Philips The One (PUS8959 / PUS8919 / PUS8909 / PUS8949 vs Sharp GR8

The luminance graph for Philips PUS8959 shows that the television can achieve around 550 nits of brightness, which can be considered a satisfactory level. Such brightness allows you to feel the effects of HDR, which stand out particularly in more demanding scenes. In the tested patterns, the television performed quite well, even in challenging sequences like those from "Sicario 2". Due to the lack of local dimming, the television does not dim small bright elements, and they shine at the full "power" of the television but at the cost of silvery blacks, which we mentioned in the paragraph about black levels. It’s also worth praising Philips PUS8959 for its good coverage of the DCI-P3 colour palette, which is around 94.5%. This ensures that the colours are vivid and close to the creators' intentions, which further enhances the quality of HDR effects and the experience of watching high dynamic range content.

Sharp GR8 in its promotional materials boasts of "very high brightness" at a level of 500 nits. Unfortunately, our tests showed that reality is somewhat different – the average luminance we were able to achieve was around 360 nits. This is rather an average result, especially in the context of the manufacturer's claims. Such brightness does not allow for a full enjoyment of HDR effects. The image is a bit sharper than in standard SDR, but it's hard to talk about true vibrancy and depth of bright elements here. However, the coverage of the DCI-P3 colour palette at 95% deserves praise. This is the result of applying an additional PFS coating, known from QLED technology. As a result, colours are vibrant and have a pleasant, natural tone, which partially compensates for the shortcomings in brightness.

The television Philips PUS8959 has been tested in the best, theoretically most precise picture mode – Filmmaker. Although the name suggests film quality, it unfortunately falls short of perfection. The biggest issue in this mode is the white balance, both in HD and 4K content. It is characterised by a significant dominance of the red colour and drops in the green levels, resulting in unnatural colour reproduction. For example, white elements of the image have a noticeable pink hue, and the green is less intense, which diminishes the overall naturalness and colour balance. The ColorChecker test confirms these errors – it is clearly visible how the colour samples "deviate" from the proper values, which can best be observed on the sample squares that should precisely reproduce the colours. The lack of accuracy in this regard affects the realism and fidelity of the image, which is particularly undesirable in Filmmaker mode.

As for the brightness characteristics, the gamma graph resembles a roller coaster – with small elements displayed on the screen, the brightness is excessive, causing details to become overly exposed. Conversely, at higher gamma values, the image loses contrast and becomes too dark, making the whole appear lacking in dynamism. Similar problems can be observed in the EOTF characteristics – the television is unable to accurately reproduce the brightness levels, negatively impacting the overall picture quality.

At the beginning, it's worth noting that colour reproduction tests are always conducted in the best factory picture mode. In the case of Sharp GR8, this is the “Film” mode. When it comes to white balance, which affects how we perceive colours on the screen, in SDR mode the strong dominance of blue immediately stands out. This results in an unnatural cooling of the image – blue elements take on a purple hue, and skin tones appear to have a pink tint, which we can see in the comparative photo from the film STAR WARS. During the Color Checker test, it was clearly visible how the colour samples deviated from the standard values, confirming significant errors in colour reproduction. The gamma was also not ideal – it caused excessive brightening of the entire image, causing the scene to lose depth and proper tonal transitions.

In the 4K HDR mode, the situation looks much better. The dominance of blue is much less noticeable, although there are minor issues with the blending of red and blue. This makes some shades look slightly unnatural. The EOTF curve, which is responsible for image brightness in 4K HDR content, showed another problem – the TV tends to excessively darken the image across the entire surface of the screen.

To summarise, the “Film” mode in Sharp GR8 would require some adjustments in order to fully utilise the potential of this television. Fortunately, we took care of this and proceeded with calibration.

After calibration, the Philips PUS8959 shows a significant improvement in colour reproduction, especially in HD content. The white balance is exceptionally even, and the Delta E error values are below 1, which can be regarded as an outstanding result. Additionally, the gamma, which affects brightness in lower quality materials, performs very well, maintaining a stable level at 2.4, leading to an appropriate balance between bright and dark areas of the image.

When it comes to 4K HDR materials, there is also a noticeable improvement. The white balance, although not as perfect as in HD content, no longer suffers from excessive red exposure, making the image appear more natural and harmonious. Unfortunately, regarding the EOTF characteristic, it’s difficult to speak of any significant improvement, which stems from the structural limitations of the television that prevent substantial enhancement in this aspect.

Nevertheless, overall, it looks much better after calibration, making the Philips PUS8959 one of those televisions where it's truly worth investing time in precise calibration to achieve satisfactory image quality.

Sharp GR8 is one of those televisions that really gains a second life after proper calibration. Both in HD and 4K content, the white balance performs very well, especially considering this model's price segment. The picture becomes significantly closer to what the director intended to show – colours appear natural, and skin tones gain the right depth and warmth. The brightness characteristics also leave a very positive impression. Both the gamma and the EOTF curve demonstrate really solid values. While slight imperfections can be noticed, they are subtle enough that it's difficult to see them during everyday viewing. In summary, calibration allows Sharp GR8 to show its best face, offering a picture that is not only pleasant to the eye but also faithfully conveys the creators' intentions.

When it comes to smoothing tonal transitions, the "Distortion Reduction" function in the minimum position performs quite well, effectively smoothing tonal transitions without excessive impact on other elements of the image. In testing, I did not notice that the reduction negatively affected the structure of the image, such as film grain or details of objects – everything remains in its place, which is a big plus for users who value the natural look of film material.

As for digital processing, the image looks pretty good, although it features very softened contours, giving it an almost "leafy" character. This effect may evoke mixed feelings – some users will appreciate the fluidity and delicacy of this type of presentation, while others may find it too gentle, losing detail. It is a matter of individual preference, but it must be admitted that Philips PUS8959 provides quite subtle yet effective tools for improving tonal transitions without excessive interference with the natural character of the image.

Sharp GR8 is equipped with a feature called "10-bit colour reproduction," which theoretically should improve the smoothness of tonal transitions. In practice… well, the effect is surprising, but not in a very positive way. Even at the highest settings, it’s hard to notice any impact on the actual tonal transitions. Instead, the feature surprisingly smooths out things it shouldn’t - walls, shirts, or other flat surfaces look almost as if they have been ironed. In the test, we had to note that there is simply no actual impact on tonal transitions.

When it comes to image scaling, Sharp GR8 performs significantly better. The television can give the image a plastic, smooth characteristic, making even lower resolution content look quite good. Of course, with more demanding details, such as thin branches of trees in the background, you can see slight jaggedness, but it’s not something that would significantly affect the viewing comfort.

Philips PUS8959 TV is equipped with a 120 Hz panel, which should satisfy more demanding users, especially those who love watching dynamic sports broadcasts or playing games. Such a high refresh rate allows for significantly smoother images, being a key aspect during dynamic scenes and fast actions.

For those who prefer watching movies, the TV offers an additional motion smoother that allows adjustment of the frame rate according to personal preferences. The Philips PUS8959 features a 10-step adjustment for functions called "Smoothness" and "Motion Blur Reduction". The "Smoothness" function increases the number of frames through interpolation, making movement on the screen smoother, reminiscent of the so-called "soap opera effect". Meanwhile, "Motion Blur Reduction" focuses on minimising streaking and improving motion clarity, which is particularly noticeable in dynamic sequences such as action scenes or fast sports shots.

This is where Sharp GR8 has the opportunity to stand out against the competition in its price segment. The television is equipped with a 144 Hz refresh rate panel, which is an impressive result, especially if we plan to use it for dynamic content such as action films, sports broadcasts, or video games. Additionally, the manufacturer has included a motion smoothing feature, commonly known as a 'smoother'. The user has three levels of adjustment available, allowing them to tailor the effect to their personal preferences – from subtle smoothing to a more aggressive intervention in the fluidity of the image. It's a nice addition, particularly for those who mainly watch films and care about smooth, cinematic sequences without annoying judders or stuttering.

Philips PUS8959 is a television that will surely please gaming enthusiasts. It supports most modern technologies useful during gameplay, such as HGiG, allowing for better representation of HDR effects in games. As a result, the image is more aligned with what the game developers intended to achieve.

The television also supports displaying images at 120 Hz, ensuring smoothness and dynamism, particularly important during action games and sports broadcasts. The Game Bar feature provides quick access to game settings, making it easier to adjust the image according to user preferences without interrupting gameplay.

Unfortunately, the Dolby Vision mode does not offer low input lag, which may be noticeable during dynamic scenes. Nevertheless, thanks to the HGiG feature and high refresh rate, the Philips PUS8959 remains an attractive choice for gamers, offering good image quality and suitable smoothness during gameplay.

If the television has a 144 Hz panel and two full HDMI 2.1 ports, it’s clear it was designed with gamers in mind. The Sharp GR8 offers exactly that – high refresh rates and the right connections to get the most out of modern consoles and PCs. It also features ALLM, which automatically switches the TV to low latency mode, and VRR, ensuring the picture doesn’t stutter even in more demanding moments. In practice, everything works as it should, and it's difficult to find fault. However, it’s not without its shortcomings. There’s a lack of support for HGiG, which better adjusts HDR for games, as well as Game Bar, which makes it easier to quickly adjust settings without leaving the game. Despite these drawbacks, the Sharp GR8 is a really solid option for gamers.