LG, Samsung, Sony TVs Rate Highest in 'Bang-for-Buck' CR Analysis

TVs from LG, Samsung and Sony netted top Consumer Reports scores in TV ratings in the three years ending March, CR said Friday. Test reports compare attributes including resolution, color accuracy and features such as high dynamic range, it said. RCA and Westinghouse, once prominent names in TV, trailed -- along with Element -- other TV brands in quality and price in some categories, said the article, titled, “Why It Doesn’t Always Pay to Buy a Cheap TV.” CR statisticians looked at prices and test results from March 2018-March 2021 showing TVs from LG, Samsung and Sony generally cost more than competitors’ TVs, and they earned top scores in almost every price range. Its takeaway: “Though it’s tempting to buy a much cheaper TV from a smaller brand, especially during big sales events, you could be accepting a trade-off in quality. You might not have to pay much more -- or even any more -- to get a better television.” CR also noted brands evolve over time, citing Hisense and TCL as having improved in quality recently. “But typically,” it said, “we see that better performance only in the upper-tier models from these brands; often models in their entry-level series earn significantly lower scores.” Other brands ranked were Insignia, Philips, Sharp and Toshiba. Element, RCA and Westinghouse didn’t respond to questions.