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If you're a serious enough gamer to thinking about buying a new TV along with a new Xbox One or PlayStation 4, or even if you're waiting, you should know about TV input lag.

That's the term for the delay, in milliseconds, between a TV receiving a signal and the results of that signal appearing on the screen. Those milliseconds are irrelevant for TV shows and movies, and they don't even matter for most games -- the majority of gamers probably wouldn't even notice if their TV was laggy. But if you're an attentive, skilled gamer, especially one who plays "twitch" games like Call of Duty, Halo, or fighting games, especially in online multiplayer environments, input lag can mean the difference between virtual life and death.

CNET just started testing for input lag this year, and so far we've corralled a bunch of 2013 TVs. Here are the best five TV so far, plus one projector, in ascending order of lag in Game mode -- or the least laggy picture mode, if Game isn't an option. For reference, we grade under 40ms of lag as Good, 40 to 70 as Average, and more than 70 as Poor.

Update, November 11, 2013: Since we last updated this roundup no TV has cracked the top five. In response to reader demand, however, I posted a table at the end of the article that gathers the lag scores of every TV and projector we've tested so far. It will be updated periodically.

Sony KDL-55W802A: 16.9ms lag

Despite the full array of picture processing and Smarts, this LED LCD delivers the least lag we've tested, thanks to an ultra-aggressive Game mode. Read the full review.

Sony KDL-55W900A: 19.7ms lag

The second-best so far is also a Sony, and while it costs a lot more than the 802A, this one does have a better picture. Read the full review.

Vizio E500i-A1: 32.2ms lag

Speaking of cheap, this Vizio is one of the least expensive on this list at $650 for the 50-inch size. The best gamers might notice a tiny bit more lag than the Sonys in a side-by-side comparison, but it (and the ones below) is still extremely fast. Read the full review.

Toshiba 50L2300U: 33.4ms lag

Although it didn't score very well in our picture quality testing, the Toshiba has the distinction of being the least expensive TV on this list, beating even the Vizio by a few bucks. The Vizio is a much better all-around TV, however. Read the full review.

Panasonic TC-P50S60: 34.1ms lag

The highest-rated TV on this list -- and the only plasma -- the S60 is as gamer-friendly as they come. No, you don't need to worry about burn-in. And yes, if you want any Panasonic plasma you should buy one now. Read the full review.

Bonus: BenQ W1070: 33.7ms lag

Our favorite budget projector also happens to be the speediest we tested. If you can game on a 100-inch screen like this guy, why not? Read the full review.

Looking for specs and more info? Compare these TVs head-to-head. Click through to the reviews for additional screen sizes.

Below you'll find a list of the input lag measurements of every 2013 TV and projector CNET has tested so far. The numbers reflect the lowest lag number the TV is capable of, typically achieved in Game mode. (One exception: The results for Samsung F8500 was achieved with the "trick" of renaming the input to "PC." See the video processing section of the review for details.)