Naturalistic viewing conditions can increase task engagement and aesthetic preference but have only minimal impact on EEG quality

•We assess trade-offs between EEG quality and behavior for common task constraints.•Investigated constraints: fixation task vs. free gaze, and video vs. static stimuli.•Measures: EEG quality, aesthetic preference, task engagement, gaze and heart rate.•Video stimuli reduce eye movements, increase engagement and do not affect EEG SNR.•Fixation task only slightly increases SNR and does not significantly influence ratings.