Netflix ups criteria for 2016 ‘recommended TVs’

Netflix has said that its latest set of ‘Netflix Recommended’ TVs have passed a “more stringent set of criteria and deliver an even better internet TV experience” that last year’s certified sets.

Netflix said that LG’s 2016 4K UHD TVs with webOS 3.0 and Sony’s 2016 Android 4K UHD TVs will carry its Netflix Recommended logo – an indication that these TVs offering “better performance, easier app access, and new features that make for a better smart TV”.

To carry the Netflix Recommended TV logo, the company said that a smart TV must have met at least five out of seven criteria. These include ‘TV instant on’ so that the TV wakes and apps are ready to use straight away’; ‘TV resume’ so that users can carry on from where they left off; and support for the latest verison of Netflix.

The other criteria are fast app launch times, fast app resume when switching from other apps or channels, and ease of access through either a Netflix button on a remote control or a “prominent and easy to access” icon on the TV.

Netflix announced its US-based Netflix Recommended TV program at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in January 2015 in a bid to help shoppers choose televisions that are “built for a superior internet TV experience.”

The first set of TVs to gain Netflix’s stamp of approval last year were LG 4K Ultra HD TVs with webOS 2.0, Sony Android HDTVs and Roku TVs manufactured by Hisense, Insignia, and TCL.