How To Pick the Best TV for Sports

Not every television can handle the fast movement, high resolution streaming, angles, or glare very well. With AFL and NRL Grand Finals looming, it’s the perfect time to ask a million-dollar question: How do you choose the best TV for sports?

What’s the best size TV for watching sports?

When it comes to TVs, size does matter. However, it doesn’t always mean getting a bigger TV. The best size TV for watching sports depends on factors such as your room size, your screen resolution, and how you sit from the TV.

What is the best screen size for high-definition TVs?

If you sit too close to the TV, you may see pixels and that’s not really a good viewing experience.

What is the best screen size for ultra high-definition (UHD) or 4K TVs?

Keeping the TV at the correct height and adjusting your seating for the best view are also important but often get overlooked.

How to test a TV for sports in-store?

Stores and retailers usually play content that makes the TVs look as attractive as possible. However, sports broadcasts are a different game altogether (pun definitely intended), so how do you know which TV actually works best for sports?

A quick five-minute test in a showroom or at home comparing TVs can tell footy fans far more about a TV than specs alone. NPR has created this quick Five Minute Footy Test that you can use in-store or at home and it helps you select the best sports TV and make your home the best seat in town.

NPRs Five Minute Footy Test specifically looked at models for sport as part of our research. Below is a simple test set you can run with three key devices in mind: Hisense 85″ RGB 4K MiniLED TV, Samsung 83” OLED S85H 4K Vision AI Smart TV, and Panasonic Smart Network HDD Recorder as your Personal Video Recorder (PVR) backbone.

The Kick Test – Can you follow the ball?

Footy isn’t just about set shots; it’s bursts of pace, long kicks and scrambling plays. Your first quick test is to see if you can follow a fast-moving ball without blur or judder.

The best TV for sports will include smooth motion, sharp visuals and crisp detailing so you don’t miss a single moment.

How to test

• In a showroom, ask to play a fast sport clip or use a footy highlight reel on YouTube or a demo channel.
• At home, fire up a recent AFL or NRL match you can stream or have recorded.
• Watch a few kick sequences, fast handballs or chip kicks in transition.

What to look out for :

• The ball should remain sharp as it moves across the screen.
• Player outlines shouldn’t smear or judder when play accelerates.

Kick test results

• Hisense 85” 85UR9SAU RGB 4K MiniLED 180Hz TV: This Hisense 85″ RGB MiniLED TV offers a native 180Hz refresh rate, a motion rate around 330, and response times as low as 6 ms, plus features like AI Smooth Motion and FreeSync Premium Pro. That high refresh and fast response make it especially strong at tracking quick kicks and rapid play.
• Samsung 83” OLED S85H 4K Vision AI Smart TV: This Samsung 83″ OLED panel delivers deep blacks and rich colour with a 100–120 Hz refresh rate, Motion Rate 120 and support for FreeSync and G-SYNC. It’s excellent at keeping motion crisp, especially where contrast and depth matter.
• Best for Kick Test: The Hisense 85” RGB MiniLED TV  if you prioritise maximum refresh and motion tools; Samsung 83” OLED Smart TV if you want OLED clarity plus strong motion control.

The Angle Test – Does the picture hold up from the side?

Grand Final viewing rarely means everyone sitting dead centre or even still for the entire game. Emotions run high, people move around, they are standing or on the side. Some may even be near the kitchen, grabbing snacks and drinks. The Angle Test helps determine whether colour, contrast and brightness remain solid off-axis.

When you move sideways from the centre of the screen, most TVs will lose some colour or contrast. The change is minimal on a good quality screen while a bad screen can make it look like a completely different TV.

How to test

• Stand or sit front-on, then move to the side of the screen (30–45 degrees off-centre).
• Watch faces, guernseys and grass, anything where colour and subtle detail matter.

What to look for in wide-angle viewing:

• Minimal colour washout or greying of blacks.
• Grass and sky should still look natural, not faded or tinted.

Angle test results

• Samsung 83” OLED S85H 4K Vision AI Smart TV: OLED technology naturally excels at viewing angles; self-emissive pixels maintain colour and black levels better as you move off-centre, supported by Colour Booster Pro and PANTONE validation for accurate tones.
• Hisense 85” 85UR9SAU RGB MiniLED 4K TV: As a MiniLED LCD, it benefits from advanced local dimming and RGB MiniLED backlighting but will show more subtle angle changes than OLED. Its Anti-Reflection & Glare-Free screen does help maintain a comfortable picture, especially under bright light.
• Best for Angle Test: Samsung 83” OLED S85H 4K Vision AI Smart TV, thanks to OLED’s inherent off-angle performance, makes this a prime candidate for crowded lounge rooms or large living rooms.

The Daylight Test – Can you beat glare?

Aussie living rooms and lounges tend to get a lot of sun. Sports happen at different times of the day and not everyone may be able to watch matches at night. The Daylight Test looks at how well a TV handles bright rooms, open blinds and reflections.

Basically a TV glare test to consider how it can deal with sudden glare and ensure you don’t miss crucial moments.

How to test

• In a showroom, ask to temporarily turn on stronger overhead lighting or stand where ambient light hits the screen.
• At home, open blinds or curtains and see how clearly you can still follow the game.

What you’re looking for:

• Reflections that don’t dominate the picture.
• A bright enough image to keep detail visible without washing out blacks.

Daylight test results 

• Hisense 85UR9SAU: Features Anti-Reflection & Glare-Free technology to maintain clarity in bright rooms from afternoon sun to overhead lighting. That’s particularly handy for daytime finals or pre-game coverage.
• Samsung 83” OLED S85H 4K Vision AI Smart TV: Uses an anti-reflection display and high brightness with HDR10+ and NQ4 AI Gen2 processor to maintain detail and contrast, even when there’s a bit of glare.
• Best for Daylight Test: Hisense 85UR9SAU if bright living spaces and glare control are your top priority; Samsung 83” OLED S85H 4K Vision AI Smart TV is a close second with strong anti-reflection performance.

The Crowd Test – Does the sound feel like a stadium?

Footy is as much about crowd noise as on-field action. If you want the whole experience of being in the stadium, audio plays a huge part.

The Crowd Test checks whether audio makes the stadium atmosphere feel alive, chants, boos, sirens and the roar after a goal.

How to test

• Pick a clip with loud crowd reactions, goals, tries, sirens and commentary spikes.
• Turn the volume to a moderate level and then slightly higher, listening for clarity and presence.

What you’re looking for:

• Clear commentary that doesn’t get muddy.
• Crowd sound that feels enveloping, not flat.
• No harshness when volume rises.

Sports TV with best sound

• Hisense 85UR9SAU: Offers Dolby Atmos 4.1.2 Multi-Channel Surround sound, with audio tuned to create room-filling presence. That vertical and horizontal sound field helps the stadium atmosphere feel more immersive.
• Samsung 83” OLED S85H 4K Vision AI Smart TV: Delivers Dolby Atmos with 20W 2-channel speakers; while not as multi-channel as the Hisense, it still creates an impressive sense of space and works well with compatible soundbars and Q-Symphony setups.
• Panasonic Smart Network HDD Recorder: As a PVR and streaming hub, it feeds clean digital audio to your TV or AV system, with features like Surround Re-Master on some models helping refine sound quality.
• Best for Crowd Test: The Hisense 85UR9SAU stands on its own, thanks to 4.1.2 Atmos; Samsung 83” OLED plus a soundbar or AV system is another strong combo.

The Big Moment Test – Does it feel like you were there?

This final check asks a simple question: when the winning goal or try happens, does the picture and sound make you feel like you’re inside the stadium, not watching from a distance?

How to test

• Replay a famous Grand Final moment or a recent high-stakes match,  a winning goal, try or controversial decision.
• Watch for detail in faces, jumpers, ball texture and grass, plus the swell of sound.

What you’re looking for:

• Deep, convincing blacks and strong contrast between players, ball and background.
• Colour that feels natural, skin tones, club colours, turf.
• Immediate, responsive audio that rises with the crowd.

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Big moment test results

• Samsung OLED S85H: OLED delivers true blacks and strong contrast, HDR10+ enhances highlight detail, and 4K AI upscaling sharpens broadcast content. Combined with Dolby Atmos, it’s exceptional for drama-filled big moments.
• Hisense 85UR9SAU: RGB MiniLED and Hi-View AI Engine RGB offer up to 100% BT.2020 colour coverage, and advanced HDR formats (HDR10, HDR10+, Dolby Vision) plus 4K upscaling make intense scenes vivid and lifelike.
• Panasonic Smart Network HDD Recorder: With Twin HD Tuners and 1TB storage, this PVR can record key matches, let you pause and replay big moments, and play content back with up to 4K upscaling and smart streaming.
• Best for Big Moment Test: A combo: use Panasonic HDD Recorder to record and replay crucial footy matches, then watch them on either the Hisense 85UR9SAU for maximum size and multi-channel sound or the Samsung OLED 85H for OLED contrast and depth.

Why do you need a HDD Recorder?

Life happens and sometimes the best laid plans of watching footy live with mates fall through. At moments like these, having a versatile media hub to capture, store and stream all your favourite content can definitely be a blessing.

No more waiting around for re-runs or highlights, get all your sports and media on a single powerful device such as the Panasonic Smart Network HDD Recorder. It has smart features such as the TV Anytime, which allows you to schedule recordings and watch shows from your PVR on your smartphone or tablet, wherever you are.

NPR Five Minute Footy TV Test

Footy finals are almost upon us and if you want it to be an experience to remember, you may be looking for the best TV for sports viewing. NPR’s Five Minute Footy Tests give you a powerful toolbox for motions, angles, daylight, stadium sound and replay, so your living room truly becomes a stadium. High performing models from Hisense, Samsung and Panasonic deliver the captivating and immersive sports viewing experience every true blue fan desires!