LG UR781 vs Samsung DU8002 (IPS)

In HDR mode, LG UR781 unfortunately does not impress with its brightness. In tests on five screens, the television achieved only around 200 nits, which is quite a low value for HDR standards. This brightness is similar to levels typical for SDR, causing HDR effects to be insufficiently pronounced, and the image may appear less impressive, especially in dynamic, bright scenes. In HDR mode, it has certain limitations in colour reproduction. This means that colours may not be as intense and rich as in televisions that manage better with a wide colour gamut. In practice, this can make the image less vibrant and dynamic, and HDR effects will not be as spectacular as one might expect. Additionally, UR781 LG has some issues with accurately reproducing colours in HDR mode, resulting in content that may look less vivid.

The HDR effect on the DU8002 television leaves much to be desired. A brightness level of 300 nits cannot provide a true high dynamic range experience, which makes the viewed content resemble more of a standard SDR than impressive HDR. Scenes that should dazzle with brilliance and detail appear muted and lacking in depth. Nevertheless, the television deserves praise for its high coverage of the DCI-P3 colour gamut at 92%. This means that colours are vivid and saturated, which may satisfy viewers who prefer rich tones, even if the HDR effect does not fully meet expectations.

The colour reproduction in LG UR781 in Filmmaker Mode, which although is the best mode available from the factory settings, is not without its flaws. Firstly, the issue is white balance, where the graph shows dips in blue colour levels. This phenomenon results in a shift of hues towards yellow tones, causing the image to appear warmer than it should. Such deviation means that the colours on the screen are not naturally reproduced, which can be particularly noticeable in scenes with a white or neutral background. This can be confirmed by the Test Color Checker, which showed that some colours "shift" into other shades, meaning that the LG UR781 television does not display colours in accordance with reality. This distortion can affect the visual experience, making movie scenes seem less realistic, and details might be displayed in inappropriate colours, negatively impacting the overall image quality.

In terms of contrast, the analysis of the gamma graph revealed drops to a level of 2.0, whereas the optimal value should be 2.4. This means that the television may display darker parts of the image brighter in certain scenes, which reduces their depth and dynamics. Additionally, on the EOTF curve, which is responsible for brightness reproduction, an unnatural spike was observed at the beginning. This phenomenon can result in excessive brightness boost in the brightest parts of the image, leading to loss of detail in very bright scenes.

The DU8002 offers a Filmmaker mode, which is intended to provide an authentic image reproduction in line with the creators' vision. Unfortunately, despite the promising name, the results are far from ideal. The white balance in this mode shows significant drops in blue, leading to a noticeable yellowing of the image, as seen in our comparison photo. Colour Checker tests confirm these errors. As for brightness, the gamma characteristic is too low compared to the reference line of 2.4, resulting in excessive screen brightness. A similar issue occurs with 4K content – the EOTF responsible for brightness in 4K material shows significant increases above the reference line, leading to excessively bright small light elements. As a result, the Filmmaker mode in the DU8002 does not meet expectations and instead of offering high quality, presents an image full of tonal and colour inaccuracies.

After calibration, the colour representation in SDR content is quite good. The white balance has been effectively improved, resulting in natural, balanced hues across various scenes. The gamma has also been adjusted, providing more precise detail in the shadows and highlights of the image. As a result, the LG UR781 television performs well in everyday use, offering solid colour quality and clear, well-balanced images in SDR mode.

However, the situation is worse for HDR content. The LG UR781 television does not support a wide colour gamut, which limits the depth and richness of colours that HDR can offer. The EOTF curve deviates from the ideal, resulting in excessive highlighting of details in the bright parts of the image. Unfortunately, this results in significant colour reproduction errors, as confirmed by tests on the Colour Checker. Additionally, the low brightness level of the panel further negatively impacts the quality of HDR images, causing dynamic range effects to be not fully realised, and colours to appear washed out.

Despite some shortcomings in HDR mode, the television has improved significantly after calibration, especially in SDR content. The improvement in white balance and gamma has greatly enhanced image quality, providing a more natural and cohesive colour representation. Compared to its state before calibration, the difference is clear, and the LG UR781 television now offers better performance in everyday use, particularly in the standard dynamic range.

Samsung is one of those companies that offers advanced tools for improving picture quality in its televisions, including a 20-point white balance adjustment. Even in the budget model DU8002, with the right adjustments, surprisingly good results can be achieved. The white balance, especially for HD content, is really good – tests on the Colour Checker palette confirm accuracy levels of 2–1.5, which speaks to this television's considerable capabilities in colour reproduction. In 4K content, although not as perfect as in lower quality materials, the overall picture looks significantly better.

The gamma brightness has also been heavily adjusted, meaning the picture is not overly bright and looks more natural. What about the EOTF curve? At first glance, it seems fine, but upon closer inspection, especially in film tests, it is clear that the television, due to its low contrast matrix, struggles. The EOTF also drops below the reference line. Nevertheless, the DU8002 is an example of a budget model where calibration is worth investing in. Although construction flaws, such as the type of backlighting, cannot be completely eliminated, colour accuracy is surprisingly good, especially given its price.

Now let’s address the function of smoothing tonal transitions and its impact on overall image quality. As illustrated in the photo on the left, this function performs exceptionally mediocrely; we selected the "low" level, which does not improve quality but also does not blur the film grain. There is the option to increase the power of this function, which would soften the gradation; however, one must reckon with the fact that the image will be too softened in some scenes.

On the other hand, regarding image scaling, the television does not perform exceptionally, which can be particularly noticeable with lower resolution content. The LG UR781 television applies a slight, artificial sharpness boost, which makes the image appear sharper, but this primarily results from the overlay of artificial contours. For some users, this can be an advantage, as they prefer more vivid, accentuated details. However, this is a subjective matter—such an effect may not appeal to everyone, especially if they desire a more natural look to the image.

Smoothing tonal transitions on the DU8002 television leaves a mixed impression. Although the menu features an option for smoothing tonal transitions, in practice it yields no results and may even generate unwanted side effects.

Nevertheless, the television performs excellently with upscaling, or digital image processing. The test pattern with the model looked really good – the image is not excessively jagged, and the overall presentation is decent and pleasant to the eye. This is definitely good news for those planning to watch traditional television on this model.

The LG UR781 television offers quite decent smoothness for films, thanks to the "True Motion" option, which allows users to adjust the level of motion smoothing on a scale from 0 to 10. The user can choose whether they want to preserve a more traditional, cinematic effect with subtle judder (lower settings) or prefer a smoother, theatrical image that, although slightly deviating from the cinematic standard, may appeal to many.

In dynamic sports content and games, the LG UR781 television performs worse. The television has a 60Hz panel, which limits its interpolation capabilities to these values; therefore, it can improve fluidity in films but cannot reduce motion blur. Additionally, the lack of support for 120 Hz and BFI (Black Frame Insertion) technology means that quick movements of objects become blurred, and the response time of the panel is too long, negatively affecting clarity in fast scenes. As a result, the television may not meet the expectations of gamers and sports fans who are looking for a smooth, clear image without motion blur.

The DU8002 with a 60 Hz panel is a television that performs better for watching films than for intense gaming. The motion smoothing feature acts as a fluidizer, smoothing out movement and giving scenes a more fluid appearance, which is helpful for movie screenings. In the context of gaming, this model is more suited for casual entertainment.

While gaming on the console, the television LG UR781 offers several important features that can affect the gaming experience, but it also has some limitations. A positive aspect is the presence of ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode), which automatically optimises picture settings by switching the television LG UR781 into low latency mode, which is beneficial for gamers. The television also supports proper implementation of HGiG, meaning HDR games look as intended by the developers.

Unfortunately, it lacks support for Variable Refresh Rate (VRR), which may result in poorer fluidity of gameplay, particularly in more dynamic games. It also does not support Dolby Vision mode for games, which limits the HDR picture quality in games using this format. The television has a panel with a frequency of 60hz, which means it does not support higher frequencies at other resolutions, such as 1080p@120Hz, 1440p@120Hz, or 4K@120Hz, which is a significant drawback for gamers expecting smoother gameplay at higher resolutions. It also lacks support for G-Sync technology, which limits image synchronisation in games.

However, a positive aspect is the presence of the Game Bar feature, which allows quick access to settings for gamers and makes it easier to adjust picture parameters during gameplay.

DU8002 is a television that is primarily suitable for casual gamers. The 60 Hz panel does not provide the highest motion smoothness, so in dynamic games, there may be a lack of that extra fluidity in the picture. On the plus side, it features ALLM and HGiG functions, which automatically adjust the picture settings for HDR gaming, enhancing the gaming experience. Unfortunately, the television is equipped only with HDMI 2.0 ports, so we will have to forget about more advanced features like VRR or support for 4K at 120 Hz. With this equipment, we will have to settle for less if we expect a full set of gaming features.