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In each CNET TV review, I compare three or more similar TVs side-by-side in a dedicated, light-controlled testing lab. With every review, I use a rigorous, unbiased evaluation process honed through more than two decades of TV reviews. I test TVs using a combination of scientific measurements and real-world evaluations of TV, movie and gaming content.
To make sure I can evaluate the picture quality of each TV, I connect each one to a TV AVPro Connect 8×8 Splitter 4K HDR so each one receives the same signal. I test TVs using different lighting conditions, playing different media, including 4K HDR movies and console games, across a variety of test categories, from color to video processing to gaming to HDR.
In order to measure each TV, I use specialized equipment to rank them according to light output and color. My devices include a Konica Minolta CS-2000 Spectrophotometer and a Moredio sex ji 4K HDR signal generator. I use The portrait shows CalMan Ultimate A program that rates each TV I review according to its brightness, black levels, and color.
The Leo Bodnar Lag Tester tests three areas of the screen for response time, and averages them to give a lag score for each TV
I play a variety of games from the Xbox Series Helpfully, Xbox includes a 4K/120Hz and HDR compatibility test: Settings > TV & Display Options > 4K TV Details. The page will detail which HDR modes it supports (including Dolby Atmos) and whether it will support VRR – if your TV gets check marks in all the boxes, it means it has the best compatibility with high-end Xbox games.
Our reviews also take into account things like features, design, smart TV performance, connectivity including HDMI inputs, and gaming compatibility.
Measuring input lag (in milliseconds) is an important component of my work testing gaming TVs.
Check the page on How CNET tests TVs For more details.
Input lag is often lower in Game mode than in any other mode on your TV. Here are some of the gaming-specific aspects I looked at for each TV.
How to play game mode. In most cases, it doesn’t display in game mode automatically, so you’ll have to turn it on manually, and sometimes it can be difficult to find the gaming monitor setting. Many of them use a picture mode called “Game,” while others, like Samsung and Vizio, let you apply Game mode to any setting.
Game mode makes a difference, but not at all the frequencies. As you can see in the table above, many TVs significantly reduce lag when Game Mode is on, but many don’t. In general, more expensive TVs with elaborate video processing get more benefit when Game Mode is on. Additionally, as I mentioned above, Boost mode on LG OLEDs only works at 60Hz, not 120Hz.
Most TV game modes are good enough for most gamers. No matter how stressed you are, it will be so It’s hard to tell the difference Between 10 and 30 milliseconds of input lag. Many gamers won’t be able to tell the difference between turning game mode on and off – it all depends on the game and your sensitivity to lag.
Turning on Game Mode may hurt image quality (slightly). TV makers’ listings often mention low picture quality. Low image quality is usually the result of video processing being turned off. However, in my experience, the differences in image quality are really subtle with console games, and are worth the trade-off if you want to reduce lag for a great gaming experience.
4K HDR gaming lag is different from 1080p. The display resolution you play at has an impact, and since the new consoles stand out more prominently 4K HDR For gaming, I started testing 4K HDR lag in 2018. Overall, the numbers are similar to lag with standard 1080p resolution, but as you can see from the chart above, there are exceptions.
Testing is an inexact science. I use Leo Bodnar lag testers. Here’s how it works, and how I use it. I use two Bodnar lag testers—one at 1080p and one at 4K HDR—which use built-in optical sensors to measure and report input lag. When connected to an HDMI port, Bodnars makes the screen flash in three different places and places the on-board optical sensor on the screen at those spots. They calculate the lag at each position, then average the three readings to get the result. You may see different lag test results from different review outlets, which may use Bodnar or another method.