Editorial Review Ethos

About our review practises, the equipment we use and the meanings of our award badges

Reviews featured at AVForums.com are written by a small team of professional enthusiasts who have been trained to high industry standards.

Our ethos is to provide independent and unbiased reviews which are as objective as possible. For display reviews (TVs & Projectors), this information is obtained from a series of measurable and repeatable tests based on industry standards to ensure consistency and accuracy of image quality.

For audio products, the standards are not as well defined within the industry. However, our reviewers have the decades of testing and listening experience needed to produce fair and frank reviews.

All reviews are written with an emphasis of what is important to the end user with honest, unbiased commentary which is detailed, reasoned and evidenced.

We ignore the marketing material and quoted specifications and we are not influenced by PR departments or advertising budgets.

We are here to inform our readers what they should be looking for when auditioning the products we cover. We will never tell readers what to buy, but rather guide people towards the products which may best serve their needs and suit their pockets.

What equipment does AVForums use for objective measurements?

AVForums uses the following equipment for objective measurements within our TV reviews:

Calman Color Calibration Software Calman logo
Klein K10-A Meter
Murideo Seven Generator

For setting up your own TV or projector you can follow our simple to use PicturePerfect Guide.

What do the AVForums review scores & badges mean?

Evaluating what scores to give and whether or not to award a badge is a job we take very seriously. We explain in the reviews why we give specific scores, and wherever we can, we give evidence to support our analysis. This is why we encourage readers to study our reviews carefully (rather than jump directly to the conclusion) so that they appreciate fully how we have evaluated the product.

If a product reaches a given standard, we may also award an AVForums badge.
This is a list of our awards and what they indicate.

Best In Class Best in Class – This is awarded to a product that is the best in its price point, market position, product type and class. It scores incredibly well at almost all core competencies and is the product which is used to benchmark its peers. It is an excellent all round performer and should be at the top of your demo list.
Highly Recommended Highly Recommended – Where a product does not attain the Best in Class level but does offer excellent performance in the core competencies.
Best Buy Best Buy – A product that offers a high performance level at core competencies as well as doing so at a price point that defies its market position, making it a product that should be auditioned even against more expensive rivals.
Recommended Recommended – A product that scores between good and excellent in most core competencies and offers a performance level in its market sector that makes it a 'must see' product when compiling your short list. It may not be perfect in every area of performance but offers excellent abilities in the core areas when compared to its rivals.
Unmissable Unmissable – A movie, Blu-ray or game which is so good that it is not to be missed!
Group Test Winner Group Test Winner – When compared to a select group of its peers, a product has been chosen as the best, by offering superior performance.

Retired Award

Reference Status

Reference Status – This is a rare badge given only to those products that offer performance in the core competencies of a reference standard. A Reference product is one that other products will be referenced against as it offers the highest standards in its given market sector. The product is an excellent all round performer in every way.

This badge has been retired in favour of Best In Class, which sends a clearer message that the product is the best in its specific category.

No Badge awarded – This does not necessarily mean that the product is not highly rated in some performance areas, but rather it falls just short in some areas of its core competencies. The review content will explain this in full detail.

Terms of use: Please note that the AVForums award badges are the property of M2N Limited (AVForums) and may not be used without prior permission. Please contact our commercial team for more details.

Promoted content

If you see the word 'Promoted' in a headline it means the content has been paid for by an advertiser. It has not been written by the AVForums editorial team, but it is content that we believe falls under the remit of AVForums and has a relevance to our visitors.

Pricing information and retailer links

Some of our content has information displayed on the page showing prices and retailer links for related products. The pricing information is supplied by an external partner and is as current and accurate as possible. AVForums earns a commission if you use these links to purchase the products. AVForums' reviews are not influenced by any commercial factors and our assessments of products are based solely on their merits.

  • Published
    Oct 29, 2013
  • Page views
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