- Table of Contents
- Intro
- Best TV
- Mid-range TV
- Budget TV
- All Reviews
- Discussions
The 7 Best 4k TVs for Watching Movies - Fall 2018
Reviews
- Store-bought TVs; no cherry-picked units
- Retest after major updates
- Easily comparable results
- No ads; unbiased reviews
When choosing a TV for movie watching you should first consider the lighting conditions of the TV room. You will generally have a better experience if you watch movies in a dark room. You should be looking for a TV that can deliver deep blacks, has rich colors and bright highlights, especially in HDR content.
We've tested 75 TVs and below are our recommendations for the best ones you can buy in 2018.
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Best TV for Watching Movies: Sony A8F
Usage Ratings - Version 1.2✕Test Benches: test
- 1.2: Winter 2018
- 1.1: Summer 2017
- 1.0: Winter 2015
- 0.9: Winter 2014
- 0.8: Winter 2013
9.4Movies✕What it is Movies in the dark. The TV will be used for watching movies in a controlled environment, directly in front, in a home theater way. Mostly only high quality content, like Blu-rays, UHD Blu-rays, streaming and a little bit of HDR.Score components:- 20% Contrast
- 17% Local Dimming
- 11% 1080p Input
- 10% Black Uniformity
- 8% Gray Uniformity
- 8% 4k Input
- 6% 24p Judder
- 5% Motion Interpolation
- 5% Stutter
- 3% SDR ABL
- 3% Pre Calibration
- 2% Post Calibration
- 2% 480p Input
Score distribution:Sub-Type: WRGB✕What it is: Type of display technology used by the TV.When it matters: Different technologies have different performance and are suited to different usesGood value: IPS maintains good color accuracy at an angle, but has a poor contrast ratio from in front. VA has great picture quality in front, but loses saturation at an angle. OLED maintains good color accuracy at an angle without any of the other issues seen with IPS and VA, as they keep good brightness and contrast at an angle.Sizes : 55" 65"The best TV for watching movies is the Sony A8F. It's an excellent OLED TV that delivers an impressive movie watching experience in a dark room. The emissive technology used in this OLED panel allows the A8F to turn off or dim individual pixels, creating an infinite contrast ratio with perfect black uniformity and no need for a local dimming feature. The A8F also has excellent wide viewing angles, perfect if you have a wide basement living room or home theater room.
However, like all OLED TVs, the Sony A8F might suffer from temporary image retention or permanent burn-in, although most people will not experience that. OLED technology delivers a nearly instantaneous response time, which means there is very little visible motion blur, but some people might notice some stutter.
Overall it is an excellent TV that is great for pretty much any usage.
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Cheaper Alternative: LG B8
Sub-Type: WRGB✕What it is: Type of display technology used by the TV.When it matters: Different technologies have different performance and are suited to different usesGood value: IPS maintains good color accuracy at an angle, but has a poor contrast ratio from in front. VA has great picture quality in front, but loses saturation at an angle. OLED maintains good color accuracy at an angle without any of the other issues seen with IPS and VA, as they keep good brightness and contrast at an angle.Sizes : 55" 65"If the A8F is too expensive, get the LG B8. The B8 uses an OLED display very similar to the Sony A8F. Overall performance of the two is nearly identical. The B8 has slightly worse gray uniformity, although this could be due to panel variance. It is a better choice for gaming, as it has less input lag, and the smart platform is a bit faster and easier to use.
The LG B8 and LG C8 are nearly identical. They offer the same great movie watching experience, and you should get whichever is cheaper.
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Brighter Room Alternative: Samsung Q9FN
Sub-Type: VA✕What it is: Type of display technology used by the TV.When it matters: Different technologies have different performance and are suited to different usesGood value: IPS maintains good color accuracy at an angle, but has a poor contrast ratio from in front. VA has great picture quality in front, but loses saturation at an angle. OLED maintains good color accuracy at an angle without any of the other issues seen with IPS and VA, as they keep good brightness and contrast at an angle.Sizes : 65" 75"If the possibility of burn-in with the Sony A8F or the LG B8 concerns you, or you watch movies in a bright room, the Samsung Q9FN is the best bright room alternative for movies. The Q9FN doesn't have the perfect blacks and infinite contrast of the OLED TVs, but it has a great local dimming feature that delivers excellent dark room performance. It is significantly brighter than any of the OLED TVs we have tested, making it a great choice for a bright room, but it doesn't have the wide viewing angles of the OLED TVs.
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Best Mid-range TV for Watching Movies: Sony X900F
Usage Ratings - Version 1.2✕Test Benches: test
- 1.2: Winter 2018
- 1.1: Summer 2017
- 1.0: Winter 2015
- 0.9: Winter 2014
- 0.8: Winter 2013
8.5Movies✕What it is Movies in the dark. The TV will be used for watching movies in a controlled environment, directly in front, in a home theater way. Mostly only high quality content, like Blu-rays, UHD Blu-rays, streaming and a little bit of HDR.Score components:- 20% Contrast
- 17% Local Dimming
- 11% 1080p Input
- 10% Black Uniformity
- 8% Gray Uniformity
- 8% 4k Input
- 6% 24p Judder
- 5% Motion Interpolation
- 5% Stutter
- 3% SDR ABL
- 3% Pre Calibration
- 2% Post Calibration
- 2% 480p Input
Score distribution:Sub-Type: VA✕What it is: Type of display technology used by the TV.When it matters: Different technologies have different performance and are suited to different usesGood value: IPS maintains good color accuracy at an angle, but has a poor contrast ratio from in front. VA has great picture quality in front, but loses saturation at an angle. OLED maintains good color accuracy at an angle without any of the other issues seen with IPS and VA, as they keep good brightness and contrast at an angle.Sizes : 49" 55" 65" 75" 85"If the A8F is too expensive, the Sony X900F is the best mid-range TV for watching movies in a dark room. It doesn't have the perfect blacks and infinite contrast of the A8F, but it's no slouch either. The X900F has an excellent native contrast ratio and a decent local dimming feature that further improves dark room performance. Motion is smooth and crisp, with less stutter than the A8F or B8.
Unfortunately, it doesn't have the wide viewing angles or perfect black uniformity of the A8F and B8.
Overall, it is a great TV for most uses, and it should please most people. If you can still find it, the Sony X900E is an equally good choice for a mid-range TV.
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Cheaper Alternative: Vizio P Series 2018
Sub-Type: VA✕What it is: Type of display technology used by the TV.When it matters: Different technologies have different performance and are suited to different usesGood value: IPS maintains good color accuracy at an angle, but has a poor contrast ratio from in front. VA has great picture quality in front, but loses saturation at an angle. OLED maintains good color accuracy at an angle without any of the other issues seen with IPS and VA, as they keep good brightness and contrast at an angle.Sizes : 55" 65" 75"If you find the Sony X900F expensive, get the Vizio P Series 2018. The Vizio does not have the excellent reflections handling that the Sony X900F has. On the other hand, the P series is a very good TV. It is excellent for watching movies due to its great dark scene performance, excellent motion handling and low input lag, which is great for gamers.
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Best Budget TV for Watching Movies: TCL R617
Usage Ratings - Version 1.2✕Test Benches: test
- 1.2: Winter 2018
- 1.1: Summer 2017
- 1.0: Winter 2015
- 0.9: Winter 2014
- 0.8: Winter 2013
8.0Movies✕What it is Movies in the dark. The TV will be used for watching movies in a controlled environment, directly in front, in a home theater way. Mostly only high quality content, like Blu-rays, UHD Blu-rays, streaming and a little bit of HDR.Score components:- 20% Contrast
- 17% Local Dimming
- 11% 1080p Input
- 10% Black Uniformity
- 8% Gray Uniformity
- 8% 4k Input
- 6% 24p Judder
- 5% Motion Interpolation
- 5% Stutter
- 3% SDR ABL
- 3% Pre Calibration
- 2% Post Calibration
- 2% 480p Input
Score distribution:Sub-Type: VA✕What it is: Type of display technology used by the TV.When it matters: Different technologies have different performance and are suited to different usesGood value: IPS maintains good color accuracy at an angle, but has a poor contrast ratio from in front. VA has great picture quality in front, but loses saturation at an angle. OLED maintains good color accuracy at an angle without any of the other issues seen with IPS and VA, as they keep good brightness and contrast at an angle.Sizes : 55" 65"If you find that the Sony X900F is too expensive, the best budget TV for watching movies is the TCL 6 Series R617. You will not get the viewing angles of the Sony A8F nor will you have the perfect blacks of the OLED technology.
On the upside, watching movies on the TCL R617 is a very pleasant experience. The TV has nice deep blacks due to the high contrast ratio and local dimming support that make the picture look very good. This TV can get very bright (brighter than the more expensive LG SK9500) in both SDR and HDR content and its wide color gamut displays vivid colors with highlights that pop. It also has an excellent low input lag which is great for gaming.
Overall, the R617 is a very good TV for most usages and will perform very well when you decide to watch your favorite movie.
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Cheaper Alternative: TCL S405
Sub-Type: VA✕What it is: Type of display technology used by the TV.When it matters: Different technologies have different performance and are suited to different usesGood value: IPS maintains good color accuracy at an angle, but has a poor contrast ratio from in front. VA has great picture quality in front, but loses saturation at an angle. OLED maintains good color accuracy at an angle without any of the other issues seen with IPS and VA, as they keep good brightness and contrast at an angle.Sizes : 43" 49" 55" 65"If you find that the TCL R617 is still too pricey and want to get a cheaper budget TV, then get the TCL 4 Series (S405). The S405 cannot get as bright as the R617. However, it has a great contrast with deep blacks which looks good in dark rooms and a low motion blur that keeps fast content clear. It is also equipped with a very low input lag which will keep gamers happy. Overall it is a decent TV for watching movies, considering the price.
Notable Mentions
- Sony X940E. Excellent LED TV for movies, but OLED is worth the higher price for movie buffs. See our review
- Samsung NU8000. Movies look good on this TV, but the Vizio P Series has better picture quality for less money. See our review
- LG SK9500. Good TV, but not very good for movies due to its poor contrast ratio and ineffective local dimming. See our review
- Sony X930E. Excellent LED TV for movies, but X900F is better for less. See our review
- Sony Z9D. Excellent LED TV for movies, but overpriced compared to the LG B8. See our review
- LG C7. Great OLED TV, but almost identical to the B8, get whichever you can find. See our review
All Reviews
Our recommendations above are what we think are currently the best TVs to watch movies for most people in each price range. We factor in the price (a cheaper TV wins over a pricier one if the difference isn't worth it), feedback from our visitors and availability (no TVs that are difficult to find or almost out of stock everywhere).
If you would like to do the work of choosing yourself, here is the list of all our reviews of TVs. Be careful not to get too caught up in the details. While no TV is perfect, most TVs are great enough to please almost everyone, and the differences are often not noticeable unless you really look for them.
