Televisions and streaming services have come a long way: just take a look at the innovations we’ve seen this year across the entertainment category. On the streaming front, watch-worthy series and movies have debuted on Apple TV Plus, Netflix, HBO Max, Disney Plus, and more. With the breadth of content and more and more live TV, cutting the cord is more practical than ever.
For TVs, we’ve seen OLED TVs and QLED TVs merge into an exciting new panel technology called QD-OLED. Not to mention, TVs get better with eco-friendly design upgrades, stronger smart features, competitive gaming settings and more value options. There’s no shortage of products and services to celebrate at this year’s Tom’s Guide Awards when it comes to TV and streaming.
Best TV: LG G2 OLED TV
The best TV introduced this year is the LG G2 OLED TV, which features a redesigned second-generation attempt at a branded OLED panel. We’ll admit, the evo failed to live up to expectations the first time around, but on the LG G2, new heat dissipation technology helped the range become the brightest OLED TV we’ve seen. And brightness is just one part of its performance that impressed us – the color accuracy, color gamut and lag times that stood out in our testing.
Additionally, being one of LG’s ‘Gallery’ series TVs, its design is also a selling point, with a simple silver bezel that gives it an almost bezel-less look. When mounted on the wall, this TV is no ordinary piece of technology. There is a level of aesthetic luxury perfectly paired with the elevated image. Of course, it’s also well-equipped with ports, powerful audio, and a full-featured smart TV platform.
Best TV Innovation: Samsung S95B OLED TV
Although it wasn’t the first QD-OLED to be announced, the Samsung S95B was one of the first QD-OLED TVs we entered our testing lab that showed us the true power of the new TV technology. With better black levels, higher contrast than traditional LED-LCD TVs, and higher overall brightness than some competing OLED screens, this first generation of Samsung QD-OLED showed us the bright future we should be looking forward to as more QD-OLED screens have come out in the few years. coming. It may not have been the best TV overall in the last 12 months, but it’s definitely the most innovative. Also mentioned was the Sony A95K QD-OLED, which we haven’t had a chance to test yet but have managed to show off the new hybrid technology in our first impressions.
Best Value TV: Hisense U8H
It is always difficult to choose the best value TV. Each year, three companies – TCL, Hisense, and Vizio – each do their best to provide incredible-looking TVs to the masses at an affordable price. This year, however, we have to give a nod to the Hisense U8H. Offering MiniLED, Dolby Atmos sound with a built-in 2.1.2 sound system, and a 120Hz native refresh rate for this price, the Hisense U8H proves you don’t need to overpay for the latest TV technology. And if you think it’s affordable now, just wait for Black Friday and Cyber Monday to roll around – this will be the TV to watch.
Best TV Design: Samsung The Frame 2022
For years, The Frame from Samsung has been the TV of choice for designers due to its excellent build quality and interchangeable frame that can match any style of decor. But for the 2022 edition of The Frame, Samsung’s design team took it all a step further by adding a matte anti-reflective coating to the screen that does a phenomenal job at reducing glare. Not only does the new version of The Frame look great, it now performs better than in previous years thanks to this simple design improvement – but it’s incredibly effective. It is the most alluring frame so far for both the art-loving audience and the movie-lovers who want to get the best performance out of their TV.
Best Gaming TV: Hisense U7G
HDMI 2.1 wasn’t everything we wished it would be – it was a mess of specs and features that some TVs support and some don’t. It sounds less like a standard at this point and more like a guideline. Fortunately, however, there are a few TVs that help make HDMI 2.1 happen as it was intended – chief among them is the Hisense U7G. Featuring a native resolution of 120Hz, two HDMI 2.1 ports and low latency, this TV is a surprisingly affordable TV for gamers looking to get the most out of their new consoles.
Best TV Remote: Samsung Eco Remote
It’s rare to see real innovation in TV remote controls. They’ve been roughly the same since the early 2000s and only saw a slight improvement once Bluetooth became essential to voice assistants and global search functions. But to build a TV that charges with both the sun and can harvest radio frequency signals from your router to keep that charge? Well, this is nothing short of a miracle. We love Samsung’s Eco Remote not because it’s revolutionizing how remote controls work, but because it shows us a new way forward in battery technology within remote controls that can help keep some 99 million discarded batteries away from home. Landfills around the world every year from Samsung TVs alone.
Best Streaming Device: Roku Streaming Stick 4K
Last year, Roku updated a file best streaming deviceThank God they kept the throne. yes Roku Streaming Stick 4K (Released October 2021) An update we can count on. Not only does it keep the $49 price tag moderately affordable, but it adds two very important features.
The first is Dolby Vision, to improve HDR color quality (Atmos would be great too, Roku). Second, Roku has added a long-range Wi-Fi receiver into the power cable. This has proven to be a great addition in Our last testwhere is the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max He had stability issues with sling – Issues that disappeared when we moved to Roku Streaming Stick 4K.
Best Streaming Service: HBO Max
HBO MaxThe last year in broadcasting is a tale of two broadcast services. HBO Max has stood firm in the second half of 2021 with his “Day and History” films, such as The Matrix Resurrections and Dune, giving people an easy way to stay home and skip high theater prices (and the risk of contracting Covid-19). Unfortunately, that plan ended by the start of 2022, upsetting a lot of Feathers. But HBO Max has also thrived throughout those months with its great original programming, such as the Succession 3 series, White Lotus, and Station Eleven.
This year has seen HBO Max deliver an impressive array of great shows, though, making sure they won’t suffer without those big-name movies. Season 2 of The Righteous Gem proved that its first season was no fluke, and Euphoria Season 2 practically dominated the conversation every week (at least for those brave enough to watch it). Next, the Peacemaker and Our Flag Means Death delivered solid surprises before the return of many of our favorites – Barry, Made For Love, Hacks – making sure not to cancel our accounts.
Best Live TV Service: Sling TV
Cutting the wire can save a lot of money, considering the cost of cable these days. But if you still want to access different channels to watch your favorite shows, news and sports, you need a live TV service – and sling tv It is our best choice.
Sling’s two basic plans offer a decent number of channels at an affordable price. While YouTube TV, Hulu with Live TV And Fubo has a more extensive lineup (including all broadcast networks), and it’s also twice as expensive. An easy-to-use interface, 50 hours of enough DVR space and the ability to add additional channels when you need them (and cancel them when you don’t) provide even more value. We think it says something that Sling has been the wire-cutting choice for many TG employees.
Best Sports Streaming Service: YouTube TV
Tests Live TV services last year, we found a surprise in the details. Not all of these live TV providers are created equal He lives. YouTube TVIn fact, it had one of the shortest delays versus cable, delaying only 20-30 seconds. Fubo TV It was about 27 seconds behind on average, and Sling TV was about 70 seconds behind. In the age of social media and online gambling, you want this gap to be as small as possible.
YouTube TV continues to beat Fubo for its access to TNT, TBS and truTV channels, which are essential to NBA and MLB games. Oh, and YouTube TV also has most of the local TV broadcasts, and Sling is still missing ABC and CBS. Of course, anyone who wants regional sports networks need to spend a lot on them DirecTV StreamThe $90 category, which we don’t really recommend (although we can’t blame people who need to follow their teams).
Best Original Live Streaming Service: Severance
The idea of work-life balance is taken to an exciting and frightening extreme at Severance. The Apple TV Plus series is part episode Black Mirror, part workplace comedy, and part horror scene. A group of workers at the monolithic Lumon Industries undergoes a trial procedure that separates their work from the rest of their lives. Once a chip is implanted in their brains, the “sons” work hard, never play. We “dead” them on permanent leave.
Severance excels as a mystery box show, leaving viewers guessing (and theorizing on Reddit) as each episode peels back a layer just to raise more questions. But it’s our favorite show last year for more than puzzles. We’ve invested in people, from Adam Scott’s sad middle manager Mark and rebellious newcomer Hailey (Brett Lower) to Irving (John Turturro) and his charming taboo romance with Burt (Christopher Walken). we need season 2 Immediately.
Best Original Film for Streaming Service: The Suicide Squad
Since the original Suicide Squad movie, this name has been distorted. Regardless of who you blame (the anti-Lito camp wants another Joker, and the film’s defenders want Warner Bros. Film to call it #ReleaseTheAyerCut), we bet you’ve seen the idea that the 2016 release was a hard sell. Luckily, The Suicide Squad won fans left and right, as the film directed by James John contained the same amount of chaotic, well-directed energy that he brought to Guardians of the Galaxy.
While its opening show has proven just how consumable its heroes are, The Suicide Squad has audiences to love (or love to hate) an impressive cast of eccentric, seasoned villains. Marketed as an impossibly huge cast, The Suicide Squad won because of what Gunn got from Idris Elba, Margot Robbie, Joel Kinman, John Cena, and the voice of Sylvester Stallone.
Best Free Streaming Service: Freevee
When it comes to Best Free Streaming Servicesyou don’t really need to choose as you might choose between subscribing to Netflix vs HBO Max. They don’t cost anything after all! You can watch them all and not pay a cent. But time, like money, is limited. If you want to stick with one, we recommend my countrythe recently renamed Amazon service (formerly IMDb TV).
Freevee has a much more comprehensive (and interesting) movie collection than competitors like peacock free and Pluto TV. Some of the recent titles include The King of Staten Island, Dark Waters, Logan, and Hotel Transylvania. The library also has great old TV shows, like Mad Men and Freevee Originals like Bosch: Legacy and Hollywood Houselift With Jeff Lewis.
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