The Best TVs of 2017

The TV market has been changing a lot recently, both in terms of technology and price. New types of screens with organic light-emitting diode (OLED) panels and ultra high definition (UHD, or 4K) resolutions are popping up everywhere. Big, 50-plus-inch sets that once cost thousands of dollars can be had for around $500. If you want a new television, you now have more options now than ever. But which one should you buy? Here are the main points to consider when shopping for a new set, as well as the 10 best TVs we've tested.

1080p or 4K?

The TV resolution question used to be between the options of 720p and 1080p (and 1080i, but that's moot at this point). Like LED and CCFL backlighting, the choice between 1080p and 720p has become irrelevant thanks to affordable 1080p screens. Even smaller budget TVs are available in 1080p, so you shouldn't settle for the significantly lower resolution of 720p.

4K, or ultra high-definition, is another story. A 4K television is one that displays at least 8 million active pixels, with a minimum resolution of 3,840 by 2,160. It's become a much more affordable technology in the last few years, and you can now find a large 4K TV for under $1,500. 4K content is becoming increasingly available, and 4K Blu-ray players, like the Samsung UBD-K8500 and Microsoft Xbox One S, are just starting to hit the market. If you have a very fast Internet connection, you can watch some excellent shows on Amazon and Netflix in 4K, like Black Mirror, Fuller House, and Luke Cage. New films are also coming out digitally in 4K through various on-demand streaming services like Vudu. Thanks to HDMI 2.0 you can be pretty confident a 4K screen you buy now won't suddenly go obsolete. If you've been debating it for a while, rest assured that now is finally the time to get a 4K TV.

LED or OLED?

Plasma TVs were the only flat-panel models available when they were first introduced more than a decade ago. They're now a dead category, and you won't see a major television manufacturer offering a new plasma television any time soon. That means your choices will mostly consist of LED-backlit LCD TVs (also simply called LED TVs), as well as much less common, much more expensive OLED displays.

First, a note: LCD and LED TVs have been separate for a while, despite both using LCD panels. LCD panels themselves aren't lit, so they need to be illuminated. LED TVs simply backlight the LCDs with LEDs, while LCD TVs use CCFL (cold cathode fluorescent lamps) for backlighting. CCFL-backlit designs have fallen by the wayside, and nearly every LCD television out there right now is lit by LEDs.