Best televisions of 2014
Vizio E550i-B2
Cnet rating: 4 stars out of 5 The good: The models equipped with local dimming deliver superb picture quality for a very affordable price. The image evinces deep black levels with little to no blooming and great brightroom performance, and it provides for plenty of adjustments. The Smart TV component combines ample content with a simple design. The bad: Color accuracy and video processing is not quite as good as some competitors; it also has poor sound quality, ho-hum styling and a lackluster remote.
The cost: $570 to $918 The bottom line: With picture quality that outdoes numerous more-expensive TVs, Vizio’s E series likely represents the best value of 2014.
Samsung PNF8500
Cnet rating: 4 stars out of 5 The good: The series exhibits outstanding picture quality with a classleading bright-room image, exceedingly deep black levels, very good shadow detail, highly accurate colors and superb off-angle and uniformity characteristics; mind-boggling feature list with touch-pad remote, IR blaster with cable box control, four pairs of 3-D glasses, motion and voice command, and the industry’s most capable Smart TV platform; unique styling with fullwidth ribbon stand and slim-bezel metallic finish. The bad: It's extremely expensive; correct film cadence requires sacrificing some black level; the remote lacks numerous direct commands; and it has imperfect cable box control. It also consumes more power than LCD TVs.
The cost: $1,778 to $2,200 The bottom line: Samsung’s bestperforming TV ever, the series pushes the plasma picture quality envelope, especially in bright rooms.
LG 55EC9300
Cnet rating: 4 stars out of 5 The good: The OLED TV’s picture betters that of any LCD or plasma TV, with perfect black levels and exceedingly bright whites. It’s equally adept in bright and dark rooms, shows accurate color, and looks better from off-angle than any LED LCD. Its 1080p resolution is plenty for a 55-inch screen. The TV looks striking, with organic curves and an insane 0.25-inch depth on most of its body. The bad: Albeit the most-affordable OLED TV yet, it is still very expensive for a 55-inch TV. Its video processing and color accuracy don't measure up to that of the best TVs, and the curved screen introduces some artifacts.
The cost: $3,500 The bottom line: It lives up to the promise of OLED with the best picture quality of any TV we've ever reviewed.
TCL FS4610R (Roku TV)
Cnet rating: 4 stars out of 5 The good: It delivers the simplest, slickest, most comprehensive smart-TV experience on the market. Its superb user interface puts apps and streaming video on the same plane as regular TV. It’s also less expensive than just about any other smart TV. The bad: Mediocre picture quality characterized by lighter black levels, inaccurate color and weak uniformity. Also, it has no Ethernet port.
The cost: $330 The bottom line: The best smart-TV suite combined with aggressive pricing makes the TCL Roku TV a phenomenal value despite its so-so picture quality.