2020 was the year when a lot of people staying home due to the pandemic decided to enhance their entertainment experience by purchasing a new TV. In the premium segment, OLED and high-end LED TVs still dominated the limelight, with QLED TVs being offered by more brands, compared to 2019. Some of the defining trends in the television industry include the democratisation of smart assistants, increased use of AI in enhancing picture quality, trimmed-down form-factors, and more brands offering 4K TVs with support for HDR. Let’s see which TV came out on top.
Winner: Sony A8H
Between the 2020 Digit Zero1 Award winner (the Sony A8H) and the runner up, the LG GX, there is a mere 1 point difference in our testing measurement scale. Needless to say, you can’t go wrong with either of the TVs if you are looking for the best cinematic experience that money can buy. Sony has thrown every piece of technology they have into the A8H. The OLED panel is powered by Sony’s Triluminos Display, Pixel Contrast Booster, X-Motion Clarity and the X1 Ultimate Chip does the heavy lifting. Colours pop on this TV and if you are consuming 4K HDR content, you get one of the best cinematic experiences out there. While the TV doesn’t support HDMI 2.1 for gaming (yes, it has eARC), those looking for a 4K 60Hz experience from the current or next-gen consoles will definitely be impressed. The audio performance is where this TV shines. The Acoustic Surface technology not only helps with good channel separation but also clarity in dialogue and some bass as well. The Sony A8H is the perfect package for those looking for a cinematic, premium home cinema experience, winning it the Digit Zero1 award.
Runner Up: LG GX
The LG GX is the ideal TV for those looking for a future-proof TV for gaming and a cinematic experience for movies and TV shows. It has all four HDMI 2.1 ports, bringing with it VRR, ALLM along with being G-Sync and FreeSync compatibility making it the ideal choice for PC and console gamers. Under the hood, the TV has LG’s a9 Gen 3 processor with AI picture processing and upscaling. The OLED TV supports 4K, HDR, Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos. It has 60W of sound output from down-firing speakers along with support for Dolby Atmos. While the channel separation from the speakers can get a little weak, the speakers are loud and offer room-filling sound. LG’s UI has seen some design and some functional changes from last year, all for the better. Like we said above, choose the Sony A8H or the LG GX, you can’t go wrong with either for picture performance. While the LG has the better UI, Sony edges out in performance with better audio output.
Best Buy: Sony X90H
While the 65-inch X90H has an MRP of 2,09,900, Digit readers have told us that they have been able to get the 55-inch variant for about `80,000 to `90,000 during the festive season. The biggest difference between the 55 and 65-inch X90H is in audio. While the 65-inch variant has Acoustic Multi-Audio, Sound Positioning Tweeter and X-Balanced Speaker, the 55-inch variant brings with it Sony’s Bass Reflex Speaker and X-Balanced Speaker. The X90H has two HDMI 2.1 ports only (HDMI 3 and 4) one of which is the eARC port as well. What the TV has going for it is good picture performance. The TV has Full-Array LED backlighting with local dimming giving users a good content consumption experience be it from streaming services or a set-top-box. The TV is great for those looking to game on the current and next-gen consoles as well. The viewing angles are decent, and it comes with a voice-enabled remote control. The TV runs on Android TV and brings with it a very smooth UI experience, the same that we saw on the A8H. If you aren’t ready to get on the OLED bandwagon yet and want a premium TV experience with next-gen compatibility, then this is the one we recommended as the best buy.
About Digit Zero 1 Awards:
With a legacy of 20 years, the Digit Zero 1 Awards is recognized as the Industry’s only performance-based awards. Digit rewards brands for putting in years of research in developing and introducing performance-driven products for their audience. All products are made to pass through a rigorous and scientific test process and compete with competitor brands in the same category. The Winner in each category is announced on the basis of their total score post complete performance analysis done across an average of 56 tests conducted for every category, across key performance parameters. The test process for the Zero1 Awards does not consider scores for features, price or design. The aim is to identify the very best products that money can buy, celebrate the innovations that push the industry forward, and reward the products that dare to disrupt the market.
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Sameer Mitha
Sameer Mitha lives for gaming and technology is his muse. When he isn’t busy playing with gadgets or video games he delves into the world of fantasy novels. View Full Profile
