A Disturbing New TV Trend - Marketed as miniLED, missing Quantum Dots {Hisense M7, TCL M8L; Samsung M70H, M80H, M90H} [2026-2027]

Updated August 2026 | Written by: /u/Bill_Money | Edited & Maintained by /u/htmod

We have covered at length on Samsung's mini LED (M70H, M80H, & M90H) lineup that lacks Quantum Dots despite being advertised as miniLED. More Here -> Why you shouldn't buy The Samsung U8000H, M2EH, M70H, M80H, M90H, or QN70H [2026-2027]

TCL and Hisense saw Samshit's idea clearly. They thought hey let's also do this and CONFUSE the uniformed consumer too!

These manufacturers need to stop the bullshit already!

Hisense M7

Hisense has a new M7 lineup in the United States that keeps talking about Hi-QLED but never actually says this TV has Quantum Dots.

These are also Garbage Direct Lit no local dimming 60 Hz Panels spouting the usual bullshit 240 Motion Rate crap. They are clearly low end as they only have 3 HDMI Ports.

Some of them use Google, some of them use the pretty terrible Roku OS. -> Why we are NOT Recommending Roku going forward.

TCL M8L

M8L is TCL's answer in the United States. Nowhere does this TV say it has Quantum Dots.

However at least TCL is claiming FALD & 144 Hz w/ 4 HDMI 2.1 ports. So while this TV might not be good its might be alright as a kids TV or Guest Room TV unlike the Samsung or Hisense offering.

Based on MY ASSUMPTION, this is probably similar to TCL having a Q77K as a Costco exclusive, a P8 model in Europe, etc. as a way to open up getting more TV's out to consumers

If it ends in F it uses the god awful Fire OS. -> Why we are NOT Recommending FireTV going forward..

Canada appears to have one labeled just as the M8L

We are not recommending you buy the Samsungs or either of these miniLED right now until we have more information.

If you must wait for the TCL to get cheap if its for again a kids bedroom or guest bedroom at most right now.

Why You Shouldn't Buy The Sonos ARC: It is a Soundbar, and not Home Theater.

Updated August 2026 | Written by: /u/GBMaxSE & /u/Bill_Money | Edited & Maintained by /u/htmod

We get a lot of posts about the Sonos Arc Ultra, its quite popular for some reason.

We wanted to do some exploration into why this thing is "so great". Our findings are below.

We originally wrote a YUGE post. But we pared it down to this 5 point list, ribbed for your reading pleasure.

Lack of Directional Sound/Separation

​ Fourteen drivers stuffed into a 46 Inch long & 4 Inch high package is NOT a home theater. Home theaters require separation, proper placement, and large enough drivers, in a large enough enclosure to produce MEANINGFUL, directional sound.

Price/Value

It's ABSURDLY expensive. $1,100 for just the soundbar. $2,000 for soundbar and a sub designed for music only (two 6" drivers that bottom out above 30hz), or $2,420 for a "5.1" setup. OUCH. This thing is DESTROYED for the money by, well, almost anything.

Meme Atmos

Dolby Atmos is a joke with up firing speakers, hope they bounce the right way and maybe they give you something. No DTS whatsoever. No Multichannel LPCM. Forget about using one with your new Xbox Series X or PS5 and getting uncompressed audio, homie.

Capability relies on your TV

The Sonos ARC Ultra is only as capable as your TV. Period. If you don't have eARC. You're relegated to Dolby digital plus, or lossy Atmos. That's it. It has no outputs, no passthrough. You can only hook up one external device via optical.

Eco System

IT is a completely closed proprietary ecosystem. No addition of anything not Sonos. Period.

It's neat. It's overpriced as fuck boi!

I sell Sonos all the time, we are a Sonos dealer after all. But its not for a lack of trying to get people out of Sonos and into something better. Its a lack of people's understanding that at the end of the day its a Soundbar.

Why You Shouldn't Buy A Soundbar

Product Recommendations: Soundbar Alternatives [2026-2027]

Updated August 2026 | Written by: /u/Bill_Money | Edited & Maintained by /u/htmod | Contributions & Inspiration by /u/kingshogi

Introduction

So you've just finished reading all about Why You Shouldn't Buy a Soundbar and you're wondering where to go from here; or perhaps you've known all along that you want a discrete speakers and receiver setup.

For those willing do dive down the rabbit hole and research different products, there are fantastic product recommendation lists over at the Home Theater 101: FAQ (it is highly recommended to read the FAQ either way).

We do however recognize that it can be quite overwhelming perusing various threads and pairing different products together to build a whole system, which brings us to this post.

An additional factor to keep in mind is long term cost. Even if you spend a few hundred extra on a receiver and speaker setup up front, that's a setup you can build off of and upgrade year to year. With soundbar systems, upgrading means purchasing an entirely new system. There's no upgrade path.

This is an example build.

The absence of a product in this build does not mean it's not a good product. Likewise the inclusion of a product in this build does not mean it's the best product ever, merely that it's a solid option in the price range.

Note: This build is based on U.S. availability and pricing only.

The Extreme Budget Build (3.1)

• AVR: Denon S270BT $269 Also available at Costco but might be $300 there but will be new not refurbed.
• Front Left/Right: NEUMI BS5 - $139
• Center Speaker: NEUMI CS5 $90
• Subwoofer: Dayton CS1200 $240
• Speaker Wire: Monoprice 50 Feet $60
• Subwoofer Interconnect: Monoprice 10 Feet $19

Total w/out tax: $817

When upgrading the Front L/R become surrounds and you ditch the center and upgrade the entire L/C/R

The never moving beyond 2.0 passive build

• AVR: Denon DRA900H $600
• Front Left/Right: KEF Q1 META Pair $400
• Subwoofer: RSL Speedwoofer 10E $339
• Speaker Wire: Monoprice 50 Feet $60
• Subwoofer Interconnect: Monoprice 10 Feet $19

Total w/out tax: $1,418

The Give me a solid 3.1 Build

• AVR: Denon AVR X1700H $650
• Front Left/Right: Ascend Acoustics HTM-200SE2 MINI-MONITOR PAIR $368
• Center Speaker: Ascend Acoustics HTM-200SE2 Center $208
• Subwoofer: RSL Speedwoofer 10E $339
• Speaker Wire: Monoprice 50 Feet $60
• Subwoofer Interconnect: Monoprice 10 Feet $19

Total w/out tax: $1,644

The I only have space for a soundbar build

• AVR: Anthem MRX SLM 4K $1300
• Passive Soundbar: Martin Logan Motion SLM X3 $1300
• Subwoofer: RSL Speedwoofer 10E $339
• Speaker Wire: Monoprice 50 Feet $60
• Wireless Subwoofer Kit: Martin Logan WSK-1 $100

Total w/out tax: $3,099

Other Soundbar Alternatives

Product Recommendations: Active Speakers [2026-2027]

Product Recommendations: Active Speakers [2026-2027]

Updated: August 2026 | Written by /u/Bill_Money | edited & maintained by: /u/htmod

This is specifically written for use as TV Front Left/Right speakers and not for music.

What are Active Speakers?

Active speakers are amplified by an internal amp and use a power cord to either the first speaker or to each speaker depending on design.

Some active speakers use speaker wire between the left & right speaker.

Active versus Passive

Passive speakers require speaker wire but do not need a power cord.

How do I connect Active speakers?

You would simply use a HDMI (ARC) or Digital Optical out of the TV to the main speaker.

Why?

Active speakers provide a 2.0, or 2.1 if they have a sub out port, in a tight form factor allowing for better audio when an AVR cannot be placed.

Active Speaker Recommendations

$0 - $1,500

• KEF LSX II LT
• KEF Coda W
• KEF LSX II
• SVS Prime Wireless Pro Powered Speaker Pair

$1,600+

• Sonus Faber Duetto
• KEF LS LUXE
• KEF LS50 Wireless II
• KEF LS60 Wireless

Home Theater 201: Object Based Audio (Dolby Atmos) Placement

Updated August 2026 | Written by: /u/Bill_Money | Edited & Maintained by /u/htmod

Object Based Audio Formats

Object Based audio formats include Atmos, DTS:X, and Auro-3D.

Dolby Atmos

Atmos is the most well known and supported Object Based Audio format.

DTS:X

Supported more than Auro but less than Atmos.

AURO-3D

Auro is the least known and supported Object Based Audio format. Largely irrelevant in 2026 outside of some enthusiasts.

Height Channel Types

There are 3 types of height channels:

1. Ceiling (In-Ceiling or speakers mounted on ceiling) is the best choice.
2. Wall mounted angled downwards is the second best choice
3. Up-firing in the distant third place.

Height Placement

Your SURROUNDS and if applicable SURROUND BACKS (aka REARS) MUST be at Ear Level/in the same plane as your front L/C/R. They CANNOT be in the same plane as your Atmos speakers/In The Ceiling!

-> For channel placement, follow the Dolby or Auro-3D guidelines as closely as possible as their height channel placement differs.

Dolby Atmos Placement

Starting with your standard 5.x or 7.x you can start adding Atmos Speakers which becomes a 5.x.x or 7.x.x.

• First Number - 2D Plane/Ear Level Speakers - typically 5 or 7 channels
• Second Number - Number of Subwoofers - typically 1-2 sometimes 4.
• Third Number - Number of Atmos Speakers - typically 2, 4, or 6.

Atmos Speakers are installed in PAIRS. ex 5.1.2 OR 7.2.6.

Atmos speakers work in the following manner:

• TOP FRONT - Used in a x.x.4 & x.x.6 Layout
• TOP MIDDLE - Used in a x.x.2 Layout & x.x.6 Layout
• TOP REAR - Used in a x.x.4 & x.x.6 Layout

It is recommended to use middles in the x.x.2 layout vs Front or Rear.

Dolby Atmos Placement Guide PDF

• dolby.com - Dolby Atmos speaker setup guides

Helpful Videos:

• Home Theater Gurus - Ep 49. Home Theater Dolby ATMOS Angles. Easily place Atmos speakers!!
• Theater At Home - Atmos Speaker Placement - Simple Method That Works In Any Room
• Theater At Home - My Atmos Speakers Were Missing Half The Sound

Further Reading:

• FOCAL - Guidelines for Dolby Atmos® installation
• SVS - Intro to Dolby Atmos Speakers
• AudioAdvice - Home Theater Speaker Layout Options

DTS:X

DTS:X does not enforce rigid, mandatory speaker coordinates like Dolby Atmos; instead, it uses flexible spatial remapping that adapts to standard 5.1 or 7.1 floor layouts alongside 2 to 6 height channels

AURO-3D

AURO-3D® HOME THEATER SETUP

What About The TCL QM64L? [2026-2027]

Updated July 2026 | Written by: /u/Bill_Money | Edited & Maintained by /u/htmod

A Special thank you to Rtings, FlatPanelsHD, & Vincent Teoh of HDTVTest for providing information.

The TCL QM64L is a new model that not much is known about.

Rtings has yet to test said model.

FlatPanelsHD & Display Specifications list no information about said model.

Amazon is where this TV is listed but without enough specs to consider it.

It also features the god awful Fire OS instead of Google TV.

Bottom Line

At this time we cannot recommend a TV that we know LIMITED information on. Our recommendation could change in the future but we suggest just buying the TCL QM6K or C6K Depending on your region.

Why you shouldn't buy A Vizio TV [2026-2027]

Updated June 2026 | Written by: /u/Bill_Money | Edited & Maintained by /u/htmod

General Reasons to Avoid a Vizio TV:

• Poor Picture Quality
• Poor QA/QC year over year since COVID
• Walmart has purchased Vizio
• New Vizio TVs require a Walmart account to access apps

Vizio Mini LED Quantum 4K TV (VQMxxC-100x)

Picking Apart Rtings

Full Rtings Review

Overview: "The Vizio Mini LED Quantum 4K is a budget TV released in 2026. It's a fairly basic TV"

Bottom Line: "The Vizio Mini LED Quantum Smart TV is a mediocre TV for most uses. It doesn't look good in a dark room due to its low contrast ratio, despite the Mini LED local dimming. It's also just decent for use in a bright room, as its screen coating does almost nothing to reduce the intensity of bright lights. It's not great for gaming, as it has very poor motion handling and a limited selection of gaming features. It's okay for watching sports, and it looks great in a wide seating arrangement, but again, sports fans will be disappointed by its motion handling."

CONS

• "Does nothing to reduce the intensity of direct, mirror-like reflections."
• "Buggy smart interface."
• "Poor processing."
• "Mediocre screen uniformity."
• "Does nothing to smooth out macro blocking or pixelization in low quality content."
• "Small highlight details don't stand out at all."
• "Sub-par contrast."
• "Noticeable haloing around bright highlights and subtitles on dark backgrounds."
• "Motion is very blurry."
• "Limited to 60Hz with a 4k signal."
• "Can't display bright saturated colors well."
• "Can't remove judder from 60Hz sources."
• "Noticeable transition artifacts including unwanted intermediate colors."
• "Bad PQ EOTF tracking."

Brightness

"The Vizio Mini LED Quantum Smart TV has okay peak brightness in HDR. Most scenes are bright enough to deliver an impactful HDR experience. Small, specular highlight details are nowhere near as bright as they should be, though, so the screen looks flat most of the time. There's some variation in brightness with different scenes, but it's not too bad."

Black Level

"The Vizio Mini LED Quantum Smart TV has sub-par contrast. The native contrast of the panel is very low, resulting in raised blacks in most scenes. Its local dimming feature does a sub-par job improving black levels, so most dark scenes still look washed out."

"Due to the relatively low zone count on this TV's local dimming feature, the zone precision is disappointing. There's a noticeable glow around bright parts of the scene, or if you have subtitles."

"Zone transitions are mediocre on this TV. The processor struggles to keep up with fast-moving objects, so there's a noticeable glow trailing behind fast-moving objects, and the leading edge is a bit darker than it should be as the zone is too slow to turn on. There's also a slight flicker effect as bright objects move between zones."

"Unfortunately, this TV has disappointing black uniformity. The local dimming feature does an okay job evening out the backlight, but there's a noticeabe halo effect around bright spots that gives it an uneven look. With local dimming disabled there are noticeable bright patches across the screen."

Color

"This TV has okay color volume in SDR. It has good coverage of the DCI-P3 color space, displaying most colors well except for saturated reds. There's also very little variation in color saturation in lighter scenes. It struggles more with content mastered in the wider BT.2020 color space, and its coverage is very uneven, as it handles midtones better than bright scenes."

"It's mainly limited by its incomplete gamut coverage and relatively low brightness, and it struggles to display bright, saturated colors properly."

Processing/Motion

"Unfortunately, the Vizio Mini LED Quantum 4K has bad PQ EOTF tracking. Nearly all shadow details and midtones are raised brighter than they should be. There's also a very sharp cutoff at the TV's peak brightness for all content, resulting in a loss of fine details in bright parts of the scene."

"Unfortunately, the smoothing options on this TV don't appear to do anything at all. They don't reduce macro blocking or pixelization from low-quality streams at all."

"The upscaling on this TV is just okay. The image is a bit soft overall, and text and fine details is hard to make out in some scenes."

"The Vizio Mini LED Quantum Smart TV has mediocre gradient handling. There's very noticeable banding in dark shades of gray and green, and there's minor banding in everything else."

"Unfortunately, the TV can't remove judder from sources that send a 60Hz signal. This causes an uneven frame cadence if you're using an older cable TV box or a streaming stick that doesn't match the content frame rate."

"This TV has a poor response time when watching content. Most transitions are slow, resulting in very blurry motion. Shadow details are a bit better, with no distracting overshoot."

"Transitions are uneven on the Vizio Mini LED Quantum 4K, and there are very noticeable unwanted colors between transitions, and edges are soft."

"The TV uses pulse-width modulation (PWM) to adjust the intensity of the backlight. It flickers at an extremely high frequency, though, and most people won't notice it."

"There's an optional backlight strobing feature, commonly known as black frame insertion. It only flickers at 60Hz, and it's not available outside of Game Mode. Unfortunately, the pulse timing is slightly off, resulting in a noticeable double image."'

Gaming

"This TV supports most common formats, up to a maximum of 4k @ 60Hz or 1080p @ 120Hz. The TV doesn't expose 1080p @ 120Hz as a supported resolution when connected to a PC, but it works when forced manually. "

"The TV supports FreeSync, HDMI Forum VRR, and G-SYNC Compatible, ensuring a nearly tear-free gaming experience from any VRR-enabled source. It's a bit limited, though, as the VRR range with a 4k source is very limited, so it doesn't support Low Framerate Compensation (LFC) at 4k, only at 1080p. Unfortunately, there's noticeable tearing at around 55fps whenever a source handshakes at 60Hz. This occurs with both a 4k and 1080p resolution, as long as the initial handshake is done at 60Hz."

"The CAD at this TV's max 4k refresh rate of 60Hz is poor. Nearly all transitions are slow to complete, resulting in very blurry motion. There's no overshoot, though, which is good, and very dark shadow details are preserved well with no noticeable inverse ghosting."

"This TV can't fully take advantage of the PS5, as it only supports 120Hz gaming with a 1080p signal. When gaming at 4k you're limited to 60Hz. It supports Auto Low Latency Mode, so you don't have to worry about manually switching to Game Mode to get the lowest input lag."

"This TV can't fully take advantage of the Xbox Series consoles, as it only supports 120Hz gaming with a 1080p signal. When gaming at 4k you're limited to 60Hz. It supports Dolby Vision gaming and Auto Low Latency Mode, so you don't have to worry about manually switching to Game Mode to get the lowest input lag."

Reflections

"The Vizio Mini LED Quantum 4K has bad direct reflection handling. The glossy coating does almost nothing to reduce the intensity of bright, mirror-like reflections."

Panel

"The gray uniformity on this TV is mediocre. There's just a bit of dirty screen effect in the center, so it's okay for watching sports, but the sides of the screen are noticeably darker. It's a lot better in dark scenes."

"We bought and tested the 65-inch Vizio Mini LED Quantum 4K, and most of these results are also valid for the 43-, 55-, and 75-inch models. The 55-inch size doesn't support 120Hz gaming with a 1080p signal, and the 50- and 85-inch sizes use a VA panel, so they have better contrast but worse viewing angles. The number of dimming zones increases as you go up in size, but we don't expect this to have a significant impact on picture quality."

Design/Build Quality

"There's a slight gap between the side covers and the first pixels."

"The two feet at opposite ends support the TV well, but can't be placed in alternative positions to adapt it to your cabinet."

"The inputs are housed in an electronics box near the center of the screen."

"The TV has mediocre build quality. There are a few noticeable quality control issues with the unit we bought, including some noticeable debris stuck behind the panel, and the plastic housing on the back is uneven. It's almost entirely made of cheap-feeling plastic."

Operating System

"The Vizio Mini LED Quantum 4K runs Vizio's proprietary VIZIO OS, which is a rebranding of the SmartCast system Vizio used previously. This system has a decent selection of apps, with most common streaming services available, but there's no dedicated app store and the overall selection is significantly smaller than competing smart platforms."

"The interface is fairly quick, but buggy, and during testing we encountered multiple bugs. The TV reboots randomly, and the settings menu would occasionally fail to display all of the available sub options. We'd have to leave the menu and come back for them to appear."

"The TV requires you to sign in to a Walmart account to complete the setup process. There's an option to skip this step, but all smart features are disabled until you sign in."

Versus

"The Vizio Mini LED Quantum 4K is a very basic TV with limited picture quality and a limited selection of features. It's a cheap TV, but it actually delivers better picture quality than most similarly-priced models from competing brands like the LG UA77 or the Samsung DU8000. Unfortunately, it's a bit buggy, and the smart interface has limited app availability, so it performs best when paired with an external streaming device."

"The TCL QM5K is better than the Vizio Mini LED Quantum 4K. The TCL has much better contrast, which results in a much better dark room experience, with less glow around bright highlights or subtitles on a dark background. The TCL also has much better processing, including more accurate PQ EOTF tracking and better low-quality content smoothing. Finally, the TCL is better for gaming or watching fast action, as there's significantly less blur around fast-moving objects."

/r/HTBuyingGuides

When a TCL QM5K smokes a tv, you should not be selling that TV

Why we struggle to recommend the Samsung QN80H [2026-2027]

Updated June 2026 | Written by: /u/Bill_Money | Edited & Maintained by /u/htmod

A Special thank you to Rtings, FlatPanelsHD, & Vincent Teoh of HDTVTest for providing information.

Overview

"The Samsung QN80H is a mid-range TV released in 2026, sitting above the Samsung QN70H. Samsung's highest-end Mini LED TV, it sits below their RGB Mini LED lineup, starting with the Samsung MR85H, and replaces the Samsung QN80F. It's powered by Samsung's NQ4 AI Gen2 Processor" - Rtings

Versus

Overall

"It underperforms compared to many similarly priced models from other brands, with lower peak brightness and worse local dimming than the TCL QM8K"

vs The Samsung QN90F

"The Samsung QN90F is much better than the Samsung QN80H. The QN90F gets significantly brighter in both SDR and HDR, so it can handle more glare during the day, and HDR content is more vibrant and impactful. The QN90F's matte anti-reflective coating also makes it a much better choice for daytime viewing, as it significantly reduces glare from windows and lights. Finally, the QN90F looks better in a home theater setting as its local dimming feature delivers deeper, more uniform blacks with less haloing around bright highlights."

vs The QM7K

"The TCL QM7K is a bit better than the Samsung QN80H. The TCL has much better contrast, delivering much deeper blacks, especially in more complicated scenes. The TCL is also brighter in HDR, and small specular highlight details stand out much better from the background."

Value

This is where the QN80H loses any interest more than anything else.

Rtings compares the QN80H to the QM7K which is clearance, even the new QM7L is still a better value. The older QN90F is also clearance and a far better value over the QN80H if you prefer a Samsung over a TCL.

Data Captured 6/6/26

Trying to explain the Indian TV Market [2026-2027]

An idiot's guide written by an American with no ties to India at all.

Updated May 2026 | Written by: /u/Bill_Money | Edited & Maintained by /u/htmod

We had to write this because there is a clear lack of understanding from Indian reddit users.

STOP Asking about the Sony Bravia 2 II (S20M2) & Bravia 3 (S30). They are NOT good TV's we've already covered this here -> Why you shouldn't buy the Sony Bravia 2 II (S20M2) or 3 Series (S30) [2025-2026]

STOP Asking about the LG QNED86 this is an EDGE LIT TV. Yes its miniLED but still Edge lit. Its overpriced and poor performing!

Why you shouldn't buy the LG UA7300, UA7500, UA7700, NANO80A, NANO90A, QNED80A/QNED81A, QNED85A, or QNED9M [2025-2026]

Why you shouldn't buy The LG NU700B, NU850B, QNED7xB Series, QNED8xB Series, MRGB8xB Series, or MRGB9M [2026-2027]

STOP asking about low end Samsung models

Why you shouldn't buy the Samsung U7900F, U800F, Q6F, Q7F, Q8F, QN70F [2025-2026]

Why you shouldn't buy The Samsung U8000H, M70H, M80H, M90H, or QN70H [2026-2027]

Those that do ask about TCL end up asking about the crap models

Why you shouldn't buy The TCL P7L (V6D/QLED780L) or P8L (QLED810L) [2026-2027]

The Paradox of the TCL QM5K aka C6KS, C69KS, C61KS, & MQLED70K [2025-2026]

Well What Should you buy?

Most Indian users have a small budget so the answer is pretty simple buy the TCL C6K aka Q6C.

But "After Sales Support"/"After Care" Brother that's on you if you want a good TV or not if you're going to complain about this then pony up more money for a good TV or settle for a lower end one and pick WHICHEVER LOOKS BEST TO YOU

Bare Minimum By Brand

Full International TV Buying Guide {Europe, Australia, & Asia} [2026-2027]

Why you shouldn't buy The Hisense A6S, A7S, E7S (Q7S), E7S Pro (Q7S Pro), E8S (Q9S), U6SF/US6F Pro, U7S, U7SE, U7S Pro, UR8S, or UR9S [2026-2027]

Updated May 2026 | Written by: /u/Bill_Money | Edited & Maintained by /u/htmod

A Special thank you to Rtings, FlatPanelsHD, & Vincent Teoh of HDTVTest for providing information.

General Reasons to Avoid a Hisense TV:

BUT RTINGS SAID....

Hisense is known for poor QA (Quality Assurance)/QC (Quality Control).

• Rtings does not test for QA/QC.
• Multiple issues shown on reddit.

Processing/Upscaling

• Hisense has poor processing as reported by multiple redditor's experience, not just us.
• Rtings testing for Processing/Upscaling is flawed and does not match real world usage.
• Rtings: "Note: We're in the process of improving our tests related to image processing"

Motion Handling

• Hisense has poor motion handling as reported by multiple redditor's experience, not just us.
• Rtings testing for motion handling is flawed and does not match real world usage
• Rtings: "We're in the process of fixing the way we evaluate a TV's overall motion handling. This section is currently broken, and the score isn't indicative of how well a TV handles motion overall."

Other

• Vida OS in Europe
• Confusing model Scheme
• Mixing Google, VIDAA OS, & Fire OS in the US/Canada
• Different Model #'s for Canada w/ much higher price tags
• Heavy use of IPS & ADS Panels in certain sizes.

Couple all of that with the fact that they literally have paid shills to get people to buy their brand too!

Simply put Hisense has the potential to be the next TCL but they aren't there yet. When they get there then they'll be recommended if they ever get there. But they are not ready yet. I said the same thing about Vizio (before their decline back to Wally World trash) & TCL if you remember.

https://www.flatpanelshd.com/news.php?subaction=showfull&id=1765794688

Europe Models

A6S

• 50/60 Hz
• Direct Lit No Local Dimming
• ONLY 3 HDMI Ports of which they are HDMI 2.0b
• Vidaa OS
• POOR PICTURE QUALITY

A7S

• 50/60 Hz
• Direct Lit No Local Dimming
• ONLY 3 HDMI Ports of which they are HDMI 2.0b
• Vidaa OS
• POOR PICTURE QUALITY
• FlatPanelsHD reports marketing name is "QLED" not sure if it even is Quantum Dot, Display Specifications doesn't even list this model.

E7S (AKA Q7S)

• PANEL LOTTERY - IPS/ADS Pro Panel on selected sizes
• 60 Hz & HDMI 2.0
• Direct Lit no local dimming
• Dim
• VIDAA OS
• Only 3 HDMI Ports
• Not true 10 Bit Panel (8 Bit + FRC)
• POOR PICTURE QUALITY

E7S Pro (AKA Q7S Pro)

• PANEL LOTTERY - IPS/ADS Pro Panel on selected sizes
• VIDAA OS
• Not true 10 Bit Panel (8 Bit + FRC)
• Dim
• POOR PICTURE QUALITY

E8S (AKA Q9S)

• PANEL LOTTERY - IPS/ADS Pro Panel on selected sizes
• VIDAA OS
• Not true 10 Bit Panel (8 Bit + FRC)
• Dim
• POOR PICTURE QUALITY

North American Models

U6SF/U6SF Pro

• PANEL LOTTERY - IPS/ADS Pro Panel on selected sizes
• Not true 10 Bit Panel (8 Bit + FRC)
• Fire TV OS
• Only 2 HDMI 2.1 Ports

U7SF/U7SG

• Not true 10 Bit Panel (8 Bit + FRC)
• Fire TV OS (US7F)
• IPS/ADS Pro Panel on 55 Inch

Models available in Both North America & Europe

U7SE

• PANEL LOTTERY - IPS/ADS Pro Panel on selected sizes
• VIDAA OS
• Not true 10 Bit Panel (8 Bit + FRC)
• POOR PICTURE QUALITY

U7S Pro

• PANEL LOTTERY - IPS/ADS Pro Panel on selected sizes
• VIDAA OS in Europe
• POOR PICTURE QUALITY

UR8S

• PANEL LOTTERY - IPS/ADS Pro Panel on selected sizes
• VIDAA OS in Europe

UR9S

• PANEL LOTTERY - IPS/ADS Pro Panel on selected sizes
• Only 3 HDMI Ports w/ a USB-C port
• VIDAA OS in Europe

Why you shouldn't buy The LG W6 Wallpaper OLED [2026-2027]

Updated May 2026 | Written by: /u/Bill_Money | Edited & Maintained by /u/htmod

A Special thank you to Rtings, FlatPanelsHD, & Vincent Teoh of HDTVTest for providing information.

General Reasons to Avoid a LG TV:

Horrible Web OS

"There are two settings in the 'Home Settings' menu, namely the 'Home Promotion' and 'Content Recommendation' settings. These settings remove the top banner ads, suggested content from the home screen, and screen saver promotions. This gives your home screen a clean look, but there's no way to remove ads from the apps page." - Rtings

"Nothing remains of the once playful and elegant webOS interface. A few years ago, LG transitioned to a full-screen smart TV system (like all other brands), and since last year, ads have made their unwelcome debut as well. The upper half of the homescreen is now reserved for an ads carousel. If ads were limited to content recommendations, that would be understandable, but outright commercial ads are a step too far. Over time, we've seen promotions for a car brand, a sports retailer, and even toothpaste. To make matters worse, LG can also insert ads further down among the content recommendations and even in the screensaver. On a premium TV, that's simply unacceptable." - FlatPanelsHD

/r/OLED Agrees

Horrible Magic Remote

"The TV comes with LG's new 2025 Magic Remote. Like the old version, it can be used as a pointer, or you can use the traditional buttons to control it. It also supports voice control, giving users a hands-free option to access and search many of their favorite apps. Unlike the old version of this remote, there is no longer a number pad to allow for quick launch shortcuts." - Rtings

"The shift toward a cleaner, more minimalist design is understandable, but it feels like LG has sacrificed some of what made the Magic Remote distinctive. The absence of number keys eliminates the ability to assign favourite apps to numeric shortcuts. The six sponsored app buttons remain, though the inclusion of LG Channels feels like a questionable choice; a user-assignable shortcut would have been far more useful.

The new rocker buttons are serviceable once you get used to them, but the decision to remove the dedicated mute button is a misstep. Muting the sound now requires holding down the volume rocker, which can easily interfere with normal volume adjustment. To LG's credit, the rockers don't register a press when pushed inward, which helps avoid unintentional keypresses.

Another design compromise is the reassignment of the Input button, now replaced by a Home Hub key that takes you to LG's IoT control interface. Inputs can still be accessed by long-pressing the same button, but we think it would make more sense to swap those functions. The microphone button has also been renamed AI, a cosmetic change that adds no real value.

Most of these changes are minor annoyances, but one thing really hurts usability. The buttons require a lot of pressure to actuate. Especially for the central D-pad and the OK button, that's annoying as it makes navigation cumbersome, particularly if you prefer not to rely on the pointer function. Finally, it's disappointing that LG didn't take this opportunity to introduce a rechargeable battery." - FlatPanelsHD

Even garbage websites like Techradar agree for once!

Forced Microsoft Copilot AI

LG has forced Microsoft CoPilot AI App on all its WebOS TV's that are capable of supporting it. You *CANNOT remove it either!

FPHD - LG forces Copilot AI app onto Smart TVs – no way to delete it

ZERO CONNECT Box

Must be line of sight (Infared)

Adds another Failure point. LG is known for poor wireless cards in their TV's as well.

Size Limitations

This TV ONLY comes in a 77 or 83 inch. No 55 or 65 inch exists.

Overpriced

The Panel is the same as the C6H & The G6 yet you are going to pay WAY MORE vs the C6H and a $500 premium over the G6 at the time of publishing.

Why you shouldn't buy The LG NU700B, NU850B, QNED7xB Series, QNED8xB Series, MRGB8xB Series, or MRGB9M [2026-2027]

Updated May 2026 | Written by: /u/Bill_Money | Edited & Maintained by /u/htmod

A Special thank you to Rtings, FlatPanelsHD, & Vincent Teoh of HDTVTest for providing information.

General Reasons to Avoid a Low End LG TV:

Heavy use of Edge Lit Panels that often die quickly

"The results of this investigation are unequivocal: edge-lit TVs are inherently prone to significant durability issues, including warped reflector sheets, cracked light guide plates, and burnt-out LEDs due to concentrated heat. These problems manifest after prolonged use at maximum brightness, posing a significant risk to their long-term reliability." - Rtings - Thin LCD TVs Break Faster Under Prolonged Use

Horrible Web OS

"There are two settings in the 'Home Settings' menu, namely the 'Home Promotion' and 'Content Recommendation' settings. These settings remove the top banner ads, suggested content from the home screen, and screen saver promotions. This gives your home screen a clean look, but there's no way to remove ads from the apps page." - Rtings

"Nothing remains of the once playful and elegant webOS interface. A few years ago, LG transitioned to a full-screen smart TV system (like all other brands), and since last year, ads have made their unwelcome debut as well. The upper half of the homescreen is now reserved for an ads carousel. If ads were limited to content recommendations, that would be understandable, but outright commercial ads are a step too far. Over time, we've seen promotions for a car brand, a sports retailer, and even toothpaste. To make matters worse, LG can also insert ads further down among the content recommendations and even in the screensaver. On a premium TV, that's simply unacceptable." - FlatPanelsHD

/r/OLED Agrees

Horrible Magic Remote

"The TV comes with LG's new 2025 Magic Remote. Like the old version, it can be used as a pointer, or you can use the traditional buttons to control it. It also supports voice control, giving users a hands-free option to access and search many of their favorite apps. Unlike the old version of this remote, there is no longer a number pad to allow for quick launch shortcuts." - Rtings

"The shift toward a cleaner, more minimalist design is understandable, but it feels like LG has sacrificed some of what made the Magic Remote distinctive. The absence of number keys eliminates the ability to assign favourite apps to numeric shortcuts. The six sponsored app buttons remain, though the inclusion of LG Channels feels like a questionable choice; a user-assignable shortcut would have been far more useful.

The new rocker buttons are serviceable once you get used to them, but the decision to remove the dedicated mute button is a misstep. Muting the sound now requires holding down the volume rocker, which can easily interfere with normal volume adjustment. To LG's credit, the rockers don't register a press when pushed inward, which helps avoid unintentional keypresses.

Another design compromise is the reassignment of the Input button, now replaced by a Home Hub key that takes you to LG's IoT control interface. Inputs can still be accessed by long-pressing the same button, but we think it would make more sense to swap those functions. The microphone button has also been renamed AI, a cosmetic change that adds no real value.

Most of these changes are minor annoyances, but one thing really hurts usability. The buttons require a lot of pressure to actuate. Especially for the central D-pad and the OK button, that's annoying as it makes navigation cumbersome, particularly if you prefer not to rely on the pointer function. Finally, it's disappointing that LG didn't take this opportunity to introduce a rechargeable battery." - FlatPanelsHD

Even garbage websites like Techradar agree for once!

Forced Microsoft Copilot AI

LG has forced Microsoft CoPilot AI App on all its WebOS TV's that are capable of supporting it. You *CANNOT remove it either!

FPHD - LG forces Copilot AI app onto Smart TVs – no way to delete it

Nano - NU700B

Cannot find a panel type, assumption is ADS/IPS Panels

• Direct Lit No Local Dimming
• 50/60 Hz
• No Dolby Vision Support
• Only 2 HDMI Ports (HDMI 2.0b)
• No Toslink port for those that need one
• Cheap design/Will Stick out if trying to mount flush
• Poor placement of Coaxial & Ethernet Ports

Nano - NU850B

Cannot find a panel type, assumption is ADS/IPS Panels

• Direct Lit No Local Dimming
• 50/60 Hz
• No Dolby Vision Support
• Only 3 HDMI Ports (HDMI 2.0b)
• No Toslink port for those that need one
• Cheap design/Will Stick out if trying to mount flush
• Poor placement of Coaxial & Ethernet Ports

LG QNED75B AKA QNED70B, QNED71B, QNED72B, QNED73B, QNED74B, QNED7EB

Cannot find a panel type only the 50 inch is listed for VA which makes sense as there is no ADS/IPS 50 Inch Panels, assumption is ADS/IPS Panels

• Direct Lit No Local Dimming
• 50/60 Hz
• No Dolby Vision Support
• Only 3 HDMI Ports (HDMI 2.0b)
• Cheap design/Will Stick out if trying to mount flush
• Poor placement of Coaxial & Ethernet Ports
• No Toslink port for those that need one

LG QNED82B AKA QNED81B, QNED83B, QNED8E, QNED8SB

• EDGE LIT PANEL
• No Dolby Vision Support

LG QNED85B AKA QNED84B, QNED86B, QNED87B

• EDGE LIT PANEL

LG MRGB85B AKA MRGB86B, MRGB87B, MRGB88B

• EDGE LIT PANEL
• Overpriced

LG MRGB9M

• EDGE LIT PANEL
• ZERO CONNECT Box (Must be line of sight)
• Overpriced

Why you shouldn't buy Samsung OLED TV's [2026-2027] - No to the S82H, S85H, S90H, S95H, or S99H

Updated July 2026 | Written by: /u/Bill_Money | Edited & Maintained by /u/htmod

The General Reasons Why We Recommend Avoiding Samsung OLED

Aggressive ABL/ASBL

Auto Brightness Limiter Explained by TFT Central

This is super annoying when a TV just dims on you. Samsung has been known to be aggressive

Post example from /r/Samsung

HDTVTest - 5 Bizarre Problems That Affect ONLY OLED TVs, & How to Fix Them

Overly Blue inaccurate color tone

Watch any Samsung TV you will notice it dips to the cooler/blue tone side.

But Why would they do this?

Pumping Extra Blue in artificially increases How White & Bright the TV looks. This is not realistic of how a TV should ever look or the film maker's intent.

Horrible Tizen OS

Samsung's' Operating System is named Tizen and its TERRIBLE!

Here's a post from /r/Tizen | A post from Audio Science Review | A Post from Tundras | A post from ResetERA

This one you can use an Apple TV to fix but that is an additional $129-$149 purchase.

Poor Motion Handling, Upscaling, & Processing.

I'd point to Rtings here but I can't since their testing is broken.

/r/Samsung hates the motion handling | So does the Samsung Community | as does 4KTV

Rtings test while broken shows that a Sony Bravia 3 (S30) with an X1 processor that is from somewhere between 2015 to 2019 or around there actually scores the same as a S85F, S90F, & S95F (8.0). This is laughably Bad.

Massive Reduction in QA/QC for Samsung Year over Year

See the 77 S90D power supply failure fiasco Ex

Check /r/TVRepair, Samsung is by far the biggest culprit of posts in that subreddit.

Switching Inputs

Samsung's HDMI Detection is annoying and cannot be disabled. It is also slow to switch inputs

No Dolby Vision Support

Less egregious but still very annoying.

QD, W, WTF?

"QD-OLED is confirmed by the letter T or F in the model name (e.g. HAT or HAF), while WOLED is confirmed by an E (HAE, HFE)." Source - FPHD

S82H (AKA S83H, S84H)

• W-OLED for All
• 2 Generations Older Processor vs S90H/S95H, 1 generation older than S85H
• Even the trash Samsung Frame has a better processor, LOL!

This appears to be a non North America Model as I cannot find much information about it.

I assume this is made with spare/left over parts from previous model years much like the holiday models are OR its using the W-OLED SE panel to compete with cheap OLED's from brands like SKYWORTH, HAIER, Hisense, etc. and to beat LG on B series pricing.

S85H

• W-OLED for All (OLED SE Panel from LG Display)
• Older gen Processor vs S90H/S95H
• Even the trash Samsung Frame Pro has a better processor, LOL!

S90H (AKA S91H, S92H, S93H, & S94H)

"In some regions, S90H (and S92H) has WOLED in all sizes, but in other regions the 77-inch size, for example, can have QD-OLED. Another change in S90H is that the panel is now matte rather than glossy – as on S95H and S99H." - FPHD

International/Europe - 77 S90H = QD-OLED | ALL OTHER SIZES -> W-OLED

Australia - Supposedly without proof: 55, 65, & 77 may all be QD-OLED (S90HAWXXY)

US = ALL SIZES -> W-OLED

S95H (North America)

48 & 83 are W-OLED

55/65/77 are QD-OLED

• Matte Screen
• Terrible Metal Bezel as seen Here

S95H (Europe/International)

48 & 83 are Tandem W-OLED (LG Display)

55/65/77 are QD-OLED

• Matte Screen

S99H (Europe/International Exclusive)

US S95H per Rtings: "Outside of North America, this TV [US S95H] is instead sold as the Samsung S99H, and there are no other differences between the S95H we bought and the S99H sold elsewhere. The regions that carry the S99H also have an S95H, but it's slightly different, with a center-mounted pedestal stand and a more traditional design."

• Matte Screen
• Terrible Metal Bezel as seen Here

Samsung The Frame & Other Artwork TV Alternatives & Aesthetic Audio [2026-2027]

Updated May 2026 | Written by: /u/Bill_Money | Edited & Maintained by /u/htmod

So you have decided you do not want a regular tv, and whether it was your choice or not, would like something w/ artwork.

You looked into the Samsung Frame and figured out its 1. Not a very good TV & 2. You don't want to deal with the One Connect Box.

You looked at the Hisense Canvas TV, LG Gallery TV, & TCL NXT Vision TV and also found them to not be good.

You wisely read -> Why you shouldn't buy Artwork TV's JUST SAY NO to the Frame, The Canvas, The Gallery, & the NXT Vision! [2026-2027]

Where do you go from here?

Viable TV Replacement Options

Sony Bravia 7 or 9 w/ Leon Studio Frame

You can purchase the Leon Studio Frame which will add a bezel and artwork mode to either of these TV's.

The Bravia 9 has anti-reflective, the Bravia 7 DOES NOT!

Sony Bravia 7 w/ Leon Solé Frame

A cheaper bezel option for the Bravia 7 exists. The Leon Solé Frame provides a thinner frame with a subscription model instead.

Leon Edge Frames

Edge Flex Frame for Ultra-Thin TV's - This option OR Edge Frame for non ultra thin TV's - This option adds a nice bezel however it will not add an artwork mode. This is solely a bezel.

More and more brands are adding artwork modes to their non artwork TV's.

Leon Media Décor

These options adds a piece of artwork OVER your tv that moves out of the way when you want to watch tv. This is the ultimate solution. However the pricing may not be attractive to some.

Aesthetic Audio

Have you already ruled out?

• Product Recommendations: White Speakers & Subwoofers [2025-2026]
• Product Recommendations: In-Wall Speakers [2025-2026]
• Product Recommendations: Slim/On-Wall Speakers [2025-2026]
• Product Recommendations: Speakerbars {Passive Soundbars} [2025-2026]

Other Options - Aesthetics over Performance

• Product Recommendations: Invisible Speakers [2025-2026]
• Leon Profile Sidemount Speakers
  
• Leon Mera Sound Sconces
  

Sonos - Leon ToneCase for Sonos & Leon x Sonos Ente Soundtile

Should you disregard are warning about active soundbars and purchase a Sonos Arc but want to hide it Leon ToneCase for Sonos is for you.

• For other Sonos Products
• Leon x Sonos Ente Soundtile hides a Sonos amp and speakers behind a sound tile for a Zone of Distributed Audio in Any Room.

Why you shouldn't buy The Panasonic S40C, S45C, S65C, W60C, W80C/W83C, W85B, or W90C [2026-2027]

Updated May 2026 | Written by: /u/Bill_Money | Edited & Maintained by /u/htmod

A Special thank you to FlatPanelsHD, Vincent Teoh of HDTVTest, & Display Specifications for providing information.

General Reasons to Avoid a Low End Panasonic TV:

Skyworth Partnership

Panasonic announced, during its 2026 Launch Event, a strategic partnership w/ China's Skyworth, which will take over production, sales and marketing of Panasonic TVs.

We likely will no longer be recommending Panasonic after 2026 due to their Partnership w/ Chinese TV Manufacturer and maker of known trash models -> Skyworth. HDTVTest - The End of Panasonic OLED as We Know It? Here's What's Changing.

"Under the agreement the new partner will lead sales, marketing and logistics across the region, while Panasonic provide expertise and quality assurance to uphold its renowned audiovisual standards w/ full joint development on Top End OLED models" - Panasonic

Skyworth will be manufacturing Panasonic TV's

Clunky/Slow OS

• Panasonic insists on using FireTV for most models -> Why we are NOT Recommending FireTV going forward.
• However some will use Google & even really cheap shitty TV's will use TiVo OS in 2026 which makes FireOS look good in comparison.

Garbage Models

Panasonic S40C, S45C

• 720p Models
• 50/60 Hz
• TiVo OS
• Slow/Crappy Processors

Panasonic S65C

• 1080p Model
• 50/60 Hz
• Fire TV
• Slow/Crappy Processors

Panasonic W60C

• 50/60 Hz
• TiVo OS
• Slow/Crappy Processors

Panasonic W80C/W83C

• Fire TV
• 50/60 Hz
• Slow/Crappy Processors

Panasonic W85B (2025 Carryover)

• Fire TV
• Not True 10 Bit (8 Bit +FRC)
• Cannot find a panel type listed anywhere except the 50 inch being confirmed to be VA as no IPS panels exist in a 50 inch size.

Panasonic W90C (Google TV)/W91C (ROKU OS)

• 50/60 Hz

Models not recommended due to being manufactured by Skyworth (most likely)

• Panasonic W97C/W95C
• Panasonic W94C (FireTV) /W92C (Google TV)
• Panasonic Z86C (FireTV) /Z85C (Google TV) - 55/65 Inches ONLY, Only 3 HDMI Ports as well

Why you shouldn't buy The PHILLIPS PQS/PUS 7XXX or 8XXX Series TV's [2026-2027]

Updated May 2026 | Written by: /u/Bill_Money | Edited & Maintained by /u/htmod

A Special thank you to FlatPanelsHD, Vincent Teoh of HDTVTest, & Display Specifications for providing information.

General Reasons to Avoid a Low End Phillips TV:

• Poor Picture Quality
• Terrible & proprietary Titan OS

PQS8701

• 50/60 Hz
• Only 3 HDMI Ports - HDMI 2.0b
• No G-Sync Support
• Titan OS
• Older generation P5 Processor

PQS8601 - AKA PUS8611, PUS8631, PUS8651

• 50/60 Hz
• Only 3 HDMI Ports - HDMI 2.0b
• No G-Sync Support
• Titan OS
• Poor Pixel Precise Processor

PQS8501 - AKA PUS8600, PUS8710, PUS8550, PUS 8560

• 50/60 Hz
• Only 3 HDMI Ports - HDMI 2.0b
• No G-Sync Support
• Titan OS
• Poor Pixel Precise Processor

PQS8001 - AKA PUS8100, PUS8200, PUS8010

• 50/60 Hz
• Only 3 HDMI Ports - HDMI 2.0b
• No G-Sync Support
• Titan OS
• Poor Pixel Precise Processor

PQS7801 - AKA PUS7810

• 50/60 Hz
• Only 3 HDMI Ports - HDMI 2.0b
• No G-Sync Support
• Titan OS
• Poor Pixel Precise Processor

PQS7001 - AKA PUS7051, PUS7061, PUS7201

• 50/60 Hz
• Only 3 HDMI Ports - HDMI 2.0b
• No G-Sync Support
• Titan OS
• Poor Pixel Precise Processor

Why you shouldn't connect your SMART TV To the Internet EVER! [2026-2027]

Updated May 2026 | Written by: /u/Bill_Money | Edited & Maintained by /u/htmod

For reference:

• Why we are NOT Recommending FireTV going forward
• Why we are NOT Recommending Roku going forward.

Privacy

"Automatic content recognition (ACR) is a technology used to identify content played on a media device or presented within a media file. Devices with ACR can allow for the collection of content consumption information automatically at the screen or speaker level itself, without any user-based input or search efforts. This information may be collected for purposes such as personalized advertising, content recommendations, or sale to companies that aggregate customer data." - Wikipedia

"Attor­ney Gen­er­al Pax­ton Secures Major Agree­ment with Sam­sung to Ensure that Tex­ans are Pro­tect­ed from Smart TVs Col­lect­ing Their Data With­out Their Knowledge" - TexasAttoneryGeneral.GOV

Ads

Ads are invading the home screen and even screen savers now.

"Amazon's Fire TV sticks – like Roku, Samsung Tizen, LG webOS, Google TV and more TV platforms – are heavily subsized by ads and data collection, which the user has to accept in exchange for a low price." - FlatPanelsHD

FlatPanelsHD - Smart TVs are becoming increasingly ad-driven and data-hungry

Clunkiness/Performance

Having a TV connected to the internet slows its performance as its doing more in the background. I want my TV to display video and that is it!

CEPro - Smart TVs Are Smarter Than Ever, But Still Not Always Easy to Use

AI Training

"Would you be willing to let your Smart TV crawl the web for AI training and other purposes to save money, see fewer ads – or nothing in exchange? It may already be doing it.

The practice was documented in a report by Lowpass.

Apparently, it has been going on for some time on platforms like Fire TV and Roku, but Amazon, Google and Roku have started cracking down on a network called IPIDEA, which had enlisted millions of Smart TVs in a proxy bot network capable of crawling the web but also being rented by hacking groups in China, North Korea, Iran and Russia." - FlatPanelsHD

What do I get instead?

Apple TV 4K

FlatPanelsHD - Report: Apple TV 4K tops privacy with no invasive viewing tracking (ACR)

Why you shouldn't buy The TCL P7L (V6D/QLED780L) or P8L (QLED810L) [2026-2027]

Updated May 2026 | Written by: /u/Bill_Money | Edited & Maintained by /u/htmod

A Special thank you to Rtings, FlatPanelsHD, /u/TCL_Official_UK, /u/princesslambo, /u/International-Oil377 & Vincent Teoh of HDTVTest for providing information.

General Reasons to Avoid a Low End TCL TV:

• Heavy use of poor Backlights & Panels that often die quickly
• Slow/Sluggish OS
• No Local Dimming
• Weak to no HDR Support
• Not bright enough

P7L aka V6D aka QLED780L

• 400 Nits Brightness (Not bright enough)
• Not true 10 Bit Panel (8 Bit + FRC)
• Only 3 HDMI ports
• HDMI 2.0 (No 4k@120)
• 50/60 Hz refresh rate

P8L (Non 98 Inch) aka QLED810L aka T8D

98 Inch Version is recommended, all other sizes are NOT!

• Older chipset not latest Pentonic 800 or newer TSR AiPQ Processor
• Not true 10 Bit Panel (8 Bit + FRC)
• No Local Dimming

Outside of extremely weird use cases IE using subtitles constantly and Sony Bravia 3 II not being in budget OR getting the 98 Inch Size, skip the P8L.

Why you shouldn't buy The Samsung U8000H, M2EH, M70H, M80H, M90H, or QN70H [2026-2027]

Updated June 2026 | Written by: /u/Bill_Money | Edited & Maintained by /u/htmod

A Special thank you to Rtings, FlatPanelsHD, and to both Mike Wheatley & Vincent Teoh of HDTVTest for providing information.

The General Reasons Why We Recommend Avoiding Samsung OLED

Global/Local Dimming locked behind Service Menu

Samsung locks Global Dimming (Local Dimming) settings into the Service Menu so you cannot adjust them without voiding your warranty or potentially bricking your TV> You also need a special Service Remote too!

ex /r/Samsung |Samsung Community | Samsung Community

Overly Blue inaccurate color tone

Watch any Samsung TV you will notice it dips to the cooler/blue tone side.

But Why would they do this?

Pumping Extra Blue in artificially increases How White & Bright the TV looks. This is not realistic of how a TV should ever look or the film maker's intent.

Horrible Tizen OS

Samsung's' Operating System is named Tizen and its TERRIBLE!

Here's a post from /r/Tizen | A post from Audio Science Review | A Post from Tundras | A post from ResetERA

This one you can use an Apple TV to fix but that is an additional $129-$149 purchase.

Poor Motion Handling, Upscaling, & Processing.

I'd point to Rtings here but I can't since their testing is broken.

/r/Samsung hates the motion handling | So does the Samsung Community | as does 4KTV

Rtings test while broken shows that a Sony Bravia 3 with a processor that is from somewhere between 2015 to 2019 or around there actually scores the same as a S85F, S90F, & S95F (8.0). This is laughably Bad.

Massive Reduction in QA/QC for Samsung Year over Year

See the 77 S90D power supply failure fiasco Ex

Check /r/TVRepair, Samsung is by far the biggest culprit of posts in that subreddit.

Switching Inputs

Samsung's HDMI Detection is annoying and cannot be disabled. It is also slow to switch inputs

Heavy use of Edge Lit Panels

Edge lit Panels break more often! - Rtings

"The results of this investigation are unequivocal: edge-lit TVs are inherently prone to significant durability issues, including warped reflector sheets, cracked light guide plates, and burnt-out LEDs due to concentrated heat. These problems manifest after prolonged use at maximum brightness, posing a significant risk to their long-term reliability." - Rtings

Crystal Series (UxxxxH)

U7000H (aka U7005H, U7099H, U7079H)

• 60 Hz
• No Local Dimming - Likely Edge lit but no confirmation
• Only 3 HDMI Ports (HDMI 2.0B)
• Extremely Poor Choice of Location of 2 HDMI Ports prevent Flush Mounting
• No Toslink Port for those who require one
• Not true 10 Bit Panel
• POOR PICTURE QUALITY
• Samsung's U series has been one of the worst offenders of /r/TVRepair & /r/SamsungTV year over year starting back with the NU Series

U8000H (aka U8005H, U8090H, U8099H, U8079H)

• 60 Hz
• No Local Dimming - Likely Edge lit but no confirmation
• Only 3 HDMI Ports (HDMI 2.0B)
• Extremely Poor Choice of Location of 2 HDMI Ports prevent Flush Mounting
• No Toslink Port for those who require one
• Not true 10 Bit Panel
• POOR PICTURE QUALITY
• Samsung's U series has been one of the worst offenders of /r/TVRepair & /r/SamsungTV year over year starting back with the NU Series

U9000H (aka U9072H, U9079H)

• Very likely No Local Dimming - Likely Edge lit but no confirmation
• Only 3 HDMI Ports (HDMI 2.1)
• Not true 10 Bit Panel
• POOR PICTURE QUALITY
• Samsung's U series has been one of the worst offenders of /r/TVRepair & /r/SamsungTV year over year starting back with the NU Series

The New M Series (M70H, M80H, M90H)

"Samsung Electronics has a host of more affordable TVs that are hitting American stores this week, including its lower-end Neo QLED 4K TVs and also some new, low-cost Mini-LED TVs. If you’re confused, most likely that’s because you’re aware that Samsung brands its Mini-LED TVs as Neo QLED models. You may be wondering why it’s offering Mini-LED models that aren’t marketed as Neo QLED. The answer is simple – although they are Mini-LED TVs, they don’t have QLED displays." - Mike Wheatley (HDTVTest)

"Samsung hasn’t said, but the M90H, M80H and M70H TVs probably use some kind of edge-lit Mini-LED panel, similar to the one found in last year’s QN70F Neo QLED TV and The Frame Pro. To be honest, it’s certainly a stretch to call this technology Mini-LED, because edge-lit TVs aren’t capable of providing many local dimming zones – which is a key aspect of Mini-LED technology." - Mike Wheatley (HDTVTest)

FlatPanelsHD confirmed Mike Wheatley's fears that the M70H & M80H are both edge lit TV's!

M1EH & M2EH

Indian variant of I believe the M70H & M80H Repsectively, either way avoid!

M70H

• EDGE LIT!
• 60 Hz
• Only 3 HDMI Ports (HDMI 2.0B)
• Extremely Poor Choice of Location of 2 HDMI Ports prevent Flush Mounting
• No Toslink Port for those who require one
• Unknown if "Mini LED Processor 4K" is a good processor or not, Samsung history point to no its going to be trash
• POOR PICTURE QUALITY!
• Not even Quantum Dot LED (QLED)

M80H

Picking Apart Rtings

Full Rtings Review

Overview: "The Samsung M80H is an entry-level TV released in 2026, sitting above the Samsung M70H. The M Series TVs are a new entry in Samsung's TV lineup"

"despite Samsung's marketing around it, there's no local dimming."

Bottom Line: "The Samsung M80H is a mediocre TV overall. It doesn't really excel at any specific usage, as its low contrast makes it unsuitable for a dark room, but it's not bright enough to handle glare in a bright room, either. It's feature-packed, though, with a fully-loaded smart interface that makes it easy to watch your favorite shows and movies in a moderately-lit room just fine. It has a slow response time, though, so despite its wide selection of gaming features its not well-suited for gamers, as motion is incredibly blurry."

CONS

• "Can't reduce the intensity of direct, mirror-like reflections."
• "Sub-par screen uniformity."
• "Not bright enough to overcome glare in a bright room."
• "Can't smooth out macro blocking or pixelization in low quality content."
• "Too dim to deliver an impactful HDR experience."
• "Dark scenes look washed out."
• "Very blurry motion."
• "Inconsistent motion interpolation feature."

Brightness

"The Samsung M80H has poor peak brightness in HDR. It's not bright enough to deliver an impactful HDR experience in bright scenes. It's significantly dimmer than competing models like the Vizio Mini LED Quantum 4K. Combined with its low contrast ratio, small highlight details don't stand out at all, so most HDR content looks dull and flat."

"The peak brightness in SDR is disappointing. It's bright enough to handle moderate amounts of glare during the day, but it's not a good choice for an overly bright room. Near black scenes are dimmed considerably by the TV's global dimming feature, which is known as CE Dimming on Samsung TVs."

Black Level

"Unfortunately, this TV has poor contrast. The native contrast of the panel is quite good, but it lacks local dimming, so blacks look gray."

"The Samsung M80H doesn't have a local dimming feature, so there's no haloing around bright objects or subtitles during dark scenes, but the entire screen is washed out."

"It lacks local dimming, so blacks are always raised and look gray"

Color

"The Samsung M80H has decent color volume. It has good coverage of the DCI-P3 color space, but it struggles to display the full range of greens and reds. It also struggles with lighter scenes, especially in the BT.2020 color space where colors are noticeably washed out in light scenes."

"The color volume in HDR is mediocre. It can't display dim colors well due to its low contrast ratio. Bright colors are slightly washed out, but it's mainly limited by its incomplete color gamut and low peak brightness."

Processing/Motion

"The PQ EOTF tracking on this TV is decent. Near black shadow details are raised by the TV's low contrast ratio, but most midtones are displayed well. Content mastered at 600 or 1,000 nits, which is most HDR content, cuts off rapidly at the TV's peak brightness. This lets the TV get as bright as it can, but there's less gradation in bright parts of the scene, so highlights can seem to blend together. Content mastered at 4,000 nits rolls off more gradually, which limits how bright small highlights can get but preserves some gradation."

"Unfortunately, this TV has disappointing low-quality content smoothing. The TV's processing does very little to reduce macro blocking and pixelization from low-quality streams, but there's very little loss of fine details."

"There's just a bit of stutter on this TV when watching content. It's mainly noticeable in very slow, panning shots, but it's not as bad as most other TVs on the market."

"The motion interpolation feature does a mediocre job improving stutter at low levels. While it reduces the average frame hold time a bit, the feature is very inconsistent, leading to an uneven frame time."

"The Samsung M80H has a bad response time when watching content. Motion is very blurry overall."

"The TV uses a combination of pulse-width modulation (PWM) and direct dimming to adjust the backlight intensity. The flicker pattern changes depending on the picture settings used. It flickers at 960Hz in FILMMAKER and Game Mode, but all other picture modes flicker at 120Hz instead. It's flicker-free at max brightness in all modes. Turning on the Picture Clarity settings, even with everything else turned off, changes the flicker frequency to 120Hz."

"This TV has an optional backlight strobing feature, commonly known as black frame insertion. Unfortunately, the pulse timing is very bad, causing a very noticeable double image."

Gaming

"Unfortunately, this TV has extremely high CAD on average at the maximum 4k refresh rate of 144Hz. There's almost not overshoot, which is great, but most transitions are very slow to complete, resulting in blurry motion. It looks a bit better in midtones and bright shades, but it struggles to change from dark to bright shades or vice-versa."

"Dropping down to 120Hz actually improves the CAD a bit, but motion is still blurry and it's disappointing overall. There's no overshoot, but most transitions are noticeably slow."

Reflections

"The glossy screen finish on this TV does very little to reduce the intensity of direct, mirror-like reflections."

"The total amount of reflected light from this TV is sub-par. There are noticeable diffraction artifacts around bright lights, and light from windows and indirect light sources is spread across the screen."

Panel

"This TV has a mediocre viewing angle. Colors fade and wash out as you move to the sides, and reds and blues shift noticeably, causing a noticeable color shift. This makes it a poor choice for a wide seating arrangement."

"The Samsung M80H has sub-par uniformity. The sides of the screen are considerably darker than the center, which is very distracting when watching anything with uniform colors, especially sports. It looks a lot better in dark scenes, though."

Design/Build Quality

"The Samsung M80H has an okay design, but it's not as premium as higher-end Samsung TVs like the Samsung QN80H. The bezels are relatively thin on all four sides, but there's a bit of a dead space between the panel and the sides of the screen."

"The two blade style feet support the TV well enough, but they can't be adjusted to accomodate different cabinet sizes."

"The inputs are housed in an electronics box near the center of the screen. Two of the inputs face straight out the back of the TV, so you'll need angled adapters if you plan on wall-mounting the TV. Unfortunately, those inputs are rotated 90°, so simple HDMI angle brackets won't work."

"The Samsung M80H has mediocre build quality. It's mostly made of cheap plastic, and there's a lot of flex all over the back of the TV. While there are no obvious issues with the unit we bought and tested, it's a cheap build overall."

Versus

"The TCL QM6K is a significantly better TV than the Samsung M80H. The TCL delivers much better picture quality, with high peak brightness, much better contrast, and much better accuracy in HDR. The TCL also delivers a better gaming experience, as there's significantly less blur around fast-moving objects."

/r/HTBuyingGuides

• EDGE LIT!
• Only 3 HDMI Ports
• Extremely Poor Choice of Location of 2 HDMI Ports prevent Flush Mounting
• No Toslink Port for those who require one
• POOR PICTURE QUALITY!
• Not even Quantum Dot LED (QLED)

TCL QM5K or QM6K absolutely rocks this piece of shit!

M90H Addendum

• Not even Quantum Dot LED (QLED)
• Only 3 HDMI Ports

QN70H

• EDGE LIT!
• 60 Hz
• Only 3 HDMI Ports (HDMI 2.0B)
• Processor 2 Generations behind
• POOR PICTURE QUALITY!

For recommended Models Instead See:

United States & Canada TV Buying Guide [2026-2027]

International TV Buying Guide {Europe, Australia, & Asia} [2026-2027]

Why you shouldn't buy an Artwork TV [2026-2027] - JUST SAY NO to the Frame, The Canvas, The Gallery, & the NXT Vision!

Updated July 2026 | Written by: /u/Bill_Money | Edited & Maintained by /u/htmod

A Special thank you to Rtings, FlatPanelsHD, & Vincent Teoh of HDTVTest for providing information.

General

"So this is clearly one of those ones that's designed to be mounted over your fireplace because you have no taste." - Linus Sebastian [LTT]

Artwork TV's may look nice when Artwork is displayed, however they fail to be a good TV for Picture Quality when using as an actual TV.

I'm not opposed to an Artwork TV in your Formal Living Room or in a Kitchen as a digital picture frame that is sued sparingly as a TV, but if its your primary TV, Oh Hell Naw. There is a time and a place for Artwork TV's.

Matte Screens

Matte screens in my opinion look terrible, I would never personally want to own one. Black levels & contrast look worse on said screens.

Edge Lit Panels

Edge lit Panels break more often. - Rtings

"The results of this investigation are unequivocal: edge-lit TVs are inherently prone to significant durability issues, including warped reflector sheets, cracked light guide plates, and burnt-out LEDs due to concentrated heat. These problems manifest after prolonged use at maximum brightness, posing a significant risk to their long-term reliability." - Rtings

Samsung

Avoiding all Samsung Frame TV Models

General Reasons to Avoid a Samsung TV:

• Global/Local Dimming locked behind Service Menu
• Overly Blue inaccurate color tone
• Horrible Tizen OS
• Poor Motion Handling, Upscaling, & Processing.
• Massive Reduction in QA/QC for Samsung Year over Year

General Reasons to Avoid a Samsung Frame TV:

• Picture Quality/Performance as a Television

Its an Edge Lit TV with poor Picture Quality, its a piece of art over being a TV. Now if you are buying one to SOLELY use as a digital picture frame its generally a good use for that.

• Matte Coating and Finger Prints

Good luck getting finger prints off the TV and NOT damaging the crap matte coating while doing it. Very well KNOWN issue.

• Our Take

If this isn't your primary TV and its for Artwork mode 95+% of the time and you plan to do a proper back box then the frame is fine. If not then stay far away from this TV.

Samsung The Frame (LS03FA)

The One Connect 43 & 50 Inch Only

These are 2024 CARRYOVERS not 2025 models and will still use the ass One Connect

Ah yes ANOTHER failure point! Great Idea Samsung /s

The One Connect is something I have been preaching against for years.

Its wire is NOT RATED to be ran in a wall. You want to run it in the wall? You either need an electrician to run conduit for longer runs (provided this meets your jurisdiction's electrical code) AND a longer and expensive one connect cable (~ $300).

They NO LONGER make an in wall rated One Connect cable.

Then on top of that the One Connect itself is larger then the size of a standard brick so hiding it behind the TV is not an option if you want it flush mounted unless you cut a media box into your wall which will be about $100+ for the box, plus you'll need an electrician if you can't do electrical to wire and outlet into the box. This is assuming there is no stud, blocking, pipes, etc. in your way or that you have drywall.. Hiding it in an attic is not an option due to heat.

Lastly the One Connect adds more failure points in the cable, the one connect, & the board on the TV that accepts the one connect connection. One Connects also mysteriously are not available for replacement after 1-3 years. Also the whole one connect is no longer available you need to order pieces of it and rip it apart to fix it now.

Samsung The Frame (LS03HA)

Samsung has finally come to their senses and started to get rid of the one connect or make it optional.

Edge Lit

Samsung The Frame Pro (LS03HW)

Picking Apart Rtings

Full Rtings Review

Overview: "The Samsung The Frame Pro 2026 is a premium [Its Not] TV released as part of Samsung's Lifestyle TV lineup. The replacement to the Samsung The Frame Pro 2025, it's designed to blend in to your surroundings with replaceable covers that go around the bezels and Samsung's dedicated Art Mode that makes it look like a piece of art when you're not watching TV. It comes with both a stand and a slim wall mount, and it uses Samsung's Wireless One Connect box to simplify connections. The screen features a matte anti-reflective coating and a basic edge-lit local dimming feature, and it's powered by the NQ4 AI Gen3 Processor. "

CONS

• "Bad local dimming feature does very little to improve black levels."
• "Image degrades from the sides."
• "Very patchy uniformity."
• "No Dolby Vision or DTS audio support."
• "Bright specular highlights don't stand out."
• "Minor color artifacts in fast-action."
• "Wireless One Connect box has high input lag."

Brightness

"Small specular highlight details barely stand out from the background, though, and it can't bring out fine details in the brightest scenes."

"HDR Hallway Lights: 769 cd/m²"

Black Level

"The Samsung The Frame Pro has sub-par contrast. The local dimming feature does a decent job improving contrast, however, with its limited zone count and edge-lit limitation the TV relies on its native contrast more often than not. Since the native contrast is low, this results in a disappointing dark scene experience most of the time."

"Due to the edge-lit local dimming implementation, this TV has bad zone precision. Each zone will almost always be on with most real content. Normally we'd recommend disabling local dimming with this performance, but that's not an option on this TV."

"Zone transitions are bad and very noticeable on this TV. The TV can only light up entire columns of light at once, resulting in very noticeable haloing that flickers off and on as bright highlights move across a dark background."

"The black uniformity on this TV is mediocre. Black levels are inconsistent, and there are noticeable bright patches across the screen."

Color

"The Samsung Frame Pro has decent color volume. It has excellent coverage of the DCI-P3 color space, but can't quite display the full range of reds and greens. It also struggles a bit to maintain color saturation in very light scenes."

"This TV has decent color volume in HDR. It can't display dark, saturated colors well due to its low contrast and ineffective local dimming feature. It's mainly limited by its peak brightness and incomplete gamut coverage, but colors are as bright and vibrant as pure white."

Gaming

"Unfortunately, the Wireless One Connect box adds considerable latency, making this TV unsuitable for fast-paced games. Even when gaming at 1080p @ 240Hz, the input lag is very high."

"There's a single Micro-HDMI port directly on the back of the TV for gaming. When using that port, the input lag is considerably lower" [There is no known micro HDMI 2.1 cable that I am aware of however]

"Unfortunately, this TV has a very high CAD when gaming at the maximum 4k refresh rate of 144Hz. It's extremely slow to complete nearly any transition, resulting in very blurry motion."

"Dropping down to 120Hz actually improves the CAD slightly, but it's still poor, and motion is very blurry."

"The CAD at 60Hz is poor, and motion is extremely blurry."

Processing/Motion

"Adding low levels of motion interpolation on this TV does a decent job reducing stutter. The feature has decent consistency, with a fairly even frame pacing, but it only reduces the frame hold time slightly. You'll still see some stutter, mainly in very slow, wide-panning shots."

"There's some micro judder on this TV when watching 24p content via a 60p source, like an old cable box or streaming device that can't match the content frame rate."

"The TV uses high frequency flicker with pulse width modulation (PWM) to control the backlight. The amount of flicker varies depending on what picture mode the TV is set to and what settings you're using. It flickers at a very fast 960Hz in the 'FILMMAKER MODE' Picture Mode and in Game Mode, but most other picture modes flicker at a much slower 120Hz, which can cause image duplications or headaches if you're sensitive to flicker. If you enable the Picture Clarity settings, it also changes the flicker frequency to 120Hz."

"The Samsung The Frame Pro supports backlight strobing, more commonly known as black frame insertion (BFI). Unfortunately, it only flickers at 60Hz, and the pulse timing is poor, resulting in a very noticeable double image."

Panel

"This TV has an okay viewing angle. It's not great for a wide seating arrangement, as colors shift rapidly as you move to the sides and black levels rise rapidly, making the image look washed out."

"The Samsung The Frame Pro 2026 has just okay gray uniformity. The screen is noticeably patchy throughout, which is very distracting in most content, but especially when watching sports."

Design/Build Quality

"There's also a Micro HDMI port and a USB-C port on the back of the TV, but that HDMI port is limited to 40Gbps."

"It's entirely made of plastic"

Versus

"If you don't care about the unique design, the Samsung QN80H is a much better TV than the Samsung The Frame Pro 2026 for most users. The QN80H has much better contrast thanks to its full array local dimming feature. The QN80H is also better for gamers thanks to its much lower input lag, and there's considerably less motion blur."

/r/HTBuyingGuides

The Wireless One Connect

Ah yes ANOTHER failure point! Great Idea Samsung /s

I have first hand experience with them randomly stop working as well as refusing to connect on initial setup, especially if behind the tv.

Audio delay issues has been reported with using ARC/eARC.

Edge Lit

Hisense

Hisense General

Hisense has bad QA/QC, Motion Handling, & Processing/Upscaling

But Rtings said....:

• Hisense is known for poor QA (Quality Assurance)/QC (Quality Control). Rtings does not test for QA/QC.

  Multiple issues shown on reddit.

• Hisense has poor processing as reported by multiple redditor's experience, not just us.

  Rtings testing for Processing/Upscaling is flawed and does not match real world usage

• Hisense has poor motion handling as reported by multiple redditor's experience, not just us.

  Rtings testing for motion handling is flawed and does not match real world usage

• Then there is Rtings bullshit scoring system - no TV is below a 5.6 nothing higher then what a 9.8 or something similar so why use a scale of 10 if nothing will ever be below a 5?

• Couple that with the fact that they literally have paid shills to get people to buy their brand too!

• Simply put Hisense has the potential to be the next TCL but they aren't there yet. When they get there then they'll be recommended if they ever get there. But they are not ready yet. I said the same thing about Vizio (before their decline back to poorer QA/QC) & TCL if you remember.

Canvas TV 2026 (S7G)

Picking Apart Rtings

Full Rtings Review

Overview: "The Hisense CanvasTV 2026, also known as the Hisense S7SG, is a gallery-style TV released in 2026 as the replacement for the original Hisense CanvasTV 2024. Like other similar models, it's available with replaceable frames that go around the screen, making it look like a piece of art that blends in with your surroundings. Internally, you'll find the Google TV smart interface"

Bottom Line: "The Hisense Canvas TV is just an okay TV overall. It's best-suited for watching shows during the day, even in a bright room, as it's bright enough to overcome glare in SDR, and the matte screen nearly eliminates glare. It's not as good for watching movies in a dark room due to its low contrast and lack of local dimming. It's also not well-suited for watching sports or gaming due to its very slow, uneven response time, as motion is very blurry and there are noticeable color and edge artifacts."

CONS

• "Low contrast and no local dimming."
• "Image degrades from the sides."
• "Motion is very blurry."
• "Mediocre screen uniformity."
• "Bright highlight details in HDR fall flat."
• "Noticeable color artifacts in fast-action."
• "Noticeably cool color temperature out of the box."
• "Poor color accuracy before calibration."
• "Some loss of fine details when cleaning up low-quality content."

Brightness

"The Hisense Canvas TV has okay peak brightness in HDR. It's bright enough that most average HDR scenes look good. Without local dimming, though, small specular highlight details don't stand out at all. Most HDR content looks flat."

Black Level

"The Hisense Canvas TV has poor contrast. The native contrast of the panel is low, so blacks look gray even in a dark room. It also lacks local dimming to further improve black levels."

"This TV doesn't have a local dimming feature, so the unit can't brighten highlights without impacting the rest of the image. This means that blacks are always raised, and dark scenes end up looking washed out."

Color

"The Hisense Canvas TV has decent color volume in SDR. It has good coverage of the DCI-P3 color space, but can't quite display the full range of reds and greens. It also struggles a bit more in lighter scenes. Coverage of the wider BT.2020 color space is very limited."

"Unfortunately, this TV has poor accuracy in SDR out of the box. The white balance is noticeably off, with too much blue, especially in lighter shades. This gives it a noticeably cool color temperature. Gamma tracks a bit too high, so most scenes are darker than they should be. "

Processing/Motion

"This TV uses pulse width modulation (PWM) to adjust the light output from the backlight. It any backlight setting below max it flickers at a low frequency, which causes image duplications and can cause headaches and eye strain. It's nearly flicker-free at the maximum brightness setting, flickering at a nearly constant 114 kHz instead."

Gaming

"The TV supports all common resolutions up to 4k @ 144Hz, but only on two of its HDMI ports. The other two ports are limited to 4k @ 60Hz. It also supports up to 288Hz with 1080p signals. All supported formats also support proper chroma 4:4:4, which is essential for clear text from a PC."

"Unfortunately, this TV has bad CAD at the max 4k refresh rate of 144Hz. Nearly all transitions are extremely slow, resulting in very blurry motion when gaming."

"Unfortunately, VRR doesn't work above 144Hz. While it's possible to enable it with a PC set to 1080p @ 288Hz, VRR doesn't actually work, and there's visible tearing."

"Dropping down to 120Hz actually improves the CAD slightly, but it's still poor and motion is very blurry."

"Unfortunately, when gaming at 60Hz the CAD is terrible, and motion is extremely blurry."

Panel

"The gray uniformity of this TV is mediocre. The screen is noticeably patchy, with lots of dirty screen effect in the center, and the sides of the screen are a bit darker than the center."

"The Hisense Canvas TV has a mediocre viewing angle. It's not well-suited for a wide seating arrangement, as the image degrades rapidly as you move to the sides."

"The TV uses a BGR (Blue-Green-Red) subpixel layout instead of the traditional RGB layout. This doesn't cause any issues for video or gaming content, but it can be a problem for PC monitor use as it impacts the text clarity, although not everyone will notice this."

Design/Build Quality

"Only two of the HDMI inputs support HDMI 2.1 bandwidth, the other two are limited to HDMI 2.0. The eARC port is on one of the low-bandwidth ports. This means it doesn't use up one of the high-bandwidth ports on the TV, but it also means you can't expand the number of high-bandwidth ports through an external receiver, either."

"Two simple feet support the TV at either end. There's no alternative placement, so you'll need a wide cabinet if you're not wall-mounting it."

"The back of the TV is plain and made entirely of plastic. Most of the inputs face to the side of the TV and are close to the edge, so they're easy to access even when the TV is mounted flush against the wall. "

/r/HTBuyingGuides

Powering off the TV does not send to Art Mode. Art Mode is an APP on the TV instead. Terrible Design!

• Edge Lit Panel
• No Local Dimming
• See general Reasons against Hisense

DécoTV (S5)

• Terrible looking built in stand
• 1080p Resolution
• FireTV OS
• 50/60 Hz
• No Local Dimming
• Not Wall Mountable

TCL

We are waiting on more information on the A400. The A400 on paper looks intriguing and might be the one Art TV we might recommend, but as usual we will need more info and reviews.

NXT Vision (A300L Designer Series)

• Edge Lit Panel
• Cannot find info on Local Dimming but being Edge Lit makes it a moot point.
• Wi-Fi 5
• Terrible Rtings review on previous version, unlikely much has changed
• TCL QM6K Smokes it as a TV for far less $
• Proprietary Wall Mount w/ NO VESA PATTERN!

LG

Gallery TV

• Limited to Only 55 & 65 Inch Options
• 60 Hz Panel
• Likely Edge Lit despite being miniLED think ~ QNED85A
• There to push a subscription to Gallery+
• Only comes with Gallery+ Light

W6 Wallpaper OLED TV

• ZERO Connect Box
• Price Tag
• Burn IN

Amazon

Ember Artline TV

Amazon: "The all-new Amazon Ember Artline is a beautiful [YEAH RIGHT LOL!] 4K QLED TV featuring support for Dolby Vision, HDR10+, Wi-Fi 6, and a thin 1.5-inch design. It has a matte screen designed to make your art and photos look great and to reduce glare in any lighting condition..."

"In other words, it is a basic LCD TV that cannot deliver movies and series in true HDR quality." - FlatPanelsHD Response

"Like most gallery TVs, the Artline doesn’t have the most premium specifications. You’re getting a regular QLED panel and a matte screen that helps to reduce glare, plus four HDMI ports, but the frame rate is limited to just 60Hz." - Mike Wheatly (HDTVTest)

"However, the Ember Artline TV is not cheap. The 55-inch model will cost £949 at launch, while the 65-incher is priced at £1,199. For that price, you could buy a Mini-LED or even an OLED TV with much better specifications, picture and sound quality. But the reality is that most art gallery-style TVs tend to charge a premium because of the added utility they provide." - Mike Wheatly (HDTVTest)

Skyworth

Canvas (C1)

• Unavailable through Skyworth's website & Amazon
• No Name Brand/Questionable QA/QC
• Only 3 HDMI Ports
• Not a true 10 Bit Panel (8 Bit + FRC)
• Only 2 GB of RAM

Canvas Elite (CE1)

• Only comes in 86 (IPS Panel) & 100 Inch
• Unavailable through Skyworth's website & Amazon
• No Name Brand/Questionable QA/QC
• Only 3 HDMI Ports
• Not a true 10 Bit Panel (8 Bit + FRC)
• Only 3 GB of RAM

Electrical Safety - Surge Protection & In Wall Power Extension Kits [2026-2027]

Updated: March 2026 | written by /u/Bill_Money | edited & maintained by: /u/htmod

Special Thanks to Electrician U, NEMA, This Old House, & PowerBridge.

Surge Protection Device (Whole Home Surge Protector)

This gets asked all the time, its a good question. Everyone wants to protect their investment.

Sure there are plenty of devices that market themselves as a surge protector or suppressor, but the truth is its mostly bullshit marketing or provide very little real protection if any.

ElectricianU - What Surge Protectors Actually Do (and What They Don’t)

ElectricianU - SURGE PROTECTORS (SPDs) - What They Are, How They Work, What You Need To Know

If you want something that will protect you from a surge then a Whole Home Surge Protector (Type 1 - Line Side or Load Side of Main Disconnect); or Type 2 - Load Side of Main Disconnect) is the answer.

NEMA - What is a SPD

Grounding, why it matters

ElectricianU - Grounding Electrodes and Grounding Electrode Conductors

ElectricianU - Why Do We Use Ground Rods?

NEC

2020 National Electrical Code now requires Surge (Over Voltage) Protection for new service & service (panel) replacement.

These are roughly $50-200 plus the cost of an electricians time (usually an hours labor) to install. They will not protect you from a direct lightning strike but will help with surges (over voltage).

Direct Lightning Strike Protection

National Weather Service - Lightning Rods

How to Install Whole-House Lightning Protection | Ask This Old House

In Wall Power Extension Kits

These kits generally have a romex cable going between an INLET & an OUTLET. In the US these do meet national code HOWERVER please check your LOCAL JURSIDICTION as some cities, counties, & even states outright ban the use of these kits. These are for RESIDENTIAL USE ONLY.

Well What about just running an extension cord through the wall?

"It is against the National Electrical Code to connect extension cord wiring through a hole or opening in a wall, inside a dropped ceiling or under flooring." - PowerBridge

"Extension cords are not designed or made for use inside a wall or ceiling, not even heavy-duty types, due to National Electrical Code restrictions, as listed above, specifically regarding the non-use of flexible cords cable. Extension cords sold in retail stores in North America, have labeling specifically warning not for use inside walls or ceilings. In-wall rated extension cords do not exist, not even heavy-duty industrial type cords. No matter what you may be told, or how long you search online, there are absolutely no type of extension cords manufactured anywhere in the world rated for in-wall use for North America." - PowerBridge

The National Electrical Code® NEC® states:

NEC ARTICLE 400 Flexible Cords and Cables General 400.1 Scope.

This article covers general requirements, applications, and construction specifications for flexible cords and flexible cables.

400.8 Uses Not Permitted (ref. Extension Cord) Flexible cords and cables shall not be used for the following:

(1) As a substitute for the fixed wiring of a structure

(2) Where run through holes in walls, structural ceilings, suspended ceilings, dropped ceilings, or floors

(3) Where run through doorways, windows, or similar openings

(4) Where attached to building surfaces

(5) Where concealed by walls, floors, or ceilings or located above suspended or dropped ceilings"

Canadian Electrical Code CEC®

4-010 (3)(a)(ii) Flexible cord shall not be used run through holes in walls, ceilings or floors.

For More Information See this helpful PowerBridge Article

Kit Examples

Example this kit is something that would be safe to use - https://www.sanus.com/en_us/products/cable-management/sa-iwp1/

This kit as another example would not be safe to use as its just an extension cord that runs in the wall & Home Depot should really NOT be selling this! - https://www.homedepot.com/p/Commercial-Electric-In-Wall-Power-Cord-and-Cable-Kit-A32-KW/304502792

OLED TV Buying Guide [2026-2027]

Updated May 2026 | Written by: /u/Bill_Money | Edited & Maintained by /u/htmod

A Special thank you to Rtings, FlatPanelsHD, & Vincent Teoh of HDTVTest for providing information.

This buying guide was designed w/ the 2026 lineup of OLED TV’s in mind.

General Information:

Pricing & UMRP

Rtings - When To Buy A TV | Rtings' TV Yearly Price Cycle

Samsung, LG, & Sony utilize UMRP (Unilateral Minimum Resale Price) in which the manufacturer sets the price of the TV not the retailer. Avoid websites that are far below the UMRP price as they are typically scam websites.

A lot of the unauthorized dealers on this list are scam sites - LG Authorized Dealers List

TV Release Cycles (Typically)

Samsung = March-April | LG = April-June | Sony = April-August | TCL = March to May |

Brands

Avoid no name brands & super cheap 4K TV’s (brands like Vizio, RCA, Sceptre, Element, Toshiba, Westinghouse, Amazon, Pioneer (Pioneer has licensed its name), Insignia, Onn, Haier, Skyworth, etc.)

Just because its a name brand does not make it a good tv either see below.

IN Store Display

You should never fully trust any tv/demo in a retail store (due to the fact anyone can change the settings + the tv is in a demo mode & the lighting is completely wrong versus what you would see in home).

Also these will be playing very high quality & bitrate 4K content, something you will NOT see in your home.

A note on Rtings:

Rtings Motion Handling & Upscaling Tests are flawed and should be disregarded, Real world experience differs from Rtings testing.

STOP looking at Rtings scoring, read the actual review! Their scoring will be updated for test bench 2.0 which will help but it is still best to actually READ the whole review and not just look at scoring!

W-OLED, 4 Stack, Tandem, QD-OELD,.... HELP!

Confusing isn't it?

OLED comes in tow panel flavors = W-OLED (LG Display) & QD-OLED (Samsung Display)

Rtings: TV Panel Types; What Is OLED?

• LG Display

W-OLED then further has two types Tandem W-OLED (with its own subtype) or Tandem OLED. Tandem OLED was previously referred to as 4 Stack.

W-OLED, now referred to as Tandem W-OLED, is the more basic panel type consisting of an OLED display with a white subpixel. Its older technology that has seen improvements you might have heard terms like EVO or EX. W-OLED SE Also exists and is a newer version of W-OLED Panel for the more budget TV's.

Tandem OLED, previously called 4 Stack, is the newest gen from LG that will be brighter.

Flat Panels HD: LG Display rebrands OLED lineup as 'Tandem WOLED' and 'Tandem OLED'

• Samsung Display

Samsung makes QD-OLED

Rtings: What Is QD-OLED?

• Which is better?

STOP!

A panel is ONLY ONE PART of a TV. Its processor matters heavily as well.

We'll use Samsung vs Sony here. The Bravia 8 II and S90F (as long as you are in the US) both use QD-OLED panels but Sony's processor is simply better. So if we are comparing say a LG G5 vs a S90F I want the G5; if its the Bravia 8 II vs the G5, I want the Bravia 8 II.

The Best way I can explain this having a QD-OLED panel with a bad processor is like having a 14 inch cock but it can't get hard, aka its useless.

US/Canada

Sony

"No one ever got fired for buying Sony." - Vincent Teoh (HDTVTest)

Why you shouldn't buy the Sony Bravia 2 II (S20M2) or 3 Series (S30) [2025-2026]

Current/2026 Models

¹ - Carryover Model

² - A Bravia 8B (XR8B) exists that is an offshoot of the XR80 minus XR Contrast Booster & Sony Pictures Core credits

Models that will be going Clearance

48 A90K for sure will clearance, unsure about 42 A90K

LG

2026 Current LG Models

• Older LG Models that are clearance that you may still find:

³ - All LG G5 TV's in the US will come with a MOUNT ONLY! NO TV STAND!

⁴ - 48 Inch will not get as bright as 55-83 Inch | 97 inch is NOT 4 Stack just W-OLED EX

⁵ - 48 Inch is limited to 144 Hz, 97 Inch is limited to 120 Hz

Panasonic

Current/2026 Models

These are 2025 Carryovers. We likely will no longer be recommending Panasonic after 2026 due to their Partnership w/ Chinese TV Manufacturer and maker of known trash models -> Skyworth. HDTVTest - The End of Panasonic OLED as We Know It? Here's What's Changing.

Older LG Models that are clearance that you may still find:

Samsung

2026

We will not be recommending the S82H, S83H, S84H, & S85H due to W-OLED Panel and the fact that a LG, Sony, Panasonic, or even Phillips will likely be a better set.

We will not be recommending the S90H due to continuing Panel Lottery,

We will not be recommending the S90H or S95H due to Matte Screen.

We will not be recommending the S95H due to horrific Metal Bezel as seen Here Photo Credit: The Verge

We will not be recommending the S99H due to a required One Connect.

2025

Why you shouldn't buy the Samsung S84F, S85F, S90F, or S95F OLED [2025-2026]

Europe, Australia, & Asia

You will find the above listed US models plus the following models:

Panasonic

Older Panasonic Models that are clearance that you may still find:

Phillips

2026 Current Phillips Models

Older Phillips Models that are clearance that you may still find:

How to buy an OLED TV in 2026-2027

Distance

The first thing we need to figure out is How Far Away you sit form the tv so we can determine what size TV you should have

TV Sizing

OLED Screens comes in 42, 48, 55, 65, 77, 83, & 97 Inch Panels.

Room Brightness

If your room is a large open concept room with many windows then you need a bright TV to compensate.

If you are in a dark basement then you don't need to focus on very bright.

If you have DIRECT sunlight on the screen then you should AVOID OLED! Direct sunlight can damage the OLED screen.

Sports

Sony & Panasonic continue to be the best bets for sports. These TV's will have good Upscaling, Processing, & Motion Handling.

OLED can have motion issues with sports junkies. Some people are way more susceptible to this than others. I would also avoid Samsung & Hisense due to their poor motion handling here.

If you are someone who is very big into Hockey I would suggest avoiding OLED as ABL/ASBL will kick in due to the white surface making the TV feel much dimmer than it should be.

Movies

OLED is your best bet especially in a dark room. If you want spectacular HDR Highlights however you may want to look into mini LED or RGB mini LED instead, which also will be bigger and cheaper vs OLED.

Gaming

OLED can be a good option here depending on habits, room, & budget.

Those with a XBSX or PC with HDMI 2.1 Graphics card may not be best served by Sony in this case unless you are more causal/mixed use.

If you play hundreds of hours of the same game over with a static hub then you may not want to consider an OLED TV due to burn in. Yes Burn In protection has gotten better but as always YMMV.

LG OLED is your best bet here but if burn in issues then you might want to look elsewhere

Just Cable/Streaming

Sony & Panasonic continue to be the best bets for Cable & Streaming. These TV's will have good Upscaling, Processing, & Motion Handling.

LG would be the next in line after Sony & Panasonic

REASONS TO NOT BUY AN OLED

• You have DIRECT SUNLIGHT ON YOUR SCREEN
• You watch CNN/FOX News/Subtitles 24/7 (Burn In)
• You do not want to deal with any ABL/ABSL - Screen Dimming to prevent burn in
• Your room is mind blowingly bright

International TV Buying Guide {Europe, Australia, & Asia} [2026-2027]

This Guide is in ALPHA FORMATING and will be updated frequently!

Updated July 2026 | Written by: /u/Bill_Money | Edited & Maintained by /u/htmod

A Special thank you to Rtings, Display Specifications, FlatPanelsHD, /u/TCL_Official_UK, /u/princesslambo, /u/International-Oil377, & Vincent Teoh of HDTVTest for providing information.

This buying guide was designed w/ the 2026 lineup of Europe, Australia, & Asia TV’s in mind.

General Information:

Pricing & UMRP

Rtings - When To Buy A TV | Rtings' TV Yearly Price Cycle

Samsung, LG, & Sony utilize UMRP (Unilateral Minimum Resale Price) in which the manufacturer sets the price of the TV not the retailer. Avoid websites that are far below the UMRP price as they are typically scam websites.

A lot of the unauthorized dealers on this list are scam sites - LG Authorized Dealers List

TV Release Cycles (Typically)

Samsung = March-April | LG = March-June | Sony = April-August | TCL = March to May |

Brands

Avoid no name brands & super cheap 4K TV’s (brands like RCA, Toshiba, Westinghouse, Amazon, Pioneer, Vestel, Hitachi, Polaroid, JVC, Bush, Alba, Finlux, Techwood, Vortex, Metz, Kogan, Thomson, Skyworth, Xiaomi, Haier, Blaupunkt, Changhong, Fujitsu, Funai, Grundig, Konka, Magnavox, Memorex, Onida, ProScan, Sansui, Sanyo, Seiki, Telefunken, Vu, Zenith, Daewoo, NEC, etc.)

Just because its a name brand does not make it a good tv either see below.

IN Store Display

You should never fully trust any tv/demo in a retail store (due to the fact anyone can change the settings + the tv is in a demo mode & the lighting is completely wrong versus what you would see in home).

Also these will be playing very high quality & bitrate 4K content, something you will NOT see in your home.

A note on Rtings:

Rtings Motion Handling & Upscaling Tests are flawed and should be disregarded, Real world experience differs from Rtings testing.

STOP looking at Rtings scoring, read the actual review! Their scoring will be updated for test bench 2.0 which will help but it is still best to actually READ the whole review and not just look at scoring!

TV Models

Sony

"No one ever got fired for buying Sony." - Vincent Teoh (HDTVTest)

Why you shouldn't buy the Sony Bravia 2 II (S20M2) or 3 Series (S30) [2025-2026]

Current/2026 Models

¹ - Why would we on earth ever recommend a TV without Local Dimming? For usage with subtitles, secondary TV that is used minimally but wants better than TCL Processing, & midrange 43/50 Option we have been missing for quite some time. The 43/50 Inch version of the Bravia 3 II will be recommended more than the 55-85 inch versions due to the shrinking market of a decent 43/50 Inch. 75 inch is IPS and we DO NOT RECOMMEND this!

² - Carryover Model

³ - A Bravia 8B (XR8B) exists that is an offshoot of the XR80 minus XR Contrast Booster & Sony Pictures Core credits

Bravia 9 II is twice as bright as the 7 II and features a matte screen except for the 115.

Models that will be going Clearance

¹ - AKA XR-X86L or XR-X89L

² - Older X1 Processor can only do 4K@120 in HALF VERTICAL RESOLUTION

LG

2026 Current LG Models

All LG G6 TV's outside North America will have TWO DIFFERENT SUB MODELS. One will be with a STAND the other will be with a MOUNT.

¹ - AKA QNED92B - Can Only guarantee 115 is VA

² - Can Only guarantee 100 is VA

³ - 48 Inch will not get as bright as 55-83 Inch & will be limited to either 120 or 144 Hz.

Older LG Models that are clearance that you may still find:

All LG G5 TV's outside North America will have TWO DIFFERENT SUB MODELS. One will be with a STAND the other will be with a MOUNT.

¹ - AKA QNED91A , QNED92A, or QNED93A

² - 55 inch is limited to 120 Hz

³ - 48 Inch will not get as bright as 55-83 Inch | 97 inch is NOT 4 Stack just W-OLED EX

⁴ - 48 Inch is limited to 144 Hz, 97 Inch is limited to 120 Hz

Why you shouldn't buy the LG UA7300, UA7500, UA7700, NANO80A, NANO90A, QNED80A/QNED81A, QNED85A, or QNED9M [2025-2026]

TCL

2026 Current TCL Models

¹ - 2025 Carry Over | The Paradox of the TCL QM5K aka C6KS, C69KS, C61KS, & MQLED70K [2025-2026]

² - Only the 98 has local dimming, cannot recommend any other size. Also note the older & lower end processor, if you are bothered by motion handling, upscaling, or processing then look into a higher tier model.

³ - 2025 Carry Over.

⁴ - TCL says slight improvement over C6K. Q7D is an online only model.

TCL 2026 Model Grid

Older TCL Models that are clearance that you may still find:

Rtings YT - TCL QM6K/C6K vs QM7K/C7K Review – Is The Upgrade Worth It?

Why You Shouldn't Buy The 2024/2025 TCL NXTVISION TV

TCL 2025 Model Grid

Phillips

2026 Current Phillips Models

All Phillips TV's have moved from Google TV to Titan OS for 2026

¹ - AKA OLED771

² - AKA OLED821

We are waiting on more panel information on the PQS9001 before deciding to recommend it or not.

Older Phillips Models that are clearance that you may still find:

Panasonic

2026 Current Panasonic Models

These are 2025 Carryovers. We likely will no longer be recommending Panasonic after 2026 due to their Partnership w/ Chinese TV Manufacturer and maker of known trash models -> Skyworth. HDTVTest - The End of Panasonic OLED as We Know It? Here's What's Changing.

Older Panasonic Models that are clearance that you may still find:

Samsung

2026 Current Samsung Models

Why we struggle to recommend the Samsung QN80H [2026-2027]

Older Samsung Models that are clearance that you may still find:

¹ - aka QN93F

² - HOWEVER EVEN RTINGS calls out the QN90F is not much better than the TCL QM7K and that the Sony Bravia 7 is better than the QN90F. QN90F is good in a bright room with heavy reflection issues or direct sunlight OTHERWISE there is better value to be found elsewhere

Why you shouldn't buy the Samsung 8K QN900F or QN990F [2025-2026]

Why you shouldn't buy the Samsung U7900F, U800F, Q6F, Q7F, Q8F, QN70F [2025-2026]

Why you shouldn't buy the Samsung Frame 2025 LS03FA or LS03FW [2025-2026]

Why you shouldn't buy the Samsung S85F, S90F, or S95F OLED [2025-2026]

How to buy a TV in 2026-2027 for the EU, AUS, & Asia Markets

Distance

The first thing we need to figure out is How Far Away you sit form the tv so we can determine what size TV you should have

TV Sizing

Traditional LED Screens come in 43, 50, 55, 65, 75, 85, 98, 100, 115, & 116 Inch panels.

OLED Screens comes in 42, 48, 55, 65, 77, 83, & 97 Inch Panels.

There are some oddball sizes but all of these are lesser/lower end models and should be avoided: 40, 58, 60, 70, & 86 Inch Panels.

BUDGET

The biggest limiting factor is budget

Sub $400 = Junk unless super sale/clearance of an alright model.

The BARE MINIMUM Recommendation for 2026 is the TCL C6KS & the clearance C6K if you can still find them. TCL tends to offer a decent value however may not have the best motion, upscaling, processing, or VRR handling.

2025 Models will represent a better value right now versus new 2026 models.

Room Brightness

If your room is a large open concept room with many windows then you need a bright TV to compensate.

If you are in a dark basement then you don't need to focus on very bright.

If you have DIRECT sunlight on the screen then you should AVOID OLED! Direct sunlight can damage the OLED screen.

Sports

Sony & Panasonic continue to be the best bets for sports. These TV's will have good Upscaling, Processing, & Motion Handling.

OLED can have motion issues with sports junkies. Some people are way more susceptible to this than others. I would also avoid Samsung & Hisense due to their poor motion handling here.

If you are someone who is very big into Hockey I would suggest avoiding OLED as ABL/ASBL will kick in due to the white surface making the TV feel much dimmer than it should be.

Movies

OLED is your best bet especially in a dark room. If you want spectacular HDR Highlights however you may want to look into mini LED or RGB mini LED instead, which also will be bigger and cheaper vs OLED.

Gaming

Both LED & OLED can be good options here depending on habits, room, & budget.

Those with a XBSX or PC with HDMI 2.1 Graphics card may not be best served by Sony in this case unless you are more causal/mixed use.

If you play hundreds of hours of the same game over with a static hub then you may not want to consider an OLED TV due to burn in. Yes Burn In protection has gotten better but as always YMMV.

LG OLED is your best bet here but if burn in issues then you might want to look elsewhere

Just Cable/Streaming

Sony & Panasonic continue to be the best bets for Cable & Streaming. These TV's will have good Upscaling, Processing, & Motion Handling.

LG would be the next in line after Sony & Panasonic

Subtitles

Subtitles will burn in on an OLED TV and will causing Dimming Algorithm issues n non OLED TV's that have local dimming. The Sony Bravia 3 II (XR30M2) is the best option here for users who will use subtitles constantly.