TCL MQLED85 / C765 vs Panasonic W95B

The television TCL MQLED85/C765 handles HDR well. In the tested movie scenes where the screen is covered with 100% brightness, the model achieves impressive results of around 1000 nits, providing intense and realistic rendering of HDR content. However, similar to contrast, the dimming algorithm may exhibit certain limitations. Despite a large number of Mini LED zones, the television does not always manage to "wow" the user with brightness in very challenging test scenes. For example, in the scene from the film "Life of Pi," where a bright moon appears against a dark background, and in another scene from "Sicario 2," where a very bright light effect is visible on a dark background, the television did not reach maximum intensity. For users expecting perfect HDR performance in such extreme cases, the TCL MQLED may be slightly disappointing. However, in terms of colours, the television stands out with very high coverage of the DCI P3 colour palette at 95%, which is an impressive result, comparable to much more expensive models. TCL MQLED85 / C765 offers support for various HDR formats, including Dolby Vision and HDR10+, which is significant for cinema image enthusiasts. Although this model achieves brightness over 1000 nits, TCL MQLED85 may struggle to reflect details in very high-contrast scenes. For better HDR quality control, C765 is equipped with a dynamic tone mapping option, making the image more realistic and natural depending on the content.

The Panasonic W95B is truly a bright screen, capable of achieving a peak luminance of around 1400 nits. In brighter, well-lit film scenes, this value translates to spectacular HDR effects that can make a big impression. However, knowing our test setup, you can probably see that in very demanding shots – such as the moon in the distance or the lights of a helicopter in the scene from Sicario 2 – the television does not impress. In such situations, brightness drops to around 200 nits, which makes the HDR effect much less noticeable. This happens because Panasonic prioritises maintaining deep blacks, not illuminating the background – for many users, this shouldn't be a cause for concern. However, it is important to remember that in these moments the image begins to resemble SDR content. The coverage of the colour palette also deserves praise, as it reaches about 93% of the DCI-P3 space thanks to the use of a PFS filter (also known from QLED technology). As a result, most films look very good in terms of saturation and colours, preserving the cinematic character of the image.

The television TCL MQLED85/C765 was tested in movie mode, which, although it seems to be the best setting from the manufacturer, is not without flaws. The colour reproduction in HD/SDR mode MQLED85 shows some shortcomings. In the analysis of white balance, there is a significant lack of blue, which can affect the overall image quality, especially in bright scenes where blue shades are crucial for natural representation. The overall shape of the image may then appear too warm. Regarding gamma contrast, the graph shows a large jump above the reference line of 2.4 at the beginning, which may suggest significant dimming of brightness in darker areas, leading to loss of detail in black. Then, for most of the time, the values lie below this line, which may lead to loss of detail in brighter parts of the image. Such a distribution can negatively impact perceived image quality, particularly when watching regular television in HD quality.

In the case of 4K HDR image quality of the TCL MQLED85/C765, there is a noticeable excess of red in the analysis of white balance. This excess can significantly affect the viewer's experience, leading to several significant effects. Firstly, an excessive amount of red can make other colours, such as green or blue, appear muted or unnatural. This distortion of colour balance can result in an overall impression of "over-saturation," which detracts from the naturalness and authenticity of the image. As for contrast, the EOTF (Electro-Optical Transfer Function) graph indicates that most values are above the reference line, suggesting an intense boost in brightness in bright areas of the image. However, there is an exception at the beginning of the graph, where the EOTF line is below the reference line, which can lead to excessive dimming of small light elements.

Users should be aware that despite using the best mode, which is movie mode, the television is not free from flaws in terms of image settings, so it is worth considering adjusting the settings to achieve better results.

In Filmmaker mode, the Panasonic W95B offers an image with quite accurate colour reproduction, although it is not without minor imperfections. The white balance slightly veers towards red, which may cause a subtle warming of the image, and the gamma curve is slightly elevated, making the screen appear a bit brighter. It is good that the manufacturer included this mode – even in factory configuration, it provides a reasonably natural appearance for films. However, knowing how susceptible Panasonic televisions are to calibration, we decided to see how much the image could be improved after professional tuning.

After the professional calibration of the television TCL MQLED85/C765, its colour properties in movie mode have significantly improved, resulting in a much more satisfying visual experience. Both in SDR and HDR modes, the white balance shows no serious errors, and the graph appears much better harmonised. Users can now enjoy natural colour reproduction, which is crucial for obtaining an authentic experience when watching films. It is worth noting that in HDR content, there may be slight colour reproduction errors at the end of the graph, but these are much smaller than before calibration. As a result, characters and landscapes become more realistic, enhancing the depth of immersion in the story.

In terms of contrast, the gamma curve, responsible for HD quality, has been completely free of drops below the reference line, meaning better detail visibility in dark scenes. Nevertheless, there is still a slight boost at the beginning of the graph, which may affect the perception of bright elements. For HDR content, the EOTF curve also exhibits smaller errors, although certain issues with medium tone reproduction may still be noticeable. The EOTF curve measured on actual movie scenes still shows a significant brightness boost, making the image appear more intense but artificially brightened. This is a typical problem for TCL televisions, which may appeal to inexperienced viewers, but can be irritating for those more familiar with an ideal image.

What benefits does professional calibration bring for film enthusiasts? Thanks to it, viewing becomes even more realistic and immersive, and each scene can be fully experienced, preserving details and natural colours.

After professional calibration, the Panasonic W95B shows what it is truly capable of. Colour errors have mostly dropped below values of 2–3, making them practically invisible to the human eye. It was also possible to correct the excess red in the white balance, which has resulted in the image no longer having a slight pink tint, and details in dark areas are no longer lost due to excessive dimming in the gamma. In HDR content, the improvement is also noticeable – colour saturation is now more stable and does not shift so markedly towards blue as it did before. This is truly an excellent television for watching films and series in the highest possible quality. While we know that Mini LED screens are not always perfect for this, the W95B is a perfect example that with proper fine-tuning, an effect close to OLEDs can be achieved.

Let’s take another look at the tonal transitions in the TCL MQLED85/C765 television, but in the context of poorer image quality. Despite the presence of the "Gradual Smoothing" option, when set to "low," the effects are practically invisible, disappointing users expecting an improvement in image quality. On the other hand, the "high" setting produces minimal results, and worse still, it can blur significant details, negatively affecting the sharpness and clarity of the displayed image. However, in the context of image scaling, the television successfully displayed the image without overscan, meaning we do not lose any part of the view. The image looks rather decent, and details such as tree branches or the outlines of models do not exhibit significant jaggedness, which positively impacts the visual quality.

In terms of image processing, the Panasonic W95B performs excellently. The proprietary processor responsible for digital image processing effectively upscales lower resolution content to 4K, preserving a great deal of detail and a natural appearance of contours. The final effect is impressive – the upscaling here is at a truly high level, and Full HD content can look surprisingly good. The way the television smooths tonal transitions in low-quality materials is also noteworthy. The algorithm does not operate as aggressively as in some competing models, but as a result, it does not cause a loss of detail or blur film grain.

TCL MQLED85/C765 is equipped with a panel featuring a standard refresh rate of 120 Hz, with the capability to increase to 144 Hz when connected to a powerful computer. The television also offers a multi-level motion smoother, primarily aimed at users wishing to enhance motion fluidity in films. It allows for the adjustment of effect intensity on a scale from 0 to 10, enabling precise tuning of image smoothness to individual preferences. The response time of the panel is decent, but not perfect. We can observe blurring occurring behind both dark and medium objects.

The 144 Hz panel used in the Panasonic W95B offers excellent fluidity, although in practice, due to the appearance of television content or the limitations of new generation consoles, it is worth observing its performance at a refresh rate of 120 Hz. In this mode, the television performs superbly – despite being a VA panel, which is not known for the fastest pixel response times, motion blur here is minimal and difficult to detect with the naked eye.

TCL MQLED85/C765 has received an impressive rating in the gaming features category, making it an excellent choice for gaming enthusiasts. The television supports all the latest technologies that significantly enhance the gaming experience. Among the key gaming features is ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode), which automatically switches the TV to low-latency mode, minimising response time and ensuring smooth gameplay. VRR (Variable Refresh Rate) functioning in the range of 48 to 144 Hz eliminates stuttering and screen tearing in dynamic game scenes. Additionally, the TV supports Dolby Vision Game Mode, which provides better image quality in games with exceptional colour depth and contrast. TCL MQLED85/C765 also features a decent if not the best implementation of HGiG (HDR Gaming Interest Group), optimising HDR game display; however, for TCL, it causes detail in whites to be brightened, resulting in some elements merging into a white blob - we can read more about this in the colour reproduction section. It supports various resolutions, such as 1080p@120Hz, 1440p@120Hz, and 4K@120Hz, allowing players to enjoy higher image quality and better fluidity. The Game Bar feature allows easy switching between game settings and quick parameter control, greatly simplifying the adjustment of the television to individual needs. With support for G-Sync and FreeSync technologies, users of NVIDIA and AMD graphics cards will be pleased with the refresh rate synchronisation capabilities, eliminating tearing and stuttering issues, thereby providing a smoother and more immersive gaming experience.

MQLED85/C765 is a television that combines advanced technologies and excellent support for gamers, making it the perfect choice for those who wish to maximise their gaming experiences.

Aside from the previously mentioned drawback related to the VRR mode, in which local dimming does not work, the Panasonic W95B is a true gaming monster. The television offers practically everything that gamers can expect – perhaps except for four HDMI 2.1 ports, as there are only two available. Onboard, we find an auto low latency mode (ALLM), properly implemented HDR modes for gamers, including HGiG, as well as support for Dolby Vision in games. It is all complemented by an interestingly designed Game Bar, presented in the form of circles. While it may not be the most visually attractive, it serves its purpose – allowing quick access to key game parameters and adjusting settings without entering the system menu.