TV can handle different types of content, like dark, moody, shadow-filled scenes and bright, colorful nature landscapes. While streaming media is a consideration, using physical media in our tests ensures that we can get the best idea of what a TV is capable of showing from the highest-quality signal, without any considerations of bandwidth or variable bitrates. For more, check out our TV product guide, as well as our list of the 10 Best TVs.

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