Best 2026 TVs for upscaling quality

#1

Upscaling is one of the S90H’s clearest strengths, making HD and even DVD material look cleaner and more detailed without excessive artificial sharpening.

#2

High-definition and lower-resolution sources upscale to a clean, detailed image, making even older shows convincing at 85 inches.

#3

Lower-resolution footage appears sharp and relatively clean without strong oversharpening artifacts.

#4

Older HD and DVD material gains clear, natural-looking detail without harsh over-sharpening.

#5

Upscaling is one of the stronger areas, keeping HD-to-4K edges smooth and improving lower-quality feeds.

#6

Upscaling impressed in the detailed test, preserving strong sharpness and texture from lower-resolution Blu-ray material. That is particularly useful for a streaming-focused TV.

#7

HD and lower-resolution material is enlarged cleanly, preserving outlines and fine details without obvious jaggies.

#8

DVDs, lower-resolution TV channels and HD streams are handled with impressively natural detail, although optional sharpening can become aggressive.

#9

HD, 1080p, and even DVD material look cleaner, sharper, and more dimensional than expected. The new processor improves edges and textures without usually making content look artificial.

#10

Older HD and lower-bitrate sources receive sharper detail with minimal artificial edge enhancement.

#11

Standard-definition and HD sources look cleaner and smoother after conversion to the native 4K display.

#12

HD and lower-resolution programs gain convincing sharpness without much oversharpening. The best competitors may still extract slightly more from poor-quality feeds.

#13

HD material is typically upgraded into a sharp 4K presentation, though low-bitrate streaming can reveal artifacts and softened detail.

#14

Older HD and cable sources look cleaner, sharper, and more detailed than expected without excessive artificial sharpening. TCL’s processing now approaches the better upscalers in the category.

#15

DVD and HD material often gains crisp texture and careful detail, especially from cleaner sources. The weakest compressed broadcasts can still expose overprocessing.

#16

HD and even older low-resolution content scales with pleasing clarity and few obvious artifacts, although very demanding scenes can look a little soft.

#17

Low-resolution broadcasts, older videos and DVDs come out surprisingly sharp and well controlled. This is one of the strongest reasons to choose the Sony over less expensive alternatives.

#18

DVDs and 1080p sources are enlarged cleanly, avoiding obvious jagged edges and harsh sharpening.

#19

DVDs and HD streams gain clear, natural-looking detail without aggressive edge sharpening.

#20

Lower-resolution DVDs and older streams gain clarity without conspicuous over-sharpening.

#21

Low-resolution DVDs and similar sources are enlarged cleanly without obvious oversharpening. This strength does not extend fully to compressed-stream cleanup.

#22

Low-resolution material looks clear and free of major processing artifacts.

#23

Lower-resolution films, shows and video streams become impressively clear on the 4K panel. Cleanup can sacrifice a little fine texture in difficult sources.

#24

Upscaling is among the TV’s strongest processing tricks, making HD and even DVD material look cleaner without obvious over-sharpening.

#25

Upscaling has improved into a genuine TCL strength and can look close to higher-tier models. Results still depend heavily on the quality and bitrate of the original signal.

#26

Standard-definition and HD material can look clear and lively, but heavy compression is much harder for the processor to fix.

#27

Low-resolution sources gain sharpness without obvious edge enhancement, making older video much easier to watch.

#28

HD content generally sharpens impressively on the big 4K panel, though results are less consistent for rough lower-resolution sources.

#29

Upscaling is generally a Sony strength and can rescue low-resolution or compressed sources impressively. A few tests found Reality Creation too aggressive on weaker material.

#30

Older movies and low-resolution streams generally look clear and well defined. Some competing models preserve more sharpness and texture from weaker sources.

#31

Lower-resolution content often gains crisp detail and less noise, although some comparisons favor rival upscalers.

#32

HD streams and online videos become sharper and more colorful, though processed low-resolution content still cannot match native 4K.

#33

HD material can upscale cleanly with smooth edges, but DVDs and other low-resolution material remain noticeably soft. Source quality makes a major difference.

#34

Results are mixed: a stronger processor can improve HD feeds over entry-level TVs, but small text and weak source details can stay soft.

#35

Upconversion is mixed: HD edges look excellent in one assessment, while others notice softness with older or low-resolution sources.

#36

Processing is praised on some HD material but can look soft and leave text indistinct in other tests.

#37

Upscaling makes some everyday broadcasts look better, while controlled tests find soft fine detail and weak reconstruction.

#38

The lack of exposed upscaling adjustments is a drawback for users who want to tune processing themselves.

#39

Low-resolution material may look soft, with small details difficult to recover. Other testing liked its HD-to-4K edge treatment, so assessments are not unanimous.

#40

Upscaled picture detail is only fair. Low-resolution upscaling looks badly blurred.