How We Test HDTVs

PC World's testing philosophy has always been--and continues to be--to evaluate technology products in a real-world setting, with applications that an average user is apt to use day in and day out. We test the image quality of HDTVs by using a jury of PC World editors, freelance or staff writers, and PC World Test Center analysts. The testing methodology we use was developed by and is the property of the PC World Test Center.

Test Environment

All HDTVs must support DVI-V or HDMI for digital video streams. If an HDTV has both, we use DVI-V. We do not test HDTVs that have neither.

In Video: How We Test High-Definition TVs

We test under two different lighting configurations. The standard test suite is performed under 5000K lighting (one bulb per bank). The bright-light test is performed under banks of mixed bulbs (two 6500K bulbs and one 5000K bulb).

We place the HDTVs on long tables, with the midpoint roughly at eye-level for someone sitting in a chair. HDTV vendors have said they design their sets so that the viewers' eyes will be at the midpoint when the set is placed on the ground and the viewers are seated.

We use a color analyzer to choose the preset color temperature setting that most closely matches the recommended setting of 6500K. We then conduct a consumer level-calibration using "AVIA: Guide to Home Theater and Digital Video Essentials." We adjust all available end-user accessible controls, following the instructions on the discs. The resulting calibration will be better than one performed by an end-user--our target reader--but not as precise as one done by a professional.

Content for the jury tests was recorded from various local off-air (antenna) sources using a MyHD PCI card with a DVI-HD daughtercard on a PC test bed. The content is played from the PC through a DVI distribution amplifier to the HDTVs.

To ensure consistency across test batches, we include a previously tested baseline HDTV of the same size as the new HDTVs in each test batch.