Each year, Netflix selects a handful of televisions as part of their recommendation to their users. Brady Gunderson (Director of Product Management) and David Holland (Director of Business Development) at Netflix talk about how the evaluation program:

was created because our members told us they wanted smart TVs to be easier to use, provide simpler access to the things they do most, and perform better overall. The goal of the Netflix Recommended TV logo is to help people easily identify which devices meet those needs and deliver a superior smart TV experience.

According to the duo:

As smart TV functionality has evolved, so has the program. For 2016, we’ve introduced new criteria and established faster performance thresholds for existing criteria.

A noteworthy part of all of this is that because of new criteria introduced, Netflix is really stepping up their game on what they deem is a TV worthy of recommendation. This is important because one of the biggest stumbling blocks of smart TVs has been their lackluster UI and apps. While they may be fine for the time when they launch, our perception of what is good UI and speed change because our mobile devices get better and better on a yearly cycle and in turn, we set the bar higher on what’s good.

For reference, none of last year’s TV models would have met the new 2016 criteria.

So what are the new criteria’s and which Sony TVs won? Those details after the jump.

The criteria Netflix looks for:

When you see the Netflix Recommended TV logo on a smart TV, you’ll know it’s passed a rigorous evaluation process that we established based on the factors our members tell us matter most. TVs receiving the Netflix Recommended logo this year have passed a more stringent set of criteria and deliver an even better Internet TV experience than Netflix Recommended TVs from the year before.

To carry the Netflix Recommended TV logo, a smart TV must have met at least 5 out of the 7 following criteria:

Features

TV instant on
- Your TV wakes and apps are ready to use right away.
TV resume
- Your TV remembers what you were doing and wakes to the same place as when it was turned off.
Latest Netflix version
- Your TV comes with the latest version of Netflix with the newest features.

Performance

Fast app launch
- Start Netflix quickly after you turn on your TV.
Fast app resume
- Video resumes instantly when returning to Netflix from other apps or channels.

Ease of access

Netflix button
- Start your TV and launch Netflix with the press of a single button.
Easy Netflix icon access
- Netflix is prominent and easy to access on your TV.

According to Netflix, the 2016 lineup of Sony 4K TVs all met their criteria which include the X85D, the X93D, and X94D. Here is what Netflix had to say about them:

TV has Instant On feature so your TV wakes and apps are ready to use right away. In addition, TV turns on and launches Netflix with one press of the Netflix button on remote. The TV Resume feature means that when Netflix was the last used app, the TV comes right back to Netflix when turned back on again. Apps launch quickly and return where you left off. Android TV interface enables easy navigation and switching between apps and inputs.

Though 4K and HDR are not mentioned here, all of the 2016 Sony 4K HDR TVs will be able to access the Netflix app which in turn can stream the types of shows like Marco Polo which support the resolution.