Hisense U7KQ vs TCL RM7L

Describing the HDR effect in the hundred-inch model Hisense U7KQ is not straightforward and requires broader context. As can be observed, the results are highly varied, depending on the type of scene and the intensity of the bright effects the television is meant to reproduce. In bright scenes, the device achieves over a thousand nits of brightness, which translates to vivid and realistic images – these are exactly the effects we expect from equipment of this class. Unfortunately, the situation deteriorates in darker scenes. In mixed shots, such as those in the film "Gemini Man," the television still offers good brightness at a level of 700 nits, allowing for enjoyment of high-quality content. However, problems arise in very dark scenes, where small light sources play a central role. The television does not fully utilise its capabilities here to avoid degrading the black level in adjacent areas. As a result, there is no spectacular "WOW" effect, and such frames often do not seem as if they are being produced in HDR technology.

TCL RM7L is a bright TV. In our measurements its peak brightness hovered around 1600 nits. That is clearly less than the C7L, which can approach 2600 nits, but in real film scenes the difference between the models is not that large. In less demanding shots with many bright elements, the RM7L can sustain about 1000 nits, and sometimes even a little more, getting close to 1500 nits. It performs worse in dark scenes with small points of light, where their brightness can fall to around 500 nits. This is not random behaviour. The TV intentionally dims fine details to better control the backlight and preserve higher contrast. That comes at the expense of their intensity, but it is typical behaviour for TVs with local dimming in a similar price bracket.

Colour gamut coverage

In HDR not only brightness matters but also colour. And here the RM7L has plenty to show. Colours are highly saturated and a wide colour gamut is one of its major strengths. In our DCI-P3 measurements it reached about 96%, and BT.2020 around 83%. It is worth remembering that on a TV with this kind of backlight the result can vary depending on the scene. On test patterns colours look best, while in films their saturation is sometimes a little lower than on SQD Mini LED or QD-OLED TVs. The construction of the backlight itself is also interesting. The RM7L does not use the classic red, green and blue LED set. TCL used two green LEDs and one blue, with the red produced by a PFS phosphor. This shows up in spectrometer measurements, but it does not have a major impact on the picture. Colours are still rendered correctly.

The best factory mode we measured was 'Filmmaker'. Despite this, its characteristics left a wide scope for comment. Let us take a look at the gamma chart, which is responsible for the depth and contrast of the image. First, we will pay attention to the orange line running through the middle of the chart, starting at point 2.4. This is the reference value of the REC.709 standard. Now, let us look at the measured value, which is marked by a white, connected multi-point. Such a significant drop in gamma to a value of 2.0 indicates a considerable decrease in contrast, resulting in an image lacking proper depth, and one could observe the so-called 'milk' effect. The next thing we tested was the white balance. Though unassuming, if poorly configured, it can alter the entire character of the image. At the beginning, the chart was progressing quite well, but as we went further, it began to be dominated by two colours: red and blue. Due to the current state of affairs, all the materials we used for testing had an unpleasant tint in those colours. However, thanks to rich calibration tools, such as an advanced colour management system (CMS) and 2- and 20-point grey scale adjustment, we were able to significantly improve the display's performance in SDR materials, as evidenced by low deltaE errors and very well-rendered gamma and white balance.

We checked the out-of-the-box colours in Filmmaker Mode, the best picture setting available to the user. TCL has been using it in its TVs for two years, and its aim is to reproduce the image as faithfully as possible in line with the creators' intent. On the RM7L it was indeed the most accurately set mode, although it was not without flaws. The biggest problem was the white balance. Too much red and blue made the image shift towards slightly pink tones. This was visible in both SDR and HDR. On top of that the brightness response was slightly boosted, making the picture appear a little brighter but at the same time less contrasty than it should be.

In SDR mode, after calibration, the television Hisense 100U7KQ looks excellent. There is nothing to fault in terms of colour reproduction - both pastel and strongly saturated hues are displayed according to the Rec. 709 standard. This ensures that the image looks natural and in line with the director's vision. As a result, viewers can enjoy an authentic visual experience, with colours and tonal subtleties faithfully rendered.

In HDR mode, however, there is a noticeable boost in bright tones. The television attempts to beautify the picture, which can lead to an artificial brightening. This phenomenon becomes even more evident in real scenes, where bright parts of the image may be excessively enhanced. Although the colours in HDR are generally good, they are intentionally boosted too much by the manufacturer, which can affect their naturalness.

This approach by the manufacturer to displaying images in HDR mode may not appeal to everyone, especially those who value authenticity and fidelity to original colours. However, for those who prefer more dynamic and vivid images, such an emphasis on bright tones can be an attractive solution, adding extra sparkle and impact to the scenes.

Thanks to the fairly extensive calibration menu we were able to correct the vast majority of the previously described issues. The biggest change concerned the white balance. After calibration it now looks very good, so the picture shed its pinkish tint and became much more neutral. The luminance response has also improved. Both the SDR gamma and the HDR EOTF curve are now much closer to the reference values. The picture is no longer unnecessarily brightened, and darker areas look more natural and have greater depth. Better luminance accuracy also affected the colours, which after calibration are noticeably more accurate. Not everything could, however, be set perfectly. With HDR material the RM7L still interprets part of the signal in its own way and does not always follow the reference curve precisely. This is most apparent in some darker scenes, where the TV can either slightly lift the shadows or darken them completely. That is where the earlier impression of a slightly brightened, less contrasty picture came from. Despite this, the calibration delivers a very good result. It removes the most visible errors and, above all, makes the picture much closer to how it should look.

Although the television is equipped with a feature for reducing posterisation called "Smooth Gradation," we did not notice a significant effect of its operation. Materials subjected to heavy compression, such as YouTube videos, still exhibited choppy, distinct tonal transitions, which did not look particularly favourable. While this is due to the material itself rather than the television, it would be good if there were a feature to mask these problems, similar to those found in displays from competing brands.

The image scaling, which is crucial when playing lower resolution content, is rated as average. Details are not overly blurred, and the image is not "smudged"; however, there is visible jaggedness on the edges of objects, such as branches, and a halo effect around figures and text. Although the television performs quite well, there is still room for improvement, especially in the context of displaying lower quality materials.

Upscaling and digital image processing are not the RM7L's strong suit. TCL has used the MediaTek Pentonic 700 chipset here, designated MT5896, which is not among the best processors when it comes to handling lower-quality source material. The biggest problems appear with heavily compressed content from YouTube or standard broadcast TV. The processor cannot effectively hide posterization and the characteristic banding between tones. The feature intended to smooth these issues does little to help, and can also interfere with the image too much, smoothing, for example, faces or fine textures. For that reason it is best simply not to use it.

Standard upscaling to 4K looks better. Lower-quality content is sufficiently sharp and retains an adequate amount of detail. It is not on a par with the best processors on the market, but for everyday viewing the result is entirely acceptable.

The television correctly accepts a 4K signal up to 144 Hz, allowing for very smooth images to be displayed in high resolution. When the resolution is limited to Full HD, the television is capable of handling even 240 Hz, but such a signal can only be obtained from a PC. Unfortunately, the use of this feature is limited by several factors.

First of all, the Full HD resolution on a large television screen may seem insufficient, which affects image quality. Furthermore, the response time of the panel in this model is not short enough to fully utilise the refresh rate of 240 Hz. As a result, at such a high refresh rate, significant overdrive occurs, causing noticeable smearing and so-called "ghosting" behind moving objects.

It is also worth noting the motion smoothing function in the television, which operates up to 120 Hz. This is especially useful when watching sports and films, where smooth motion is crucial. The television provides stable operation of this function, minimising the amount of generated artifacts. Motion smoothness can be adjusted using two sliders – one for film smoothness and the other for reducing smearing in sports content.

In summary, although the television Hisense U7KQ offers impressive capabilities in terms of image refresh rates, limitations related to the response time of the panel and appropriate resolution may impact the actual benefits of these features. Nevertheless, the motion smoothing function works very well, improving the experience of watching dynamic content.

The RM7L features a 144 Hz VA panel, so from the outset it is well suited to sports, gaming and other fast-paced content. The high refresh rate also gives the motion interpolation more scope, allowing it to generate additional frames. On the RM7L it works well and, with the right settings, can noticeably improve motion smoothness without an excessive soap opera effect.

The Hisense U7KQ television supports all the key features for gamers that users of Xbox or PlayStation consoles may expect. These features include, among others, support for high refresh rates, low input lag, and a game bar. Generally speaking, most of these features work correctly, providing a satisfying gaming experience.

However, the VRR (Variable Refresh Rate) technology does not function optimally. When VRR is activated, the television disables the local dimming feature, which significantly reduces image quality. In VRR mode, there is a lack of good contrast and high brightness in HDR mode, resulting in unsatisfactory image quality. In practice, this means that the VRR mode may be rarely used by gamers due to these limitations.

Additionally, the television does not support the HGIG (HDR Gaming Interest Group) mode, which is designed to optimise HDR image quality in games. The absence of this mode leads to issues with double tone mapping – once in the television and once in the console. As a result, the quality of HDR games is lower, which may affect the overall gaming experience.

In summary, although the Hisense U7KQ offers many features for gamers, certain key aspects, such as the optimal functioning of VRR and support for HGIG, may not meet the expectations of more demanding users. Nonetheless, the television still provides good support for most standard gaming features, making it a suitable choice for a wide range of gamers.

The RM7L earns almost nothing but praise when it comes to features for gamers. The TV supports ALLM, VRR and Dolby Vision Gaming and works properly with HGiG, so it’s hard to point to any major omissions in that regard. In practice this means automatic switching to a low-latency mode, smoother motion at variable frame rates and accurate brightness reproduction in HDR games. There’s also a very useful Game Bar. From it you can quickly check frame rate, VRR status, signal format or aspect ratio, and change the key settings without leaving the game. TCL has also added a few extra options, such as a crosshair overlay and brightening of dark image areas, which can be handy in some titles. The biggest drawback stems from the use of the Pentonic 700 processor. Only two of the four HDMI ports support the full HDMI 2.1 standard. That won’t matter much with a single console, but if you connect two consoles and a PC you may run out of ports, especially since one of those ports may be needed for eARC and a soundbar.