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Netflix picks this year’s best smart TVs

Published Mar 21st, 2016 11:30PM EDT
Netflix Recommended TVs 2016
Image: Amazon

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If you’d rather do your binge watching on a big screen than a laptop or a tablet display, Netflix wants to help you find the right TV. Last year, the company started a new program granting select smart TVs “Netflix Recommended TV” seals of approval. The program will continue in 2016, with LG and Sony being the first to live up to the lofty standards set by the streaming company.

READ MORE: More evidence that the iPhone 7 is going to make a lot of people angry this year

In order to receive a seal from Netflix, a TV must meet 5 of the 7 following criteria:

  • TV instant on: Your TV wakes and apps are ready to use right away.
  • TV resume: Your TV remembers what you were doing and wakes to the same place as when it was turned off.
  • Latest Netflix version: Your TV comes with the latest version of Netflix with the newest features.
  • Fast app launch: Start Netflix quickly after you turn on your TV.
  • Fast app resume: Video resumes instantly when returning to Netflix from other apps or channels.
  • Netflix button: Start your TV and launch Netflix with the press of a single button.
  • Easy Netflix icon access: Netflix is prominent and easy to access on your TV.

Netflix has also made some of the criteria harder to reach by reducing the amount of time the TV has to complete certain actions. Even if your TV qualified last year, it might not qualify in 2016.

So far, only two lines of televisions have qualified as Netflix Recommended TVs this year: 2016 4K UHD TVs with webOS 3.0 from LG (UH6300 series | UH6500 series | UH7500 series | UH8500 series | UH9500 series | G6 series) and 2016 Android 4K UHD TVs from Sony (X85D series | X93D series | X94D series).

Jacob Siegal
Jacob Siegal Associate Editor

Jacob Siegal is Associate Editor at BGR, having joined the news team in 2013. He has over a decade of professional writing and editing experience, and helps to lead our technology and entertainment product launch and movie release coverage.