I’m Changing TV Reviews

TV reviews need to evolve, and I’m making it happen. It’s no longer just about specs and test patterns—real-world performance, user experience, and the little things matter more than ever. I’m shifting my approach to focus on what truly impacts your everyday viewing, from remote design to app performance. Plus, I’m building a database to track insights across models, helping you make smarter buying decisions. It’s time to rethink how we review TVs, and I hope others follow suit. Let’s make TV reviews better together—drop a comment with what you want to see!

VIDEO CHAPTERS
0:00 Intro
1:55 The Little Things Matter More
4:05 Measurements Mean Less Than Ever
6:27 Time to Start a Database
7:55 Must Review More TVs That More People Can Buy
8:57 Moving Forward

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[chumito]

Highlighting “best bang for the buck” products is always welcomed

[hemicuda]

We need more on motion performance. Not just movie motion performance but with regular TV content, streaming and especially sports. Most reviews just sort of gloss over or don't even mention motion performance at all. No one spends enough time on motion handling and it seems like its a big differentiator with a lot of these TVs especially when comparing the lower cost TCL/Hisense TVs to Sony/LG/Samsungs.
TCL TVs for example get great reviews but when you go on certain forums you see many people complaining about poor motion handling especially with sports content. I have to imagine a lot of people buying these big TVs are buying them at least in part to watch sports, I know I am. So knowing how well the do with that type of content would be really helpful.

[nofactsjustopinions]

I'd be interested in the security of the tv: data privacy, software vulnerabilities, surveillance risks, third-party apps, network security, etc. for example, what information does the manufacturer collect, what information is collected by apps, where is it stored, do third-party apps act as malwares, what wi-fi information is being collected, etc.

[klaymatic]

I've always felt HDTVTest and Stop the FOMO are the place to go for in the weeds reviews and Digital Trends the place for a more digestible review for everday consumers.

The change in review style seems perfectly in-line with the strengths of Digital Trend TV reviews and it's audience 👍

[BartlettTFD]

As a retired Broadcast Engineer I couldn’t agree more with your new approach to the job of tv reviews. When reviewing high end tv’s, your audience for those products is extremely limited simply because of the cost factor. The vast majority of your audience couldn’t care less about TV’s that they could NEVER afford!
On the other hand, buyers now seem to be searching for the LARGEST tv they can afford that will produce the BEST picture for THEIR eyeballs😂
With eye popping video quality now along with prices that are becoming so attractive, it’s never been a better time to take advantage of the opportunities.
When I was in engineering, all we had was Sony rack mounted Trinitron’s, and Tektronix waveform monitors! Those 2 devices determined what adjustments needed to be made to provide the best 6 megahertz analog picture for the viewer at home. A great career, I might add.

[sheyanderson]

The past few years I have been cycling through older tv shows and upscaling has become a big priority for me. My 2021 Vizio PQX isn't bad, but it's definitely not great and upscaling will be a big factor whenever I decide to upgrade.

I think pulling up lower quality tv shows/content and showing real world upscaling and side by side comparisons would be great to add. As much as I appreciate the nostalgic feeling that old definition gives me, my eyes don't care for it so much.

[samsevdalis]

Caleb, what NO one ever talks about is “UPDATES”. I would love to see some “Re-reviews” of the same tv with documented previous findings for comparison. The firmware updates sometimes will nerf your settings, picture quality, sound quality, lagging OP, etc. You buy a great TV you love, either set up it up as is out of the box, or fine tune it to “your” perfection just to have it get skewed on an update. This has happened many times to me, sometimes with the same TV, just be it multiple updates. Some people may not notice it as sometimes it can be subtle. If you pay a chunk of change for a certain picture/sound quality you expect to at the very least retain that quality or better with an update, not lose anything, or have to readjust all your settings to adapt to the new update. It would not be unheard that TV manufacturers may slowly degrade some features in your current tv so that the “new version” comes out it looks so much better, and will lead to more TV sales. Would love to see someone keep manufactures in their toes with their promises/claims.

[ScottGibbs]

The big thing I'd like to see is a stronger emphasis on SDR content. I think that's where TVs really separate themselves through processing. Pretty much every 4k TV now looks at least "good" in HDR, but it's SDR that cheaper TVs still struggle with.

[WhiteDragonZB]

I really love this. The new QDOLED 4K monitors are a perfect example of why this is needed. The HDR1000 mode measures amazing with traditional methods, but personally I've found that the HDR True Black 400 mode looks significantly better in 75% of scenes because of how both modes handle ABL.

[langdon]

Awesome idea, good thinking Caleb!
Possible Criteria ~ Testing tv upscaling. Throw in a normal DVD (that many people still have lying around), and see how close to 1080p or 4k it can make it look. Also noting any colour improvement to the DVD content.
Sometimes finding a bluray & 4k copies is impossible, sometimes even streamers don’t have the title in 1080p HD quality. So being forced to watch old DVD quality can be jarring and off-putting 😅

Just have to be careful when testing, making sure that your top of line Magnetar player or AVR isn’t also upscaling content before reaches TV

[madboyreadynow]

I give you so much respect for taking a step back and making a change. It's very difficult for someone with your level of knowledge and respect in this space to critique yourself and make changes for the better. I buy TVs based on your reviews. I have learned so much about how to calibrate my own TVs, and at times, I will go to a friends house and make a few tweeks, and they're amazed. I learned so much from you. My wife complains because all I do is watch your videos.

[edj]

The main thing I look for is upscaling and how well it’s done.

[AndreiStrukov]

Fully agree with and support your move to revise your reviews! I am not an "enthusiast", but just a consumer who is trying to choose and buy a large screen (95"+) TV. This is how I started to watch your reviews. I know that once I pull the triggger, I will need to live with this huge TV for years - regardless whether I love it or hate it. At times all the parameters you mention sound overwhelming to my unprofessional ears, even though I do enjoy and value your expert opinion and advice. This new move will bring more consumers to your reviews for sure! Thank you for all the insights you are sharing with us.

[chriswillis]

Hey Caleb! As I’ve become the resident advisor for my sphere of influence. I just wanted to say I appreciate your commitment two your consumer and the impact you have. I appreciate your impact and diligence here. Thank you sir! And thank you to the team behind your content!

[RB]

Perfect, this is very much needed. Things I would like to see in a review are:
- Deduct more points for ads in the main menu area.
- See if last gen Models slowed down with software updates. A big red flag for my next TV.
- Mention that Filmmaker Mode is optimized for dark rooms, in every review. The majority does complain about brightness but uses the wrong mode for their lighting conditions. (German reviewer TecTracksHD does this and it helps a lot)
- denounce different tech under the same name. Example: Samsung S90D has the same name globally, but in the US only some sizes are QD Oled. In Europe only the 65" is QD Oled and they sent only those out to reviewers. So many people buy a different performing Woled unknowingly. And Samsung got away with this scummy move, because day 1 reviews are the most prominent.

[kyleconnell]

A valuable addition to a database would be the number of TV OS updates and frequency of those updates across the different manufacturers.
A spec that needs more emphasis is the listing and comparison of all processors in the tv. A newer category for a tv review is smart home integration. Another is new AI 'enhanced' features that are either significantly better or entirely new from previous generations.

[jmssun]

2:42 Yes! Remote tactile experience, UI/UX, channel changing speed, are usually omitted and those are really what matters to most of us everyday

[ClintSatterwhite]

I've been a tech and HT junkie for 30+ years. However, it is not a budget priority for me right now, and probably won't be in the near future. With that said, I applaud the "Review More TVs That More People Can Buy" idea. I love watching reviews from you and RTings, but many times I am thinking in the back of my mind "ok, this will be great tech in 5 years when it is affordable".
Keep up the great work!

[DirkDjently]

This all sounds great, especially the possibility of that database being publicly accessible!

[BenWilliams]

Appreciate the new direction! I went against the grain in 2023 and went with an 85” Samsung QN90C because I got it for a killer price at the time of $2700 with the Q990C soundbar for only $645.

While the soundbar was well reviewed, the QN90C was either not reviewed or received a middle of the road review across the board. But honestly, with it at home in our family room, I’ve enjoyed every minute watching content on it. While I do see some blooming on bright objects on a black background, the majority of the time you can’t tell. But reviews spend way too much time on blooming on LCD displays. Important to call out but not really something that stands out as a problem too often unless you’re playing content to highlight it.

We have windows behind the TV so glare was a big concern but now that the TV is in the room, I’ve been super impressed with the lack of glare and that I can see a dark scene in the middle of the day. Sure, I could probably tell the difference between my tv and a higher end one if they were side by side but I’ve been super happy with a tv that all the reviews would have normally steered me clear of if it weren’t for the sale price.

Keep up the great content!