Hisense E7Q / E79Q vs SHARP JP7765E

Hisense E7Q / E79Q is a television with average brightness, whose peak luminance level is around 350-380 nits. This is an absolute minimum that allows for watching HDR content in a way that is close to the creators' intentions, although without a clear "wow" effect. The results of synthetic tests on white images have been confirmed in practice – in movie scenes, the bright parts of the image are stable and fairly uniform, but it is hard to speak of a true "lighting impact" here. In everyday use, for example, while watching Netflix or YouTube, the HDR effect is acceptable and is completely sufficient for most users. However, it must be stated clearly – this is not the level of top screens, and one should not expect that at this price point. Fortunately, the Hisense E7Q / E79Q has an advantage that allows it to gain quite a few points: it is a PFS LED QLED panel, utilizing an additional phosphor layer that improves color reproduction. The measured range of the DCI-P3 palette is around 92%, which means that the colors in most scenes are vibrant, well-saturated, and pleasing to the eye, especially for this price range.

So how does the brightness of the Sharp JP7 perform in the most demanding titles? Honestly: at first, we were quite surprised. The television is capable of achieving over 1000 nits of brightness, which is an outstanding and rarely seen result for a device costing just under 2000 zł (for 55 inches). Watching bright, full-screen scenes, one can get the impression that we are dealing with truly good equipment. However, unfortunately, we must return to the problem we mentioned earlier regarding local dimming management. When small, bright elements appear on a dark background on the screen (like in the test scenes from Life of Pi or Sicario 2), it is noticeable how poorly the JP7 handles the zones. The television dims them almost to the maximum, stifling the whole HDR effect, which at such moments resembles a flat SDR image (less than 200 nits). This instability makes the image on the JP7 unfortunately lose its appeal in demanding, contrast-heavy films.

As a consolation, it is worth noting that the panel has the potential for good color display. A PFS (phosphor) filter has been implemented here, allowing the coverage of the DCI-P3 palette to reach a solid 94%. The manufacturer calls its product a “QLED,” even though it is mainly based technologically on the aforementioned PFS filter. Considering the recent market battles among manufacturers about what can and cannot be called QLED, we leave the issue of the correctness of this naming to your judgment. However, it remains a fact that the potential for reproducing saturated colors in this panel is simply good.

In Filmmaker mode, the Hisense E7Q / E79Q television was able to really surprise positively. Even after the first measurements, it turned out that the white balance is quite well calibrated, and the only minor deviation was a slight tendency toward a purple hue, which we mentioned earlier. However, this did not significantly affect the overall character of the image – it remained coherent and pleasant to perceive. A much larger problem turned out to be the brightness characteristics (gamma) in SDR content and the EOTF curve in HDR films. The television clearly brightened the image, flattening the contrast and taking away its depth. Gamma values could drop from the reference 2.4 down to about 1.9, making the image appear as if it were covered with a thin, milky layer. Fortunately, this is a problem that can be relatively easily corrected through calibration.

When it comes to out-of-the-box colors, the Sharp JP7 was tested in Film mode, which traditionally offers the most consistent image compared to the yellowed “Eco” mode or the glaring blue of the “Dynamic” mode. Although this is the best choice among the available settings, the results are still far from ideal. The white balance clearly lacked red and blue components, causing many scenes to take on an unnatural, greenish tint. Another issue was the gamma – during fullscreen scenes, the television provides too much brightness, completely stripping away its cinematic character. All of this translated into color reproduction errors, particularly with shades of gray, which exceeded Delta E 10. Just to remind: errors above 2-3 are already noticeable to the human eye, so here we are dealing with a significant distortion of reality.

In HDR mode, the situation is reversed but not any better. Here, the blue color dominates the white balance, giving the image an unnatural, almost “store-like” sharpness reminiscent of aggressive demo modes. Furthermore, the measurements of the EOTF curve emphasize the store-like nature of the image. The graph clearly shows that the television generates an image significantly brighter than the standards predict, resulting in an artificially boosted and unrealistic final effect. The Sharp JP7 is evidently trying to appear stronger than it actually is, but it does so at the expense of fidelity to the content.

The biggest beneficiary of calibration for the Hisense E7Q / E79Q turned out to be the SDR mode without a doubt. It managed to achieve nearly perfect picture quality – most errors in the Color Checker test dropped below a value of 3, and often even below 2, which is a remarkable result for this class of equipment. The greatest improvement came from aligning the brightness characteristic (gamma), making the picture no longer look washed out and regaining its natural depth. In HDR content, colors were also improved, and the purple tint we mentioned earlier was eliminated, but errors in the Color Checker measurements were still noticeable. This is due to the fact that – as is often the case with Hisense televisions – the screen manipulates brightness quite strongly, oversaturating some colors. This was also indicated by the EOTF curve, which was slightly above the reference values, suggesting these minor problems with excessive brightening. Despite this flaw and the construction limitations that arise with HDR content, the Hisense E7Q / E79Q gained a lot after calibration. In everyday use, the television presents a cohesive, natural, and pleasant-to-the-eye picture, and the difference compared to factory settings is truly vast.

We subjected the JP7 to our standard calibration procedure and truly... the television gained a new life thanks to it, especially in SDR content (YouTube, classic television, series, or older movies). Because we managed to accurately set the white balance and stabilize the gamma, color errors dropped to a value of below 3. This is a level at which the human eye has trouble detecting discrepancies. In this scenario, the Sharp JP7 delivers an image with really great color accuracy, which is a significant advantage in this price range. However, the content in HDR turned out to be much more problematic. Here, despite our efforts and adjustments to the settings, the television simply did not want to cooperate. In the JP7 menu, we cannot find any option that would allow for real control over brightness management (EOTF). Although a significant portion of color errors was reduced, the image still remained unnaturally oversaturated. It's a pity because the potential of the mini-LED backlit panel is large, but the software presents a clear barrier.

The conclusion is simple: when watching less demanding content (SDR) on the JP7, you can expect an image that is more than satisfactory, but in HDR, you have to come to terms with a certain degree of "artificiality" that cannot be overcome even with professional equipment.

In the case of Hisense E7Q / E79Q, upscaling and digital image processing are not the strongest features of this television. It is clear that the manufacturer opted for simplicity rather than advanced image processing algorithms. The television does not offer any functions for smoothing tonal transitions or systems for improving image clarity, which means that lower resolution materials simply look very raw. On the screen, subtle compression edges can be noticed, which better processors in other models can effectively hide.

During tests of HD materials, we noticed that the E7Q tries to artificially enhance detail, which sometimes works and sometimes has the opposite effect – the image becomes soft, slightly smeared, at times even "watery." There is no aggressive sharpening that ruins naturalness, but there is also no finesse in detailing that better image processors offer.

When it comes to lower quality materials and how the Sharp JP7 handles them, the situation is ambiguous. Let's start with the upscaling – here we have no major objections. The process of scaling the image to a higher resolution is correct; the image remains readable and clear, without the overscan effect or cropped edges. Of course, this is not at the level of top models and at times one can notice slight jaggedness on the contours, but in this price range, the effect is fully acceptable.

However, the digital image processing itself is significantly worse, as aside from the scaling, it virtually does not exist. In the JP7 menu, we won't find any option that would effectively smooth out unwanted tonal transitions or reduce noise in the image. As a result, the signal reaches the matrix in a very raw form, which, with heavily compressed materials (e.g., from YouTube), leads to visible posterization. Either this is a flaw in the software or a very strange design decision, as in earlier Sharp models, this feature was available and, more importantly, worked with noticeable effect. Here we are left at the mercy of what the source provides, without any digital support from the image processor.

Hisense E7Q / E79Q is a television with a 60 Hz screen, so 4K sports fans may feel a slight disappointment – we simply won't see such smooth images here as in more expensive models with higher refresh rates. Fortunately, when it comes to movies, the situation is much better. Cinematic materials recorded at 24 frames per second can be displayed here using a motion smoothing feature, allowing the user to adjust the image to their preferences – more cinematic with a visible frame or smoother, in a theatrical style.

The motion fluidity on the Sharp JP7 is very mediocre, and the reason is simple: the television uses a 60Hz panel. This immediately makes it difficult to recommend for watching sports or serious gaming, where higher refresh rates are already the standard. The only real plus is the presence of a motion smoother, which we can control in movies using a slider called De-judder. Lower settings produce a more raw, "cinematic" (frame-based) image, while higher settings add artificial fluidity. We suggest setting it somewhere in the middle of the scale, that is, in the 3-5 range – this is the best compromise to avoid the soap opera effect while getting rid of the tiring image stutter. Interestingly, in the menu, we also find a slider for "motion blur reduction," which usually suggests the presence of a 120Hz panel. However, in the case of the JP7, it does not contribute anything to the image and serves more as a placeholder – it is meant to look good in the settings, but technically it should not function on this panel.

Hisense E7Q / E79Q is truly a successful television for gamers, even though it doesn't support 4K signal at 120 Hz. However, the manufacturer has included a set of features that until recently could only be found in more expensive models. There is ALLM, or automatic switching to low-latency mode, which allows the television to activate game mode with very low input lag. We also have VRR, functioning up to 60 Hz – this may not seem impressive on paper, but in practice, it is fully sufficient, as most games on consoles do not exceed this limit. All these settings can be quickly found in the Game Bar panel, a convenient menu created specifically for gamers. From this level, you can change picture modes, turn on a frame rate counter, or even… a crosshair on the screen – in the Vidaa system humorously named "target point," which is a result of awkward translation by the Chinese manufacturer.

Particularly praiseworthy is the ability to play in 1080p at 120 Hz, which realistically improves the smoothness and responsiveness of the image. This way, if someone wants to play a few titles at a higher refresh rate, they can simply lower the resolution and enjoy significantly smoother motion. Despite the lack of 4K@120Hz, Hisense E7Q / E79Q really performs well as a television for gamers – especially those who are not looking for perfection, but a solid and fast screen for everyday gaming.

As we mentioned earlier, the 60Hz panel is not a feature that will attract gamers to the Sharp JP7. Perhaps for the casual gamer, whose console generates most titles at 60 frames per second, there might be something interesting? When it comes to specific additions, we find:

• ALLM Mode: Automatically switches the TV to low latency game mode (input lag).

• Game Menu: Which is hard to call a full-fledged “Game Bar,” as its functionality is minimal. Besides enabling ALLM, there is only a smoothness enhancer dedicated to games, which we recommend against because it introduces very noticeable artifacts and spoils the responsiveness.

• Dolby Vision Gaming: For Microsoft's consoles.

Unfortunately, the list of shortcomings is much longer and more painful than the positives. The biggest disappointment is the lack of support for 120Hz, even when lowering the resolution to Full HD. The presence of 120Hz would allow for performance modes to be activated in many games on PS5 or Xbox Series X. Another absence is VRR, which means that during frame drops, we are susceptible to image tearing. The lack of proper implementation of the HGiG standard is also very problematic. This results in the fact that during HDR calibration in the console menu, it is very easy to “overshoot” the brightness settings. As a result, instead of clear details in highlights, we end up with an unnaturally over-brightened image with cut-off details. The Sharp JP7 is a proposal only for very casual gamers.