Philips PUS8079 vs Panasonic W70A

The maximum brightness in content with a wide tonal range at a level of 202 nits is extremely low and, in practice, does not allow for watching films and series on streaming platforms in the highest quality. It is worth mentioning that in this case, the use of the HDR format equipped with dynamic metadata will not help either. Why won't it help? Because the only such format implemented in the television is HDR10+, which is extremely unpopular, and films recorded in this format are scarce. It is also worth noting that PUS8079 utilises WLED backlighting, which unfortunately is not the best solution, resulting in a coverage of the wide DCI-P3 colour gamut of only 80%. The result of this situation is significantly less intense colours in HDR content.

HDR on the Panasonic W70A unfortunately does not impress. A brightness level of 250–300 nits is simply too low to feel the true magic of cinematic effects in dynamic, bright scenes. Images that should “burst” with light look rather flat, and fine details in bright areas often get lost in the average luminance of the panel. On the positive side, the HDR effect is at least stable. The television does not fall into excessive brightness or lose details during rapid scene changes. Everything is predictable and calm, although unfortunately rather unimpressive. Another issue is the colour gamut coverage. The W70A has not been equipped with an additional layer of quantum dots (often known as QLED), which means the colours appear rather mediocre. There is a lack of depth in reds, saturation in greens, and precision in reproducing subtle shades.

The best factory mode in terms of colour reproduction and fidelity to the director's vision was "Film". Admittedly, it was the best among the pre-defined modes, although it had significant discrepancies between what the film's author wanted to convey and what the tested television displayed. Both in SDR and HDR materials (though to a lesser extent in the latter), the white balance, which is the most fundamental element responsible for image purity, turned out to be somewhat of a repeat of the vivid mode, with the blue tint known from displays on shop shelves. Moving directly to SDR materials and what is responsible for contrast, namely gamma, we see that it is significantly reduced. This leads to cutting down on an already limited contrast range and brightening the entire image. In the EOTF curve, which is responsible for the increase in brightness pace in HDR materials, we observe a sharp drop below the reference line, which, given the limited light output of the television, had a significant impact on the perception of these contents, which were even darker. We will not separate the assessments of the colours themselves, as in both cases they achieved astronomical deltaE values, being simply completely different from what they should be.

The Panasonic W70A was tested by us in movie mode, which theoretically should guarantee the most natural image reproduction. Unfortunately, as is often the case with budget TVs, the reality proved far from ideal.

In HD (SDR) content, the white balance was severely disrupted by an excess of red and a noticeable drop in blue tones. The effect? The image had a distinctly warm, almost yellowish glow, which is clearly visible in the comparison photo. In the case of 4K HDR material, the situation reversed. Here, the image became excessively cold and bluish, causing scenes to lose their naturalness and depth. The differences are visible even to the naked eye, especially in the bright areas of the image. The Colour Checker palette test confirmed our observations. Most colour samples did not hit their intended points, "drifting" towards warmer shades in SDR and cooler ones in HDR. As for brightness characteristics, both gamma and the EOTF curve showed significant issues. The image tended to excessively brighten certain areas, disrupting balance and leading to a loss of detail in darker and lighter regions.

In summary – the factory colour reproduction settings in the Panasonic W70A leave much to be desired. The image is far from neutral, and errors in white balance and gamma mean that a solid calibration is needed to extract the TV's full potential.

Fortunately, Philips implements advanced image correction tools in all its televisions. SDR materials benefited the most here, and the enormous deltaE errors were significantly corrected, both white balance and gamma underwent considerable reshaping. Although one cannot speak of a reference image here, it is definitely better, and films or series can be watched without causing headaches, and above all, eye strain. Naturally, HDR materials, due to the very low luminance of the television, could not be corrected to the same extent as those with a standard colour palette; however, the EOTF curve and white balance were roughly straightened out. Unfortunately, that was all we managed to squeeze out of our unit, although it should be noted that each unit is different and has completely different errors, smaller or larger.

Panasonic W70A, despite its limitations, provided us with considerable scope during calibration. Thanks to well-developed tools, we managed to achieve a significantly better white balance in both HD (SDR) and 4K HDR content. The issues with excess red in SDR and overly cool images in HDR have disappeared. The gamma brightness characteristic has also improved, maintaining stability and preventing excessive brightening or loss of detail in darker areas.

So where is the problem? Unfortunately, there are barriers that even professional calibration cannot overcome. Poor coverage of a wide color gamut means that the television cannot fully reproduce colours in HDR material. There is a lack of saturation, and subtle colour transitions still appear somewhat "flattened." Another limitation is brightness management, which results from the applied IPS panel. In the comparative image with the actress's face in colourful clothing, it is clearly visible how some shades are noticeably muted, and colours lose their depth and vibrancy.

Calibration has extracted from the W70A as much as possible. The image is now significantly more natural, and the errors in the factory settings have been effectively corrected. Unfortunately, hardware limitations in the form of poor colour gamut coverage and an average panel mean that even after calibration, we are unable to achieve spectacular effects, especially in HDR content.

We will return once more to the issue of tonal transitions but in the context of the overall improvement of image quality. As we can observe in the photograph on the left side, the enhancement function for gradation works brilliantly. Moreover, it offers several settings, and each of them, even the lowest one, provides beneficial effects, and what’s more, it does not soften the effect of film grain. We will reiterate that this function is the greatest advantage of the tested television.

Next, we will take a look at image scaling. Here, the tested television performed worse. We can primarily notice severely jagged fine details and a characteristic white halo around the figures. One must not forget about the considerable artificial sharpening of the image.

We checked how the Panasonic W70A performs when improving content of lower quality than 4K, and it must be said that in this regard, the television does quite respectably. The "Zeroing Counter" function is responsible for smoothing tonal transitions. The optimal setting turned out to be the Average option, which effectively smooths out issues with colour gradation while not ruining the film grain. This is the setting we recommend for most users, as it provides a balance between enhancing the smoothness of transitions and maintaining the naturalness of the image.

When it comes to image scaling, the Panasonic W70A performed really well. The test panel with a model was positively received – the details on her clothing were well reproduced, and the contours of her face retained clarity. In the background, we noticed slight "jaggies" on thin branches, but these are details that only a very keen eye would catch. However, it is worth noting a certain drawback of this model – the television tends to overscan, or slightly cropping the edges of the image. This is not a very intense phenomenon and will be practically unnoticeable for most users, but if we care about a perfect fit of the frame, it is worth keeping this in mind.

This paragraph, unlike the others, will be extremely short. The reason for this state of affairs is the lack of implementation of even the most basic motion smoothing function, which was to be expected, considering the price of the device. We also note that we are dealing with a VA panel, which in itself will not have the best sharpness under the sun. This type of panel is primarily associated with high contrast, which goes hand in hand with quite slow response times, as we can clearly read from the matrix analysis results. As you can see, from the photos taken in quick motion, the image is typically blurred for this type of panel. Although it will not be the ideal option, it can conditionally be used for watching sports, keeping in mind the less than optimal sharpness in motion. It is worth mentioning that movies will be characterised by judder, as the television does not have any, even the simplest, motion smoother.

The Panasonic W70A is equipped with a 60 Hz panel, which immediately suggests that the television is best suited for watching films, series, or everyday TV content. In more dynamic scenes, such as sports broadcasts or games, the limitations of the panel become more noticeable. However, it is worth noting the presence of a motion smoother called "Effect", which offers three degrees of adjustment - low, medium, and high.

Each of the settings allows you to adjust the smoothness of motion to your own preferences, minimising motion blur and improving clarity in dynamic shots. In practice, the Medium setting seems to be the most versatile – it offers better fluidity without excessive "soap opera effect", which can look artificial in feature films. The High setting may work well for sports broadcasts, but in films, it can disrupt the natural character of motion.

Philips PUS8079 offers only the most basic support for gaming in the form of ALLM, VRR, and a Game Bar. The most important information is that thanks to the implementation of the feature responsible for dynamic frequency changing, the picture is actually quite smooth for this price range and does not suffer from tearing.

A slightly greater nod towards gamers is the introduction of the Game Bar, allowing for real-time editing of settings. This means we won't have to exit the game to make any changes to the picture. Importantly, it has not been stripped of options known from higher models. Thus, we will find features such as shadow enhancement for better visibility in dark areas and a colour filter for players with visual impairments.

The Panasonic W70A is a television that is more suited to occasional gamers than to avid players. The 60 Hz panel does not allow for the full potential of next-generation consoles to be realised, especially in dynamic titles. The lack of HDMI 2.1 somewhat limits its capabilities, but fortunately, it features functions such as ALLM, which automatically switches to game mode, and VRR, which helps minimise screen tearing. It is worth noting the support for Dolby Vision in games and HGiG, which makes HDR more predictable and looks solid. It is just a shame that there is no Game Bar. This feature has become standard in many televisions and provides quick access to the most important settings for gamers. The W70A performs adequately for gaming, but it has its limitations. It will work well for calmer titles, but more demanding gamers may feel a lack of fulfilment.