Ambilight because that's exactly where we need to start, it's the biggest reason to buy the PUS8500. The three-sided backlighting on the TV looks fantastic, especially in the evening. It creates atmosphere, masks contrast imperfections, and makes viewing simply more enjoyable. Even if the black isn’t perfect here, at high contrast the native VA panel is just good. On top of that, there’s really decent input lag and several gaming features like ALLM and VRR. Although there’s no HDMI 2.1 or 120Hz panel, casual gaming should be a pleasure. Especially since it plays responsively and without delays. Let’s add full support for audio formats – it includes both Dolby Atmos and DTS, so soundbar owners also have something to be happy about.
But let’s not kid ourselves – this is still a budget TV, and at times that’s quite obvious. Brightness is average – not so weak that you can't watch anything, but if you hit an exceptionally sunny day, watching under such conditions without blinds can be problematic. However, in our opinion, the biggest disappointment with the PUS8560 is the Titan OS operating system. Despite the fact that the system debuted some time ago, some things just didn’t work – for example, screen mirroring from a phone despite the manufacturer stating that this feature is present. There are fewer apps than the competition, and the system itself feels a bit clunky. Generally, it seems to do something already, but it clearly lacks refinement.
Of course, this isn’t a TV meant to compete with top models. But if someone is looking for something simple, with the cool atmosphere that the Ambilight system provides, it’s quite a fair proposition. You just need to know what to expect and accept the compromises, of which there are plenty here.