Roku Select Series 65R5D5 65"

The Roku platform is a standout, scoring in the 95th percentile for smart features, making this one of the easiest TVs to live with day-to-day. But the picture quality is a real letdown at the 37th percentile, and user sentiment is practically nonexistent. It's a big, simple screen for streaming, but don't expect it to wow you with HDR movies or gaming.

Let's talk about what this TV does well. The Roku OS is the star here. It's responsive and clutter-free, making every other smart platform feel like a chore. Connectivity is also a strong point at the 81st percentile. You get four HDMI ports, one of which is HDMI 2.1 with eARC, plus Wi-Fi 5 and Bluetooth 5.2. That's a solid I/O loadout for a budget-friendly set. The display itself is a 65-inch Direct LED QLED panel with a 60Hz refresh rate. It supports HDR10 and HDR Plus, but the HDR performance is middling, landing in the 61st percentile. It'll decode the signal, but it lacks the peak brightness and local dimming to make high dynamic range content really pop. Gaming features like VRR and a Game Mode are present, but the overall gaming score sits at a mediocre 57th percentile, held back by the 60Hz panel.

Stacked against the competition, the R65D5's strengths and weaknesses become crystal clear. The TCL QM8K Series and Hisense U8 Series will absolutely demolish this Roku in picture quality and HDR brightness, thanks to their mini-LED backlights and higher refresh rates. They're the picks for movie buffs. The LG C5 OLED is in a completely different universe for contrast and black levels. Where the Roku wins is simplicity. Its smart platform is cleaner and faster than TCL's Google TV, Samsung's Tizen, or LG's webOS. If you're buying for a family member who just wants to press a button and watch Netflix without any fuss, the Roku's interface is the killer app that none of those technically superior TVs can match.

Pricing on this set is all over the map, with a spread from $350 to $528 across vendors. At the low end, you're getting a massive 65-inch screen with a killer smart platform for less than the cost of some 43-inch sets. That's a compelling value proposition if you just want a big, easy-to-use screen. But as the price climbs toward $500, it enters a danger zone where you can find TVs with significantly better picture quality and local dimming. If you can snag it at the $350 mark, the value equation shifts in its favor.

The Roku Select Series 65R5D5 lands in a weird spot. Its smart TV platform is genuinely best-in-class, sitting in the 95th percentile of our database. That means app launches are snappy and the interface is dead simple to navigate. But the picture quality tells a different story, ranking in the 37th percentile. You're getting a 65-inch 4K QLED panel that's just okay, not the vibrant showcase the marketing might lead you to believe. It's a TV built for convenience first, cinematic thrills second.

Picture quality purists should steer clear. If you notice blooming, appreciate deep inky blacks, or want your HDR content to have that eye-searing pop, this TV will disappoint you. Its 37th percentile picture quality ranking and lack of local dimming mean it's simply outclassed by similarly priced competitors from TCL and Hisense. Gamers looking for a 120Hz VRR experience should also look elsewhere, as the 60Hz panel is a hard limit on smoothness.

The Roku Select Series 65R5D5 is a one-trick pony, but it's a really good trick. You're buying it for the seamless Roku experience on a big 65-inch canvas, not for reference-level picture quality. The near-total lack of positive user sentiment is a red flag we can't ignore, suggesting real-world satisfaction isn't matching the spec sheet. If you can find it at the bottom of its price range and your main priority is a dead-simple smart TV, it's a decent buy. For everyone else, there are much better-looking screens available for a little more money.