Hisense E7Q / E79Q vs TCL V6C

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.

When it comes to HDR, the TCK V6C clearly shows that it is not its strong suit. Peak brightness around 200 nits makes it difficult to talk about true HDR effects – the image simply remains too dark to extract details in bright scenes or convey the appropriate dynamics. Although the TV formally supports many HDR formats, in practice it is not adapted for such demanding content. The lack of additional coatings that enhance colors, such as QLED or PFS LED, further limits the appeal of the image – in more spectacular productions, colors may seem washed out compared to more expensive models. Therefore, the V6C will primarily serve as a television for everyday TV, YouTube, or SDR materials, rather than as equipment for high-quality cinematic experiences.

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.

We started the color reproduction tests with the Filmmaker mode, which in theory should be the best choice right after taking the television out of the box. It certainly performs better than the Eco or Dynamic modes, which heavily interfere with the image and spoil its natural character. As you can see in the charts, the factory tuning of the V6C is not ideal, although it’s not a disaster either. The biggest problem turned out to be a lack of red – the television clearly "cools" the image, which is particularly noticeable on human faces, giving a "corpse skin" effect. This issue was the most bothersome in daily viewing. Looking at the color palette in HDR content, the deficiencies in red are also noticeable, and their source is the relatively narrow coverage of the color space. Of course, every television can be calibrated, so we decided to check how the V6C would perform after such an adjustment.

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.

My dear friends – we haven't had such a difficult "calibration battle" in years. The V6C turned out to be one of the most stubborn TVs we've dealt with in the editorial office. The calibration trials alone took us several working hours and required a lot of patience. We finally managed to slightly warm up the skin tones, which made the faces stop looking like they were straight out of a horror film, a flaw in the factory settings. Unfortunately, that's not the end of it – the TV reacted to our adjustments in white balance in a completely unpredictable way. Where we expected image stabilization in a given area, new errors appeared, and the Color Checker measurements showed deviations that couldn't be rationally explained. It's hard to say whether the software or the construction itself was to blame, but one thing is certain – the V6C offered exceptionally strong resistance. In the end, the calibration brought improvement, especially in SDR content, where the image became more pleasant and natural. However, it must be clearly stated that the design limitations remained. The TV still flattens the image in HDR material and has significant deficiencies in color reproduction. This is equipment rather intended for everyday TV watching or SDR materials than for cinematic screenings in the highest quality.

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 upscaling, the V6C does not bring anything groundbreaking. Lower quality content is heavily sharpened, making the image look very unnatural, sometimes even artificially. This can be partially mitigated by lowering the sharpness level in the settings, but the effect is not spectacular. The image still remains far from ideal. The digital processing itself performs better. The function responsible for smoothing tonal transitions works quite effectively, especially at the medium setting, where the image indeed appears smoother. Unfortunately, its operation is quite aggressive – it heavily interferes with the overall scene, causing the actors in the foreground to start looking like characters from super smooth telenovelas. Therefore, we would not recommend using this option if natural reception of the image is important to us.

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.

Motion smoothing and motion fluidity is an area where the V6C quickly reveals its limitations. It is a 60 Hz TV, so it was hard to expect miracles here. In dynamic sports scenes, the picture comes off rather average. This is most noticeable in darker scenes, where clear smears and blurry "halos" trail behind moving objects, which can be quite distracting. This is definitely a weaker point of this model. Fortunately, there is also a small plus. The V6C is equipped with motion interpolation, which works while watching movies. Thanks to it, productions recorded at 24 frames per second, meaning practically all cinematic titles as well as series, can look smoother than they were actually recorded. Importantly, the intensity of the effect can be adjusted to personal preferences – from slight smoothing to full "soap opera effect."

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.

Although the V6C is not a television designed with avid gamers in mind, TCL has included a few features that may appeal to more casual users. There is no 120 Hz panel or HDMI 2.1 ports, but there is an ALLM mode that automatically switches the TV to low-latency mode. Additionally, there is a quite practical Game Bar – a simple panel that allows you to view basic parameters, change the picture mode, or even enable a virtual crosshair on the screen. An interesting feature is also the support for Dolby Vision Gaming, intended for Xbox Series S/X consoles – a nice addition, though in practice it doesn't offer as much as in more expensive models. However, the biggest problem remains HDR configuration. The HGiG feature, which adjusts the brightness and contrast of games to the panel's capabilities, does not respond as we would expect – the image can end up being overly dark or too flat. As a result, a better solution turns out to be simply playing in SDR mode, where the V6C performs stably and does not try to pretend to be an HDR TV.