Philips PUS8359 (VA) vs Samsung U8000F (VA)

Philips PUS8359 did not impress us with its results in HDR materials. This model is capable of generating a maximum brightness of 320 nits, and often even less. Such results, combined with a lack of support for HDR Dolby Vision, mean that the image will be significantly darker compared to the source material. Therefore, playing SDR materials will be more beneficial for this television. This is also suggested by the rather low coverage of the DCI-P3 colour gamut at 83%, which results in significant colour deficiencies. The fact remains that the television supports the HDR format based on dynamic metadata, although HDR10+ is such a niche format that it does not bring any significant advantages.

While the U8000F with a VA panel can still be praised for decent blacks, there is no longer any reason to be enthusiastic about brightness – especially in HDR scenes. The television achieves a maximum of just under 250 nits, which is simply too low to speak of any impressive light effects. Bright elements appear pale, and scenes that should sparkle look rather flat. We observed an interesting situation during the test of a scene from the film Sicario 2 – the screen became noticeably darker, as if the television was trying to hide its limitations in displaying blacks. One might get the impression that the device artificially darkens the image to enhance contrast, but in practice, the effect makes very little difference, other than the fact that we see less on the screen. Furthermore, there is the issue of colours – the U8000F does not support a wide colour gamut, so one cannot count on the vibrant, saturated hues known from better models. The HDR image here resembles slightly brightened SDR and... perhaps that is even a good thing. With this model, it is not worth expecting a cinematic experience – it is better to treat HDR as a modest addition.

The best factory mode in terms of fidelity to the source material was "Film". This was the mode we used during our tests. Just like each of the factory modes in televisions, it had its shortcomings. We will check what exactly was wrong in both SDR and HDR materials. In both cases, the white balance showed excessive dominance of the green and red colour combination. This created a yellow tint that spread across the entire image, causing issues such as yellowed whites and problems with skin tones. This situation was perfectly illustrated on the "ColourChecker" palette, where each of the tested samples was pushed into its warmer counterparts. The foundation of the image is primarily contrast and black. These are represented by gamma charts and the EOTF curve. Looking at the first one, we can see a true rollercoaster, as we can observe both an elevated and a lowered gamma. The heavily elevated gamma caused visibility issues in blacks, while the lowered gamma led to a dramatic drop in contrast. In this context, the EOTF curve performed significantly better, only slightly brightening the image.

The Samsung U8000F has been tested by us in the best picture mode it offers out of the box – the Filmmaker Mode. This profile is theoretically meant to provide a neutral, cinematic image devoid of unnecessary enhancements and artificial beautifications. In the case of SDR content – primarily in HD or SD resolution – the television performed surprisingly decently right out of the box. The only noticeable flaw was brightness management. The gamma chart showed some deviations – slight brightening or dimming of certain tones – but in practice, this did not significantly affect the viewing experience. Considering the television's segment, it performs quite well.

However, the situation is much weaker in HDR mode. While the white balance was still acceptable, the colour inaccuracies were very apparent. In the Color Checker test, almost every sample was outside the target point, and the image itself appeared unnatural – the colours were shifted, sometimes too cool, other times simply dull and lifeless. The main problem lies in the hardware limitations – the U8000F does not support the wide colour gamut of DCI-P3, so it is physically incapable of reproducing the colours that the HDR standard anticipates. Unfortunately, this is evident in almost every more demanding scene.

Philips offers a wide range of image calibration tools in both its more expensive and cheaper models. We utilised these tools and got to work, which was not as easy as many of you might think. While we were able to model the white balance, significantly improve the gamma, and refine the EOTF curve in both cases, the deltaE errors remained extremely high. There are several reasons for this situation, which are directly related to the low coverage of the DCI-P3 palette and the maximum brightness of the unit in HDR materials.

Right out of the box, the U8000F offered quite a decent image in SDR for its price class. However, we managed to enhance it slightly – we reduced a subtle purple tint and improved the gamma characteristics, giving it a more natural curve. Despite these adjustments, the television still tends to overly brighten the brightest details – the gamma chart shows a clear inflection that cannot be completely corrected.

In HDR mode, however, it is noticeably weaker. It is hard to speak of any significant improvement here – despite attempts to adjust the settings, the image still presents considerable colour inaccuracies. A Delta E exceeding 7 signifies noticeable deviations that could not be effectively reduced. Unfortunately, this is a limitation of the construction itself – the U8000F simply was not designed for serious HDR. In everyday viewing in SDR, it performs quite well, but when it comes to HDR content... it's best not to have overly high expectations.

In this paragraph, we will take a look at two functionalities. We will once again examine the feature responsible for tonal transitions, but we will also check how the television performs with image scaling. The option responsible for smooth gradation is called "Distortion Reduction". As we have established, it quite effectively smooths out the inconsistencies. However, we must point out two things: we cannot enable it for HDR materials and that it blurs details in films.

The tested television cannot boast of the best image scaling. There is a noticeable overall blurriness of the image, but worse still, it blurs details. This is particularly evident on the branches and the model's hair. A characteristic white halo around the character is also visible.

When it comes to how the Samsung U8000F handles lower quality materials, we must admit that Samsung has made progress compared to its predecessor from last year – the DU7192 model, which theoretically occupies the same position in the lineup. This year's model has been equipped with a feature to improve the fluidity of tone transitions, which has been implemented much better than last year. Indeed, the television still utilizes quite strong algorithms that can distort details or remove film grain, but nonetheless – it can confidently be said that it works effectively. However, not everything has gone perfectly. The U8000F has noticeable issues with slightly cutting the image when watching very old content in very low resolution. If someone plans to play their old VHS tape, they must reckon with the fact that the image may appear slightly "cut off".

Philips PUS8359 will not be the best television for sports. The reason for this is the lack of implementation of even the basic motion smoothing feature, which was to be expected given the price of the device. We also note that we are dealing with a VA panel, whose sharpness is not of the highest standard. This type of panel is mainly associated with high contrast, which goes hand in hand with quite a slow response time, as clearly indicated by the matrix analysis results. As you can see from the images captured in rapid motion, the picture is typically blurred for this type of panel. Although it may not be the ideal option, it can be used conditionally for watching sports; however, one must keep in mind the less than optimal sharpness in motion. It is worth mentioning that films will exhibit judder, as the television does not have any motion smoother, even the simplest one.

The Samsung U8000F is equipped with a 60 Hz panel, so it's clear right from the start that one shouldn't expect miracles. This is simply the standard in this class – adequate for everyday viewing, but without any fireworks. The television offers a single motion smoothing slider – a feature called "Motion Blur Reduction," which allows us to adjust the smoothness of the image in films. Higher settings produce a more "theatrical" and smoothed effect, while lower settings help retain the film's original character with a slight 24p effect. An interesting feature is "Clear Motion LED," which is the BFI mode – inserting black frames between image frames to improve motion clarity. In practice, however, the screen flickers heavily when this feature is activated and should rather be considered an experiment than something that genuinely enhances gaming comfort.

It will not be a surprise if we write that Philips PUS8359/12 only offers the most basic support for consoles. Once the console is connected, we can count on features such as: VRR and ALLM. This is quite pleasing in the case of the former, as experience has shown that even in more expensive units there can be issues with this. A nice touch is the implementation of a special GameBar that allows for changing settings on the "fly," so we won't have to exit the game and unnecessarily distract ourselves. This feature also allows for adapting gameplay to the needs of people with disabilities, which will certainly be extremely useful.

Samsung U8000F offers a basic set of features for gamers, which may still be sufficient for less demanding users. It includes an automatic game mode – when a game is launched on the console, the television automatically switches to low latency mode, significantly improving response times. There is also a VRR feature, or variable refresh rate, which operates in the range of 48 to 60 Hz. This means that both Xbox and PS5 will not produce the "tearing" effect – as long as we stay within this range.

Unfortunately, that’s about it for the advantages. Additions like Game Bar or higher refresh rates are reserved for higher-end Samsung models from the 2025 line. In theory, the television also supports the HGiG feature, which should adjust HDR imagery to the creators' intentions. Unfortunately – despite the fact that this feature appears in brochures and promotional materials – its configuration on the Xbox console turned out to be... impossible in practice.