TCL P7K / P79K vs Samsung U8000F (VA)

When turning to the assessment of HDR performance, we must be clear and without marketing embellishments: the P7K/P79K is not, and was never intended to be, a master in this field. The maximum peak brightness that this panel can generate hovers around a mere 300 nits. This represents a threshold, a kind of thin red line between what can be considered a barely satisfactory HDR signal and what is, in fact, not much different from standard dynamic range (SDR), unfortunately leaning towards the latter. Synthetic tests found brutal confirmation in reality – our measurements taken during movie screenings showed that luminance in key bright portions of the scenes rarely exceeded the ceiling of 200-250 nits. Thus, this is not a television that would allow content realised in a wide tonal range to spread its wings, and this must be openly admitted.

Unfortunately, the issue of colour reproduction is presented with equal restraint. Although the manufacturer positions this model within the "QLED" family, thanks to the use of a PFS LED filter, the results do not match the heightened expectations. The coverage of the wide DCI-P3 colour gamut reaches only 86%. In the context of the market, this is at best an average result, as most devices that employ additional layers to expand the colour spectrum easily achieve values at a minimum level of 90-92%.

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.

Every accurate assessment of image quality must begin with selection of the most optimal factory mode. In the case of the tested model P7K/P79K, the choice was made without hesitation for the "Film" mode. It is this mode that presents an image closest to the intentions of the creators, avoiding both the exaggerated brightness of the dynamic mode and the excessive dimming known from eco settings. And it must be admitted that, for a device in this price range, the factory calibration is surprisingly decent, although it has not escaped a few missteps. The most noticeable flaw turned out to be the not completely correctly set white balance. A slight dominance of the blue component gives the image a subtly cool, cold character, thus deviating from the exemplary neutrality that the director wanted to show us. The television performs much better in reproducing the greyscale in the standard dynamic range – the gamma curve is nearly exemplary. The only minor reservation could be made regarding the darkest parts of the image, where a slight deviation from the norm causes a loss of some detail in the shadows. The most serious challenge for the TCL software, however, was interpreting the HDR signal, as illustrated by the course of the EOTF curve. The television follows its own, quite free path here – the darkest details are disproportionately brightened, after which there is a noticeable slowdown in the increase of brightness for midtones. Fortunately, most of these imperfections are software-related issues that can be eliminated. With this thought in mind, we began the process of professional calibration.

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.

The calibration process turned out to be spot on, particularly in the context of standard dynamic range (SDR) content. We successfully mitigated the television's tendency to emphasize cool tones, restoring the whiteness to its natural neutrality. Moreover, precise adjustments allowed us to correct a slight error in the gamma curve, ensuring that the darkest parts of the image regained their proper depth, without any trace of unnatural brightness. The effects are measurable and impressive – in the ColorChecker test, the overwhelming majority of colour reproduction errors fell below the perceptual threshold, achieving a deltaE value of under 2. This is a result that pricier models would not be ashamed of. Unfortunately, when it comes to HDR content, we encounter a barrier in the form of the inherent limitations of the panel itself. And although we managed to bring the colours into line, the software's characteristics mean that the television still adapts brightness in its own way, as evidenced by the persistent, non-standard EOTF curve. In summary, calibration adds immense value, but one must be aware that it cannot overcome certain physical barriers. The slightly elevated black level, due to the lack of local dimming, along with limited peak brightness, means that HDR content may not always be able to showcase its full potential. This is simply not the primary task of this display; its true strength, especially after professional tuning, lies in the viewing of SDR material.

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.

After a series of harsh evaluations, fortunately, the time comes for praise, and this is due to the TCL AiPQ image processor for its work in the field of digital processing and content scaling. It should be noted right away that we are not talking about the level known from flagship designs; however, in the price segment represented by the P7K/P79K, the results achieved are more than solid. The feature for smoothing tonal transitions performs particularly well, effectively eliminating posterisation, which are the characteristic bands often visible in highly compressed materials, for example, from the ChooseTV service. The algorithm adeptly removes unwanted gradients, which ultimately looks really good. The television also handles upscaling competently, which is the task of elevating low-resolution materials to 4K standard. The resulting image, although it may initially seem a bit too sharp, fortunately, is not a problem. The software allows for free adjustment of this parameter using a sharpness slider, making it easy to customise the final appearance to personal preferences.

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".

The issue of fluidity and sharpness of the image in motion is inextricably linked to a fundamental parameter of the matrix, and in the case of the TCL P7K/P79K, we are dealing with a panel with a native refresh rate of 60 Hz. This specification defines its capabilities from the outset and makes it difficult to unequivocally recommend it to enthusiasts of dynamic sports broadcasts. During fast camera movements, the image loses sharpness, and the panel also shows a slight tendency to smearing, which may be noticeable to more sensitive viewers. Fortunately, not everything in this aspect has been left to chance. The manufacturer has implemented a simple motion smoothing system, which is primarily used in film material recorded at 24 or 30 frames per second. Thanks to a dedicated slider, users can decide for themselves the final character of the motion – from maintaining a fully cinematic, slightly juddery image to achieving a very smooth, almost theatrical effect. It is a simple but effective tool that allows users to tailor the viewing experience to their own preferences.

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.

Although on paper the native 4K@60Hz panel might suggest that the TCL P7K/P79K is not a television tailored for gamers, the reality is surprisingly different. On the contrary, the manufacturer has ensured a rich package of features that make it a very friendly companion for next-generation consoles. Onboard, we find key technologies such as ALLM, which provides automatic switching to low latency mode, and VRR, or variable refresh rate, which eliminates screen tearing. The list is complemented by support for Dolby Vision Gaming and a simple yet functional Game Bar. However, the real and extremely pleasant surprise is something else. It turns out that the television easily supports a high refresh rate signal of 120 Hz but at lower resolutions – 1080p and 1440p. This is fantastic news for console owners, who know well how rarely games run in native 4K at a full 120 frames per second. The ability to choose between higher resolution and doubled smoothness is therefore an extremely sensible compromise.

In summary, although the P7K/P79K may not be the target screen for the most passionate tournament players, for the casual or occasional console user, it offers a package of options that is hard to find among many competitors at this price.

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.