Panasonic W70A vs Hisense E7Q / E79Q

HDR on the Panasonic W70A unfortunately does not impress. A brightness level of 250–300 nits is simply too low to feel the true magic of cinematic effects in dynamic, bright scenes. Images that should “explode” with light appear rather flat, and fine details in bright areas often get lost in the average luminance of the panel. On the plus side, the HDR effect is at least stable. The TV does not suffer from excessive brightening nor lose details with sudden scene changes. Everything is predictable and calm, though unfortunately lacking in impact. Another issue is the colour gamut coverage. The W70A is not equipped with an additional layer of quantum dots (often known as QLED), which is why the colours appear rather average. There is a lack of depth in reds, saturation in greens, and precision in reproducing subtle shades.

Hisense E7Q / E79Q is a mid-brightness TV, with a peak luminance level of around 350-380 nits. This is the absolute minimum that allows viewing HDR content in a way that's close to the creators' intentions, though without a distinct "wow" effect. The results of synthetic tests on white test patterns were confirmed in practice – in movie scenes, the bright parts of the image are stable and fairly even, but it's hard to talk about a true "burst of light" here. In everyday use, such as when watching Netflix or YouTube, the HDR effect is acceptable and is more than sufficient for most users. However, it must be said clearly – this is not the level of top-end screens, and one shouldn't expect that at this price. Fortunately, the Hisense E7Q / E79Q has an advantage that allows it to score quite a few points: it's a QLED panel of the PFS LED type, using an additional phosphor layer that improves colour reproduction. The measured range of the DCI-P3 colour gamut is around 92%, which means that the colours in most scenes are vibrant, well-saturated, and pleasing to the eye, especially for this price bracket.

The Panasonic W70A was tested in movie mode, which theoretically should guarantee the most natural image reproduction. Unfortunately, as is often the case with budget televisions, reality turned out to be far from ideal.

In HD (SDR) content, the white balance was significantly disrupted by an excess of red and a noticeable drop in blue tones. The result? The image had a distinctly warm, almost yellowish glow, which is clearly visible in the comparison photo. In the case of 4K HDR materials, the situation reversed. Here, the image became excessively cold and bluish, causing scenes to lose their naturalness and depth. The differences are visible even to the naked eye, especially in the bright areas of the image. The Colour Checker palette test confirmed our observations. Most colour samples did not hit their intended points, 'drifting' towards warmer shades in SDR and cooler ones in HDR. In terms of brightness characteristics, both gamma and the EOTF curve showed significant issues. The image tended to excessively brighten certain areas, disrupting the balance and leading to a loss of detail in both darker and brighter regions.

In summary – the factory colour reproduction settings in the Panasonic W70A leave much to be desired. The image is far from neutral, and errors in white balance and gamma mean that solid calibration is needed to extract the full potential from this television.

In Filmmaker mode, the Hisense E7Q / E79Q television really managed to impress. After the first measurements, it turned out that the white balance was quite well tuned, with the only minor deviation being a slight tendency towards a purple hue, which we mentioned earlier. However, this did not significantly impact the overall character of the image – it remained cohesive and pleasant to view. A much bigger issue was the brightness characteristics (gamma) in SDR content and the EOTF curve in HDR films. The television clearly brightened the image, flattening contrast and taking away depth. Gamma values could drop from the reference 2.4 down to around 1.9, making the image look as though it was covered with a thin, milky layer. Fortunately, this is a problem that can be relatively easily corrected through calibration.

Panasonic W70A, despite its limitations, gave us plenty of room to manoeuvre during calibration. Thanks to well-developed tools, we were able to achieve a much better white balance in both HD (SDR) and 4K HDR content. The issues with excessive red in SDR and overly cool images in HDR have disappeared. The gamma brightness characteristics have also been improved, now maintaining stability and not leading to excessive brightening or loss of detail in darker areas.

So where is the problem? Unfortunately, there are barriers that even professional calibration cannot overcome. Poor coverage of a wide colour gamut means the television cannot fully convey colours in HDR materials. There is a lack of saturation, and subtle colour transitions still appear somewhat “flattened.” Another limitation is the brightness management due to the IPS panel used. In a comparison photograph with an actress's face in colourful clothing, it is clearly visible how some shades are distinctly muted, and colours lose their depth and vibrancy.

Calibration has extracted from the W70A as much as it could. The image is now much more natural, and the factory setting errors have been effectively corrected. Unfortunately, the hardware limitations in the form of poor colour gamut coverage and an average panel mean that even after calibration, we are unable to achieve spectacular effects, especially in HDR content.

The biggest beneficiary of calibration in the case of the Hisense E7Q / E79Q was undoubtedly the SDR mode. It managed to achieve almost perfect image quality – most of the errors in the Color Checker test dropped below a value of 3, and often even 2, which is a remarkable result for this class of equipment. The biggest improvement came from aligning the brightness characteristic (gamma), which made the image no longer look blown out and regained natural depth. In HDR content, it was also possible to improve the colours and eliminate the purple tint that we mentioned earlier, but errors in the Color Checker measurements were still noticeable. This is due to the fact that – as is often the case with Hisense televisions – the screen manipulates brightness quite strongly, overexposing some colours. This was also indicated by the EOTF curve, which was slightly above the reference values, suggesting these minor issues with excessive brightening. Despite this flaw and the construction limitations that arise with HDR content, the Hisense E7Q / E79Q gained quite a bit after calibration. In everyday use, the television presents a coherent, natural, and pleasant-to-the-eye image, and the difference compared to the factory settings is indeed huge.

We checked how the Panasonic W70A handles upscaling content that is lower quality than 4K, and I must admit that the TV performs quite decently in this regard. The feature responsible for smoothing tonal transitions is called "Zeroing Counter." The optimal setting turned out to be the Average option, which effectively smooths out colour gradation issues while not ruining the film grain. This is the setting we recommend for most users, as it provides a balance between enhancing the smoothness of transitions and maintaining the naturalness of the image.

When it comes to image scaling, the Panasonic W70A performed really well. The test chart with the model looked positive – details in her clothing were well reproduced, and the contours of her face maintained sharpness. In the background, we noticed a slight "jagginess" on thin branches, but these are details that only a very attentive eye will catch. However, it's worth noting a certain quirk of this model – the TV has a tendency to overscan, meaning it slightly crops the edges of the image. It’s not a very intense phenomenon, and for most users, it will be practically unnoticeable, but if we care about perfectly framing the shot, it's worth keeping this in mind.

In the case of Hisense E7Q / E79Q, upscaling and digital image processing are not the strongest points of this television. It is evident that the manufacturer has opted for simplicity rather than advanced image processing algorithms. The television does not offer any features that smooth tonal transitions or systems that enhance image clarity, which makes lower resolution materials look quite raw. Subtle compression edges can be seen on the screen, which better processors in other models can effectively hide.

During the testing of HD materials, we noticed that the E7Q tries to artificially boost detail, which sometimes works and other times has the opposite effect – the image becomes soft, slightly blurred, and at times even "watery." There is no aggressive sharpening that ruins naturalness, but there is also a lack of finesse in detail integration that better image processors provide.

The Panasonic W70A is equipped with a 60 Hz panel, which immediately suggests that the TV is best suited for watching movies, series, or everyday television content. In more dynamic scenes, such as sports broadcasts or games, the limitations of the panel become more noticeable. However, it is worth noting the presence of a motion smoother called “Effect”, which offers three levels of adjustment – low, medium, and high.

Each setting allows you to adjust the smoothness of motion to your own preferences, minimizing the motion blur effect and improving the clarity of dynamic shots. In practice, the Medium setting seems to be the most universal – it offers better smoothness without the excessive “soap opera effect” that can look artificial in feature films. The High setting may work well for sports broadcasts, but in movies, it can disrupt the natural character of motion.

Hisense E7Q / E79Q is a television with a 60 Hz screen, so sports fans in 4K may feel a slight disappointment – you simply won’t see such smooth images here as in more expensive models with higher refresh rates. Fortunately, when it comes to movies, the situation is much better. Cinematic materials recorded at 24 frames per second can be displayed here using a motion smoothing feature, allowing the user to adjust the picture to their own preferences – more cinematic with visible frames or smoother, in a theatrical style.

The Panasonic W70A is a TV that is likely to suit casual gamers more than hardcore players. The 60 Hz refresh rate doesn't fully utilise the potential of next-gen consoles, especially in dynamic titles. The lack of HDMI 2.1 slightly limits its capabilities, but fortunately, it includes features like ALLM, which automatically switches to game mode, and VRR, which helps minimise screen tearing. It's also worth noting the support for Dolby Vision in games and HGiG, making HDR more predictable and looking solid. It's a pity, though, that it lacks Game Bar. This feature is now standard in many TVs and provides quick access to the most important settings for gamers. The W70A performs well for gaming, but it does have its limitations. It will do fine with more laid-back titles, but more demanding gamers may feel unsatisfied.

Hisense E7Q / E79Q is a really good TV for gamers, even though it doesn’t support 4K signal at 120 Hz. However, the manufacturer has included a set of features that until recently could only be found in more expensive models. There's ALLM, which is auto-switching to low latency mode, allowing the TV to activate game mode with very low input lag automatically. We also have VRR, working up to 60 Hz – while this may not look impressive on paper, in practice it is fully sufficient, as most console games don’t exceed this limit anyway. All these settings can be quickly found in the Game Bar panel, a convenient menu created specifically for gamers. From this level, you can change picture modes, turn on a frame counter, or even… an on-screen crosshair – in the Vidaa system amusingly called a “target point,” which is the result of a clumsy translation from the Chinese manufacturer.

Special praise should go to the ability to play in 1080p at 120 Hz, which significantly improves the fluidity and responsiveness of the image. This means that if someone wants to play a few titles at a higher refresh rate, they can simply lower the resolution and enjoy much smoother motion. Despite the lack of 4K@120Hz, the Hisense E7Q / E79Q really performs well as a gaming TV – especially for those who aren’t looking for perfection but a solid and fast screen for everyday gaming.