Samsung DU8002 (IPS) vs Samsung DU7192 (VA)

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.

In the luminance charts, the peak brightness of the television is around 280 nits. Unfortunately, this value is too low to fully enjoy HDR effects, which require significantly higher luminance. In the tested materials, such as The Meg and Gemini Man, the lack of adequate brightness severely limits the magic of HDR, and the details in the brighter parts of the image are not sufficiently highlighted. For users primarily consuming SDR content, this level of quality may be acceptable, but it is definitely not enough when it comes to HDR. Additionally, the coverage of the DCI-P3 colour palette at 82% does not favour presenting HDR content in its full glory. The limited colour gamut makes it difficult for the television to reproduce vibrant and diverse colours, which is crucial for achieving a cinema-like experience.

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.

The best factory mode we relied on during testing turned out to be "Filmmaker". Although this mode is the closest to the creators' intent for films, it is not without certain imperfections. The white balance chart in both SDR and HDR clearly shows a dominance of red, resulting in significant yellowing, particularly noticeable in whites and on actors' faces. In HDR mode, there is also a slight dominance of green, which, however, does not have as much impact on the perception of the image. The gamma, which is responsible for brightness in SDR materials, performed quite well, but with one serious caveat. In the darkest parts of the image, it was too low, causing excessive brightness in those scenes, depriving the film of drama and contrast. For HDR, the white balance remains at a similar level; however, the EOTF curve chart draws attention. At the beginning, the curve clearly bulges, leading to a strong brightness in the darkest scenes. Then the result suddenly drops below the reference line, resulting in an overly dark image and a loss of dynamics in the brighter parts.

In summary, the "Filmmaker" mode, despite its advantages, requires refinement – especially regarding white balance and proper management of brightness in the darkest and brightest parts of the image. In its current form, it may be acceptable for less demanding users, but for viewers expecting precise image reproduction, it may leave much to be desired.

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.

Even for its lower models, Samsung offers advanced image calibration tools, which allow for significant improvement of the factory settings. We undertook this task, and the results turned out to be more than satisfying. The white balance, which previously exhibited a strong yellowish tint in both SDR and HDR, was significantly improved. Although slight deviations from the norm can be noticed, the overall effect is much cleaner and more natural than before calibration. As a result, whites and skin tones look much better. We also managed to properly shape the gamma in SDR materials, which allows for achieving the maximum contrast that this television can offer. The EOTF curve, responsible for HDR materials, was also improved – the image is no longer brightened or darkened as drastically as it was before calibration. Despite these successes, HDR materials still struggle with high deltaE error values. The main reason lies in the limited brightness of the television, which does not allow for a complete representation of the dynamics of HDR content. Nevertheless, after calibration, the image is clearly better and more aligned with the creators' intentions. For users seeking the best possible quality in this class of equipment, calibration is definitely recommended.

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 tonal smoothing function operates in two modes – "off" and "auto". Turning it off causes gradation issues, while the "auto" mode ensures smooth transitions, but at the cost of grain and detail, which are often blurred. Due to these limitations, we do not recommend using this feature, as confirmed by our tests conducted with it turned off.

Scaling of lower resolution materials in this model is not impressive. Details are blurred, and the edges of objects may contain artifacts. This limitation makes the television perform better with higher resolution content.

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.

Although the Samsung DU7192 is the lowest model in the manufacturer's range, it is equipped with motion smoothing technology. While the functionality of this solution is significantly limited compared to more expensive models, its presence alone distinguishes the television amidst competitors in this price bracket. The TV supports a maximum refresh rate of 60 Hz, which is sufficient for comfortable viewing of films and series, but may be inadequate for dynamic content such as sports. In the motion smoothing menu, we can find, among other things, the "Judder Reduction" feature. Unfortunately, its performance leaves much to be desired – regardless of the setting, the picture exhibits the characteristic stutter known from materials recorded at 24 frames per second, making this feature practically ineffective.

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.

Samsung DU7192 is equipped with HDMI 2.0 ports, which is expected in this price range. This limitation means there is no support for the full capabilities of the latest generation consoles, such as VRR technologies. The television only offers a basic feature for gamers – automatic switching to low latency mode (ALLM), and support for basic HDR for games in the HGiG standard. HGiG allows for the display of HDR content in games according to manufacturers' guidelines; however, the limited brightness of the television does not allow for full enjoyment of the effects that this standard offers. Unfortunately, there is a lack of conveniences such as GameBar, which is increasingly found even in cheaper models and greatly facilitates quick adjustment of settings for games. The presence of this feature could significantly enhance user comfort, especially for those who frequently change display modes.