Sony’s next-gen OLED is ‘best 4K TV’ of 2022, says expert panel
Sony’s QD-OLED snags top honor in TV Shootout
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Value Electronics, an A/V retailer located just outside New York City, has been conducting an annual ‘TV Shootout’ for nearly two decades. The Shootout traditionally gathers a panel of TV testing experts and puts them in front of thebest 4K TVsto decide which one is the absolute best – an honor thatSonyearned this year for itsA95K QD-OLEDmodel.
With the rise of8KTVs, the Value Electronics test has expanded in 2022 to include a separate test for that category, withLG’s Z2OLEDmodel taking the 8K crown at this year’s Shootout.
4K TVs competing in the 2022 TV Shootout:
8K TVs competing in the 2022 TV Shootout:
To create an even playing field for the evaluation, each TV is first adjusted by a professional TV calibrator. The sets are then arrayed side by side along with a 32-inch Sony professional broadcast reference monitor, and fed test patterns and regular movie scenes over a video distribution network. This arrangement allows for the expert participants to evaluate the TVs simultaneously, with their votes tabulated to determine the winner in each category.
The evaluations covered standard high-definition content displayed in both a bright and dark viewing environment, and4Khigh dynamic range (HDR) in a dark viewing environment. For the HDR tests, each set was further evaluated for “tone mapping,” or its performance when scaling the full contrast range of incoming HDR programs to the display’s maximum brightness capability.
Is QD-OLED the best TV tech?
The Sony QD-OLED had a first place standing in each testing category in the Value Electronics Shootout, and was followed closely bySamsung’s own S95B QD-OLED model. That result says quite a bit about the future for thenew TV technology, which combines the best qualities of OLED with the Quantum Dots tech used by QLED TVs.
LG’sG2 OLEDalso closely trailed Sony’s QD-OLED in the 4K TV test. This tells us that regular OLED is still a viable contender, especially models like LG’s G2 andC2that use the company’s higher brightness ‘evo’ panels. In fact, the G2 bested the Sony A95K in the peak brightness and 4K picture detail categories of the Value Electronics test.
The LG Z2 OLED model was also the winner in the 8K category, which proves that OLED can be expanded to even higher resolutions and greater screen sizes (the Z2 is only available in 77- and 88-inch options) and still successfully compete with the best QLED TVs.
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What’s really interesting about the results of this test is the pricing aspect. At around $4,000 / £3,499 in a 65-inch screen size, Sony’s award-winning XR-A95K is one of the most expensive 4K TVs you can buy – not surprising given that it uses next-gen display tech.
But theSamsung S95Bwhich uses the same display technology and was nipping at the Sony QD-OLED’s heels in the Value Electronics evaluation, is only around $2,600 / £2,799, making it the test’s real value champ.
You won’t go wrong with any of the sets that participated in this test, since they are all top models from top brands. But if getting a good deal is also of interest, you may want to do further research before simply forking over hard-earned cash for an award-winning flagship TV.
Al Griffin has been writing about and reviewing A/V tech since the days LaserDiscs roamed the earth, and was previously the editor of Sound & Vision magazine.
When not reviewing the latest and greatest gear or watching movies at home, he can usually be found out and about on a bike.
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