In every CNET TV review, I compare three or more similar TVs side by side in a dedicated, light-controlled test lab. With each review, I employ a rigorous, unbiased evaluation process that has been honed by more than two decades of TV reviews. I test TVs with a combination of scientific measurements and real-world evaluations of TV, movies and gaming content.
To ensure I can evaluate the picture quality of every TV, I connect each one to an AVPro Connect 8×8 4K HDR splitter so each one receives the same signal. I test the TVs using various 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 grade them according to light output and color. My hardware includes a Konica Minolta CS-2000 spectroradiometer and a Murideo Six-G 4K HDR signal generator. I use Portrait Displays CalMan Ultimate software to evaluate every TV I review according to its brightness, black levels and color.
The Leo Bodnar Lag Tester samples three regions of the screen for latency, and these are averaged to give each TV’s lag score
I play a variety of games from an Xbox Series X or PlayStation 5, and note the effects of gaming modes and settings as well as the 4K/120Hz and VRR input capabilities. Helpfully, the Xbox includes a 4K/120Hz and HDR compatibility test: Settings>TV and display options>4K TV details. The page will detail the HDR modes it supports (including Dolby Atmos) and whether it will support VRR — if a TV gets ticks in all the boxes it means it has the best compatibility with high-end Xbox games.
Our reviews also account for such things as features, design, smart TV performance, connectivity including HDMI inputs and gaming compatibility.
Measuring input lag (in milliseconds) is an important component of my process for testing gaming TVs.
Check out the page on how CNET tests TVs for more details.
Input lag will often be lower in game mode than in any other mode on your TV. Here are a few more gaming-specific aspects I looked at for each TV.
How to turn on game mode. In most cases, viewing in game mode isn’t automatic, so you’ll have to turn it on manually, and sometimes the gaming monitor setting can be difficult to find. Many use a picture mode called “Game” while some, like Samsung and Vizio, let you apply game mode to any setting.
Game mode makes a difference, but not at all frequencies. As you can see in the table above, many TVs cut lag substantially when you turn on game mode, but plenty don’t. In general, expensive TVs with elaborate video processing get more of a benefit when you engage game mode. Additionally, and as I noted above, the Boost mode on LG OLEDs only works on 60Hz and not 120Hz.
Most TV game modes are good enough for most gamers. No matter how twitchy you are, it’s going to be tough to tell the difference between 10 and 30 milliseconds of input lag. Many gamers won’t even be able to discern between having game mode on and off — it all depends on the game and your sensitivity to lag.
Turning game mode on can hurt image quality (a little). TV-makers’ menus often refer to reduced picture quality. Reduced picture quality is generally the result of turning off that video processing. In my experience, however, the differences in image quality are really subtle with console gaming, and worth the trade-off if you want to minimize 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 new consoles prominently feature 4K HDR output for games, I started testing for 4K HDR lag in 2018. In general, the numbers are similar to the 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 they work, and how I use them. I use two of these Bodnar lag testers — one in 1080p and one in 4K HDR — which use onboard optical sensors to measure and report input lag. When plugged into an HDMI port, the Bodnars make the screen flash in three different places and you place the unit’s onboard optical sensor flush onto the screen at these points. They calculate the lag at each position and you average the three readings to get a score. You might see different lag test results from different review outlets, which may use Bodnar or another method.
