Best TVs of 2020 - Editor's Choice Awards - news discussion

With OLED televisions, calibrated performance is so similar that any decision comes down to individual priorities (are we gamers, cinephiles, sports fans; is audio performance a factor, or of no concern at all?). It seems useful to lay out distinctions in these terms. Doing so helps people make informed choices.

There's probably little news here for diehard videophiles, but the article is accessible to anyone looking to buy a television. If it nudges people toward making a more suitable purchase, I can't see the problem with that.

Besides, awards must be based on some criteria. If not those used here, what would the alternatives be? Maybe there are too many categories (I have some sympathy with that perspective, though better to be comprehensive than leave people guessing).
it was a largely tongue in cheek comment ;) ......................however

if there is very little difference in terms of PQ quality and the OS differences can quickly be negated by a simple plug in device , then i guess sound and price would be major factors, along with warranty and future proofing ...............sorry to the 2.1 HDMI haters out there
 
it was a largely tongue in cheek comment ;) ......................however

if there is very little difference in terms of PQ quality and the OS differences can quickly be negated by a simple plug in device , then i guess sound and price would be major factors, along with warranty and future proofing ...............sorry to the 2.1 HDMI haters out there

I know. Hopefully it didn't sound as though I was having a go.

I think, again, it depends on individual priorities, which can be very different. Those who want the absolute best, however incrementally so, will stump up for the HZ2000.

I'm leaning very heavily toward buying a Sony A8, which gets almost zero plaudits beyond offering the second best sound, simply because, all factors considered, it represents amazing value at the moment. It's also quite a pretty TV, in a minimalist, understated way (which I personally like).
 
I'm leaning very heavily toward buying a Sony A8, which gets almost zero plaudits beyond offering the second best sound, simply because, all factors considered, it represents amazing value at the moment. It's also quite a pretty TV, in a minimalist, understated way (which I personally like).
The A8 was a runner up in many areas, it is a great TV and it got a very good review from me.
 
I know. Hopefully it didn't sound as though I was having a go.

I think, again, it depends on individual priorities, which can be very different. Those who want the absolute best, however incrementally so, will stump up for the HZ2000.

I'm leaning very heavily toward buying a Sony A8, which gets almost zero plaudits beyond offering the second best sound, simply because, all factors considered, it represents amazing value at the moment. It's also quite a pretty TV, in a minimalist, understated way (which I personally like).
i have just done 12 years on my pioneer KRP 600a plasma so i have no dog in this fight
 
The A8 was a runner up in many areas, it is a great TV and it got a very good review from me.

Thanks.

That's basically my assessment. Motion performance is really important to me, as is screen uniformity (not that this is foolproof, as there's always a panel lottery, but the A8 reportedly performs well in this regard).

Near black performance is important, too, and while Panasonic bests Sony in this regard, I understand the A8 gets pretty close, unless you're watching heavily bit starved content.

Then there's upscaling, since I own hundreds of Blu-rays and really don't want to buy all the same films again. Sony's upscaling is arguably the best around.

I also want a TV that sounds decent for non critical viewing (I don't want to use my AVR and speakers all the time). It helps that the A8 does a reasonable job of hiding in plain sight.

Appreciate there are drawbacks, peak brightness being one, if somewhat offset by effective tone mapping.

Those are my priorities. Other people's will no doubt differ. That's where months of contemplation have led me.
 
Appreciate there are drawbacks, peak brightness being one, if somewhat offset by effective tone mapping.

It's blindingly bright to my eyes. If you look at RTINGS measurements, the A8 and CX are virtually the same - and they even rate the A8 higher for HDR movie performance (might be pixel booster or something else at play). A8 does get better detail according to most reviews which cinephiles will appreciate.
 
@Phil Hinton

Samsung Q950TS QLED TV - Best 8K TV of 2020
There is no other LCD TV that comes close, and, as a result, this is an easy winner.


Umm... the Sony ZH8, surely.... No?

Just in case novice readers come across this article, it's probably best that they know other 8K LCD options exist.

After a quick google search; (30/11/2020)
SONY BRAVIA KD75ZH8BU 75 Inch - £4999 (Currys)
SAMSUNG QE65Q950TSTXXU 65 Inch - £4998 (Currys)

.
 
Who is using HDR10+? It was DOA. DV has won, it's over.

Its not a competition... some movies and TVs shows are in DV and some are in HDR10+. Prime video predominantly uses HDR10+ and Netflix and Disney+ predominantly use DV.

Owning a TV that only supports 1 sadly makes people want it to be a competition so they can 'win' but its just not a competition
 
I own something that won an award! <pats self on back>

hiphiphooooray

Have to say Borderlands 3 looks magical on the CX - much better then when I played 1 on my mates 40" Sony LCD so many years ago.
 
I owned something 3 times that won, and also got returned 3 times....:blush:
 
I do find myself babying my CX far more then the 1080p oled it replaced. :rolleyes::blush:
 
Its not a competition... some movies and TVs shows are in DV and some are in HDR10+. Prime video predominantly uses HDR10+ and Netflix and Disney+ predominantly use DV.

Owning a TV that only supports 1 sadly makes people want it to be a competition so they can 'win' but its just not a competition
Amazon Prime in the UK is regular HDR10.
 
Ripp off? It's £180, hardly expensive. Frankly the iTunes 4K lineup is so good, and often so comically cheap it easily justifies the cost of the box.

Plus a Chromecast is a very simple and bare bones device. A better comparison would be the Shield TV. It certainly has its merits (I have one), but mostly for gaming (Steam Link, GeForce Now, RetroArch). It's not in the same league as the Apple TV for media.
£60, that's 1/3rd the cost. Apple TV is a rip-off.
 
£60, that's 1/3rd the cost. Apple TV is a rip-off.

Value is subjective. £180 is not expensive for what is a far more fully featured box than a Chromecast.

I like having access to Apple TV+. Now TV, iTunes 4K, and Apple's TV app which brings many streaming services together into a single interface. Plus it controls Homekit, which Chromecast certainly can't do.
 
Thanks.

That's basically my assessment. Motion performance is really important to me, as is screen uniformity (not that this is foolproof, as there's always a panel lottery, but the A8 reportedly performs well in this regard).

Near black performance is important, too, and while Panasonic bests Sony in this regard, I understand the A8 gets pretty close, unless you're watching heavily bit starved content.

Then there's upscaling, since I own hundreds of Blu-rays and really don't want to buy all the same films again. Sony's upscaling is arguably the best around.

I also want a TV that sounds decent for non critical viewing (I don't want to use my AVR and speakers all the time). It helps that the A8 does a reasonable job of hiding in plain sight.

Appreciate there are drawbacks, peak brightness being one, if somewhat offset by effective tone mapping.

Those are my priorities. Other people's will no doubt differ. That's where months of contemplation have led me.

i find the Panasonic isn’t a competitor for many people since they don’t produce anything in the 77 inch size which is increasingly more important.
How can it be the most “cinematic” when it tops out at a 65 inch size??

if I could have a reference 55 inch oled studio monitor or the 3rd best 77 inch tv, what do you think would look better on movie night??
 
It's blindingly bright to my eyes. If you look at RTINGS measurements, the A8 and CX are virtually the same - and they even rate the A8 higher for HDR movie performance (might be pixel booster or something else at play). A8 does get better detail according to most reviews which cinephiles will appreciate.
How do owners of A8 find its DV performance, some reviewers say it's a bit dim compared to the CX
 
How do owners of A8 find its DV performance, some reviewers say it's a bit dim compared to the CX

I've got nothing to compare to so would check out Phil's review on here, HDTV Test and RTINGS.

Short answer: Dolby Vision looks outstanding. I've watched End Game, Guardians of the Galaxy and Last Jedi on Disney+ on the A8, all of which are DV titles, and they look fantastic. Mission Impossible also looked darn good on Apple TV. There are two flavours on the TV: I use Dolby Vision Bright (the Dark option is dimmer).

John Wick 3 on Prime is HDR10 only, but to my eyes looked as good as anything on Disney or Apple TV (spectacular btw). I don't have the eyes to pick out HDR10 vs Dolby Vision.
 
i find the Panasonic isn’t a competitor for many people since they don’t produce anything in the 77 inch size which is increasingly more important.
How can it be the most “cinematic” when it tops out at a 65 inch size??

if I could have a reference 55 inch oled studio monitor or the 3rd best 77 inch tv, what do you think would look better on movie night??

It depends what you mean by 'better'? If your sat the recommended viewing distance away from both then the reference monitor will look better. If your sat further away the reference monitor will still be technically more accurate but you may want a bigger screen for more depth, immersion and big screen feel
 
Can't get over Panasonic putting in freesat tuners with no epg menu or 2.1 I sent them a email if they where going to be doing firmware updates on these. Got reply next day no you can get a freesat box and for the hdmi 2.1 no firmware update. I sent another email whats the point of putting in freesat tuners in your tvs that don't work you's could take a bit of cash off your tvs and save customers some cash lol. Guess what no reply so am going for the Sony A8 or the A9 or maybe LG CX but ive saw the A8 in the flesh and the A9 and they look amazing plus Sony will do a firmware update on the hdmi 2.1etc heading this week to check out the LG CX. Just dont get Panasonic or any other of the TV companies this year.
 
Can't get over Panasonic putting in freesat tuners with no epg menu or 2.1 I sent them a email if they where going to be doing firmware updates on these. Got reply next day no you can get a freesat box and for the hdmi 2.1 no firmware update. I sent another email whats the point of putting in freesat tuners in your tvs that don't work you's could take a bit of cash off your tvs and save customers some cash lol. Guess what no reply so am going for the Sony A8 or the A9 or maybe LG CX but ive saw the A8 in the flesh and the A9 and they look amazing plus Sony will do a firmware update on the hdmi 2.1etc heading this week to check out the LG CX. Just dont get Panasonic or any other of the TV companies this year.

Panasonic don't put 'freesat' tuners in their TVs they are just use open satellite tuners. Freesat is a company a manufacturer pay a license to and they supply a menu and EPG.

Panasonics satellite tuners work perfectly fine they just choose not to pay a licence to Freesat as there is a market for having open satellite and not being locked down, I.e open satellite has more HD channels than freesat.

Just watch out, LG offer single tuners of freesat not dual tuners so no recording capabilities and no catch up apps of course (apart from BBC iPlayer). And SONY do not support HDMI 2.1 on their OLEDs and have only recently updated to have Freesat

Sadly its hard to find a TV that does everything these days
 
Do you think it’s possible that Panasonic will finally produce a 77 inch size in 2021? I would totally get one if that’s the case-just can’t downgrade to 65 inches at this point.
Also, I’m sure Canadians can purchase them?
 
Do you think it’s possible that Panasonic will finally produce a 77 inch size in 2021? I would totally get one if that’s the case-just can’t downgrade to 65 inches at this point.
Also, I’m sure Canadians can purchase them?

AFAIK, Panasonic do not operate at all in the North American market, although happy to be corrected. There are also (as yet unsubstantiated) rumours that they are looking to withdraw from the European market as well. I have no idea if this is true, and hope that it is not.

Aside from that, Panasonic have up to now shown no appetite for a 77 inch OLED. Again I do not know why, although I am sure that if they felt it was commercially viable for them they would have looked at it.
 
AFAIK, Panasonic do not operate at all in the North American market, although happy to be corrected. There are also (as yet unsubstantiated) rumours that they are looking to withdraw from the European market as well. I have no idea if this is true, and hope that it is not.

Aside from that, Panasonic have up to now shown no appetite for a 77 inch OLED. Again I do not know why, although I am sure that if they felt it was commercially viable for them they would have looked at it.

thats disappointing. 77 inch would be a beast!
 

The latest video from AVForums

TV Buying Guide - Which TV Is Best For You?
Subscribe to our YouTube channel
Back
Top Bottom