If you're thinking about buying a new big-screen TV to watch the college football and NFL action, you'll be happy to know that prices for large sets have been falling: One 65-inch Vizio model with excellent high-def picture quality in our ratings sells for about $1,000, and a 60-inch Sharp set with very good high-def picture quality runs only $600.
With 4K all the buzz but no football games being broadcast in ultra-high definition, you might be wondering whether it's worth buying a 4K set. The simple answer is yes—4K TVs provide greater picture detail than regular HD sets. What's more, there's plenty of 4K content from streaming services to tide you over until the Super Bowl arrives in UHD. (Learn how to navigate the alphabet soup of choices when buying a TV, and find the best places to buy electronics.)
Here are our top big-screen TV picks for the football season.
LG OLED65C6P
This 65-inch 4K OLED UHD set is among the best TVs we've tested in 2016, with excellent high-definition picture, excellent UHD performance, and very good sound. Like all OLED TVs, this LG model has an almost unlimited viewing angle. Other notable features include a curved screen, 3D capability, the updated webOS 3.0 smart TV platform, and support for both high dynamic range technology formats (HDR10 and Dolby Vision). The set is capable of hitting the Ultra HD Alliance's specs for brightness and colors. And it comes with a new Magic Motion remote that lets you enlarge a scene on the TV simply by pressing a zoom key.
Samsung UN65JS9500
This 65-inch 4K UHD model from Samsung's 2015 flagship SUHD series can still be found in a few retailers. It has excellent high-definition picture quality, excellent UHD performance, and excellent sound, as well. It even does a great job at reducing motion blur. A smart TV with a curved screen, it has a ton of features, including a full-array LED backlight with local dimming, quantum dots for a wider range of colors, and support for HDR10 content. This set does a very good job of presenting 3D images.
Samsung UN65KS9800
This pricier 65-inch LED LCD-based 4K UHD TV—the flagship model in Samsung's SUHD lineup for 2016—delivers excellent high-definition picture quality and excellent UHD performance. A curved-screen smart TV, it has very good motion-blur reduction and sound. Other features include a full-array LED backlight with local dimming, very deep black levels for an LCD TV, quantum dots for wider colors, Ultra HD Premium 4K certification, and support for HDR10 content.
LG 60UH8500
This 60-inch 4K set delivers excellent HD and UHD picture quality, plus a wider-than-average viewing angle for an LCD TV. It also does a good job at reducing motion blur on fast-moving scenes. A smart TV with 3D-capability, it supports both HDR standards and includes technology to reproduce a wider range of colors.