TV Capability Test - See What Your Smart TV Can Actually Do

This test needs JavaScript to run. Everything below still explains what the test checks and what each result means, so the page is useful either way. Turn JavaScript on and reload to see your own TV's results.

Reading your TV...

This takes a second or two. We measure the frame rate over a one second sample.

Copy the raw report

Useful if you want to send these results to someone, or paste them into a support request. Nothing here identifies you personally.

What this test can and cannot tell you

Plenty of TV testing tools overstate what a web page can see. Here is exactly where the limits are.

Codec and DRM support

This browser only, not your TV. Your TV can decode AV1 inside its Netflix app and fail it in its browser. A "not supported" here does not mean your TV cannot play it.

HDR brightness in nits

No web page can measure this. No browser exposes peak brightness and no rendering trick reveals it. We report whether HDR is signalled. Real brightness needs a colorimeter.

True panel refresh rate

We report what the browser draws. Tabs are very often capped at 60 frames per second by the operating system or by power saving, so a 120Hz TV usually reads 60. That is normal, not a fault.

Widevine L1 versus L3

Not reliably readable here. Anyone showing you that figure from a web page is guessing. Our companion apps will read it properly on Android.

10-bit color depth

Cannot be confirmed. Browsers report 24-bit almost regardless of the panel, so this test cannot tell a true 10-bit display from an 8-bit one.

What the results mean

Resolution

Browsers report resolution in CSS pixels, which are scaled by the pixel ratio. A 4K TV often reports 1920 x 1080 with a pixel ratio of 2. Multiply the two and you get the physical resolution, which is the figure that matters. 3840 x 2160 is 4K, 1920 x 1080 is Full HD.

HDR

HDR needs three things to line up: a panel that can display it, content encoded for it, and a pipeline that carries it. This test checks the third. If HDR is not signalled in the browser, that alone does not mean your TV lacks HDR, because TV browsers frequently do not pass the signal through even on sets that handle HDR perfectly well in their apps.

Video codecs

H.264 is the universal fallback and effectively everything supports it. HEVC and VP9 carry most 4K streaming. AV1 is the newest and saves the most bandwidth, which is why Netflix and YouTube reach for it first where they can. Missing AV1 in a TV browser is completely normal and rarely matters in practice.

Copy protection

Streaming services will not send you high definition video without working copy protection, usually Widevine or PlayReady. If none is available in the browser, that browser will be limited to low resolution or blocked entirely on most services. The TV's own apps are a separate matter and normally have full support.

Audio output

The channel count is what the browser can address. A TV connected to a soundbar or receiver over eARC may pass through considerably more than the browser can see, so two channels here does not mean your setup is stereo only.

Frames per second

This measures how fast the browser is drawing, sampled over one second. It is capped at 60 on most devices no matter what the panel supports, so treat a reading of 60 as "normal" rather than as evidence about your TV's refresh rate.

Questions people ask

Why does my 4K TV report 1920 x 1080?

Because browsers report resolution in CSS pixels, not physical pixels. A 4K TV usually reports 1920 x 1080 with a pixel ratio of 2, which multiplies out to 3840 x 2160. The Physical pixels row in the results does that multiplication for you, and that is the number to trust.

The test says my TV does not support AV1. Is that a problem?

Almost certainly not. This test reads what the TV's web browser can decode, and TV browsers are typically several years behind the TV's own apps. Your Netflix or YouTube app may well play AV1 perfectly while the browser cannot. Missing AV1 in a browser is normal and rarely affects anything you actually watch.

Why does my 120Hz TV only show 60 frames per second?

Browser tabs are commonly capped at 60 frames per second by the operating system, by power saving, or by the browser itself, regardless of what the panel can do. This measurement tells you how fast the browser is drawing, not what your TV is capable of. A 120Hz TV reading 60 here is expected behavior, not a fault.

Can this test measure my TV's HDR brightness?

No, and no web page can. Peak brightness in nits is not exposed to web pages by any browser, and there is no rendering trick that measures it. This test reports whether HDR is signalled to the browser. Measuring real brightness requires a colorimeter held against the screen.

Can you tell me my Widevine security level, L1 or L3?

Not reliably, so we do not pretend to. Browsers, and TV browsers in particular, do not consistently expose whether Widevine is running at L1 (hardware backed, which most services require for HD and 4K) or L3 (software). Any web page showing you that figure is inferring it. A native app can read it properly, which is one of the reasons our companion apps exist.

Is any of this sent to your servers?

No. Every check runs inside your browser and the results never leave the device. There is no account, no sign up, and nothing is uploaded. If you want to share your results, the copy button gives you the text to paste wherever you like.

Does this work on the TV itself, or do I need a computer?

It is built to run on the TV. Open your TV's web browser and go to tv-test.com. The page switches to a large, high contrast layout and you can move around it with the arrow keys on your remote. Running it on a phone or computer instead will tell you about that device, not about the TV.

My TV browser will not open the page at all. What now?

Some older TV browsers struggle with modern sites. This page is deliberately built to old standards for that reason, but a few sets from around 2016 and earlier will still refuse. If that happens, the companion apps we are building will be the better route, as they talk to the TV directly rather than running inside its browser.

What can your TV actually do?

Your results