Choosing the Best TV For Your Room - A Buyer's Guide (2025)

What to look for when buying a TV for your living room, theater, bedroom, or office.

Location of TV

The location of your TV helps determine which black levels, brightness, and viewing angles best meet your needs.

Black Levels

Poor black levels result in a lack of true black in outer space scenes, dark indoor shots, and end credits. Instead, blacks appear gray or washed out.

The deep blacks provided by good black levels are most noticeable in dimly lit rooms like a dark family room, bedroom, or home theater. If you watch TV in daylight or bright rooms, the benefits of superior black levels become less apparent.

Black Levels
LED	Limited
QLED	Limited
OLED	Excellent
Mini-LED	Very Good
MicroLED	Excellent

Brightness

If you plan to watch TV in daylight or a bright room, choose a TV with higher brightness levels. Brightness matters most in well-lit environments since the TV must compete with ambient lighting. For example, a well-lit living room or office requires a TV with strong peak brightness capabilities.

Peak Brightness
LED	Good
QLED	Excellent
OLED	Moderate
Mini-LED	Excellent
MicroLED	Excellent

Light bleed, or backlight bleed, is more noticeable during nighttime viewing or in rooms with low light. If you plan to place your TV in a dark room, choose a TV with minimal light bleed. OLED and QD-OLED TVs eliminate this issue entirely since they don't use backlights.

You can learn more about backlight bleed in LED TVs.

Backlight Bleed
LED	Yes
QLED	Yes
OLED	No
Mini-LED	Minimal
MicroLED	No

Viewing Angles

Are you planning to view your new TV with family or friends in a family room or theater room? If so, you'll want a TV with good viewing angles. Wider viewing angles maintain optimal picture quality (brightness, colors, contrast) even when viewing the screen from the side. If you primarily watch TV straight on, viewing angles are less important.

Viewing Angle
LED	Good
QLED	Good
OLED	Excellent
Mini-LED	Good
MicroLED	Excellent

TV Type Comparison

Here we compare the qualities of the most common TV types available today.

TV Type Comparison
	LED	QLED	OLED	Mini-LED	MicroLED
Viewing Angle	Good	Good	Excellent	Good	Excellent
Black Levels	Limited	Limited	Excellent	Very Good	Excellent
Color Accuracy	Good	Excellent	Excellent	Excellent	Excellent
Burn-in Risk	No	No	Yes	No	Minimal
Peak Brightness	Good	Excellent	Moderate	Excellent	Excellent
Lifespan	60K+ Hours	60K+ Hours	100K+ Hours	60K+ Hours	100K+ Hours
Contrast Ratio	3K-6K:1	4K-8K:1	Infinite	10K-100K:1	Infinite
Response Time	Good	Good	Excellent	Very Good	Excellent
Backlight Bleed	Yes	Yes	No	Minimal	No
Price Range	$	$$	$$$	$$$$	$$$$$

Types of TVs

There are many different types of TVs available. Below we break down the various aspects of each type to help you understand them better. Each TV type offers different trade-offs, so you can choose what best fits your needs and budget.

Check out my OLED TV Recommendations and QLED TV Recommendations below.

QLED

Price: $$

For Those Who Want: The best colors and don't want to worry about screen burn-in.

Description: QLEDs (quantum dot light-emitting diode) use LEDs that light up LCD panels. Between the two layers is a quantum dot layer that filters the light to produce more saturated and pure colors. TVs made with quantum dots are termed QLED by Samsung, TLC, Vizio, and Hisense.

OLED

Price: $$$

For Those Who Want: Watching in large groups, benefiting from the wide viewing angle. Not made for those who'll watch static scenes like a PC monitor due to screen burn-in.

Description: OLED (organic light-emitting diode) TVs have pixels that can individually adjust the brightness, allowing for darker black levels. OLED TVs have excellent picture quality and wide viewing angles.

LED

Price: $

For Those Who Want: The best value with the best range in sizes.

Description: LED (light-emitting diode) is a widely used technology for lighting up an LCD panel. Most LED TVs have a reasonable contrast ratio, high brightness, and narrow viewing angles.

Neo QLED

Price: $$$$

For Those Who Want: The great colors of QLED but with better contrast, larger screen size, and higher resolution options (8K).

Description: A mix of QLED and Mini LED, allowing a better contrast ratio. These TVs use the Mini LED backlight array to more precisely show bright scenes with dark objects without washing out the darker parts (halo effect).

MicroLED

Price: $$$$$

For Those Who Want: The benefits of OLED without the chance of screen burn-in.

Description: Similar to OLED, with self-emitting light, but doesn't suffer from burn-in. The smallest version of LED lights.

NanoCell

Price: $$

For Those Who Want: A less costly alternative to QLED and OLED and better than LED/LCD.

Description: Increased image quality compared to LED. Lower contrast than QLED or OLED. Wide viewing angles.

Mini LED

Price: $$$$

For Those Who Want: Good contrast ratio.

Description: Mini LED refers to the backlight array that more precisely shows bright scenes with dark objects without washing out the darker parts (blooming/halo effect). Mini LED displays use around 30,000 mini LEDs for lighting the screen and have around 2,500 dimming zones.

QNED

Price: $$$$

For Those Who Want: A compromise between QLED and OLED.

Description: QNED (Quantum NanoCell Emitting Diodes) is a combination of NanoCell LCD and Mini LED. This limits blooming and improves contrast ratio and peak brightness. Not as dark blacks as OLED, but better than QLED.

Resolution

Higher resolution provides a crisper, more detailed picture, provided the content you're displaying supports that resolution. Most 4K TVs include upscaling features that can enhance lower resolution content.

4K resolution is now the standard for modern TVs. While 8K offers the highest resolution, most streaming services, broadcasts, and physical media don't support it yet. For 2025, 4K remains more than sufficient for nearly all viewing purposes.

You can learn more about TV resolution.

TV Resolutions
	Resolution
8K UHD (Ultra HD)	7680 x 4320
4K UHD (Ultra HD)	3840 x 2160
1440p / QHD (Quad HD)	2560 x 1440
1080p / FHD (Full HD)	1920 x 1080
720p / HD (High Definition)	1280 x 720

TV Resolution Comparison TV Resolution Comparison TechReviewer

Motion Handling

Response time and refresh rate determine how well a TV handles motion. Lower response times and higher refresh rates produce better results. If you primarily watch movies and TV shows, mid-range motion handling is sufficient. However, you'll want excellent motion handling if you play fast-paced games on the latest consoles or watch sports frequently.

Response Time
LED	Good
QLED	Good
OLED	Excellent
Mini-LED	Very Good
MicroLED	Excellent

Color Accuracy

Excellent color accuracy ensures you get the most accurate and naturally vivid images on your screen. Color accuracy is one of the most critical aspects to consider when purchasing a TV, as it directly affects picture quality across all content types.

Color Accuracy
LED	Good
QLED	Excellent
OLED	Excellent
Mini-LED	Excellent
MicroLED	Excellent

HDR

High dynamic range (HDR) is now a standard feature on most modern TVs. It enhances your picture by expanding the contrast ratio and color range to create a more realistic, natural image. Common HDR formats include HDR10, HDR10+, Dolby Vision, and HLG. To enjoy this feature, the content you watch must be mastered in HDR format.

Contrast Ratio
LED	3K-6K:1
QLED	4K-8K:1
OLED	Infinite
Mini-LED	10K-100K:1
MicroLED	Infinite

Lifespan

Most modern TV types can last ten years or more with regular use. Higher-end brands and models typically have longer lifespans due to superior components and build quality. Just because a budget TV has similar specifications doesn't mean it's equivalent to premium models. You generally get what you pay for in terms of longevity and reliability.

Average Lifespan
	Lifespan
LED	60K+ Hours
QLED	60K+ Hours
OLED	100K+ Hours
Mini-LED	60K+ Hours
MicroLED	100K+ Hours

My OLED TV Recommendations

LG C5 OLED TV (Best)

This is an exceptional TV for any use, whether for movies, games, sports, or as a PC monitor.
Fast refresh rates reduce motion blur and make animations smoother.
This TV has wide viewing angles, perfect for many people watching TV together (like most OLED TVs).
It has an extreme contrast ratio capable of producing pitch-black scenes without suffering from blooming.
This TV offers improved brightness compared to previous generations, making it suitable for most room lighting conditions.
This has the fastest response time for smooth fast-moving content, great for games or sports.
The LG C5 OLED TV also supports very low input lag and variable refresh rate, both of which are also needed for gaming.
It's superb for HDR content due to its extreme contrast ratio and wide color gamut.
Check the latest price of the LG C5 OLED TV on Amazon

Sony BRAVIA 8 II TV

This TV has superb picture quality with an extreme contrast ratio, perfect for your home theater room.
The Sony BRAVIA 8 II TV has excellent color out of the box, so there's no need for color calibration.
This TV offers improved brightness performance, making it suitable for various room lighting conditions.
This TV has Google TV built-in, allowing you to watch from most of your streaming services quickly and smoothly.
The Sony BRAVIA 8 II TV has very low input lag and quick response time, both of which are excellent for sports and gaming.
Check the latest price of the Sony BRAVIA 8 II TV on Amazon

My Samsung QLED TV Recommendations

Samsung QN90B Neo QLED (Best)

This is an exceptional TV for any use, whether for movies, games, sports or as a PC monitor.
It's the "Neo" QLED variant, which has an excellent contrast ratio and deep blacks.
This will also work great in a bright room.
The Samsung QN90B Neo QLED also supports low input lag, variable refresh rate, and fast response time, all of which are needed for gaming.
Check the latest price of the Samsung QN90B Neo QLED on Amazon

Samsung QN85B QLED

This is an excellent Neo QLED TV variant for use in bright rooms while having fantastic response time, low input lag, and vivid natural colors.
The Samsung QN85B QLED has wide viewing angles and high brightness to overcome screen glare.
It's superb for HDR content due to its high brightness and wide color gamut.
A negative to this TV is that it has lower contrast compared to the QN90B.
Check the latest price of the Samsung QN85B QLED on Amazon

Samsung Q80B QLED

Great for watching sports or TV shows together with family and friends due to the wide viewing angles while keeping accurate colors.
It's also quick enough for gaming and great for using as a PC monitor.
A negative to this TV is that it has lower contrast compared to the QN90B and lower local dimming compared to both TVs mentioned above.
This TV also has high brightness for HDR along with wide viewing angles.
Check the latest price of the Samsung Q80B QLED on Amazon

Learn More About OLED TVs

Want to learn more about OLED TVs? Check out the articles in my OLED TV series:

Learn More About TVs

Want to learn more about TVs? Check out the articles in my TV series: