LG UR781 vs Hisense E7Q PRO / E79Q PRO

In HDR mode, the LG UR781 falls short of the brightness expected for high-quality HDR experiences. Tests across multiple panels revealed a brightness of around 200 nits, which aligns more closely with SDR standards. As a result, HDR effects lack the desired impact, with bright and dynamic scenes appearing less striking than they should.

The television also exhibits limitations in colour reproduction under HDR settings. The colours may not appear as intense or rich as those on models that handle wide colour gamuts more effectively, leading to a less vibrant and dynamic image overall. Additionally, the LG UR781 struggles with accurate colour representation in HDR mode, which can result in muted content, particularly during daylight viewing when the image can lose its intensity.

Although the dynamic tone mapping feature helps optimise the image, it does not overcome these shortcomings. For users seeking a truly immersive HDR experience with vivid colours and bright highlights, the LG UR781 may not meet expectations.

If it comes to the quality of the HDR effect, the E7Q PRO is unfortunately not a television that can impress with brightness alone. In real film materials, we measured about 250–300 nits, which is simply too little for HDR to look spectacular. It lacks that "spark" in bright details, flashes, and light effects, and in many HDR scenes, it can resemble better SDR than true cinematic HDR. A consolation in all of this is the colors. We managed to confirm that the E7Q PRO is a PFS type television, meaning it has an additional filter that enhances color gamut coverage. As a result, even if the brightness doesn't deliver, the colors in HDR content can be adequately saturated and pleasant to the eye, without the feeling of a "faded" image.

In Filmmaker Mode, the LG UR781 demonstrates the best factory-calibrated performance but exhibits notable flaws. The primary issue lies in white balance, where the graph indicates a drop in blue levels, resulting in a warmer image with a shift towards yellow tones. This deviation impacts the naturalness of colour reproduction, particularly in scenes with white or neutral backgrounds. The Test Colour Checker confirms that some colours deviate into incorrect shades, leading to a lack of true-to-life representation. This can diminish the realism of film scenes, with certain details appearing in inaccurate colours.

In terms of contrast, the gamma graph reveals a drop to a level of 2.0, below the optimal value of 2.4. This results in darker parts of the image appearing brighter than they should, reducing depth and dynamic range. Additionally, the EOTF curve shows an unnatural spike at the beginning, leading to over-brightness in the brightest areas of the image. This can cause a loss of detail in high-luminance scenes, further impacting the overall image quality.

In terms of color reproduction, we tested the Hisense E7Q Pro in Movie mode, which proved to be the best built-in preset without a doubt. This mode, unlike the Eco, Standard, or Dynamic settings, offers the most natural colors right out of the box. Although no factory mode is completely free of flaws, the E7Q Pro deserves high praise for its color representation in standard SDR content. The color palette is very well tuned here, and errors in Color Checker tests often did not exceed a value of 3, which is an exceptional result rarely seen in such inexpensive TVs. The only drawback we noted in SDR is a tendency to darken some image elements, as indicated by a slightly raised gamma chart. The TV performs somewhat worse with colors in HDR mode. Here, color errors become noticeable to the naked eye, mainly due to a deficiency of blue in the white balance. This causes the colors on the screen to appear too warm, and for some viewers, they may seem “too cinematic.” Of course, to improve these parameters, we proceeded with professional calibration.

After calibration, the LG UR781 demonstrates commendable colour reproduction for SDR content. The calibration effectively improves white balance, yielding natural and balanced tones across various scenes. Gamma adjustments contribute to precise detail representation in shadows and highlights, enhancing overall image clarity. This results in a well-rounded performance for everyday use, with solid colour accuracy and well-balanced imagery in SDR mode.

HDR content, however, reveals the TV's limitations. The lack of support for a wide colour gamut restricts the depth and vibrancy that HDR is capable of. The EOTF curve deviates from the ideal, overemphasising details in bright areas, which introduces inaccuracies in colour representation. Tests using the Colour Checker confirm significant errors in colour reproduction. Additionally, the panel's relatively low brightness exacerbates these issues, diminishing the impact of dynamic range effects and causing colours to appear washed out.

While HDR mode highlights the TV's shortcomings, the improvements after calibration, particularly in SDR performance, are significant. Enhanced white balance and gamma adjustments greatly improve the viewing experience, providing more natural and consistent colour reproduction. Compared to its pre-calibration state, the LG UR781 now offers a much better performance for everyday use, especially in standard dynamic range scenarios.

In the case of materials with a standard color range (SDR), our efforts in Filmmaker mode turned out to be largely cosmetic 😉. We mainly focused on gentle white balance correction and gamma curve adjustment, which allowed us to recover details in the darker parts of the image that previously tended to get lost. It is worth noting, however, that the E7Q Pro unit we tested happened to be exceptionally well-made from the factory. We remind you that these parameters depend on the specific unit – with mass production, factory calibration can be random, so your unit may require slightly different adjustments. The biggest beneficiary of professional calibration was undoubtedly the HDR mode. This is where we did the most work, which yielded spectacular results. We managed to effectively tame the excessive warmth of the image, caused by a factory deficiency of blue color. After calibration, color errors were reduced to a significantly lower level, which will certainly please those who watch a lot of streaming content in HDR format, expecting faithful reproduction.

The tonality smoothing function on the LG UR781 yields mixed results. At the "low" level, it neither enhances image quality nor effectively diminishes film grain, making its impact relatively negligible. Increasing the strength of this function can soften gradations and reduce visible banding, but it risks over-softening the image in certain scenes, which may compromise the overall sharpness and detail.

As for image scaling, the LG UR781 struggles to deliver exceptional performance, particularly with lower-resolution content. The TV employs an artificial sharpness enhancement technique that introduces defined contours to create the illusion of sharper images. While this may appeal to users who prefer pronounced, vivid details, others seeking a more natural and authentic look may find this effect distracting or unrealistic. Ultimately, the perception of these enhancements will depend on personal preferences, with some users valuing the added sharpness and others prioritising natural image quality.

When it comes to upscaling and digital image processing, the E7Q PRO deserves praise. The scaling performs really well here and does not fall drastically behind much more expensive, advanced televisions. Lower-quality materials can look clean and sensible, without the impression that the image is artificially "overdrawn." However, the smoothing function presents a bit worse. It can indeed be effective and improve tonal transitions in low-quality materials, but at the same time, it can introduce unwanted effects. Sometimes it removes film grain or adds unwanted artifacts, giving the image a more "digital" character. Therefore, we mainly recommend it to those who prefer a smoother, less cinematic style of image.

The LG UR781 television provides decent motion fluidity for movies, primarily due to its "True Motion" feature. This option lets users fine-tune motion smoothing on a scale from 0 to 10, catering to different viewing preferences. Lower settings preserve a traditional cinematic effect with some judder, while higher settings create a smoother, more theatrical image. Although the latter deviates from the cinematic standard, it may appeal to viewers who prioritise seamless visuals.

However, performance declines when handling dynamic sports content and fast-paced games. Its 60Hz panel limits interpolation capabilities, meaning motion smoothness in movies can be improved, but motion blur cannot be effectively reduced. The absence of support for 120Hz and BFI (Black Frame Insertion) technology exacerbates this, causing fast-moving objects to blur. Moreover, the panel's slower response time further reduces sharpness in rapid scenes, which can be a drawback for gamers and sports enthusiasts seeking clear, fluid visuals in high-speed scenarios.

In the category of motion blur and fluidity of movement, the E7Q PRO has one very strong argument. At this price, Hisense has added a 120 Hz panel, and in PC mode, it can even operate at 144 Hz. This immediately provides greater possibilities in motion settings, as the menu displays more options for smoothing the image. Among other things, we have frame interpolation options, which allows us to adjust the fluidity for sports or for movies, depending on whether we prefer a more cinematic character or a "theatrical" smoothness.

The LG UR781 provides several features designed to enhance console gaming experiences but comes with notable limitations. On the positive side, it includes the ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode) feature, which automatically switches the TV to a low-latency mode, optimising response times for gaming and benefiting fast-paced titles. The television also supports HGiG, ensuring HDR games are displayed enhancing the overall gaming experience. Additionally, the Game Bar feature allows gamers to quickly access and adjust settings during gameplay, offering added convenience. However, there are significant drawbacks. The TV lacks VRR (Variable Refresh Rate), which may result in screen tearing or stuttering, particularly during dynamic scenes. It also does not support Dolby Vision for gaming, limiting HDR picture quality in titles that use this format. The 60Hz panel restricts gameplay to 60Hz, excluding smoother experiences available at higher refresh rates like 1080p@120Hz, 1440p@120Hz, or 4K@120Hz. The absence of G-Sync or FreeSync technology reduces compatibility with systems designed to synchronise the frame rate between the console and TV, potentially affecting gameplay fluidity. The LG UR781 is a functional choice for casual gamers who value affordability and features like ALLM and HGiG. However, it falls short for those seeking advanced gaming features such as high refresh rates, VRR, or Dolby Vision gaming.

The E7Q PRO is a phenomenal screen for gamers. Aside from the typical "thorn" of Hisense, which is the lack of support for the HGiG format due to the constantly active tone mapping, we practically get everything one might expect from a television that is supposed to have a gaming label. There are two HDMI 2.1 ports, along with a full set of key features. We have variable refresh rates, automatic switching to game mode, and support for 4K at 120 Hz. On top of that, all the most important settings are at hand in a clear Game Bar. This tool not only looks modern but also has a distinctly "gaming" edge and actually makes life easier while playing.