Philips PUS8209 vs LG UT8100 (IPS)

Unfortunately, this is where the problems begin. A maximum brightness of 280 nits is definitely too low to feel the true effect of HDR. In practice, the image resembles standard SDR more, so it’s hard to speak of deeper visual experiences. On the positive side, the colour gamut coverage is commendable – 91.4% DCI-P3 is a score that will be sufficient for most films. It must also be said that the image is stable and there are no issues with sudden changes in brightness or colours. Overall, HDR on this television is more of a formality than an actual added value. If we are looking for genuine HDR thrills, this model may not meet expectations.

Unfortunately, the LG UT8100 television does not meet expectations in the HDR effect category. With a peak brightness of only 300 nits on the luminance chart, it is well below the required value to fully enjoy the HDR effects. In practice, the image resembles SDR quality more than true HDR, which is particularly evident in demanding high-contrast scenes. The coverage of the DCI-P3 colour palette is only 82%, further limiting the ability to present vibrant and rich colours. Instead of impressive visual experiences, we receive a muted and lacklustre image. For those looking for a television to fully utilise HDR content, the LG UT8100 model proves to be quite disappointing.

Philips PUS8209 offers many picture modes, but the best of them, without a doubt, is the Filmmaker mode. Despite its proud name, it has its clear problems. In the case of HD content, the white balance is characterised by a strong dominance of red, which causes the picture to be significantly warmer than it should be in reality. The brightness characteristic (gamma), although correct in the mid-tones, has serious issues at the beginning and end of the curve. Drops in the shadows cause a loss of detail in the dark areas, and blowouts in the bright areas make some elements look unnatural.

For high-quality 4K HDR content, the situation reverses. In this case, blue dominates, leading to an artificial enhancement effect, reminiscent of unnatural retail settings. Such an image looks unattractive and inconsistent with the creators' intentions. An additional problem is the EOTF curve, responsible for brightness in HDR materials. It deviates significantly from the reference chart, causing the image to appear too dark, robbing the depth and detail of HDR content.

Against this backdrop, errors in the Color Checker test and deviations in colour palette reproduction are exceptionally large, which further negatively impacts the overall image quality. The Filmmaker mode, although the best among the available options, requires substantial corrections to fully convey the director's vision.

The Filmmaker Mode in LG UT8100, although theoretically the best for watching films, has significant flaws. The biggest problem is the white balance – drops in blue colour cause a noticeable yellowing of the image, evident in both HD and 4K content. These errors are confirmed by the measurement results in the Colour Checker test, which indicate significant deviations in colour reproduction.

Regarding brightness characteristics, both HD and 4K content feature a substantial tonal boost. The gamma curve in both cases remains significantly below the reference value of 2.4, leading to excessive brightening of darker elements of the image. A similar issue is noticeable in the EOTF curve – for 4K content, the television struggles with properly managing brightness, which results in problems with screen brightness. This means that the factory settings of this model require significant adjustments to achieve better image quality.

After calibration, the white balance for HD and 4K content has significantly improved. Although we have not achieved a perfectly flat characteristic, the effect is definitely better than before. The picture on the television no longer appears artificially warm or excessively cold, which significantly enhances the naturalness of the displayed content. The brightness characteristic (gamma) has also been adjusted – the biggest issues at the beginning and end of the graph have been mitigated. The EOTF curve, responsible for brightness in 4K HDR material, has been stabilised, eliminating problems with excessive dimming of the image. In the colour palette test, some imperfections can still be noticed due to average coverage of the wide colour gamut, which is a limitation of the equipment itself. Nevertheless, the final effect is clearly better than before calibration – the image looks more natural and approaches the expectations of the Filmmaker mode.

After calibrating the Filmmaker Mode, the gamma has been aligned to practically ideal, reference values, which has significantly improved the overall tonal characteristics of HD content. 4K HDR content also looks better, although certain issues are still visible at the extreme ends of the graph, where the curve deviates from perfection. The EOTF curve performs worse, as the television has difficulty maintaining appropriate brightness values. As a result, the image in some scenes may be overly bright or slightly dimmed, which is due to the very design of the device. Nevertheless, the calibration has brought considerable improvement, especially for HD content, where tonal balance and colour reproduction are now at a much higher level.

The television offers a "Distortion Reduction" feature that effectively improves the gradation of tonal transitions, especially when set to the minimum level. Unfortunately, this comes at a cost – the feature simultaneously smooths out details such as the texture of materials. On the positive side, it is worth noting that the operation of this option does not negatively affect film grain, which remains intact.

As for image scaling (upscaling), the television generates a plastic, soft image that generally looks pleasant. However, in the background, one can sometimes notice issues with aliasing on certain elements, such as branches or fine details, which can lower the quality of reception. Despite these minor imperfections, the overall experience of scaling is satisfactory.

The fluidity of tonal transitions is also correct, although the effect depends on the settings. The update has improved the performance of the smooth gradation function, smoothing transitions better than before, but it has introduced minor issues with detail loss, e.g. on textures.

The image scaling on LG UT8100 performs very well. The image looks decent, without significant issues with edge aliasing. Details are preserved at a satisfactory level, which makes lower resolution materials look truly solid on this television. This allows users to enjoy watching older content without noticeable flaws in quality.

The 60 Hz panel in the Philips PUS8209 is mainly suitable for watching films, but there is still a sense of something missing. The television does not offer any motion smoother that would allow users to adjust the fluidity of the picture to their individual preferences, which can be disappointing for some users.

LG UT8100, equipped with a 60 Hz panel, is particularly suited for those watching films. The television offers the TruMotion system with de-judder effect adjustment, allowing you to customise the smoothness of the image – from more choppy to exceptionally smooth, resembling a soap opera effect, depending on the user's preferences.

The Philips PUS8209 offers basic features useful for gamers, such as variable refresh rate (VRR), automatic low latency mode (ALLM), and a Game Bar that makes managing settings easier.

Unfortunately, due to the 60 Hz panel, the television will not meet the expectations of more demanding gamers who are counting on higher smoothness and image precision. Additionally, this model does not support any HDR mode dedicated to gaming, such as HGiG or Dolby Vision, which further limits its capabilities in this regard.

LG UT8100 offers basic features for gamers, such as ALLM and Game Bar, which makes access to settings easier. The television also supports HGiG, which improves image quality in HDR games. Unfortunately, the lack of support for Dolby Vision and VRR limits the capabilities of the device, as does the 60 Hz panel, which excludes support for 120 Hz resolution. This model is more suitable for less demanding gaming applications.