Hisense A6N vs TCL P755

The quality of HDR effect on the A6N unfortunately does not impress. A peak brightness of 250 nits does not allow for spectacular effects, and HDR appears rather dull, resembling more of a standard SDR. This situation will not satisfy more demanding users who want to enjoy high-quality film materials. Additionally, the colour gamut coverage is also not very impressive – DCI-P3 at 82% is an average result that does not allow for full enjoyment of vibrant colours in HDR materials.

TCL P755 provides average HDR effect quality. The maximum brightness of the TV is slightly below 300 nits. Such brightness limits the intensity of bright areas in HDR content. In practice, this means that bright elements may not be sufficiently pronounced, affecting the overall impression of contrast. However, the TV offers wide coverage of the DCI P3 colour gamut, reaching about 93%. As a result, colours are vibrant and saturated, significantly improving colour reproduction quality in HDR content. Despite the limited brightness, the wide colour range allows for richer and more realistic shades.

In the category of colour reproduction, the model Hisense A6N in Filmmaker Mode leaves a lot to be desired. Although the name of the mode suggests that we should expect faithful reproduction of cinematic colours, the reality is different – the television has significant issues with image quality. Particularly noticeable is the problem with white balance, for both HD and 4K material, which is heavily skewed by the dominance of blue hues. This results in artificial, cold tones, which is clearly visible in the comparative image below. The Colour Checker test further confirms these errors, which are exacerbated by low colour gamut coverage.

The gamma brightness characteristic shows a serious problem with maintaining a level of 2.4 – the graph is significantly below the reference value, leading to excessive brightness of the image and washed-out blacks. The EOTF curve for 4K materials also indicates brightness issues – at the beginning, there is a notable spike, which results from the television's excessive brightness, negatively affecting image quality. Such an image characteristic does not allow for full enjoyment while watching films and requires manual adjustment.

The colour reproduction in the P755 in "Cinema" mode, although it is the best factory setting, leaves much to be desired. The biggest issue is the white balance, where the chart clearly shows a spike in the red colour and a drop in the green colour. This leads to a shift in colours towards red, causing the colours on the screen to appear less natural and may look incorrect, especially in scenes with a white or neutral background. This is confirmed by the "Colour Checker" test, which reveals that the colours are indeed shifted towards red, affecting the realism of the image and reducing the perception of colour depth. In terms of contrast, the gamma chart analysis shows significant fluctuations, particularly in the dark areas of the image, where values drop below the optimal level of 2.4. As a result, darker areas may be displayed brighter than they should be. Additionally, the EOTF curve, responsible for brightness reproduction, sits slightly above the reference curve. The graph shows a slight increase in brightness to about 50%, after which there is only a minor drop. This leads to excessive brightness enhancement in the mid-range of the image and may result in loss of detail and distortion in brighter scenes.

Hisense A6N offers options and tools in its settings for adjusting many picture settings that we utilised. When it comes to white balance, we managed to eliminate excess blue – this effect is clearly visible in the comparison image below, where the boy in the picture almost "comes to life." A significant improvement can also be noticed in the gamma brightness characteristic – the television no longer has serious issues with excessively brightening the entire image. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for 4K materials, where the EOTF curve could not be fully corrected due to the exceptionally low brightness of this model. For HDR content, we use dynamic tone mapping, which allows for the recovery of many details despite the boosting of midtones in the image. For this television, this provides more benefits than drawbacks. The errors that are still visible in the test with the colour palette and Colour Checker for 4K content arise from low colour gamut coverage and are difficult to eliminate due to the television's characteristics. Nevertheless, the tonal quality of the image is significantly better, which is why we recommend calibrating the factory settings, which are far from ideal.

After calibration, the colour reproduction on the television significantly improves when it comes to SDR content. The colour curves are now close to the ideal value, and the gamma is more stable. Although the dip at the beginning of the graph to the values is still present, the overall accuracy of colour reproduction is much better. The “Colour Checker” test shows that most colour samples have errors below level 2, indicating improved colour fidelity. A few deviations are present, but generally, the colours are now more realistic and consistent with reality.

Calibration also brings improvements in HDR content. The white balance has been corrected, translating to more natural colour reproduction. The EOTF curve, although now closer to the reference curve, still shows a slight boost in brightness at the beginning of the graph. This leads to minor distortions in very bright scenes, but the overall tonality and detail have been enhanced. Dynamic tone mapping works more effectively, improving image quality in bright areas and preserving more details.

Although the image from the device does not achieve full perfection, calibration brings significant improvement. After adjusting the settings, the television performs much better, offering more realistic and accurate colour reproduction in SDR and HDR content. While some shortcomings can still be noticed, calibration effectively eliminates many previous issues, ensuring better image quality and more natural colours.

Let's check how A6N handles low-quality materials. When it comes to smoothing tonal transitions, the lack of posterization reduction or smoothing of tonal transitions in low-quality materials, such as television or DVD, may be noticeable for more demanding viewers. As for digital processing, the model is presented correctly, and the branches lack characteristic jaggedness – the image is strongly plastic and soft, which may appeal to those who prefer this kind of image style.

The “Gradual Smoothing” function works quite well, effectively eliminating visible boundaries between different shades of the same colour. Thanks to it, tonal transitions are smoother. Unfortunately, this function is not available in HDR mode, which can affect the quality of tonal gradation in higher dynamic range materials.

In the case of image scaling, the television does not perform its best. There are noticeable edge cut-offs, particularly evident on the model's figure and the branches of trees. The blurring of details in these areas affects the overall sharpness of the image. This may be noticeable when watching content in a lower resolution. Additionally, SD quality image is displayed with slight cropping at the top as well as the bottom.

The 60 Hz panel in the Hisense A6N will satisfy those who enjoy watching movies, as the TV offers an "ultra motion smoother," allowing us to adjust the smoothness of the image – either more choppy or more fluid and cinematic. When it comes to motion blur, it performs rather average – noticeable blur is present, especially on dark backgrounds, which is quite typical for this range of TVs.

The television offers decent, though not perfect, results in terms of motion smoothness. In the case of movies, the television has a "Flicker Reduction" feature that allows for adjustment of motion smoothness on a scale from 1 to 10. With this option, we can tailor the image appearance to cinema or more theatrical preferences (with lower or higher speed).

Hisense A6N is a television that is likely to appeal to occasional gamers, mainly due to its 60 Hz panel, which may not satisfy more demanding users. Nevertheless, it offers several conveniences that can enhance the gaming experience. The TV supports features such as ALLM (automatic low latency mode), VRR (variable refresh rate), and Dolby Vision, allowing for better picture quality and motion smoothness in games that support these technologies. Furthermore, the low input lag ensures quick reactions in games, which is crucial, especially in dynamic productions. With these features, although the TV is not the ideal choice for demanding gamers, it provides solid support for those who appreciate comfortable gaming without complicated settings. It's a perfect solution for individuals who want to enjoy gaming without high hardware requirements while still accessing modern technologies that enhance gameplay.

The device offers a range of features useful for gamers, such as ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode), VRR (Variable Refresh Rate), Dolby Vision for gamers, and Game Bar. ALLM automatically switches the TV to low latency mode, significantly improving responsiveness to commands from the controller and minimising input lag. VRR synchronises the screen refresh rate with the number of frames generated by the console, eliminating the tearing effect and providing smoother gameplay. Dolby Vision for gamers enhances picture quality by offering better colour and contrast reproduction in games that support this format. The Game Bar feature allows quick access to game settings and monitoring of key parameters such as response time.

However, the TV has some limitations. The 60 Hz panel prevents the display of signals with higher refresh rates at different resolutions, which may affect the fluidity of the image in dynamic games. Additionally, the lack of support for G-Sync technology for PC may impact the quality of gameplay on a computer. It is also worth noting that the HGiG mode, which aims to improve image quality in HDR games, does not work correctly on this model, negatively affecting the visual experience in HDR-supported games.