SpecWiseGuide

How we research

Where the numbers come from

  • Manufacturers’ spec sheets. Every dimension, weight, VESA pattern, HDMI count, refresh rate, HDR format and tuner on this site comes from the manufacturer’s own US spec sheet for that model (Samsung, LG, Sony, TCL, Hisense). Where a manufacturer’s site blocks access, we use the same sheet as distributed to retailers and link to the copy we read. Each page lists its sheets under Sources.
  • Our own structure. We re-type the facts into one catalogue, so every TV is described the same way (inches and pounds; Sony’s millimetres converted at 25.4 mm per inch).
  • Gaps stay gaps. If a sheet doesn’t give a number (a stand’s width, a tuner type), we show “not published” or a dash, never an estimate.
  • Independent sources for the rest. A few facts aren’t on spec sheets (for example how many of a TCL’s four HDMI inputs are HDMI 2.1). We take those from independent reviews and name them on the page.

How we check

  • Geometry checks. A TV can’t be smaller than its own screen. Our build refuses any entry whose width or height is smaller than the 16:9 screen its diagonal implies. That check caught an error in one spec sheet (a 75-inch TV listed as 61.7 in wide), which we left out until it can be confirmed.
  • Consistency checks. Height with stand must exceed height without; the same model must have the same numbers wherever it appears.
  • Dates. Every page shows when it was last updated; every catalogue entry records when we read its sheet.

How we calculate

  • Screen size: a 16:9 screen is 0.872 × its diagonal wide and 0.490 × its diagonal tall.
  • Viewing distance: the distance at which the screen fills 40° (immersive, THX’s widely quoted figure) or 30° (relaxed, from SMPTE’s cinema guideline) of your horizontal view. In inches, that’s about the diagonal × 1.2 and × 1.6.
  • Pixel visibility: the distance at which single pixels can be resolved, for a 20/20 eye (one arcminute, 60 pixels per degree) and for the eye’s measured foveal limit of about 94 pixels per degree (Ashraf, Chapiro & Mantiuk, 2025).
  • Model pages: each model’s page is generated from its catalogue entry, so its numbers can’t drift from the tables.
  • Stand height: the furniture height that puts the screen’s center at a seated eye height of 40 in, from each TV’s height with and without its stand.

Research we rely on

Besides spec sheets, our guides lean on standards and published research. We read each one before citing it, and name its authors and year where we use it:

  • Viewing angle: SMPTE EG 18-1994 (30° minimum, withdrawn but still the reference) and THX’s 40° recommendation; Hatada, Sakata & Kusaka, SMPTE Journal (1980), on how screen angle drives the sense of being in the scene.
  • Visual resolution: Ashraf, Chapiro & Mantiuk, “Resolution limit of the eye: how many pixels can we see?”, Nature Communications (2025).
  • HDR brightness: Daly, Kunkel, Sun, Farrell & Crum, viewer preferences for HDR luminance limits, SID Symposium Digest (2013).
  • Gaming latency: NVIDIA Research (Spjut, Kim et al., 2019), on latency versus refresh rate in aiming tasks.
  • Burn-in and longevity: RTINGS’ accelerated longevity test of 100 TVs, which is a measurement study, not a review.
  • Safety: the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission’s annual tip-over reports and Anchor It! campaign.
  • Screen height: OSHA’s computer-workstation guidance, which we apply to TVs by analogy and say so.
  • Reception: the FCC’s DTV Reception Maps and antenna guidance.

How we choose products

Our “best” guides pick from the TVs in our catalogue on the specs that matter for the question: the number of 4K 120 Hz inputs for gaming, anti-reflection and backlight for bright rooms, and so on. We don’t lab-test TVs, so we don’t claim measured input lag, brightness or color accuracy; where those matter, we link independent labs that measure them.

What we don’t do

  • We don’t show Amazon prices, images or star ratings. Amazon links on this site are search links.
  • We don’t accept payment from manufacturers or retailers for coverage or placement, and we don’t accept free products in exchange for coverage.
  • We don’t present spec-sheet research as hands-on testing, and we don’t invent user experiences.

How we’re paid

As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases made through our links, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what we recommend; see our affiliate disclosure.

Corrections

Spotted a wrong number? Contact us with the model and the source. We fix confirmed errors and update the page’s date.