How We Test & Choose
Exactly how we reach our picks — real hands-on testing of the gear we own, plus cited measurements from independent labs.
We test products the way you’ll actually live with them — hands-on, in real rooms, with a lot of the gear we own and use ourselves. For the precise figures that take specialized lab instruments — peak brightness, input lag, color accuracy — we cite the independent labs that measure them and footnote every number, so you can verify it yourself. Then we give you the honest verdict, including when to skip a popular product.
Our review process
Every guide goes through the same five steps.
Map the field
We study the category and what trusted experts actually recommend, so we compare the right contenders — not just the popular ones.
Gather cited measurements
We pull lab figures — brightness, contrast, color, input lag — from Tom’s Guide, TechRadar, RTINGS & CNET, and footnote every number with the tested size.
We test it ourselves
We own and use a lot of the gear we recommend (like our LG G5 OLED), so we can tell you what it’s genuinely like to live with day to day — not just on a spec sheet. Marked with a 🟢 hands-on badge.
Cross-check consensus
We weigh expert reviews against thousands of owner reports to separate marketing claims from real-world performance.
Give the honest verdict
Each pick gets a clear “best for” and a “skip it if” — and we’ll recommend against a product when it isn’t worth your money.
What we actually look at
For TVs: peak HDR brightness (nits), black level & contrast, color accuracy (ΔE), input lag and refresh rate, HDMI 2.1 / VRR, and Dolby Vision vs HDR10+ support. We always note the tested panel size, because specs change from a 55″ to an 83″ — a detail most “best” lists quietly ignore.
For audio (soundbars, AV receivers, speakers): channel layout and Atmos support, real power and connectivity, and how it actually sounds across music and movies.
The labs we cite
When we quote a measurement, it comes from a source that publishes its test data — so you can verify it yourself:
- Tom’s Guide & TechRadar — hands-on lab reviews with published brightness/color numbers.
- RTINGS — deep standardized bench testing (we cite only what’s publicly visible).
- CNET — lab-based reviews and awards.
What we never do
We never invent a measurement or print a number we can’t back up, and we never let a commission change a ranking. Brands can’t pay for placement. See it in action in our best 70-inch TV guide, where every measured spec is cited and we openly steer readers away from the weakest pick.
More on our independence and how we’re funded: Affiliate Disclosure · About Us.