Buying Guide: TR Top 10: Best TVs for Gaming 2015

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Best gaming TVs

With both the PS4 and Xbox One having already shifted in huge numbers and sales still brisk to say the least, it's clear that for many of our TVs are no longer just TVs.

They also need to be gaming TVs. Which is actually pretty unfortunate considering that many TVs really don't lend themselves to gaming at all, potentially even significantly damaging your gaming skills.

To make sure this doesn't happen to you, here's our pick of the 10 best gaming TVs in order of all-round desirability once value as well as gaming quality has been taken into account.

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1. Sony KDL-50W829

Combines superb HD pictures with incredibly low input lag.

Price: Around £600

Buy: John Lewis | Currys | Argos

There are three great reasons for gamers to love this TV. First and most importantly, its input lag - the time it takes to render pictures - measures just 19ms. This is an exceptionally low figure for a TV, and clearly helps your performance in fast-reaction games.

The 50W829 also works wonders with game images thanks to its excellent contrast, colour and motion reproduction. And finally at £600 it's outrageously good value for such a high-quality 50-inch TV.

Read: Sony KDL-50W829 review

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2. Samsung UE65JS9500

Delivers astonishing 4K pictures ever with exceptionally little input lag

Price: Around £6000

Buy: Simply Electricals | Reliant Direct

With its 4K resolution and incredible high dynamic range (HDR) colour and contrast support, Samsung's flagship 65-inch TV for 2015 provides an incredible gaming experience. The 4K upscaling is so good it makes your console games look better than HD, and its unprecedentedly dynamic pictures are ideal for game graphics.

Plus, amazingly, the UE65JS9500 delivers all this while only suffering around 30ms of input lag - exceptionally low for a 4K TV. It's only problem is it's eye-watering price.

Read: Samsung UE65JS9500

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3. Sony KD-65X9005B

Superb 4K pictures meet terrifyingly good sonics

Price: Around £2,800

Buy: Simply Electricals | Sonic Direct

If you like the idea of your gaming getting a 4K spit and polish like you get with the Samsung UE65JS9500 but can't afford six grand, Sony's 65X9005B is a spectacular cut-price alternative. It costs only half as much, yet still delivers excellent - albeit not HDR - 4K pictures handily accompanied by the most powerful integrated sound in the TV world. Modern games, after all, are as much about sound as visuals. Its input lag is low at 33ms too.

Read: Sony KD-65X9005B review

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4. Panasonic TX-42AS600

Highly affordable mid-sized TV with impressive response times

Price: Around £440

Buy: Amazon | Hughes | Hi Spek

Figuring we've probably pushed our luck with two huge and wallet-challenging 4K TVs, let's quickly get back into more manageable (42 -inch) and affordable territory with the excellent value 42AS600. This space-saving TV serves up sharp, clean, punchy images backed up in gaming terms by a low screen response time of under 30ms. This compares very favourably with the 65ms or higher found on some other Panasonic TVs at the moment.

Read: Panasonic TX-42AS600 review

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5. Sony KDL-40W605

Stupidly good gaming-friendly picture quality for insanely little money

Price: Around £400

Buy: Amazon | Currys | Pixmania

Sony strikes again with another supremely capable gaming TV. The 40-inch size supports either main or second-room use while still giving a big-screen feel, and Sony's colour and contrast excellence shine through with game graphics. Sony's screen is good for input lag too, at just 33ms, and as prices have dropped over the past few months it's become incredibly good value

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6. Samsung UE40H5500

Lots of Samsung gaming goodness for precious little cash

Price: Around £380

Buy: AO | PC World | Pixmania

Continuing the value theme, the UE40H5500 costs comfortably under £400 despite being a ridiculously accomplished gaming screen. Its input lag is just 10ms in its Game mode - a figure usually only associated with the best dedicated gaming monitors - and its pictures enjoy just the sort of sharpness and colour punch that do video game graphics proud. Motion can look a touch soft, but overall the UE40H5500 punches well above its price weight as both a game screen and a TV.

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7. LG 55EC930V

OLED technology delivers spectacular graphics and a swift response time

Price: Around £2,300

Buy: John Lewis | Currys | PRC Direct

Let's shift back up the price gears now with the 55EC930V. While LG's LCD TVs don't figure here due to unhelpful input lag levels, the OLED-based 55EC930V is an outstanding gaming option delivering gorgeously rich colours, inky blacks, input lag of just 33ms in its Game mode, and crisp, clean motion reproduction ideally suited to gaming. You sometimes feel oddly aware of the screen's pixel structure and some unwanted processing, but otherwise this is a gaming - and movie - powerhouse.

Read: LG 55EC930V review

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8. Samsung UE48H6700

Excellent contrast, clean motion handling and low input lag

Price: £650

Buy: Amazon | John Lewis

This Samsung is a pretty much perfect mid-range all-rounder. It's got a content-rich smart TV system; its impressively crisp, detailed and contrast-rich HD pictures are a great fit for game graphics; its 48-inch size offers a great compromise between gaming immersion and domestic practicality; its input lag is good at only a smidge over 30ms; and perhaps best of all it's now cracking value following a recent round of price cuts.

Read: Samsung UE48H6700 review

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9. Linsar X24-DVD

Small-screen set with superb audio - ideal for bedroom gaming

Price: Around £300

Buy: John Lewis | Amazon

While blasting aliens on king-sized screens is undoubtedly fun, many gamers are restricted to very modest-sized screens in studies or bedrooms. So it's nice to report that there's a TV out there in the shape of the 24-inch X24-DVD that caters for small-screen gaming exceptionally well thanks to its bright pictures, low 32ms of input lag and, best of all, a startling built-in soundbar that shames the audio of many TVs three times as big.

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10. Toshiba 32D3454DB

It's cheap, conveniently sized, and its pictures suit gaming

Price: £279

Buy: Currys | PC World

If anything the 32D3454DB is a better gaming monitor than it is a TV. For while it lacks colour subtlety with video, its aggressive tones and surprisingly extreme contrast range by 32-inch TV standards give video game graphics plenty of pop and power. Its 33ms input lag measurement is very respectable too, and its screen size is ideally suited to gaming in bedrooms and studies. Its built-in DVD deck is handy for second-room use too.

Read: Toshiba 32D3454DB review