Best TV Brands for Streaming 2024: LG, Samsung, Sony & TCL

LG: Premium OLED Picture with Intuitive webOS

LG's 2024 TVs are 4K with HDR support, pre-installed streaming apps, voice control with Amazon Alexa, and cloud gaming services like Nvidia GeForce NOW. The brand stands out for its interface design and content strategy.

LG's webOS brings streaming apps, live TV, and connected devices together on a single home screen. WebOS ships exclusively on LG TVs, with a home bar at the bottom of the screen that's the least intrusive UI of any smart TV platform and doesn't take over your screen when you're not moving through.

LG offers a unique advantage with free content. LG Channels brings 400+ free channels loaded with entertainment—always on and always free. LG's FILMMAKER MODE preserves film format, including aspect ratios, colors and frame rates, which matters if you frequently stream movies.

For picture quality, LG's AI Super Upscaling upconverts standard-def and high-def video to near 4K quality. This is particularly useful for streaming older content or lower-bitrate streams. The downside: LG TVs typically cost more than competitors at the same performance level.

Samsung: Fast Tizen OS with Free Live TV

All 2024 Samsung TVs are 4K with HDR support and pre-installed apps for streaming services with voice assistant compatibility. Samsung's strength lies in its operating system and free streaming service.

Tizen ships on all Samsung TVs, with boot and app speeds that are the fastest of any built-in TV OS, and Samsung's 4-7 year update commitment is the longest in the industry. If speed matters—particularly if you switch between apps frequently—Tizen delivers.

Samsung TV Plus lets you enjoy subscription-free TV with 150+ channels. Samsung TV Plus is the #1 FAST app on Samsung Smart TVs, delivering subscription-free TV to more than 100 million active users globally each month, with streaming hours up 25% year-over-year.

However, Samsung refuses to support Dolby Vision, pushing their proprietary HDR10+ instead; since Netflix, Disney+, Apple TV+, and most streaming services prioritize Dolby Vision, Samsung buyers miss out on the best HDR format available. This is a legitimate trade-off to consider if you watch a lot of premium streaming content.

Sony: Superior Processing Power for Streaming Content

All 2024 Sony TVs are 4K with HDR support and pre-installed apps for streaming services like Netflix with built-in voice control through Google Assistant. Sony has earned recognition for technical streaming features.

Sony TVs do better than the competition at upscaling lower-resolution content and cleaning up low-quality content, which is especially important if you watch a lot of streaming content. This advantage is meaningful for cord-cutters who rely on streaming services as their primary source.

2024 Sony TVs will be the first to gain Prime Video Calibrated Mode, in addition to Netflix Adaptive Calibrated Mode and Sony Pictures Core Calibrated Mode; the TVs feature up to 80 Mbps video streaming bitrates, Dolby Vision, and Dolby Atmos. Typical streaming services allow streaming at around 15-25 Mbps, whereas Sony's Pure Stream works in conjunction with Sony Pictures Core to allow streaming up to 80 Mbps.

The trade-off: Sony TVs cost more than LG or Samsung at comparable performance levels, and some gaming features are dated, as it can't go above 120Hz refresh rate when gaming on a PC, and only supports HDMI 2.1 bandwidth on two inputs.

TCL: Budget-Friendly with Google TV Versatility

Although traditionally known as a budget brand, TCL has taken the TV market by storm in recent years, quickly becoming one of the top TV manufacturers in the world. TCL is one of the best budget brands; its TVs usually cost less than those from Sony, Samsung and LG, but still have essential features like a 4K HDR image, fast 120Hz refresh rates, modern connectivity and more.

TCL is pushing brightness beyond 5000 nits and the majority of models now feature Google TV. Google TV runs on TCL models alongside Sony and Hisense; the Google Play Store gives the widest app library of any TV platform, with niche sports apps and region-specific services that simply don't exist on other OSes.

TCL's SQD Mini-LED technology mixes precise Mini-LED backlights with Super Quantum Dot layers, delivering thousands of nits in peak brightness while keeping price tags well below rival sets. For budget-conscious streamers who want bright, colorful pictures without premium pricing, TCL delivers solid value.

2025 TCL models support all popular streaming apps and because it's Google TV, Google Cast (Chromecast) is built in; all models include Apple features like AirPlay 2 and Apple Home.

Which Brand is Right for You?

Choose LG if picture quality and interface simplicity are your priorities, and you're willing to pay more for it. The webOS interface is intuitive, and free LG Channels content adds value.

Choose Samsung if you want the fastest app performance, value free live TV access, and primarily use Netflix and other services that support HDR10+ (rather than Dolby Vision).

Choose Sony if you stream heavily from varied sources and want the best upscaling for lower-quality content. The premium pricing reflects superior processing, not just a brand name.

Choose TCL if budget is your primary concern. You'll get 4K, fast refresh rates, and Google TV's expansive app selection without spending thousands of dollars.

Pick the brand that excels at the feature you care about most—a TCL Mini-LED beats a Samsung QLED on specs per dollar, an LG OLED beats everything on picture quality, and a Sony BRAVIA beats everyone on processing.