Top 5 TVs for Movies at a Glance

• Best OLED: Sony A90J OLED
• Best non-OLED: Samsung QN90A QLED
• Best overall value: TCL-6 Series 4K
• Best budget model: Hisense U6G
• Best color: Sony XBR-X900H

The COVID-19 pandemic transformed the way we watch movies forever. Platforms like Netflix, Disney+ and Hulu — already extremely popular — eclipsed theaters and video rental services to become the most popular way audiences see movies. The “Streaming Era” is upon us.

This means (if you haven’t already done so) you’ll likely want to make some upgrades to your home entertainment setup, like buying a new TV. Today, TVs are brighter, more colorful and have a noticeably better picture than TVs from just a few years back. If you want to get the most out of the movies you watch, you should consider an upgrade.

What to Look for in a New TV

Before buying a new TV, you should make some important considerations. Think about the size of your TV room: Is it a large or small space? A larger screen can offer a more immersive viewing experience, but you’ll need to consider how far away you’ll be sitting. Note that the average person sits about nine feet away from their TV, indicating that anywhere between a 55-inch and 70-inch TV would be a good choice for most situations.

Also, you may want to consider the lighting conditions in your TV room. If the room is darker, you may want to focus on brighter TVs with higher contrast ratios. How are the seating arrangements? If the TV needs to accommodate several different viewing angles, you’ll want to keep an eye out for OLED TVs. To get the most out of your movie-viewing experience, you’ll certainly want to look for 4K TVs with a 60Hz or 120Hz refresh rate.

Luckily, no matter your room requirements, preferences or budgetary concerns, you can find a great TV to take your movie nights to the next level.

Top 5 TVs for Watching Movies

Here are our picks for the best TVs for movie-viewing. All prices listed are for 65-inch TVs.

Best OLED TV: Sony A90J OLED

If you’re looking for the best TV on the market today, look no further than the A90J from Sony’s Master Series. While there are many incredible options for OLED TVs out there, the A90J is the cream of the crop.

Utilizing Sony’s so-called “cognitive” Bravia XR processor to its fullest potential, the A90J breaks down each frame of video into multiple parts — contrast, detail, definition, color — and adjusts each to bring you an unparalleled, “real-life” image. The new processor also brings new possibilities to the world of sound as it can convert low-quality sound sources into 3D surround. The TV even includes spring clip audio connector cables so you can include the built-in TV speaker as the center of a larger sound system if you’d like.

Long considered to be a key weakness of OLED-panel displays, the A90J can hit nearly 915 nits in its “Vivid” preset. This is brighter than LG’s flagship G1 model, which tops out at 890 nits.

If you’re looking for a great addition to your home theater, Sony’s A90J is the TV for you.

Cost: $2,799.99

Best Non-OLED TV: Samsung QN90A QLED

If you’ve been paying attention to the latest and greatest in TV tech, you’ll know that OLED is all the rage right now. That said, it’s not always the best option for all situations. Case in point: OLED displays don’t get very bright. Sure, they’re fantastic options for dark rooms and cozy home theaters, but not everyone has a perfectly dark space for watching movies. The good news is that with Samsung’s QN90A, you can still have state-of-the-art picture quality without losing any desired brightness.

In lieu of an OLED panel, the QN90A boasts innovative mini-LED technology that uses thousands of tiny LEDs to backlight the display. The result is an amazingly bright and vivid screen that reduces glare and emphasizes highlights in HDR content. Its fully stacked VA panel includes native contrast and local dimming that display impossibly deep blacks. It also works to improve lower-res content from DVDs and Blu-rays, removing 24p judder.

When you need brightness but don’t want to sacrifice cutting-edge picture quality for your movie-watching needs, go no further than Samsung’s QN90A.

Cost: $1,699.99

Best Overall Value: TCL-6 Series 4K

Let’s face it: A 4K TV can be expensive. If you want a top-of-the-line model, you can quickly spend nearly $3,000. At the same time, if your budget is tiny, you can find cheap options that still offer a fine movie-viewing experience. But what if you want that high-quality 4K HDR image without completely breaking the bank? Enter the mid-priced TCL-6 Series. It’s got our vote for the best bang-for-your-buck TV.

Although not equipped with an OLED panel, the TCL-6 Series uses quantum dots to generate some truly impressive picture quality. Quantum dots are microscopic nanocrystals that glow at specific color wavelengths depending on their size. It’s also fully loaded with excellent features, including native contrast, high brightness levels and a built-in Roku smart TV platform.

The 6-Series also boasts a fine selection of inputs, including 4 HDMI inputs, 1 USB port and even an analog video input, among others. It’s set up to connect to Blu-ray or DVD players, as well as your favorite gaming consoles. At just under $1,300 for the 65-inch version (and under $1,000 if you only need 55 inches), the TCL 6-Series is a solid value for the mid-range buyer looking to maximize value.

Cost: $1,299.99

Best Budget Model: Hisense U6G

Luckily, you don’t have to spend an arm and a leg to buy an excellent television. As far as TVs have come in the last few years, even the cheapest options offer great picture quality and features. If you’re limited by your budget but still want to upgrade your old TV to one with impressive picture quality, then the Hisense’s entry-level U6G is your TV.

The U6G has an impressive array of features that combine to make it an excellent TV for watching movies. The TV’s excellent contrast ratio, black uniformity and local dimming features make it an ideal TV for a darker room. It’s not as fully loaded with features as many of the more high-end models are, but it provides a great response time and flicker-free backlight that will certainly improve your movie nights.

Although it’s not as bright as other LED TVs — and as a result might be less desirable in a brighter room — the Hisense U6G is a great, affordable TV that offers a premium viewing experience.

Cost: $699.99

Best Color: Sony XBR-X900H

Put simply, colors make on-screen images come alive. They help tell stories and help keep us fully immersed in the viewing experience. When purchasing a new television, you’ll want to make sure your colors are as vivid and bright as possible. Even dark, muted colors should be dynamic and diverse. If you're looking for a top-quality screen that’s crisp, bright and as colorful as they come, consider the Sony XBR-X900H.

Sony’s X900H is among the brightest 4K LCD TVs on the market. Plus, the stacked streaming features brought on by Android TV help make it one of the best all-around TVs out there. Though it doesn’t quite reach the deep, inky blacks offered by OLED TVs, this flagship LCD provides top-tier design and functionality.

The X900H comes loaded with a native 120Hz refresh rate that provides a clear and balanced image with color accuracy and shadow detail that rivals most high-end OLED TVs on the market, albeit with higher black levels.

If you’re looking for high contrast ratio, high brightness levels and an impressively wide color gamut, Sony’s XBR-X900H is worth consideration.

Cost: $1,398.00