Televisions: how the KnowledgeLib score is computed

Every television on the site's TV cards, from 43-inch budget sets to 98-inch flagships and outdoor TVs, on one absolute scale. Three objective dimensions read what a spec sheet states honestly — native refresh rate, HDR peak brightness and full-bandwidth HDMI inputs; the picture itself, in a dark room and a bright one, and the smart platform are judged from independent reviews.

Cards scored with this methodology

How every score on this page is computed

An objective dimension reads one specification of the variant a reader would actually buy (the variant of the recommended offer) and places it on the absolute anchors listed for it. Between two anchors the score follows a straight line; at or below the first anchor it is the first anchor's score, and at or above the last anchor it is the last's. Scores are rounded half-up to two decimals.
The anchors are absolute. A product's score changes only when its specification, the variant we recommend, its evidence or the methodology version changes — never because another product joined or left a card.
A specification we do not hold is unknown, and an unknown dimension has no score. We never estimate one.
An editorial dimension is scored against the five fixed descriptors listed for it, and the rationale and evidence are stored beside the score.
The overall score weights each dimension by the weight shown.
Changing an anchor, a weight or a descriptor makes a new version. Earlier versions stay on this page, because the scores computed under them cite them.

Version v1 · published

Dimension	Kind	Weight	Reads
Native refresh rate	objective	10%	`display_refresh_rate_hz` (Hz)
HDR peak brightness	objective	15%	`peak_brightness_nits` (nits)
Full-bandwidth HDMI inputs	objective	5%	`hdmi_2_1_ports` (inputs)
Picture in a dark room	editorial	30%	editorial rubric
Picture in a bright room	editorial	25%	editorial rubric
Smart platform and updates	editorial	15%	editorial rubric

Native refresh rate — objective, weight 10%

Reads display_refresh_rate_hz (Hz) from the specifications of the recommended variant.

Hz	Score
60	5.00
120	8.50
144	9.50
165	10.00

Why these anchors: Measured. The panel's NATIVE refresh rate; "motion rate" and similar marketing figures are not refresh rates and are never stored. 5.0 at 60 Hz, the floor of current TVs (23 of 183 values stated on the cards); 8.5 at 120 Hz, the rate the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X output at 4K, which is where most viewers see the difference; 9.5 at 144 Hz, the most common value on the cards (71 times); 10.0 at 165 Hz, the fastest TV panels on the cards (44 times; one 170 Hz set keeps 10.0).

HDR peak brightness — objective, weight 15%

Reads peak_brightness_nits (nits) from the specifications of the recommended variant.

nits	Score
300	2.00
600	5.00
1600	7.50
4000	10.00

Why these anchors: Measured proposal: the anchors are the measured deciles of 139 peak-brightness values on the cards (300 to 6,500 nits). 5.0 at 600 nits, the tenth percentile — below it HDR highlights barely stand out; 7.5 at 1,600 nits, the median; 10.0 at 4,000 nits, the ninetieth percentile and a common HDR mastering peak, so brighter sets keep 10.0; 2.0 at 300 nits, the dimmest set listed. The value read is the HDR peak on a small window. Several large makers publish no brightness figure at all, so this will often be unknown until a specs pass records a measured value with its evidence.

Full-bandwidth HDMI inputs — objective, weight 5%

Reads hdmi_2_1_ports (inputs) from the specifications of the recommended variant.

inputs	Score
0	3.00
1	5.00
2	8.00
4	10.00

Why these anchors: Proposal, not measured. Inputs that carry HDMI 2.1's full bandwidth, the only way to get 4K at 120 Hz from a console or PC. 5.0 at one input, enough for one current console; 8.0 at two, a PlayStation 5 and an Xbox Series X both at full rate; 10.0 at four, every input at full rate. 3.0 at none, not lower: the set still plays everything at 4K 60 Hz.

Sources: hdmi.org (read 2026-09-28): “This latest HDMI Specification supports a range of higher video resolutions and refresh rates including 8K60 and 4K120, and resolutions up to 10K. Dynamic HDR formats are also supported, and bandwidth capability is increased up to 48Gbps.”

Picture in a dark room — editorial, weight 30%

Score	Descriptor
10	Per-pixel (OLED-class) or near-perfect local-dimming contrast with accurate dark detail, measured by independent reviewers.
8	Deep blacks and strong contrast with very little blooming.
6	Good contrast with effective local dimming and only minor blooming.
4	Acceptable contrast with noticeable blooming or raised blacks in dark scenes.
2	Grey blacks and visible blooming or clouding; dark scenes look flat.

Why this dimension: The largest weight: contrast and black level are what separate a good TV from an ordinary one for films and evening viewing, and they are measured by reviewers, not stated by makers.

Picture in a bright room — editorial, weight 25%

Score	Descriptor
10	Among the brightest and best anti-reflective screens available, confirmed by independent measurements of sustained brightness.
8	Bright and vivid in daylight with good reflection handling.
6	Holds up in a bright room with manageable reflections.
4	Watchable in daylight with curtains drawn; reflections are distracting.
2	Too dim to fight daylight, with a reflective screen.

Why this dimension: Sustained brightness, reflection handling and color volume decide daytime viewing; the cards for bright rooms and sports are chosen on exactly this. Judged from reviewers' sustained-brightness measurements, not the peak figure scored objectively above.

Smart platform and updates — editorial, weight 15%

Score	Descriptor
10	Fast, ad-light software with every major app and a published multi-year update commitment.
8	Fast, well-supported software with light advertising.
6	Responsive software with the major apps and a reasonable update record.
4	Usable software with ads in the interface and slow navigation.
2	Slow, ad-heavy software with poor app support and no update record.

Why this dimension: The software is used every day and ages the TV. One of the cards (smart TVs without ads) is chosen on it outright.