black spot on tv lcd screen for sale

Having black spots on a TV screen can be very confusing and annoying for most TV owners. If you just spotted a black spot on your TV screen, you are probably worried that you’ll need to replace the entire set. But this should not be the case, especially since you spent a handsome figure getting the best TV available.

Perhaps the most common cause of black spots is dirt and debris that have accumulated on the surface of the TV screen over time. If ignored, it will lead to black spots.

Most TV owners would consider sending their TVs back to their manufacturer when they spot a black spot, like sending your best Vizio TV back to Vizio. Unfortunately, this can be time-consuming and expensive, especially if you’ve invested in one of the highest-rated OLED TVs and/or large models like the top 70-inch TV.

While most new TVs sold are smart TVs, you can still buy what is referred to now as “dumb TVs.” If you want a TV without apps and an internet connection, this is the TV for you. If that interests you, check out these top-rated dumb TVs. But keep in mind, unlike most new TVs, dumb TVs will usually be smaller, like a 24-inch size TV, for example. Regardless if the TV is smart or dumb, it can develop black spots, however. Fortunately, fixing a black spot is relatively easy. As a result, we have compiled a guide on how to fix a black spot on a TV screen.

STAT:Samsung was the most popular Smart TV brand in US households in 2020. Samsung had a 32% steady market share while Alcatel and Vizio had 14% and 13%, respectively (source)

Black spots can be a pain, especially if you just bought a wide color gamut TV and are looking to have enjoyable weekends. Regardless of where the black spot is located on your TV screen, it will stand out like a sore thumb. It’ll be the first thing you spot when your TV screen lights up. Black spots on your TV screen are caused by debris, dead pixels, or stuck pixels. This can be especially annoying if you invested in the best anti-glare TV and depend on good visuals for a good TV experience.Dirt or Debris: Perhaps the most common cause of black spots. Dirt and debris accumulate on the surface of the TV screen over time, and if ignored, will lead to black spots. If you have the best outdoor TV, be sure to keep up with maintenance and regularly clean it.

Manufacturer defect: Black spots will appear due to a violation of the assembly. They don’t appear immediately and often lead to damage to the display matrix. A warranty usually covers black spots caused by manufacturer defects.

Stuck Pixel: A stuck pixel is a pixel on the TV display that cannot change color. Display pixels are designed to change color depending on the image projected on display. When the color doesn’t change, it’s called a stuck pixel.

Dead pixel: It’s pretty different from a stuck pixel but often gets confused for one. While a stuck pixel will light up when the TV is turned on but does not change color, a dead pixel doesn’t light up at all. This is because all of their sub-pixels are turned off permanently, and since they don’t light up, they look like black spots on the TV screen. You can read our article on how to fix dead pixels on a TV to learn more about dead pixels.

Fixing black spots on your TV screen is quite simple.First, turn off your television and unplug it from the power source for a few hours. Sometimes, turning off the power on your TV will force the stuck pixel to become unstuck when you finally plug your TV back to the mains.

Next, verify that the black spot issues aren’t caused by any devices plugged into your TV, like a console or cable box. Remove all cables connecting your TV to components, and then plug them back in. Sometimes, loose connections cause distorted images that look like dead pixels.

If a black spot is still visible, contact your manufacturer or repair shop for repair service. Depending on the time and nature of the black spot, The TV manufacturer might cover the repair under warranty. You can also try the clouding LED TV fix, which solves the black spot problem common among new TVs but often disappears as time passes.

Regardless of where the black spot is located on your TV screen, it will stand out like a sore thumb. It’ll be the first thing you spot when your TV screen lights up.

While a stuck pixel will light up when the TV is turned on but does not change color, a dead pixel doesn’t light up at all. This is because all of their sub-pixels are turned off permanently, and since they don’t light up, they look like black spots on the TV screen.

Perhaps the most common cause of black spots is dirt and debris that have accumulated on the surface of the TV screen over time. If ignored, it will lead to black spots.

With an LCD TV you can watch your favorite movies, cartoons, and series in excellent quality with high definition and good sound. However, owners of LCD monitors may encounter the problem of dark spots appearing on the screen. Let’s take a closer look at the reasons for their appearance and what are the best solutions to repair them.

So What Causes Dark Spots on TV Screen?Dark (black) spots on LCD TVs are typically caused by either debris or superficial dirt, a dead pixel, or a stuck pixel. Of all these problems, the easiest problem to fix is debris or superficial dirt. On the contrary, stuck pixels are harder to fix, while dead pixels are the hardest problem to fix.

It is very often, that dark spots appear on LCD TV screens, including popular brands such as Samsung, Sony, LG, and others. They can be localized in one corner, centered, or in several places at once.

Spots do not disappear when switching channels. Even when your TV is off, you can notice that glare is visible in their place. Moreover, blackouts can be not only black or dark gray but also white or colored. This most likely indicates the color errors or other problems.

Manufacturing defects. It is quite rare and manifests itself immediately. The reason is a violation of the assembly technology, leading to damage to the display matrix. The specialists of the warranty service center should eliminate such a malfunction free of charge. And in order not to buy a bad TV, you need to carefully examine the equipment in the store.

Mechanical damage. An especially common reason is when there are children in the house playing with a ball in the apartment. A strong blow or pressure will stain the CRT. Broken pixels first appear in the affected area, then spread across the screen.

Ingress of moisture or air under the protective glass. The reason is poor transportation or improper care. Do not wipe the monitor with water or a heavily dampened cloth.

The effect of high temperature. The presence of a heat source near the device leads to various malfunctions, including the appearance of yellow spots due to the delamination of the matrix.

Dust getting under the case. If you take care of household appliances incorrectly, one small black dot can develop into a large dark spot, which only the masters of the SC (service center) can remove.

Before trying to disassemble an LCD TV or hand it over to a service center, it is worth excluding software failures that are possible with digital broadcasting. The test scheme for Samsung, Sony, and LG are common. There may be some nuances depending on the TV model.

If the black spots on your LCD TV screen disappear, the cause was most likely a software failure. In such a situation, it is not necessary to disassemble or repair the device in the service. If the malfunction remains, it is better to contact a professional to repair an expensive modern TV.

One of the reasons for the appearance of spots in the external adhesion of dirt, dust. In such a situation, it is not necessary to disassemble the equipment or reboot it. It is enough to wash the screen surface. For this:

If a defect appears due to water ingress, rinse the matrix. This requires a special detergent. Running water is not suitable. It contains a large number of invisible impurities, abrasive particles that will settle on the matrix and make the situation even worse.

Cleaning should be done in a well-ventilated area with good ventilation to remove dark spots from the TV matrix. It is advisable to turn on a humidifier, if available. Use soft cotton gloves to clean.

If you wish, you can carry out the replacement yourself if you have the skills to work with household television appliances. The repair instructions are as follows:

Important! If the TV is still under warranty, you do not need to disassemble it yourself. After any of your interventions, the warranty card will expire. And the repairs will be carried out for you free of charge or with a big discount and at the service center.

Rarely wiping the surface from dirt and dust leads to the ingress of microparticles on the matrix. Over time, a large dark spot is born from a small black dot. With the following actions you can save your TV from manifestations:

If the dark spots have not disappeared after all the manipulations, the Sony, Samsung, or any other manufacturer’sTV must be carried to the workshop for a full diagnosis and repair.

If a dark (black) spot appears due to moisture or dust, you can easily fix this problem by yourself. If on the other hand streaks appeared due to mechanical stress or strong exposure to high temperatures, which in most cases led to matrix delamination or failure of loops, then it is necessary to carry that equipment to the workshop.

In most cases it takes from 1 to 5 working days to repair and remove dark spots on a TV screen, depending on the workload of the wizard and the availability of parts in the service. The cost of repairs depends on the degree of damage and the price of spare parts.

Proper care of household appliances is the key to their correct operation for a long time. To avoid the appearance of dark spots, streaks on the screen of a plasma, liquid crystal TV, follow these recommendations:

Do not overheat the equipment. TVs can work around the clock, but this has a bad effect on their performance, color rendition, and image playback speed.

Taking care of your LCD or plasma TV in this way will save you from the appearance of dark spots on the screen. Try to avoid mechanical damage. Explain to the children that technology is not a toy. And enjoy digital TV for years on end.

Light, colored spots and streaks are removed by other methods. General repair method only in cases with software failure. Therefore, if any screen defects appear, just try to completely restart the equipment and reset the router to factory settings.

First, turn off your television and unplug it from the power source for a few hours. Sometimes, turning off the power on your TV will force the stuck pixel to become unstuck when you finally plug your TV back to the mains.

Next, verify that the black spot issues aren’t caused by any devices plugged into your TV, like a console or cable box. Remove all cables connecting your TV to components, and then plug them back in. Sometimes, loose connections cause distorted images that look like dead pixels.

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This looks like what happened to my old Samsung TV after about 10 years. There are these little clear plastic things that are glued to the LED"s in the back of the TV that diffuse the light used to display the picture through the LCD front panel. The glue used to attach them eventually fails and the little plastic diffuser fall off and that causes the shadows. I attempted to repair my TV which after 10 years was well out of warranty, I was able to disassemble, re-glue attach the lenses and reassemble the TV, but more fell of the next week. It takes me about 3 hours to disassemble and reassemble the unit... There are many fiddly and delicate parts and there can be lethal voltages inside I do not recommend doing this unless like me you are an experienced electronics repair person..... in the end I decided to just buy a new TV and send the old one to e-waste recycle with a note that it was probably good for parts.

The easy solution to get rid of these spots is to clean your screen with a moderately dampened microfiber cloth or soft eraser. Make sure you do not apply pressure while rubbing the display; instead, wipe it with gentle and circular strokes to avoid scratches and leftover marks.

Fixing black spots on your TV screen is quite simple. First, turn off your television and unplug it from the power source for a few hours. Sometimes, turning off the power on your TV will force the stuck pixel to become unstuck when you finally plug your TV back to the mains.

Black dot is usually an indication of a dead pixel and depending on what cause the dead pixel yes it could spread. It could eventually spread across the whole screen. Get your phone checked out and go from there. If it is a damaged panel then get it replaced.

Do Dead Pixels Spread? Dead pixels usually don"t spread. They"re usually a small fault in a display. If they do spread, you might need to hire a specialist or replace your screen.

Pixel bleeding is an indicator that the LCD has sustained significant damage. Even if it"s not that bad right now, it will be soon. Unfortunately, it"s a sure thing that it will get worse over time. Regardless of how bad the pixel bleed is, the entire LCD will need to be replaced.

Once what"s causing the dark spots or patches is found and stopped, fading can take time. A spot that is a few shades darker than your natural skin color will usually fade within 6 to 12 months. If the color lies deep in your skin, however, fading can take years.

Apply pressure to the area where the stuck pixel is. Try not to put pressure anywhere else, as this may trigger the creation of more stuck pixels. While applying pressure, turn on your computer and screen. Remove pressure, and the stuck pixel should be gone.

To recap, black spots on LCDs are typically caused by either superficial dirt or debris, a stuck pixel or a dead pixel. The easiest problem to fix, of course, is a superficial dirt or debris. In comparison, stuck pixels are a little harder to fix, whereas dead pixels are the hardest to fix.

If the screen is discolored, use a pen cap to lightly rub the screen in the discolored area. If the issue is stuck pixels, applying mild pressure to the screen might fix it. If you have a slider-style phone with a white screen, the issue could be a ribbon cable that has worn out or moved out of its socket.

Accidents that result in a TV falling over might lead to a cracked TV panel. These panels usually cannot be repaired and will have to be replaced. Since replacing a panel might cost more than a new TV, your pro might recommend that you replace the entire TV.

It"s unlikely that dead pixels will “spread”, but it is possible that the damaged region of the display includes some surrounding pixels, and that they might fail over time.

Wait for the dead pixel to disappear. It may go away on its own, but there"s no telling how long it will take. You might have the dead pixel for the remainder of the device"s life, or it might go away in a week.

You will often be able to get a cracked screen repaired at a local authorized repair shop. The price will vary depending on which model Pixel you are getting repaired. Screen repair on a Pixel will run from about $129 - $299, and screen repair on a Pixel XL will run from about $149 - $309.

Can backlight bleed go away on its own? Sometimes. All LCD screens have some backlight bleed at first, but as the pressure around the panel weakens with use, it will become less noticeable. If you"ve had your device for a while, the backlight bleed probably isn"t going away.

Once you stop what"s causing the dark spots or patches, fading can take time. A spot that is a few shades darker than your skin will usually fade within 6 to 12 months. If the color lies deep in your skin, however, fading can take years. Discoloration that lies deep in the skin is often slate blue to gray in color.

There are plenty of safe and organic ways to treat black spot. Try using two teaspoons of bicarb soda in 5 litres of water, add a couple of drops of detergent or a couple of drops of seaweed extract. This makes an excellent and inexpensive fungicide. Or use Bordeaux mixture or one of the other copper based fungicides.

When the black spot is spreading on your phone screen, you need to have the screen replaced. If you try to repair the phone yourself, you may cause more damage to it, thus complicating the issue. Hence, seek the help of professionals.

Generally, some minor backlight bleeding is expected due to the nature of the display technology, and it is entirely tolerable given you won"t even notice it most of the time.

If you"ve noticed unusual spots on your display, you might be dealing with stuck or dead pixels. Fortunately, these pixels are usually harmless and can be detected using special pixel tests.

Once you have found the correct part number, see HP Consumer Notebook PCs - Ordering HP certified replacement parts. Use the instructions in this document to order a replacement part.

HP recommends that you only order parts from an authorized HP repair parts dealer. Parts ordered from third-party companies might not perform as expected and might cause additional

Screens can scratch easily, and even paper towels and tissues contain fibers that can do damage. “Your best bet is to use a soft, anti-static microfiber cloth—the kind used to clean eyeglasses and camera lenses—and wipe in a circular motion,” says John Walsh, who cleans more than 250 TVs a year in his role as a CR photographer. (Some TV manufacturers will include a cloth for this purpose.) “Gently wipe the screen with a dry cloth to remove dust and other debris, but don’t press too hard,” he says.

You may also want to wipe down the TV’s cabinet, and make sure dust isn’t clogging the vents that help dissipate heat. If the TV is on a stand and not tethered to the wall, Walsh suggests cleaning with one hand while supporting the TV with the other to prevent the set from tipping over. However, CR strongly recommends anchoring all stand-mounted TVs using anti-tipping straps designed for this purpose.

If there are hard-to-remove stains, you can dampen the cloth slightly with distilled water and gently clean the screen. Don’t spray water directly onto the screen; that could cause a shock or component failure if water seeps into the inner workings of the set.

For the most stubborn stains, you can try using a solution of very mild dish soap highly diluted with water, once again applied to the cloth and not to the TV itself. (As a guideline, Panasonic used to recommend a 100:1 ratio of water to soap.) LCD screens, in particular, are very sensitive to pressure and can scratch easily, so don’t press hard.

After a long, hard day, you finally sit down to catch up on your favorite show. But when you hit the power button on your remote control, your TV screen stays black! You try pressing the remote’s power button again and again from every angle, but still, your TV has no picture. If this sounds familiar, you’ve likely fallen victim to one or more TV screen issues.

What causes a TV screen to go black? Software issues, loose connections, or backlight problems are usually behind black TV screens. Learn about each of these causes and get tips for troubleshooting them so you can get back to relaxing with your favorite TV shows, movies, and video games.

If your TV screen is black and there’s no sound, you’ll want to check for an LED light or a small indicator light that tells you the TV has power. If there is no power to the TV while it is plugged in, there may be an issue with the outlet or fuse box in your home. However, if the TV is on but the screen is black, the problem could lie with your TV’s software.

Unplug the TV from the wall, and, if possible, remove the power cord from the back of the TV to perform a soft reset. Wait 30 seconds, and plug the TV back into a working outlet to test it again. If you’re still having screen issues, you might want to bring in an expert — they’ll know how to fix your TV’s black screen.

If your TV screen goes black but the sound still works, the first thing to check is the input source to ensure it is turned on and operating correctly. This includes external devices like cable boxes, video game consoles, laptops, and streaming devices. Once you’re sure the input source is working properly and you have the right input settings, check the cable connections. In many instances where the TV screen is black but the audio works, poor cable connections could be the issue.

Whether you’re working with an HDMI cable, RCA (usually yellow, white, and red cables) set up, or another type of connection, you need to ensure the cables are seated properly and firmly into their connection ports. With a good connection, the cable shouldn’t feel loose or easily disconnect when pulled on or moved around. If all your cables have a snug fit but the problem persists, try connecting the device to another TV. If your TV screen is still blacked out, you may need new cables.

Some TV displays, such as LCD screens, use a backlight to illuminate the picture. If the backlight burns out or stops working, it will result in a blank TV screen.

To check your TV’s backlight, make sure your TV is on. Then, turn off the lights in the room and shine a flashlight on the screen. If you can see a picture with the flashlight, then your TV’s backlight is likely burnt out.

While you might be eager to learn how to fix a black-screen TV, a broken backlight does not come with an easy solution. The backlight will need to be replaced, and it’s best to get help from a professional with this task.

If repair costs are outside your budget or not worth it considering the age and condition of your TV, you may want to consider upgrading to a new smart TV. When you purchase a new TV from your local Rent-A-Center, you’ll enjoy free product service and repairs for the life of your agreement as part of our Worry-Free Guarantee.

You’ve run all the tests, checked all the ports, and ensured your TV has power, but your TV screen is still black! There could be a more complicated (and expensive) issue, so it might be time to ditch your old TV for an upgrade.

Rent-A-Center makes it easy to own a new TV, like an LG 65″ 4K UHD Smart TV. From OLED to QLED, we’ve got ultra high-definition TVs with picture quality so crisp, you’ll wonder why you didn’t upgrade sooner. Avoid the headache of your old TV, and shop your favorite TV brands online today. You can even get same-day delivery on qualifying purchases in select areas!

The panel’s pixels deteriorate and form memories for the colors they are displaying. Only those colors will start to appear on your television, creating a shadow of the still image long after you delete it. Never leave a still image on your TV for longer than 30 minutes to avoid this.

Dark (black) spots on LCD TVs are typically caused by either debris or superficial dirt, a dead pixel, or a stuck pixel. Of all these problems, the easiest problem to fix is debris or superficial dirt. On the contrary, stuck pixels are harder to fix, while dead pixels are the hardest problem to fix.

With an LCD TV, you can watch your favorite movies, cartoons, and series in excellent quality with high definition and good sound. However, owners of LCD monitors may encounter the problem of dark spots appearing on the screen. Let’s take a closer look at the reasons for their appearance and what are the best solutions to repair them and What causes a dark shadows on tv screen?

There are lots of reasons why you might be seeing shadows on your TV. To name a few, some of the most common reasons for shadowing on your tv, are burn-in, a poorly mounted TV, or faulty cables. Shadowing mostly occurs when you leave a still image on the screen for a long period of time. So, remember to always turn your tv off when no one is watching.

The truth is, there’s no easy way to fix shadows caused by burn-in, so the best idea is to prevent it. If you haven’t left a static image on the screen but you’re still seeing shadows, your TV may have some installation problems

How does burn-in happen? A Burn-in usually occurs when you leave a still image, for a long period of time, on your tv screen. Still, images such as a paused DVD or menu screen will be the main reason. The pixels inside the panel become damaged and develop a memory for the colors they are displaying. Your tv will begin to display only those colors, developing a shadow of the still image even after you remove the image.

You can prevent this by never leaving your TV on a still image for more than half an hour. It’s always a good idea just to be safe. Plasma TVs, with their phosphor technology, are more susceptible to burn-in than LCD TVs that use liquid-crystal technology, especially during the first 200 hours of use.

Another thing you can do is to avoid playing video games with static boxes, on plasma TVs if possible. What does this mean? These are the type of video games that show your power levels on the tv screen while playing. Playing for long hours at a time can cause the static boxes to burn-in.

Another thing is, to stay away from the black bars that appear when watching a widescreen movie. These days, most DVDs will give you an option to watch a full-screen version. If you do not have these options, change the TV’s aspect ratio through the picture menu until the black bars disappear. Black bars can leave shadows along the entire top and bottom of the TV screen.

Not a lot of people realize this, but if your tv is poorly mounted to a wall, shadowing may occur. Why does this happen? A poorly mounted tv’s wait will not always be shifted as it should and this may damage your TV’s pixels. Also, check whether TV is running in Power Saving Mode. Always follow the manufacturer’s instructions when mounting your television to a wall.

Are you someone that prefers to have your TV sit on the floor or on an entertainment center? There is no problem with this. With this said, always use the model’s mounting stand. Do not put the tv directly on the floor, the weight of the TV could compress lower pixels, causing a shadow effect at the bottom of the screen. Samsung tv screen

If you are watching tv on a 3-D television, you may see a shadow effect on the image. This especially happens if you aren’t sitting directly in front of the Samsung tv or any other TV. The 3-D technology used for many of these TVs still relies on the addition of special glasses to make the images clear with no shadowing.

Something that happens a lot with cable boxes and TVs, is incompatibility issues. This may lead to shadowing. This problem often presents when you are pairing up a newer TV with an older cable box. What you can do, is update your cable box’s firmware to try to resolve the problem; some cable providers make firmware updates available online, others will send updated firmware to you and some will send out a repair person to update the firmware.

Using an HDMI cable with external devices can sometimes result in a shadow image appearing on the LCD screen. This is often not because of the cable directly, but maybe because of the external device’s video output settings and the use of an HDMI cable, more than likely the LCD panel is going bad. You can try changing the output settings on the external device or using a different type of cable, such as a component cable.

A shadow image can appear on your tv screen if you are using an antenna to pull in channels over the air. This type of image appears when the antenna pulls in the same source from two different signals. How to get rid of this? Move the antenna around to different locations until the ghost image disappears, indicating that the antenna is now pulling the source in from one signal.

Adhere to the preventive measure outlined above, and your TV will be miles off from developing a dark shadow fault. You’ll also be saving yourself the burden of trying to fix it. As they say, “it’s better to be safe than sorry.”

Before trying to disassemble an LCD TV or hand it over to a service center, it is worth excluding software failures that are possible with digital broadcasting. The test scheme for Samsung, Sony, and LG are common. There may be some nuances depending on the TV model. While watching TV with connected external devices and shadow appears only on specific channels, then the cause may be a broadcast signal.

If the black spots on your LCD TV screen disappear, the cause was most likely a software failure. In such a situation, it is not necessary to disassemble or repair the device in the service. If the malfunction remains, it is better to contact a professional to repair an expensive modern TV. If you’re looking for a new TV, this is a great SONY LED TV that is very affordable and comes at a good price.

One of the reasons for the appearance of spots in the external adhesion of dirt is dust. In such a situation, it is not necessary to disassemble the equipment or reboot it. It is enough to wash the screen surface. For this:

If a defect appears due to water ingress, rinse the matrix. This requires a special detergent. Running water is not suitable. It contains a large number of invisible impurities and abrasive particles that will settle on the matrix and make the situation even worse.

Cleaning should be done in a well-ventilated area with good ventilation to remove dark spots from the TV matrix. It is advisable to turn on a humidifier, if available. Use soft cotton gloves to clean.

If you wish, you can carry out the replacement yourself if you have the skills to work with household television appliances. The repair instructions are as follows:

Rarely wiping the surface from dirt and dust leads to the ingress of microparticles on the matrix. Over time, a large dark spot is born from a small black dot. With the following actions you can save your TV from manifestations:

If the dark spots have not disappeared after all the manipulations, the Sony, Samsung, or any other manufacturer’sTV must be carried to the workshop for a full diagnosis and repair.

If a dark (black) spot appears due to moisture or dust, you can easily fix this problem by yourself. If on the other hand, streaks appeared due to mechanical stress or strong exposure to high temperatures, which in most cases led to matrix delamination or failure of loops, then it is necessary to carry that equipment to the workshop.

Proper care of household appliances is the key to their correct operation for a long time. To avoid the appearance of dark spots, or streaks on the screen of a plasma, liquid crystal TV, follow these recommendations:

Do not overheat the equipment. TVs can work around the clock, but this has a bad effect on their performance, color rendition, and image playback speed.

Taking care of your LCD or plasma TV in this way will save you from the appearance of dark spots on the screen. Try to avoid mechanical damage. Explain to the children that technology is not a toy. And enjoy digital TV for years on end.

Light, colored spots and streaks are removed by other methods. General repair method only in cases of software failure. Therefore, if any screen defects appear, just try to completely restart the equipment and reset the router to factory settings.

The Hisense U8H matches the excellent brightness and color performance of much pricier LCD TVs, and its Google TV smart platform is a welcome addition. But it’s available in only three screen sizes.

The Hisense U8H is the best LCD/LED TV for most people because it delivers the performance of a much pricier TV yet starts at under $1,000, for the smallest (55-inch) screen size. This TV utilizes quantum dots, a full-array backlight with mini-LEDs, and a 120 Hz refresh rate to deliver a great-looking 4K HDR image. It’s compatible with every major HDR format. And it’s equipped with two full-bandwidth HDMI 2.1 inputs to support 4K 120 Hz gaming from the newest Xbox and PlayStation consoles. Add in the intuitive, fully featured Google TV smart-TV platform, and the U8H’s price-to-performance ratio is of inarguable value.

Chief among the U8H’s many strengths is its impressive peak brightness. When sending it HDR test patterns, I measured an average brightness of 1,500 nits, with peaks just north of 1,800 nits (a measurement of luminance; see TV features, defined for more info). To put that into perspective, consider that the 65-inch version of our budget 4K TV pick (the TCL 5-Series) typically costs around half as much as the 65-inch U8H but achieves only around 30% to 40% of its brightness. On the other side of the coin, the 65-inch version of our upgrade pick (the Samsung QN90B) costs almost twice as much as the 65-inch U8H, but it achieves only nominally higher brightness. Adequate light output creates convincing highlights and image contrast and (when necessary) combats ambient light from lamps or windows. It is a necessity for any TV worth buying—especially if you hope to watch HDR movies or play HDR games—and the U8H simply outpaces most TVs in its price range (and some in the next price bracket up, too).

Key to this functionality is the U8H’s employment of mini-LED backlighting with local dimming, which allows this TV to produce very bright light while still maintaining satisfyingly deep black levels that are typically free of blooming (or light bleed that’s visible around bright objects against a dark backdrop). This not only ensures impressive image contrast, it also makes the U8H a viable choice for most rooms, whether they’re brighter than average or dimmed down like a movie theater.

That’s not to say the U8H has pixel-precise light control—it’s not an OLED TV, after all—but it does a terrific job most of the time. In fact, in our tests, the U8H bested last year’s upgrade pick, the Samsung QN90A, in certain scenarios: The intro to Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities on Netflix features the filmmaker against a pitch-black backdrop. Though last year’s QN90A failed to maintain perfect control over dimming elements during this scene (the black backdrop brightened distractingly once a sufficient amount of brighter content appeared on screen), the U8H did not. (For the record, the newer QN90B also passed this test.) The U8H’s mini-LEDs also help the screen look uniformly bright: Although the U8H is still not as good as an OLED TV in this respect, it shows very little indication of being a backlight-driven display, even during tricky scenes with large swaths of dim lighting.

The U8H’s brightness, black-level integrity, and local-dimming abilities make this an excellent TV for watching HDR content. The U8H is capable of playing HDR content in all of the major formats (HDR10, HDR10+, Dolby Vision, and HLG), but when it comes to impressive HDR, what’s under the hood is much more important than format compatibility. The most crucial thing for good HDR is high brightness and deep color saturation, and the U8H’s quantum dots achieve the latter. It’s not as simple as just having quantum dots, however: While many TVs (even the budget options) have quantum dots nowadays, what is often not taken into account is that brightness directly affects color saturation. For example, both the 2022 TCL 6-Series and the Hisense U8H are equipped with quantum dots, mini-LED backlights, and local dimming. But because the U8H is notably brighter than the 6-Series, it also achieves a higher total color volume. During our color-volume testing, the U8H exhibited color ranges at more than 100% of the DCI-P3 color space (the range of color needed to properly display HDR content), and it is capable of roughly 10% more total color volume compared with the 6-Series.

What does this mean in real-world terms? It means that the Hisense U8H truly excels as a modern 4K HDR TV, whether you’re watching the latest episode of Rings of Power or playing Overwatch 2. While watching HDR content side by side on the U8H and on our upgrade pick, the Samsung QN90B, I was truly surprised by how similar they looked at times, given that our upgrade pick is much more expensive. That said, though the U8H achieves impressive results where light output and color volume are concerned, it also exhibited some occasional video processing and upscaling issues (see Flaws but not dealbreakers), which videophiles and AV enthusiasts may take umbrage with. But in general, the picture quality punches well above its weight, metaphorically speaking.

And thanks to Hisense’s inclusion of Filmmaker Mode, it’s easy to rein in the U8H’s brightness abilities for a more-subdued and filmic experience in a darker room. Our measurements revealed that this mode has a very accurate white balance, mostly accurate colors (green is a bit oversaturated, but not egregiously so), and a perfect “dark room” gamma (which controls how quickly the video signal transitions from dark to light). Additionally, the TV’s 120 Hz refresh rate means it can play Blu-ray discs at 24 fps without the judder that’s usually present on TVs with 60 Hz refresh rates.

The TV’s higher refresh rate also reduces motion blur in faster-moving sports and allows for smoother, more stable motion in games. Two of the four HDMI inputs support 4K gaming at 120 Hz. The U8H measured low input lag while playing in 4K resolution, and Hisense’s helpful GameZone setting in the picture menu allowed me to confirm the presence of 120 Hz playback and variable refresh rate during games.

The onboard Google TV smart platform is another feather in this TV’s cap. As usual, however, it will be much more satisfying to use if you have a Google account and already take advantage of Google’s connected services, like Photos. The experience of navigating the TV’s smart features—scanning QR codes to sign into apps, using the onscreen keyboard, and browsing your Google Photos to set a photo as a screensaver—was very satisfying in terms of responsiveness and speed. Powering on the TV and booting into an app took just seconds. The included Bluetooth remote is also equipped with a handy “Hey Google” button, allowing you to pull up Google’s assistant and use voice commands to search for content or set a reminder. If you have multiple users with their own Google accounts, you can designate separate profiles (attached to a Gmail account) so that each user can customize the experience to their liking, as well as access their own Google Drive or Photos. While some reviewers have reported instances of momentary freezing while using the U8H’s platform, I didn’t personally experience any instances of slowdown that were egregiously worse than with any other smart-TV platform.

In terms of design, the Hisense U8H is not as svelte as our upgrade pick, but it’s plenty sturdy and doesn’t look or feel cheap. Two narrow, metal feet jut out from beneath the panel and steadily hold the TV. They can be attached in two separate spots, either closer in toward the middle of the panel or out toward the edges, to account for different-size TV stands. The feet are also equipped with cable organization clasps—a nice touch for keeping your TV stand free of cable clutter. Though the TV is primarily plastic, its bezels are lined with metal strips, providing a bit more durability in the long run. I moved it around my home, and it was no worse for wear, but we’ll know more after doing some long-term testing.

The Hisense U8H has some difficulties with banding, or areas of uneven gradation, where transitions that should appear smooth instead look like “bands” of color (sometimes also called posterization). Like many current 4K HDR TVs, the U8H uses an 8-bit panel rather than a 10-bit panel, which affects the color decoding and color presentation process. This is usually relevant only with HDR video and games. When playing games on the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, I saw a few instances where the content wasn’t rendered correctly and displayed ugly splotches of color on the screen. However, this almost always occurred during static screens (such as a pause menu or loading screen); I rarely spotted it during actual gameplay. Hisense has stated that it would address the problem in a future firmware update, but at the time of writing it was still present. This is a flaw that may give dedicated gamers pause, but we don’t consider it to be a dealbreaker for most people.

I also saw occasional instances of banding with TV shows and movies, though they were few and far between. The U8H isn’t the best at upscaling sub-4K content, so videos with a 1080p or lower resolution looked a little soft. You can get better overall video processing and upscaling by springing for our upgrade pick (this is one reason it’s more expensive, after all).

Although the UH8 TV has four HDMI inputs, only two of them are fully HDMI 2.1–compatible. And one of those is designated as the eARC input (intended as an audio connection for a soundbar or AV receiver connection). So if you’re pairing an external audio system with the U8H, you may have only one input remaining that can support HDMI 2.1 features like 4K 120 Hz playback, variable refresh rate, and auto game mode; this could be a dealbreaker if you own more than one current-gen gaming console. If you’re in that boat, you may want to splash out some extra dough for our upgrade pick. Additionally, folks using pre-HDMI source devices—like the five-cable composite connector with green, red, blue, and red/white audio inputs—should be aware that this TV requires an adapter to allow those devices to connect, and an adapter is not included in the box.

Finally, like most TVs that use vertical alignment (VA) LCD panels, the U8H has a limited horizontal viewing angle, which may be a bit annoying if you’re hoping to entertain a large crowd. Our upgrade pick uses a special wide-angle technology to address this.

If you’re watching in a darker room and want the most accurate picture you can get—preserving the director’s intent—select the U8H’s Filmmaker Mode as your picture mode. In a brighter room, we recommend the Theater Day picture mode. In either case, you should go into the backlight settings, disable the automatic light sensor, and set the backlight to your personal preference. This is true whether you’re watching SDR or HDR content.

For gaming, use the game picture mode (the TV should switch into this mode automatically when paired with the newer game consoles), and then go into the Gaming submenu to make sure the right settings (VRR) are enabled. We recommend leaving the HDMI setting in “auto,” unless you notice that your game console is incorrectly identified.