How we test TVs at Yahoo Tech

Modern TVs are awesome, but deciding which modern TV to buy? That's a real challenge. You have to navigate not only all the different brands and sizes, but also the features, software and screen technologies. What separates, say, a 70-inch Insignia Fire TV for $350 and a 55-inch LG OLED for $1,700? More to the point, which one is better for your bedroom, living room, man-cave, she-shed or the like?

To help you answer questions like these and make sure you're spending your money wisely, we test and review and lot of TVs. That's how we ended up with stories like the best budget TVs for 2026 , the best art TVs that turn your wall into a museum and the 85-inch TV that costs less than an iPhone .

But just what goes into all that testing? It's probably different than what you think — and there are reasons for that. Here at Yahoo Tech, when it comes to TVs, we believe two things:

• Most modern TVs range from very good to excellent

• Usability counts nearly as much as picture quality

These tenets inform the way we test — which I'll explain in more detail below.

How we test TVs for image quality

The single most important criterion for TV testing is image quality, right? Yes, but …

See above. Even the cheapest models available today having amazing 4K screens. Obviously there are differences between LED and QLED, QLED and mini-LED, mini-LED and OLED and so on. But we feel a sizable majority of TV viewers wouldn't notice those differences under normal viewing conditions — and/or wouldn't care that much about them.

Case in point: I recently reviewed a Vizio mini-LED TV , which I found to be excellent overall despite having a lower price than a popular TCL QLED model. When I put the two side by side, it was clear the Vizio had a much better picture: brighter, more colorful, etc.

But when I viewed the TCL by itself, I still found it sufficiently bright and colorful for nearly everything I watched. Indeed, viewed in a vacuum, I thought the picture quality to be excellent (and said as much in my review ).

And here's supporting proof: If you look at the lab test-oriented reviews for a mid-tier or budget TV, you'll probably learn that it did poorly on black levels, exhibited some light bleed at the edges or had the green dialed up too much. And so perhaps that review awarded it 3 or 3.5 stars out of 5. Then look up the same TV at Amazon, Best Buy and other stores; you'll likely see a much higher average user rating and lots of glowing user reviews.

Why? Because once you start a new episode of Widow's Bay , you don't notice if the nighttime background has a slight gray tint instead of being 100% black .And just because one TV has a wider color gamut than another doesn't mean you're going to enjoy House of the Dragon any more.

All this is to say that we don't do any lab-style testing on TVs. Instead, we do this:

Step one: Disable motion-smoothing

Motion-smoothing (also known as Action Smoothing, Auto Motion Plus, TruMotion, Motionflow and so on, depending on the TV manufacturer) was invented by Satan and set as the default mode by his minions.

Many also know it by this pejorative: the soap-opera effect, so named because it makes everything look like flat, jarring daytime video. It's hideous, and my eyes cannot abide it. So the first thing I do is disable it — and you should do the same. (Unless you primarily watch sports and play videogames, in which case motion-smoothing is maybe worth using. But only for those two things.)

Step two: Watch key scenes in movies and TV shows

In keeping with our real-world methodology, we watch select scenes in particular movies and TV shows — those that we know can trip up lesser TVs.

Solo: A Star Wars Story : I usually start by watching the first 10 minutes of this Han Solo origin story. A lot of the early scenes look dark and muddy, at least on models with sub-par brightness and contrast:

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse : This action-packed, color-drenched animated feature is great for gauging not only color reproduction, but also levels of detail:

Mythic Quest , S3, E1: About 15 minutes into this episode, there's a scene that takes place in a brightly lit, all-white hallway. That's perfect for spotting any gradations (which can also appear in solid colors). Ideally the background should be a brilliant, solid white with no bleeding or blooming.

All this is to say that our picture testing is all about finding any obvious, glaring flaws. Occasionally something will crop up in a budget model, but on the whole — sorry to repeat myself — modern TVs look amazing.

How we test TVs for audio quality

This is another category in which there's an almost axiomatic truth: Most TV speakers are mediocre; some are outright terrible.

Two reasons. First, there's not enough space inside a flat-screen cabinet to accommodate anything but small, underpowered speakers.

Second, they're usually pointed down or to the rear, exactly where your ears aren't. Consequently, you end up with sound that's flat, muffled, tinny or some combination of the three.

So here's how we test:

First, while watching the aforementioned movies/TV shows, we set the volume at a comfortable level (usually around 20%). Is there any warmth to the sound? Are we able to hear dialogue clearly? Can we detect any bass?

Then we crank the volume to 50%, which is what we might want for, say, an action movie. Now we're listening for any shrillness or distortion — basically anything that makes this volume level unpleasant.

Spoiler alert: Some TVs sound okay, maybe even decent, at 20%, but a lot get pretty rough at 50%. But regardless of volume, the audio almost never lives up to the video. Your eyes get the royal treatment; your ears get the short end of the stick. (Rare exception: The Roku Pro Series TV , which has the best built-in speakers of any I've tested.)

That's why we always urge readers to consider a soundbar , because even a cheap one will vastly improve a TV's overall audio quality — and a good one will elevate it even further with dialogue enhancement, deep bass, surround sound and more.

How we test TVs for usability

If you've ever felt like you need a degree in computer science just to operate a modern TV, we feel you. That's why the first thing we look at are the instructions: unboxing, setup, operation, etc.

Ideally these should be printed, comprehensive and easy to read — meaning print size that doesn't require a magnifying glass. And there should be actual print, not just a series of cryptic illustrations.

A lot of TV makers provide only the most scant print matter, instead requiring you to scan a QR code to read an inscrutable manual on your phone or watch a setup video. We consider this a pretty significant usability demerit; you shouldn't have to jump through hoops just to learn how to operate your device.

As for setting up and actually using the TV, because they're all "smart" these days, the setup process typically involves getting connected to your home Wi-Fi network, then clicking through various steps for things like signing into an account, identifying connected devices, choosing streaming apps and so on.

For some, this is familiar and straightforward — not altogether different from setting up a new phone. But some setup processes are definitely easier than others; we always point out when we encounter something confusing or unnecessarily complicated.

Finally, there's the operating system, the software that provides the interface for interacting with the TV. Many models employ one of the following:

• Amazon Fire TV

• Google TV

• Roku

For the record, I think Roku offers the best user experience, following by Google and then Amazon. Meanwhile, Samsung, LG, Sony and Vizio are among the companies that have their own software — and, again, some are better than others.

Good usability means a home screen that isn't overly cluttered, a menu system that isn't complicated to navigate, a settings section that provides easy access to what you're looking for and so on. We're also looking for speed: There should be no lag when you're scrolling, and apps should load quickly — within a few seconds, tops.

Oh, and if the interface is littered with ads? Yuck. You can bet we'll call that out.

Worth noting: If you don't like a TV's interface (speed, design or whatever), you can always bypass it by adding a streaming device : an Apple TV 4K, a Roku Ultra, etc.

Curious about other Yahoo Tech testing procedures? Check out How we test headphones and earbuds .