Sony Bravia 8 (XR80) vs TCL C6KS / C69KS / Q6CS

Sony Bravia 8 performs reasonably well in terms of HDR brightness. A maximum brightness level of 880 nits is satisfactory and allows for well-rendered lighting effects in most scenes. In the tested segments of the films Life of Pi and Sicario 2, the TV presents itself quite well, offering vibrant and detailed images that fully capture the atmosphere of these productions.

However, a greater challenge arises in a scene from the film The Meg, where the screen is entirely very bright. In such situations, the limitations of OLED technology become apparent, as the TV loses brightness, dropping to around 450 nits. Such a drop is less satisfying, especially when the entire scene requires intense lighting. Despite these limitations, Sony Bravia 8 remains a competitive model, offering excellent coverage of the DCI-P3 colour gamut and 74% coverage of the BT.2020 standard. This results in rich colours and precise details, significantly enhancing the quality of HDR content viewing and making for a pleasurable experience.

And what about HDR? Here the C6KS performs quite well and – as is becoming the theme of this review – just like in the C6K model. The maximum brightness generated by this television is around 600 nits. In bright scenes, this translates to a really solid, cinematic effect and generally, video materials look good here. However, it's important to keep in mind the specifics of the dimming algorithm in this model. When very small, bright points (e.g. stars) appear on a dark background, the television can quite significantly dim them. The goal is simple: to eliminate blooming and maintain the best possible black. It's a reasonable compromise. Most viewers will definitely appreciate deep, “true black” more than additional microscopic details, the display of which could cause the screen to appear greyed out. Such is the nature of local dimming technology in this price range, and one must be aware of this. It’s also worth noting that the TCL C69KS (C6KS) has an additional PFS coating, which is marketed under the QLED technology slogan. Thanks to this, the colours are saturated and vibrant – our measurements showed that the coverage of a wide colour gamut reaches as much as 92%.

The best factory mode available on the Sony Bravia 8 television is IMAX Enhanced, which provides the most cinematic experience, although it is not set up perfectly. The TV tries to replicate cinema settings as faithfully as possible, however, certain shortcomings are noticeable. Starting with white balance, both for SDR materials and 4K, there is a clear dominance of blue. This makes the picture appear too cold, taking away its naturalness. Tests using Colour Checker show that colours shift towards cooler shades, which may lead to less accurate colour reproduction and makes the image less realistic.

As for brightness and contrast characteristics, gamma shows a significant drop at the end of the graph. This means that dark details may be too dim, while bright elements are too bright, causing them to lose subtlety and become less visible. As can be seen in the sky - in the comparison photo. Meanwhile, the EOTF curve is significantly above the reference value, causing the bright elements of the image to be too intense. As a result, users may perceive the image as unnatural, and bright areas may lose detail, negatively impacting the overall viewing quality.

In contrast to the more expensive C6K model, in the tested C6KS we don't find an option in the menu labelled as Filmmaker Mode. Is this a reason to cry? Absolutely not. Our tests showed that in practice, in terms of colour reproduction, the lack of this specific label makes virtually no difference. The best available Film/Cinema mode here offers an almost identical picture profile to the aforementioned Filmmaker in the more expensive model. So we get a very similar image, just under a different name. Therefore, if you were wondering whether paying extra for the C6K would give you better colours – the answer is: no, in both cases the base is the same and requires slight adjustments.

The calibration process of the Sony Bravia 8 television has brought significant improvements in image quality. The white balance has been distinctly enhanced, both for SDR content and 4K HDR, with minimal errors in the middle section of the graph. Gamma proved to be one of the biggest beneficiaries of the calibration – it has been completely stripped of previous drops, which significantly affected brightness stability and better detail reproduction in dark parts of the image. The EOTF curve has also been levelled out, making bright elements of the image appear more natural, and the overall tonal dynamics are now more balanced.

However, the most attention should be paid to colour reproduction, where despite the calibration, there are still some issues. Sony has omitted the use of a CMS system in this model, which allows for very precise control over colours. Consequently, the Colour Checker test for 4K materials still shows significant errors in colour samples. Despite these difficulties, we recommend carrying out the calibration, as the effects are noticeable and significantly enhance image quality, especially in terms of brightness and contrast.

Thanks to the white balance adjustment, the C69KS's tendency to distort colours has been effectively limited, leading to a very good final effect. After calibration, we will no longer see excessive warmth in SDR scenes or overly cool tones in HDR. However, it is worth noting the brightness characteristic. In SDR content, there are hardly any objections – the image looks very good, especially in older films, TV shows, or YouTube materials. Evaluating the television's performance in HDR is much more difficult. Analysis of the EOTF curve suggests correct behaviour, but its practical variant shows certain limitations. The C69KS can overly brighten the smallest elements of the frame, while at other times it can dim the entire scene. Calibration has therefore brought clear benefits in terms of colour, but certain limitations resulting from local dimming and the way it is controlled by the C69KS cannot be avoided, which we also observed in the C6K test.

The fluidity of tonal transitions in low-quality materials on the ChooseTV 8 is lacking. Unfortunately, the gentle gradation feature (which was available in previous models) is missing, which is a significant downside. The digital noise reduction function can improve tonal transitions quite well, but it also tends to remove some details, such as clouds in scenes from the film The Martian, which may not appeal to everyone. When it comes to digital processing, the Sony XR80 TV performs quite well. The model in the test scenes is displayed without noticeable errors, and the branches in the background are not overly jagged. This shows that ChooseTV 8 is capable of processing complex image details at low resolution well.

The C69KS handles upscaling quite well. The tested 576p content looks surprisingly decent – a considerable amount of detail is preserved, and the algorithm adds a subtle ‘rounding’ effect to sharp edges, making the image appear more cohesive. However, it doesn't perform as well when it comes to smoothing tonal transitions. The television practically cannot improve them, leaving the image in a rather raw state. With older materials, this can be simply exhausting, as the lack of additional processing highlights all imperfections.

Sony Bravia 8 offers a maximum refresh rate of 120 Hz, which lays the groundwork for smooth viewing of dynamic content such as sports and games. As a result, movements are sharp and fluid. For more demanding users, the Sony XR80 television is equipped with an advanced motion smoothing system, which is divided into three segments: Smoothness (Film), Smoothness (Camera), and Clarity. The first two are responsible for adjusting the level of blur and smoothing of the image. The third option, concerning clarity, will be described in more detail below. Each of the parameters can be tailored to personal preferences, allowing users to find the optimal setting suited to their individual needs.

C69KS offers a simplified motion enhancement panel in movies, allowing users to adjust the intensity of the effect using a slider. This makes it easy to tailor the smoothness to personal preferences. It also deserves credit for the ability to utilise higher refresh rates – even though the panel operates natively in 4K at 60 Hz, by lowering the resolution to 1440p, modes of 120 and 144 Hz can be enabled, on both consoles and PC. This sounds like great news, however, in practice, the image at these settings trails exceptionally badly. The effect is so pronounced that the overall experience simply appears mediocre and loses its appeal in everyday use.

Sony Bravia 8 has significantly improved its compatibility with consoles compared to earlier models. The TV supports variable refresh rate (VRR), which eliminates screen tearing, and is compatible with graphics cards, ensuring smooth visuals. The auto low latency mode (ALLM) reduces input lag, which is crucial in fast-paced games. Dolby Vision with low latency additionally provides impressive HDR effects that look fantastic during gameplay.

The Sony XR80 TV also features a Game Bar, which allows quick access to settings and monitoring parameters while gaming. An interesting option is the ability to enable a virtual crosshair on the screen, which can provide a slight advantage in shooter games.

A downside is the lack of support for 1440p@120hz resolution, which could make gaming easier for users with less powerful graphics cards. Additionally, the Sony XR80 only has two HDMI 2.1 ports, one of which is typically used to connect an audio system via eARC, limiting the number of available ports for connecting next-gen consoles.

If we overlook the smudging and lack of native 4K at 120 Hz, the C69KS is impressive in how well it performs for gaming. You get everything you would expect from a gaming TV: Variable Refresh Rate (VRR), Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM), Dolby Vision Gaming mode, and a consistently functioning HGiG. The TV can also operate at 120 or even 144 Hz at lower resolutions, making gameplay on console or PC smoother. Additionally, there's a clear Game Bar that allows you to quickly check key settings while gaming. As a result — despite a few limitations — the C69KS can be a genuinely successful screen for gamers.