Mar 8 Podcast #886: Best Smart TVs for Streaming
More and more people are streaming content these days. At one time it was a cool novelty but today it's how many of us get our television. Netflix and Amazon are at the forefront of 4K UHD content followed closely behind by Apple, Amazon, and Google. So with all this content out there you may be asking yourself which TV should buy that works best with streaming content.
| Download this Episode. |
Support the show with Patreon!
Listen to the show
Today's Show:
News:
- Hulu's Live-TV Service Has Quietly Signed up 2 Million Subscribers, Reports Say
- TiVo plans business segmentation
- Amazon ends Dash button sales
- Privacy concerns still a barrier to smart home adoption
Other:
RTINGS - Best Smart TVs for Streaming
More and more people are streaming content these days. At one time it was a cool novelty but today it's how many of us get our television. Netflix and Amazon are at the forefront of 4K UHD content followed closely behind by Apple, Amazon, and Google. So with all this content out there you may be asking yourself which TV should buy that works best with streaming content.
Luckily for us the people at RTINGS.com have compiled a list of The 7 Best Smart TVs for Streaming. We’ll run through the list but if you want the full details follow the link to the article on their site.
Best Smart TV For Streaming: LG B8
With an overall rating of 8.8 the LG B8 4K Ultra HD Smart OLED TV is the overall best TV for streaming content. Coming in 55” ($1596) and 65” ($2596) it won’t break the bank either. The guys at RTNGS say the B8 is as good as the more expensive C8! From the article: The picture quality is remarkable and equally good as the more expensive LG C8. The B8 displays perfect blacks and this makes dark room performance outstanding. It has a wide color gamut with vivid colors and bright highlights that look great when watching HDR. Viewing angles are very good, and this makes the TV suitable for a room with a wide seating arrangement.
- Movies 9.3
- TV Shows 8.5
- Sports 8.7
- Video Games 9.0
- HDR Movies 9.0
- HDR Gaming 8.8
- PC Monitor 8.4
Best Mid-Range Smart TV For Streaming: Sony X900F
If your budget does not allow for the LG, Sony has you covered with the X900F LED UHD TV with an overall rating of 8.4. The TV does not have the off angle viewing or same deep blacks as the LG OLED but it still has some chops of it's own. From the article: HDR content playback is excellent, as it can produce bright and vivid highlights with very accurate colors. Motion handling is excellent, as the TV has a fast response time and the ability to flicker the backlight to make motion crisper.
- Movies 8.5
- TV Shows 8.2
- Sports 8.1
- Video Games 8.6
- HDR Movies 8.4
- HDR Gaming 8.5
- PC Monitor 8.3
Best Budget Smart TV For Streaming: TCL R617
If you are budget constrained and are in the market for a streamer Braden’s goto manufacturer, TCL, makes the list with the R617 and an overall score of 8.0. You can pick up the largest (75” 75R617) in the series for $1900! TCL manufactures good TVs at very reasonable prices but don’t expect them to compare to the OLED. From the article: the R617 is a very good TV with good picture quality. It can get very bright and has great HDR performance with saturated colors and highlights that pop. Dark room performance is also very good, thanks to the deep blacks produced by the high native contrast ratio and good local dimming.
- Movies 8.0
- TV Shows 7.7
- Sports 7.6
- Video Games 8.6
- HDR Movies 8.1
- HDR Gaming 8.4
- PC Monitor 8.3
Reader Comments (1)
Ara and Braden,
Don’t you guys have any fiber Internet options? Verizon Fios, AT&T Fiber, Frontier FiOS, or CenturyLink Fiber? Besides the symmetrical downstream/upstream rates and lower latency, you also typically have no data caps. I have Frontier FiOS in Florida and it’s amazing. 200/200 Mbps and no data caps for around $55 per month after taxes and fees.