Philips PML8709 vs Hisense E7Q / E79Q

Looking at the contrast results, we expected that the algorithms responsible for the zones in the Philips PML8709 would be at least decent. However, what we encountered during testing is difficult to explain. The average brightness we managed to achieve was just 350 nits, which is definitely too low to fully enjoy HDR effects. In practice, the TV barely stands out compared to an average SDR. The situation becomes even more surprising in test scenes, such as the second one from the movie Life of Pi or Sicario 2. Small light elements achieve just 120 nits there, making them practically imperceptible. Such a level of brightness is completely below modern HDR standards and significantly diminishes the experience of watching high-quality content. The only bright spot in this category is the very good coverage of wide color gamuts – DCI-P3 at 97% and BT.2020 at 83%. This ensures that colors are saturated and well-reproduced, which can somewhat improve the overall experience of watching HDR materials. However, the lack of adequate brightness means that even this cannot save the Philips PML8709 in this category.

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.

Though theoretically the Filmmaker mode in the Philips PML8709 should provide natural colour reproduction, in reality it resembles a store mode more. In the white balance, both for HD and 4K content, there is a clear dominance of blue. This causes the image to appear washed out and cold, which is particularly noticeable in the comparative image below.

The brightness characteristics also leave much to be desired. Both gamma and the EOTF curve exhibit excessive screen brightness. As a result, there is a loss of detail in both the brighter and darker areas of the image, further diminishing its credibility and naturalness. Bright elements appear unnaturally flat and little varied.

These significant issues with white balance and brightness characteristics lead to noticeable errors in colour reproduction, which can easily be seen in films as well as the Colour Checker test. The colours are inaccurate, affecting the overall image quality and visual experience. The factory settings require significant improvement in order to fully enjoy the potential of 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.

Philips offers advanced image calibration tools in its televisions, which we decided to fully utilise. The results? Although we managed to improve many aspects, it wasn't without difficulties. White balance was one of the biggest challenges – despite our efforts, it could be called fighting against windmills. We were able to significantly correct it, so the picture now looks much better than in the factory settings, but it is still far from perfect. Especially in some scenes, a subtle dominance of blue is visible, although not as intense as before. We achieved a significant improvement in brightness characteristics – gamma now appears much more stable. The EOTF curve looks correct at first glance, however, when analysing movie content, it is evident that the television has trouble maintaining the proper characteristics. The algorithms are "struggling", trying to adjust brightness, which may be due to the limited number of dimming zones that do not always handle more complex scenes well. Overall, the picture after calibration looks much more pleasing to the eye – colors are more natural, and colour reproduction errors have been minimised. Although it is still not perfect, the Philips PML8709 now presents itself much better than in the factory settings.

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.

The distortion reduction feature in the Philips PML8709 smooths tonal transitions, but its effectiveness leaves much to be desired. We recommend setting this option to "Medium" - at this level, the effect is noticeable but not excessive. Unfortunately, compared to other Philips models, the smoothing effect is less effective, meaning that certain tonal transitions may still appear somewhat uneven. An additional drawback is that this feature also smooths other details, such as the textures of materials like shirts, which can affect image sharpness.

As for image scaling, the television performs very well. The image appears smooth and free of noticeable "jaggies". This effect may appeal to many users, although some might prefer a more vivid look. Fortunately, the television allows for adjustment of the sharpness parameter, enabling us to tailor the image to individual preferences.

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.

Philips PML8709 is one of the few models with mini-LED technology on the market, offering a refresh rate of 60 Hz. While it’s not a panel for the most demanding gamers, it should satisfy those who mainly watch movies. The TV is equipped with a “Motion Style” feature, which is a motion smoother that allows you to adjust the fluidity of motion according to your preferences – from a more “plastic” look to a cinematic aesthetic with clearly visible frames.

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.

Philips PML8709 is a television aimed more at casual gamers, mainly due to the 60 Hz panel, which won’t meet the expectations of the most demanding users. However, for those who appreciate gaming at a more moderate pace, this model may prove sufficient.

The television offers several gamer-friendly features, such as ALLM (automatic switching to game mode) and VRR (variable refresh rate), which help in providing smoother image display without annoying stutters. Furthermore, in terms of HDR, we find the implementation of HGiG, which adjusts the HDR effect to the specifics of games, ensuring a more natural image in appropriately optimised titles. Unfortunately, there is no support for Dolby Vision mode, which may be noticeable in games that utilise this format.

A nice addition is the presence of a basic "Game Bar," which allows for quick previewing and modification of the most important settings related to gaming. It’s a simple but useful touch, especially for those who frequently change their configuration between different types of gameplay. Despite some limitations, the Philips PML8709 offers a solid set of features for less demanding gamers.

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.