Filmmakers spend a great deal of time and effort obsessing over every last detail, so you want a TV that best translates their vision to the at-home viewing experience to help you stay immersed in your favorite films. A TV's contrast ratio is arguably the most important aspect for watching movies; if your TV doesn't have good contrast, it won't display deep blacks, making the image look washed out and flat. Now that HDR movies and shows are commonplace on streaming services and 4k Blu-rays, having a model with good HDR brightness and color volume is also crucial for an impactful experience. If you still watch DVDs, a model with solid image processing will go a long way in making that content look as good as it can. Through our testing, we can see which models offer the best movie-watching experience depending on your budget.
Below are our recommendations for the best TVs for movies you can buy. Our picks reflect the market as it stands today, so you might still see some 2025 models in this article if they're still available. See our picks for the best OLED TVs, the best bright room TVs, and the best 4k TVs, or vote on which ones you want us to buy and test. You could also consider one of the best home theater projectors instead of a TV. To learn more about the newest TV models, check out our 2026 TV lineup page.
We buy and test dozens of TVs yearly, taking an objective, data-driven approach to deliver results you can trust. Our testing process is complex, with hundreds of individual tests that take over a week to complete. Most of our tests use specially designed test patterns that mimic real content, but we also use the same sources you have at home to ensure our results match the real-world experience. We use two main tools for our testing: a Colorimetry Research CR-100 colorimeter and a CR-250 spectroradiometer.
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Best TV For Watching Movies
Home TheaterMixed UsageBright RoomSportsGamingBrightnessBlack LevelColorMotion HandlingGame Mode ResponsivenessProcessing (In Development)Resolution:4kNative Refresh Rate:165HzScreen Finish:GlossyPanel Type:OLEDSub-Type:WOLEDDolby Vision:YesSee all our test resultsSizes:55" 65" 77" 83" 97"The LG G6 OLED is the best TV for movies and makes for an amazing centerpiece in home theaters. It displays inky blacks with no glow around highlights and subtitles, which gives the image amazing depth. Colors are incredibly vibrant and accurate, so you get a punchy image that also stays true to the filmmaker's intent. On top of that, bright elements really pop off the screen, so HDR movies look amazing whether you're watching a high-quality stream or a 4k Blu-ray. Its image quality doesn't degrade very much at all if you're watching the TV from an angle, making it a great option for wide seating arrangements. If you watch movies in a brighter room, the TV does an excellent job of handling glare, so reflections are barely an issue.
This TV has top-tier image processing, so it does an outstanding job upscaling low-resolution streams and normal Blu-rays. It also does a fantastic job of cleaning up artifacts in heavily compressed streams and DVDs, so it's great if you watch a wide variety of content from different sources. It utilizes LG's webOS as its smart platform, which gives you access to a ton of streaming services.
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Best Upper Mid-Range TV For Watching Movies
Prime Day Deal: Buying the LG C6 OLED? RTINGS members get an extra discount at our partner retailer - 55" for $1,499.99, 65" for $1,849.99, or 77" for $2,599.99. Join now to get the member price.Home TheaterMixed UsageBright RoomSportsGamingBrightnessBlack LevelColorMotion HandlingGame Mode ResponsivenessProcessing (In Development)Resolution:4kNative Refresh Rate:165HzScreen Finish:GlossyPanel Type:OLEDSub-Type:WOLEDDolby Vision:YesSee all our test resultsSizes:42" 48" 55" 65"If you really want an OLED, but a flagship model like the LG G6 OLED is too pricey, go with the LG C6 OLED 2026. Colors aren't quite as punchy as they are on the G6, but the image still looks very vibrant in most content. Colors are also a bit less accurate out of the box overall, but it doesn't stray too much from the filmmaker's intent. Bright areas in HDR films are a bit dimmer than they are on the G6, but they still stand out well, which leads to an immersive viewing experience. Unfortunately, the TV doesn't have the same level of reflection handling as the G6, so glare can cause distracting reflections in a bright room, especially during darker scenes. However, it still has a very wide viewing angle, so it's a solid option for wide seating arrangements.
You also get the same level of image processing as the G6, so low-resolution content looks pretty sharp, and heavily compressed content isn't filled with distracting artifacts. It runs the same version of LG's webOS, so you have access to a ton of apps to find movies to watch. If you're looking at the 77- and 83-inch sizes of this TV, you actually get the LG C6H OLED. These larger sizes have more vibrant colors and higher peak brightness than the smaller versions of the C6, so you're not only getting a larger TV, but also one with even better image quality.
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Best Mid-Range TV For Watching Movies
Home TheaterMixed UsageBright RoomSportsGamingBrightnessBlack LevelColorMotion HandlingGame Mode ResponsivenessProcessing (In Development)Resolution:4kNative Refresh Rate:144HzScreen Finish:GlossyPanel Type:LCDSub-Type:VADolby Vision:YesSee all our test resultsSizes:65" 75" 85" 98"The TCL QM8K is a great TV all-around that offers a wide variety of features and very good image quality. It doesn't display the same inky blacks as the LG C6 OLED 2026, but blacks are still deep and bold in a dark room. However, there's some glowing around bright lights and subtitles in dark scenes, but it's barely noticeable during most scenes. Colors are actually slightly brighter and punchier than they are on the C6, but they're not as accurate out of the box, so it deviates a little more from the filmmaker's intent. Fortunately, this is a very bright TV, so it has no problem displaying very bright areas in HDR movies. It's also bright enough to handle glare from overhead lights during brighter scenes, but like the C6, reflections can be an issue during dark scenes if you're in a bright room.
Unlike the OLED options above, the TV has a pretty narrow viewing angle, so it's best to sit centered to the screen if you want the best image quality. The TV's image processing isn't quite as good as the C6, so low-resolution content looks softer and more details are lost in heavily compressed streams, but it's certainly not bad. It utilizes the Google TV OS, which gives you access to a massive catalog of apps, so finding movies to watch is very easy.
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Best Lower Mid-Range TV For Watching Movies
Home TheaterMixed UsageBright RoomSportsGamingBrightnessBlack LevelColorMotion HandlingGame Mode ResponsivenessProcessing (In Development)Resolution:4kNative Refresh Rate:144HzScreen Finish:GlossyPanel Type:LCDSub-Type:VADolby Vision:YesSee all our test resultsSizes:55" 65" 75" 85" 98"If the TCL QM8K is a bit out of your price range, but you like what it offers, you can step down to the TCL QM7K. Blacks are pretty much just as deep as they are on the more expensive model, but there's more visible glowing around bright lights and subtitles in otherwise dark scenes. Colors aren't quite as punchy as they are on the QM8K, but they still look vibrant. Unfortunately, colors are inaccurate in HDR films, so it deviates from the filmmaker's intent. Bright areas in HDR movies don't pop out as much as they do on the QM8K, but they still stand out enough that the image looks nuanced. Its reflection handling is a bit worse, so glare can be an issue in brighter spaces during dark scenes.
The TV's viewing angle is just as narrow as the higher-end model, so image quality is degraded when viewed at an angle. Its processing capabilities are a bit worse, so low-resolution content looks a bit softer, and there are subtle artifacts in heavily compressed streams. Fortunately, it runs the same version of the Google TV OS, so finding movies to watch is easy.
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Best Budget TV For Watching Movies
Home TheaterMixed UsageBright RoomSportsGamingBrightnessBlack LevelColorMotion HandlingGame Mode ResponsivenessProcessing (In Development)Resolution:4kNative Refresh Rate:144HzScreen Finish:GlossyPanel Type:LCDSub-Type:VADolby Vision:YesSee all our test resultsSizes:55" 65" 75" 85" 98"If you're looking for something more budget-oriented but still want a good movie-watching experience, the TCL QM6K offers that. Blacks aren't as bold as they are on the TCL QM7K, but they're still deep enough to give the image solid depth. However, there's more noticeable glowing around bright lights in dark scenes, and subtitles have a visible glow around them. Colors aren't as vibrant as they are on the QM7K, but the TV is vibrant enough that the image doesn't look dull. Surprisingly, colors are more accurate on this model out of the box than on the higher-end TCLs, which is great. Bright areas in HDR films don't stand out as much as they should, but you still get a fairly impactful HDR experience. Unfortunately, the TV's reflection handling is even worse than it is on the QM7K, so reflections are distracting during dark scenes when you're in a bright room.
Like the QM7K, the TV also has a narrow viewing angle, so it's not very good for wide seating arrangements. Its processing is okay, but there are visible artifacts in low-bitrate content, and low-resolution content lacks some detail. Like the other TCL models, it runs Google TV, so you certainly won't have a hard time finding something to watch.
Notable Mentions
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Samsung S95H OLED:
The Samsung S95H OLED competes with the LG G6 OLED. The Samsung is a great option if you mostly watch movies in a bright room, since it has a matte coating that essentially eliminates glare. However, the LG is the better option for most movie fans due to its superior processing and Dolby Vision support.
See our review -
Samsung S90H OLED:
The Samsung S90H OLED is a great alternative to the LG C6 OLED 2026 if you mostly watch movies in a bright room, since its matte coating does an amazing job handling glare. However, the LG is brighter, has superior processing, and supports Dolby Vision, making it the better choice for most movie fans.
See our review -
LG B5 OLED:
The LG B5 OLED is a mid-range TV that competes with a model like the TCL QM8K. The LG offers deeper blacks and a wider viewing angle,
but the TCL offers better brightness, colors, and overall image processing.
See our review -
Hisense U75QG:
The Hisense U75QG is similar to the TCL QM7K, and it offers better peak brightness. Unfortunately, the Hisense makes HDR content look much brighter than intended. Since the TCL stays truer to the filmmaker's intent and has superior contrast, it looks better when watching movies.
See our review -
Hisense U65QF:
The Hisense U65QF competes with the TCL QM6K but offers more brightness. However, the Hisense really overbrightens HDR content, so it doesn't stay true to the filmmaker's intent. The TCL offers a more well-rounded movie-watching experience, with deeper blacks and superior accuracy.
See our review
Recent Updates
Jun 25, 2026:
We replaced the Samsung S95F OLED with the LG G6 OLED and the LG C5 OLED with the LG C6 OLED 2026, since the newer models are better options for movie fans and are more widely available. We also updated the Notable Mentions section with more relevant alternatives to our current picks.
Mar 20, 2026:
We moved the Sony BRAVIA 9 to the Notable Mentions and replaced the Sony A95L OLED with the LG G5 OLED in that section. We also rewrote the Introduction and revised text throughout the article for clarity.
Nov 19, 2025:
We confirmed the accuracy of our current picks and ensured all products are in stock.
Aug 28, 2025:
Replaced the Sony A95L OLED with the Samsung S95F OLED, the LG C4 OLED with the LG C5 OLED, the LG B4 OLED with the TCL QM8K, the Hisense U7N with the TCL QM7K, and the Hisense U6N with the TCL QM6K. We also renamed the 'Best Bright Room' category to 'Best LED' since it's more fitting to the article. Finally, we updated the Notable Mentions section.
Feb 27, 2025:
Added a link to our 2025 TV lineup article and confirmed the accuracy of our current picks.
All Reviews
Our recommendations above are what we think are currently the best TVs for 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 a list of all our recent TV reviews. 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.