The effects that light can have on a TV can be horrific, light can have the tendency to wash out the quality in the image being displayed on the screen, and also reduce the color quality. Bright Rooms can wreak havoc for TVs with poor anti-glare equipment, your TV will essentially reflect a lot of light into your face making it near impossible to watch movies/tv shows.
Not only that, if your room gets a lot of direct sunlight, depending on the TV, not only will it be hard to watch, it can also cause damage to the screen and the internals. Sunlight especially for OLED TVs can be detrimental to the health of the screen, ultraviolet light can degrade the organic material within the OLED display speeding up burn-in effects and screen discoloration.
It’s important to get a screen that can withstand these conditions because if your screen isn’t able to get bright enough, you will not be able to see the image on the screen. A lot of the TVs recommended in this post will be able to get sufficiently bright to handle a lot of ambient light, Additionally, some of these TVs will be able to handle sunlight also.
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| Product | Name | Specs | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|
 | TCL 6-Series QLED |
| Check Price |
 | LG C1 4K |
| Check Price |
 | Sony X950H LED |
| Check Price |
 | LG CX OLED |
| Check Price |
TCL 6-Series QLED | Best QLED For Bright Rooms
WHAT WE LIKE ABOUT IT: The TCL series 6 has amazing peak brightness levels for SDR content, this is a massive benefit for watching non-HDR content for bright rooms. Seeing the content on the screen is no issue if your room suffers from a lot of ambient light.
Our favorite quality with the TCL 6-series is the fact that it can display deep blacks, this ties into the contrast ratio of the TV which essentially makes the content look more realistic on-screen. And thanks to the contrast ratio, watching HDR content makes for an amazing experience considering this is a QLED display.
Moreover the HDR capabilities, the TCL 6-Series supports Dolby Vision which is a competitor to HDR10+, and Dolby Vision is probably the best HDR format due to its extensive development. Due to this, the TCL 6-Series will be able to produce a wider range of colors due to its 12bit color depth.
The brightness of this screen is high enough to combat most problems that come with watching in a bright room. It is able to withstand glare and reflections which are major problems to the immersiveness of the content you’re watching. Due to this, watching sports is much easier because distinguishing the small details is quite easy.
FEATURES: Our favorite feature is the extensive HDR support with Dolby Vision which is more superior and more utilized than HDR10+. This is a benefit if you like using streaming services such as Netflix and Amazon prime where HDR10+ isn’t always favored.
Our second favorite feature would be the fast refresh rate which is important for watching sports and playing video games. A fast refresh rate is a major benefit for gaming because it allows for smoother motion which gamers can use to their advantage when playing competitive games.
ALTERNATIVES: We would like to recommend the TCL 5-Series as a second option because it is also able to get bright enough for bright rooms, but not as bright as the 6-Series. Also, it shares similar features to the 6-Series, so it can serve as a budget option if you’re not trying to spend too much.
The TCL 5-Series comes equipped with a high contrast ratio just like the TCL 6-Series, so watching HDR content can be just immersive as the 6-Series. However, you may have to reduce the amount of light coming in as the TCL 5-Series struggles with brightness.
Sony X950H LED | Best LED TV For Bright Rooms
WHAT WE LIKE ABOUT IT: The X950H is our top pick LED TV for bright rooms because it has amazing reflection handling which occurs when there’s too much direct light. Reflection handling is an important feature because reflections can inhibit the ability to see the content on the screen as the TV behaves like a mirror.
One of the top qualities of the Sony X950H is the ability to withstand high levels of glare caused by bright rooms which is great because you will not need to purchase an anti-glare film. It can withstand high levels of glare due to its peak brightness levels which is a massive 980 nits.
Watching movies with the Sony X950H can be extremely immersive, this is because of its ability to produce deep blacks. Deep black levels are extremely important for those dark scenes which heavily rely on the TV’s ability to get bright enough and get dark enough in certain areas.
The combination of the TV’s ability to get bright enough, and its ability to produce deep blacks makes for a TV that is great for HDR content. Additionally, the TV supports Dolby Vision which is the most developed HDR format, so you’ll be able to enjoy movies with better color and contrast.
FEATURES: Our favorite feature with the Sony X950H is its ability to upscale lower resolution content, this type of technology allows for lower resolution content to look better. The AI technology involved can essentially make 1080P movies look better on the 4K display due to its upscaling abilities.
It also has great local dimming abilities which darken zones on-screen, it aims to have a similar effect that OLED TVs have. The full-array local dimming essentially increases the contrast in dark scenes by darkening shadows whilst keeping the bright parts bright. This increases the apparent contrast ratio.
For gaming, the LED TV will be a massive benefit to you because it features a 120Hz refresh rate which can be used to your advantage in competitive situations. 120Hz offers great support for movies too because 24FPS which is the framerate movies are is a multiple of 120Hz, this is great for preventing judder.
ALTERNATIVES: We would recommend the Sony X95J as an alternative as it’s the successor to the X950H. The X95J was released in 2021, whereas the x950H was released back in 2020, and the X95J, and features great local dimming capabilities, and it’s able to get bright enough to withstand bright rooms.
LG C1 4K OLED | Best OLED TV For Bright Rooms
WHAT WE LIKE ABOUT IT: Our favorite aspect about the LG C1 OLED display is its ability to produce better cinematic experiences than QLED displays. This is due to the LG C1 having self-illuminated pixels which means they can switch off whenever necessary. This can provide a great movie experience in bright rooms.
While it can’t get reach brightness levels like QLED TVs, it can still produce extremely beautiful content with HDR, this is due to its infinite contrast ratio. It can produce decent highlights which are visible in bright rooms, so HDR content is still possible to enjoy if your room has a lot of ambient light.
We also enjoy the fact that the LG C1 OLED is able to produce superior viewing angles compared to QLED TVs. The LG C1 OLED has amazing viewing angles meaning you’ll be able to enjoy the content being displayed from many different angles. This is even possible in bright rooms where light can wash out the picture when viewing from an angle.
However, one aspect of the LG C1 that we do not like is the susceptibility to burn-in, it’s understood that OLED TVs suffer from this by the nature of their hardware. The best way to avoid burn-in is to reduce static elements on screens such as minimaps and logos when gaming and watching TV shows.
FEATURES: The LG C1 comes with a feature that we absolutely love, the extremely quick response time of 1ms makes for superior gaming experiences. When playing competitive games, sometimes you need fast response times because the delay between your input and the pixels plays a big role when gaming.
Another feature we enjoy quite a bit is the self-illuminating pixels which are able to switch off when needed in dark scenes. OLED TVs do this better than QLEDs do with local dimming technology, OLED TVs are less susceptible to blooming which can be quite annoying when watching movies with bright objects.
Also, we love the fact the LG C1 comes with a wide color gamut for producing more accurate scenes. The color the TV produces is extremely important for influencing our emotions, when a movie scene is being displayed with the incorrect colors, we can get the wrong perception of what the scene is trying to convey.
ALTERNATIVES: A fantastic alternative to the LG C1 would be the LG G1 which aims to increase the brightness which OLED TVs tend to suffer with. The LG G1 will definitely fare better in bright rooms compared to the LG C1, and it also comes with most of the benefits such as AI upscaling.
Additionally, the LG G1 comes with amazing reflection support which rivals the LG C1, reflections are a massive problem for TVs. So if your room gets a lot of direct sunlight which hits your display, the LG G1 may actually be a better purchase than the LG C1.
LG CX OLED | Best OLED For Bright Environments
WHAT WE LIKE ABOUT IT: Our favorite OLED TV for bright rooms would have to be the LG CX, this is because of its amazingly high peak brightness of 750nits. This is pretty high for an OLED TV, so you can expect to have a decently performing display for bright rooms.
Watching movies on the LG CX is a pleasure not only for you but for the whole family, this is because of the wide viewing angles. Someone who isn’t sitting in the middle of the screen can share similar experiences to someone who is, this is because the LG CX pixels allow for amazing viewing angels.
It’s almost like the LG CX was made to withstand bright environments because it has great reflection handling for direct light sources. Reflection is often caused by a lot of light sources such as the sky and lamps, and decent reflection support makes it so the screen acts more like a display and less like a mirror.
Just like all OLED TVs, we hate the fact that they can suffer from burn-in if misused, this is due to the nature of how OLED displays work. The best way to avoid burn-in would be to purchase a QLED display, but you can avoid burn-in by also reducing the screen time of static elements.
FEATURES: Our favorite feature from the LG CX is the VRR (variable refresh rate) support that comes with HDMI 2.1, it essentially makes the monitor more flexible for movies and gaming. Gaming on this screen will look extremely smooth with less stuttering and screen tearing due to the VRR support.
We love watching movies, and the fluidity of the movie plays a big role in immersion, 60Hz displays arent as good as displaying movies like 120Hz displays. This is because movies are made to be played at 24FPS, and 24FPS is a multiple of 120 and not 60, this means each frame will be repeated 5 times instead of using a 3:2 pull down.
Another feature we love, and help for gaming is the 1ms refresh rate which massively improves the competitive advantage for certain games. The delay between when you send an input, and the pixel response can be the difference between you winning over your opponent in games.
ALTERNATIVES: A much recent alternative would be the LG B1 which was released in 2021, and it offers most of the important features such as fast response time, and content upscaling. But the most important feature is the reflection handling for bright rooms, so if you want a more recent TV, the LG B1 would be a great option.
Buyers Guide For Bright Rooms
Purchasing a TV for bright rooms can be quite difficult because not a lot of information surrounds this topic, you rarely hear about sunlight causing accelerated physical degradation to your display, and the fact that some displays don’t have reflection handling. So we hope that we can help shed light on this topic with our buyers guide down below.
Will Sunlight Affect My TV?
Sunlight will almost always affect your TV whether it’s OLED, LED, or QLED, this is because sunlight can not only produce a lot of ambient light which can make it hard to watch if the screen can’t get bright enough due to glare. If the TV is particularly fragile to heat and moisture such as OLED TVs, sunlight can speed up deterioration and cause burn-in, screen discoloration & and overall hardware failure much quicker.
There are plenty of TVs that aren’t as fragile as OLED TVs, these such TVs are QLED and LED TVs, OLED TVs use complex manufacturing methods to reduce the chance of moisture and heat damage. QLED TVs are going to be your best option if your room gets a lot of sun rays and ultraviolet light as QLED TVs won’t break as fast.
OLED TVs will be your best option if your room doesn’t get a lot of sun rays, but a lot of ambient light from different sources such as lights and lamps. The OLED TVs in this list will be able to get bright enough to suffice in bright conditions, however, the OLED TVs might not be your best option for direct sunlight as they can cause damage.
Image Technology
Not all TVs are the same being that they work differently, come with different internal components, and produce varying effects. Some of these TVs are OLED, QLED, and LED, and these are the most popular TVs, you’ll find on the market today.
QLED TVs work similar to how LCD TVs work, this is because QLED TVs actually use LCD panels within their display, which allows for much purer and saturated colors. QLED TVs work by using a Quantum Dot Layer which acts as a filter for the backlight which illuminates the screen. Due to the backlight illumination, QLED displays work much better in bright rooms.
OLED TVs are another great option that is popular among users that want to watch TVs with the most cinematic experience possible, this is because OLED TVs have infinite contrast ratios. OLED TVs work by using self-illuminating pixels, they’re able to control their own brightness and even shut off when necessary which produces deep black levels. Each pixel on an OLED display actually has its own individual lifespan.
Size & Viewing Distance
The size of your TV and the viewing distance between you and your display are some of the most important aspects when it comes to immersiveness. Optimally, you’ll want a 30-degrees viewing angle for screens of the 16:9 aspect ratio, this is because it produces the best cinematic experience verified by SMPTE.
You don’t have to worry about your TV having the correct aspect ratio, because all the TVs in this list are of the 16:9 aspect ratio. All you have to do is calculate the correct viewing distance between you and your screen, there are a few formulas you can follow down below.
Calculating the viewing distance is as simple as multiplying the diagonal length of the screen by 1.6, and you’ll get the distance that should be between you and the screen in inches. If you already know your chosen viewing distance, then the formula is slightly different, you multiply the viewing distance by 0.6 to find the recommended TV size.
| Viewing Distance (ft) | Recommended TV Size (In) | Viewing Angle |
|---|---|---|
| 4.3 | 32 | 30° |
| 5.7 | 42 | 30° |
| 7.5 | 55 | 30° |
| 8.8 | 65 | 30° |
| 10.2 | 75 | 30° |
| 11.2 | 83 | 30° |
| 13.3 | 98 | 30° |
Screen Resolution
Screen resolution is also extremely important to consider, but you must be careful when selecting a screen resolution otherwise you may waste a lot of money. The resolution resembles the number of pixels on the screen which directly relates to the picture quality on-screen, the more pixels, the sharper images could look.
The most popular screen resolutions are 1080P, 4K, and 8K, and you may think picking up an 8K display would make a big difference. It isn’t that simple, the jump between 4K and 8K isn’t as drastic as the jump between 1080P and 4K, also, 8K screens aren’t readily available on the market yet.
We recommend 4K screens mainly because 4K screens are able to produce the same amount of sharpness as 8K viewing from a 30 degrees viewing angle. Obviously, 8K on paper seems 4 times as sharp, but in a real-life scenario, a normal individual won’t be able to distinguish the difference without going really close to the screen.
