10 Best TVs Of The Year 2014

1.
Sony XBR-65X900B (Sony KD-65X9005B in the UK)
 

Sony’s TV division has had a hit and miss 2014, even where some of its 4K TVs are concerned. The 65X900B, though, is definitely one of the hits.

For starters, picture quality is superb. Thanks to Sony’s Triluminos colour technology, an outstanding backlight control system, and its excellent 4K X-Reality Pro processing engine the 65X900B produces gorgeously detailed, colour-rich yet natural images with both native 4K content and upscaled HD. Its large 65-inch screen is a great forum for showing off the benefits of 4K resolution too.

The 65X900B isn’t just good at pictures, either. Its large, front-facing magnetic fluid speakers also produce the most powerful sound I’ve heard from a ‘mainstream’ TV. Throw in support for 4K streaming and HDMI 2.0 ports to support 4K 60p feeds and you’ve got a set that’s unusually well equipped for the 4K revolution.

The only catch is that those speakers do make the 65X900B a fairly massive beast to fit in your living room.

2.
Samsung UN65HU9000 (Samsung UE65HU8500 in the UK)

Might as well get the controversial bit about the UN65HU9000 out of the way first: it’s curved. 

But even if you’re not convinced by the curved concept it’s impossible to deny that the 65-inch UN65HU9000 is a seriously accomplished 4K TV.

One of its highlight attractions is its spectacular sharpness. No other set tries harder to ram home the raw impact of having 3840×2160 pixels to play with, regardless of whether you’re watching native 4K or upscaled HD. It does no harm to the UN65HU9000’s 4K clarity that its panel’s wide colour gamut technology and advanced colour processing make it uniquely qualified in Samsung’s range when it comes to displaying the almost infinitely smooth colour blends 4K makes possible.

 

Another star attraction of the UN65HU9000 is its use of an external box to provide the TV’s ‘brains’ and connections. This box can be replaced in the coming years to take account of potential new connection or video formats – a great comfort while we still wait for all the specifications of the new 4K world to be finalised.

 The UN65HU9000’s sound isn’t as strong as that of some rivals this year, and the curved screen can cause reflection issues in bright rooms and geometry issues from wide viewing angles. But in every other way the UN65HU9000 is a spectacular demonstration of what 4K can bring to the picture quality party.  

3.

Panasonic TC-58AX800 (Panasonic TX-58AX802 in Europe)

   

The first of two Panasonic 4K TVs to make this top 10 list, the main attraction of the 58-inch 58AX800 is that it offers arguably the best all-round value in the 4K TV world right now. Sure, there are much cheaper 4K TVs out there, but they all come with such significant picture quality or connectivity strings attached that they don’t really make sense to buy. The 58AX800 is the cheapest TV I’ve tested that genuinely delivers 4K’s picture quality impact while also – following a recent update that introduced Netflix 4K streaming support – catering fairly well for the current rather meagre crop of 4K sources.

Picture quality is mostly excellent, with exceptional sharpness, beautifully rich colours and some strong motion handling. The 58AX800 is also much better at upscaling HD content to 4K than most other remotely affordable 4K TVs, and I’m a fan of its operating system too, with its customisable menus and support for multiple user ‘home screens’.
Its contrast performance isn’t quite as assured as that of the other 4K TVs featured here, and nor are its pictures as bright as I’d ideally like. But the 58AX900 still beats other ‘affordable’ 4K TVs into a cocked hat.

4.
Samsung UN55HU8550 (Samsung UE55HU7500 in the UK)
 

While Samsung has saved its absolute top-level picture technology for its high-end HU9000 curved TVs, the Korean brand does still impress with a more affordable and, crucially, flat range of 4K models: the HU8550 series.

These TVs excel in many ways. As with the flagship HU9000 series sharpness levels with native 4K content and upscaled HD are intense, and contrast is excellent (once you’ve reduced the backlight from Samsung’s perpetually over-aggressive preset levels). The 55HU8550 also retains good levels of 4K sharpness when showing motion, and while colours lack the intensity of the HU9000s they still look vibrant and believable.

One last bit of good news is that although the 55HU8550 doesn’t come with one of Samsung’s ‘One Connect’ external connections/processing boxes, it is capable of having one added for a degree of future-proofing.

 
5.
Panasonic TC-65AX900 (Panasonic TX-65AX902 in the UK)

Back in January, at the 2014 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Panasonic boldly claimed that by the end of this year it would deliver an LCD TV that was at least as good as the best of its now-defunct plasma TVs.

The ‘plasma beating’ LCD TV in question is the 65-inch 65AX900 (already out in Europe, coming soon to the US). And against all the odds – especially considering it’s built using an IPS-type panel, which usually struggle with contrast – it really does deliver a credible impersonation of plasma’s picture qualities.

 

Once you’ve set it up right, for instance, its direct LED lighting system and uniquely sophisticated local dimming technology produces remarkably inky black colours for an IPS screen. Even better, this is achieved while retaining hugely impressive amounts of the shadow detailing and dark colour subtleties that LCD TVs traditionally struggle with. This sort of dark detail is especially welcome on a 4K TV, where any shortage of detail is particularly upsetting.

The 65AX900 doesn’t deliver colours as punchy as those of Samsung and Sony’s 4K TVs, but it does produce a range of tones so subtle and accurate that at times I saw details in my regular test content that I’d never seen before. It’s no accident that the 65AX900 can accurately deliver more established video standards than any other TV.

6 .

Sony KDL-50W800B (Sony KDL-50W829 in the UK)

The 50-inch 50W800B is arguably the best example yet of Sony’s newly aggressive approach to the TV market. For despite being eye-catchingly cheap for what is actually a fairly high-level HD TV it still delivers some really excellent picture quality.

Contrast and especially black level response is miles better than the vast majority of 2014’s competition, which helps colours look vibrant and pictures look detailed, even during dark scenes. 

  

Sony’s smart TV service has improved greatly this year too, and while there’s certainly still further room for improvement the amount of online content on offer is definitely an extra attraction for the 50W800B’s money.

Sony’s set struggles with 3D if you’re one of the half dozen people who still cares about that, and its build quality is a touch flimsy. But this is all easy enough to forgive when you see the sort of 2D pictures you’re getting for your relatively small outlay.

 

7.

LG 55EC9300 (LG 55EC930V in the UK)

  

The OLED revolution has officially started. Again… But wait, honestly, I think it’s going to stick this time – if only because LG has sunk so much into it that it probably can’t afford for the technology to sink back beneath the AV waves.

Anyway, sets like the 55EC9300 certainly make me hope OLED really is here to stay, for even though we’re still fairly early on in OLED’s development as a consumer TV proposition its picture quality is in most ways mind blowing.

 

For instance, the way OLED technology allows each individual pixel to produce its own luminance level means its contrast performance is in a class of its own versus other flat TV technologies. In particular, where pictures should look black they actually look black, rather than grey or misty.

8.

Samsung UN48H6400 (Samsung UE48H6400 in the UK)

 

With HD TVs having their prices murdered by the growing popularity of 4K TVs, 2014 has thrown up some real HD bargains. And the UN48H6400 is one of them.

The sort of prices being asked for this 48-inch TV now are incredibly low considering what a fine feast of picture quality and smart TV features it has to offer.

Where pictures are concerned, you get an impressive contrast range (even after reducing the backlight to counteract some initial backlight clouding), rich but still accurate colours and exceptional sharpness for an HD TV. And this sharpness doesn’t reduce as much as might have been expected when there’s motion to handle.

 

As for its smart features, no other brand currently offers such a wide selection of apps and video streaming services – even if the UN48H6400 makes them a little hard to find through its slightly cumbersome onscreen interface.

3D doesn’t look especially great on the UN48H6400 if that bothers you, and the TV’s speakers aren’t very powerful. But with so many rival HD TVs falling flat this year the UN48H6400’s offer of mid-range picture quality for near-budget pricing is hard to resist.  

9.

Sony KDL-40W600B (the Sony KDL-40W605B in the UK)

While some of Sony’s much more expensive TVs struggled in 2014 (particularly the W9 series and X850 4K series), the relatively humble 40-inch 40W600B delivers a brilliant combination of picture quality and value.

Again, the key to its success versus an alarming number of its 2014 LCD rivals is its ability to produce a good contrast range, complete with reasonably rich, natural black colours. A good contrast performance is for me the foundation of a good picture, as it also helps TVs produce more natural colour palettes and more shadow detail in dark areas – a fact underlined by the 40W600B’s wider performance.

 

Obviously you do have to accept a few compromises in return for getting such good picture quality from such an affordable TV. Its pictures aren’t very bright when set up right, its design looks and feels pretty plasticky, and its audio quality isn’t up to much. But frankly for the sort of money the 40W600B is going for now just getting good picture quality can be considered a minor miracle.

10.

Samsung UN40H5500 (Samsung UE40H5500 in the UK)

 

Given my reluctance to recommend many premium HD TVs given their price proximity to 4K sets now, it’s not surprising that we’re in ‘high value’ territory again with the final TV on my top 10 list. And given how many brands have struggled to get their LCD TV picture quality act together this year, at least with any consistency, it’s also not very surprising that the UN40H5500 is another Samsung set. Hopefully more brands will be challenging for a place in next year’s TV top 10, but for now I can only work with what I’ve been given!  

  

The 40-inch UN40H5500 is insanely good for its budget price, combining punchy, clean pictures free of the typical budget TV softness and murkiness with a full iteration of Samsung’s content-rich smart TV platform.

There are weaknesses, inevitably. Some shadow details go AWOL during dark scenes, and motion blurs a little. Plus there’s sometimes visible noise over areas of very fine detail. But these are very minor hiccups in the context of the budget TV world at large.
Source:forbes