Sharp GP6765 vs LG QNED86A / QNED85A / QNED87A

In film mode, the television Sharp GP6765 reaches a brightness level of 300 nits, unfortunately, this is quite an average result. Such brightness is closer to the standard SDR image than to what should be offered by a full HDR experience. As a result, the television is unable to convey the full depth and dynamics of the image that one could expect from a good HDR mode. The visual effects that appear vivid and detailed in other models may seem muted here, and high-contrast scenes will not look as impressive. However, it is worth noting that when comparing this result with televisions in this budget, it is a decent score. A positive feature is the fact that the television supports a wide colour gamut of DCI-P3 at 92.5% thanks to the implementation of quantum dots (Quantum Dot/QLED). This is quite a respectable result, especially in this price category. As a result, the colours are vibrant and more saturated, which certainly affects the picture quality, although it does not fully salvage the HDR experience due to limited brightness.

Against a backdrop of contrast and black, the brightness of the QNED86A and the overall HDR effect perform much better. This is a television that can achieve around 700 nits under the best conditions, so in terms of luminance alone, there is nothing to be ashamed of. As a result, scenes with strong lights, explosions, flashes, or bright parts of the landscape look clear and can make an impression. Interestingly, even in more challenging moments with small, contrasting elements on the screen, the television manages well with their backlighting, and the details are quite visible. The problem arises when there are many dark tones. The lack of effective local dimming causes the black to practically disappear, and instead, we get a grey haze spreading across the entire screen. This kills the sense of depth and makes the image look flat, as if it lacks a cinematic character. In bright animations or colourful family films, this will not be a problem, as vibrant colours and bright light dominate. But in horrors or productions set in darkness, these limitations are very strongly felt. As a comfort, it is worth adding that the QNED86A is actually a QLED television with a PFS LED filter, which gives it very good coverage of a wide colour gamut. Both the DCI-P3 palette and the broader BT.2020 perform really well here. This makes the colours in HDR films saturated, juicy, and with the appropriate depth – even if the black itself disappoints, the colours can save the viewing experience and make the image look attractive.

Sharp GP6765 was launched in movie mode, which is the best setting for colour reproduction. Unfortunately, despite this, the quality still falls short of ideal standards. Starting with white balance, in SDR mode, the graph shows significant increases in the case of the red colour. This effect can make the image appear slightly yellowed, leading to distortion of natural skin tones. As a result, viewers may notice that some scenes seem unnatural, and colours lose their authenticity. In HDR mode, the situation changes dramatically – the dominant colour becomes blue. Such a strong shift towards blue also negatively affects the colour balance of the image, which can lead to loss of detail in cool tones. Viewers may feel that the image is somewhat cold and out of balance, which further emphasises the fact that the television does not achieve optimal colour reproduction. Tests carried out using the Colour Checker tool confirm these shifts in several tested samples.

As for contrast, in HD mode, the range shows a significant jump at the beginning of the graph, but then remains close to the reference line at 2.4. This means that in most scenes, the television is able to deliver a satisfactory level of contrast. For the viewer, this translates into better perception of details in shadows and greater depth of the image, which affects their overall experience when watching films and TV programmes. In HDR mode, however, the EOTF curve displays large fluctuations both at the beginning and at the end of the graph. Such fluctuations can lead to inconsistencies in the reproduction of details in bright and dark areas of the image. For the viewer, this means that in scenes with intense light, such as explosions or dynamic actions, crucial details may disappear, and the image can appear blurred. Conversely, in darker parts of the image, the lack of clear differences in shades can cause details to merge into a uniform blob, significantly reducing the quality of viewing. Although movie mode offers the best factory settings in the GP6765, both in terms of colour reproduction and contrast, it still has significant issues.

We primarily tested the QNED86A in Filmmaker mode, which is designed to provide the most faithful picture. Unfortunately, right out of the box, there were quite a few shortcomings. The most noticeable was the poorly tuned white balance – there was a lack of blue, causing the overall image to take on a slightly yellowish, and at times even orange hue. An even bigger problem turned out to be the way the television manages brightness. Due to its technical limitations – specifically, local dimming that only works along the edges of the screen – the QNED86A tends to oversaturate entire scenes. This is where the flattening effect we mentioned earlier comes from. Instead of clear depth and contrast, we get something akin to “boosted brightness,” which can strain the eyes over time.

After calibration, in film mode, the white balance on the Sharp GP6765 television for SDR content shows a significant improvement. All lines in the graph approach the reference line. Although they are not perfectly straight, the results achieved are satisfactory, considering the price range of this model. Such an improvement in white balance translates to a more natural and accurate colour reproduction, positively affecting the overall visual experience and immersion in the films being watched. As for the gamut, the initial spike on the graph was not removed; however, after this error, the rest of the lines represent the expected effect much better, making the picture more consistent and enjoyable to perceive.

In the case of HDR content, the white balance performs somewhat worse compared to SDR content, but it is still significantly better than before calibration. The improvement in white balance in HDR contributes to greater colour consistency, making watching films more enjoyable, even though there may be some shortcomings. Speaking of contrast, it is difficult to mention a significant improvement here. Our specialists noted that the lack of control over the dynamic tone mapping settings hindered achieving a significant improvement in EOTF, leading to uneven brightness representation.

Despite some shortcomings related to the lack of settings options for dynamic tone mapping, the Sharp GP6765 television has gained a new identity after proper calibration. The enhanced white balance and better colour reproduction in SDR mode make the image more natural and pleasing to the eye. Although there are still areas that require improvement, especially in HDR content, the television offers a satisfying visual experience, making it an interesting choice within its price range.

What has been saved in the QNED86A6A is undoubtedly the colours. After calibration, the white balance was set with great precision, ensuring that deviations on the Colour Checker palette mostly did not exceed the visibility threshold for the human eye. In other words – the hues finally looked natural, without the strange yellow or orange tones that previously spoiled the perception. Unfortunately, even the best calibration cannot circumvent the structural limitations. The already very modest number of local dimming zones and their unfortunate placement mean that the analysis of the EOTF curve in films still showed clear over-brightening of scenes. The picture tended to flatten, lacking cinematic depth. Fortunately, this effect is not so noticeable in older productions or in SDR content. There, the calibration truly makes a difference and allows one to harness the QNED so that the image can be appealing. However, the specifics of this construction – especially the issues with contrast – cannot be completely bypassed.

On the Sharp GP6765 television, the "10-bit colour reproduction" feature performs well in the tested scene with light bulbs. Setting this option to "medium" yields satisfactory results, as there are no issues with grain smoothing or blurring of significant elements of the image. Setting it to "low" also produces positive results, offering a clear picture without negatively impacting the details. Such smoothing options for tonal transitions contribute to an improvement in visual quality, enabling more natural colour transitions.

In the context of image scaling, the Sharp GP6765 television has its strengths, such as the absence of overscan when displaying test material. This allows viewers to enjoy a full picture without losing any detail from the edges. However, in the tested scene with the model, there are some shortcomings. The branches and trousers do not look their best. Their outlines appear slightly jagged, suggesting that effective edge smoothing techniques have not been applied. This causes some details to look slightly distorted, which can affect the overall visual experience.

If someone is worried about potential "steps" when blending colours, there is a simple way in the QNED86A to address this. Just activate the feature called Smooth Gradation and set it to a medium level. Then the television really smooths out all those unwanted transitions quite well – especially in older productions – and it does so in a way that film grain doesn't disappear, nor do strange artefacts appear. In other words, it can be used without concern.

The upscaling itself also performs quite well. Of course, there are no miracles here – with lower quality sources, you can notice characteristic ringing. Fortunately, there is a sharpness slider in the menu, and if someone prefers a more "soft" image, it can be quickly adjusted to personal taste.

When it comes to trailing and motion smoothness, the Sharp GP6765 television performs rather mediocrely. It is equipped with a 60 Hz refresh rate panel, which suffices in the context of films. The television has a motion enhancement feature called "Motion Improvement". Thanks to this feature, we can control the fluidity of motion, allowing us to choose whether the image should appear with film-like frames or be smoother - theatrical. This enhancer should satisfy most users who focus on film content. However, when it comes to sports or gaming, Sharp does not perform at its best. In the tested scene with the UFO alien, there is noticeable blurriness, suggesting that the low response time of the panel negatively impacts the sharpness of moving objects. Such effects can be particularly frustrating during dynamic sequences where quick movements are common. For those who prefer watching sports or intense video games, the limitations in motion smoothness may be discouraging, making the Sharp GP6765 not necessarily the ideal choice in this category.

The QNED86A is equipped with a panel boasting a refresh rate of 120 Hz, so it can be said from the outset that it is suitable for both sports and gaming. And indeed, it is – the image appears smooth, and motion blur is not particularly intrusive. IPS panels have always had some issues with this, and here too, slight blurring can sometimes be noticed, especially in very dynamic scenes, but it is not something that ruins the viewing of a match or a fast-paced game. For cinema and sports fans, LG has included the traditional TruMotion smoothness enhancer. In the menu, we have two sliders – one for movies (De-Judder) and the other for sports (De-Blur). The first adds missing frames and can be adjusted to modify the character of motion – from raw, cinematic to a smoother, more ‘theatrical’ look. The second improves sharpness during dynamic actions, so it's worth turning it up a bit if you watch a lot of sports.

The functionality of Sharp's GP6765 for gamers leaves much to be desired. Although this model is equipped with HDMI 2.1 ports, which in theory should offer a range of modern conveniences, in practice the situation is far worse. The only feature that truly utilises the capabilities of this standard is Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM). Unfortunately, the lack of support for key features such as Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) or HDR Gaming Interest Group (HGIG) makes this television a less attractive choice for gamers. VRR is crucial for eliminating issues with tearing and stuttering, which is particularly important in dynamic games where image fluidity is key. Meanwhile, HGIG allows for optimal HDR reproduction, enhancing immersion and visual quality. While it might seem that the implementation of Dolby Vision would bring significant benefits, it is completely useless for gamers due to the very high input lag in this mode.

One could say that the presence of HDMI 2.1 ports in Sharp GP6765 is a marketing trap that may mislead users into thinking that the HDMI standard automatically entails all its conveniences. Expecting full functionality, which should go hand in hand with HDMI 2.1, could lead to disappointment.

In terms of gaming, the LG QNED86A6A is a complete tool. It features four HDMI 2.1 ports with full bandwidth of 48 Gb/s, which means that whether you connect a PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, or a powerful PC, everything will run in full 4K at 120 Hz with support for all functions. This is a significant advantage, as some competitors still only offer two such ports, which can be troublesome with multiple devices. It also includes VRR, or variable refresh rate, which eliminates screen tearing, as well as ALLM, which automatically activates game mode when the console is turned on. Dolby Vision Gaming is also included, along with proper implementation of the HGiG format, so titles that support these formats look more vivid and detailed. On top of all this, there is the Game Optimizer – a sort of control centre for gamers. From this interface, you can view picture parameters in real-time, quickly change modes, activate additional features, or adjust image settings to your personal preferences. The LG QNED86A6A essentially has everything one could expect from a modern gaming television.