Many lower-end TVs can read the HDR flags on the content and understand them, but they lack the advanced display technology necessary to show HDR on the screen-much like an amateur violinist reading a complicated piece of sheet music that’s beyond their ability to play. For this guide, we like to see support for more advanced formats such as Dolby Vision and HDR10+, which can optimize the HDR image on a scene-by-scene basis.

Support for as many HDR formats as possible: All HDR-capable TVs support the standard HDR10 format.

Local dimming: This feature, which allows individual sections of the screen to be lit independently, is essential to ensure that an LCD TV has a high contrast ratio that allows for the best performance with SD, HD, and 4K/HDR video.

The drawbacks are that the QN90A does not support the more advanced Dolby Vision high dynamic range format (but it does support the similarly advanced HDR10+ format), and it’s significantly more expensive than the Hisense U7G. We like that it features a center stand so it will fit on virtually any TV furniture, and it sits high enough on the stand that you can place a soundbar in front of it without blocking the screen. The QN90A supports all the latest HDMI 2.1 features, which gamers will appreciate, and it uses Samsung’s proprietary Tizen streaming platform, which supports most of the popular streaming services.

It also has a wider viewing angle than our top pick, so everyone can enjoy a good-looking image no matter where they sit in the room, and it comes in more screen sizes, from 43 to 98 inches. Moving beyond the standard LED backlight in the Hisense U7G, this TV has a mini-LED backlighting system-which offers more local-dimming zones for even better contrast ratios and brighter HDR highlights than on the Hisense-and it produces vibrant colors.

If you’re willing to pay a higher price to get one of the best LCD performers we’ve tested, the Samsung QN90A is our recommendation.

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