Philips PUS8359 (VA) vs Blaupunkt UGC5500S

The Philips PUS8359 has low brightness levels; however, dynamic tone mapping works surprisingly well, making it worth praising!

Here, we won't beat around the bush either – if you're looking for a TV strictly for cinematic HDR experiences, you've come to the wrong address. The Blaupunkt UGC5500S unfortunately is not a machine designed for such challenges. This is primarily due to its very low brightness, which we measured during our tests. A result of around 250 nits on film screens speaks for itself. It's simply too little to even talk about any real HDR effect. To be honest, everything displayed here in this format can best be considered a slightly "boosted" SDR mode. We expected this because practically every device in this price range fails in this regard, but we feel obligated to warn you. Manufacturers love to boast about HDR compatibility stickers on the boxes, but in reality, this format simply doesn't exist here – it lacks the "fuel" of brightness.

The situation is made all the more difficult for Blaupunkt because we have a panel with a very basic DCI-P3 color gamut coverage of just around 80%. You won't find any advanced coatings that enhance these capabilities (like quantum dots), making scenes that are supposed to burst with richly saturated colors appear simply desaturated on this screen. Therefore, we have a concrete piece of advice for you: do not push the HDR mode on this model. If you have the option in the streaming app settings – just turn it off. Sticking with the classic SDR mode will ensure that the TV won't try to "enhance" something that it can't handle hardware-wise.

The best factory mode for fidelity to the source material was the "Film" mode, which we used during our tests. As with all factory modes in televisions, it has flaws, and we’ll now examine what went wrong in both SDR and HDR materials. In both cases, the white balance showed an excessive dominance of green and red, resulting in a yellowish tint across the entire image. This caused issues such as yellowed whites and problems with skin tones. This was clearly illustrated on the "ColourChecker" palette, where each tested sample shifted towards warmer equivalents. The foundation of the image lies in contrast and black levels, represented by gamma charts and the EOTF curve. Looking at the gamma chart, we saw a real rollercoaster, with both elevated and lowered gamma. The elevated gamma caused visibility issues in blacks, while the lowered gamma led to a dramatic drop in contrast. In this context, the EOTF curve performed significantly better, as it only mildly brightened the image.

We also took a close look at how Blaupunkt handles colors in movie mode, and here the situation is, to put it briefly, twofold. We must clearly separate what we see in the standard SDR format from what happens when HDR is turned on, as these are two completely different worlds. Let’s start with the better side of the coin. If you plan to watch classic television, YouTube, or older movies on this TV, you can count on really well-tuned colors. In our test sample, the white balance in movie mode was exceptionally accurate, which honestly surprised us. Of course, to not make it too rosy, we noticed some flaws. Looking at the gamma charts, we observed that the processor struggles with properly dimming the image in its brightest parts. Additionally, there is quite strong, at times too aggressive, red saturation, which resulted in noticeable errors in reproducing certain shades. Nevertheless, in general terms, the image in SDR is simply solid and watchable without a grimace on your face. Unfortunately, the magic fades when we re-enter the world of HDR. Here, Blaupunkt behaves as if we suddenly switched it to store mode, and in its worst form. The excess blue in the white balance is so overwhelming that it literally clashes with the eyes, ruining any realism of the scene. Furthermore, the TV interprets brightness very loosely, which, when analyzing the EOTF curve, clearly showed that for most of the time the colors appear simply washed out and lacking depth. This is, by the way, perfectly visible in the color errors that become evident in this mode. Once again, we are left with the same conclusion: Blaupunkt in SDR mode looks significantly better and more natural than in HDR, which feels forced and not properly refined.

Philips offers a wide range of image calibration tools in its higher-end and more affordable models. We used these tools, but the process was not as straightforward as many might expect. While we adjusted the white balance, significantly improved the gamma, and refined the EOTF curve in both SDR and HDR content, the deltaE errors remained extremely high. Several factors contribute to this situation, including the limited coverage of the DCI-P3 colour gamut and the unit's maximum brightness in HDR materials.

It may sound like a joke – pulling out professional measurement equipment for a television costing around a thousand zlotys / 250 dollars – but we wouldn't be ourselves if we didn't check it out. The question is: does such cheap equipment give us any room for calibration? To your surprise, the answer is yes, and absolutely so. In the Blaupunkt UGC5500S menu, we found surprisingly many options that allowed us to really work on the picture. These are not just empty sliders; they are concrete tools that enabled us to make use of our measurement sensors and software. In SDR mode, the effects were noticeable to the naked eye. We successfully eliminated the issue we mentioned earlier – that excessive, almost artificial saturation of reds. We also fixed the problem of incorrect dimming of the brightest parts of the image. After calibration, the standard format picture became much more balanced and simply correct. As for HDR, the situation was again more complicated. Although we managed to "tame" that aggressive blue tint in the white balance, it was evident that we were fighting a bit in vain. Even after changing the settings, the television still tried to intervene in the image in its own way, as if the electronics knew better than we did how the scene should look. Additionally, there's a hardware barrier that no slider can overcome – colors in HDR still remain unsaturated. This simply results from the quality of the panel itself; it physically cannot produce the most vibrant colors. To summarize this point: if any of you ask whether it’s possible to calibrate a television for "a thousand," we respond with full conviction: it is possible.

In this paragraph, we will take a look at two functionalities. We will once again look at the function responsible for tonal transitions, but we will also check how the television handles image scaling. The option responsible for smooth gradation is called "Distortion Reduction." As we have established, it quite effectively smooths out imperfections. However, we need to point out two things: we cannot enable it for HDR material and it blurs details in films.

The tested television cannot boast the best image scaling. There is a noticeable overall blurriness of the image, but what is worse, it blurs details. This is particularly visible on the branches and the model's hair. Additionally, a characteristic white halo can often be seen surrounding characters.

If you expect that the processor in this model will magically "fix" the poor quality signal from cable TV or old films from YouTube, we must disappoint you. The capabilities of this television end with absolutely basic upscaling, which is simply stretching the image to a higher resolution. It does this correctly in that the image is not blurry, but there is no talk of any intelligent sharpening or adding details. Worse still, Blaupunkt is completely devoid of any functions that reduce unwanted tonal transitions. If the material being viewed has so-called banding (ugly "steps" instead of a smooth transition of colors, e.g., in the sky), this television will display them in all their glory. Additionally, the television tends to slightly crop the edges of the image. Instead of displaying 100% of what the source sends, Blaupunkt slightly enlarges the frame, causing us to lose details located at the very edges of the screen. In summary: in the category of digital "enhancement" of the image, Blaupunkt simply performs poorly. We receive a raw, unprocessed signal with all its flaws.

The Philips PUS8359 is not the best choice for watching sports. This is primarily due to the absence of even a basic motion smoothing feature, which given the price point, is not entirely surprising. Additionally, the television uses a VA panel, which, while offering high contrast, is not known for its sharpness or fast response times. As demonstrated in our analysis, fast-moving scenes often result in noticeable blurring, a common issue with this type of panel.

Although it is not an ideal option, the TV can be used for sports viewing with some compromises, particularly regarding motion sharpness. It's also worth noting that films are prone to stuttering since the TV lacks any form of motion smoothing, even the most basic functionality.

When it comes to motion fluidity, Blaupunkt has nothing to defend itself with. A 60 Hz panel at this price is standard, so none of us expected a perfectly sharp image during fast action scenes or while watching a game. However, the biggest drawback of this model is that you won't find any digital smoothers in the menu. The manufacturer did not give us any room to maneuver – there's no way to smooth anything out or adjust the image to our preferences. The image is always "raw" and we receive it exactly as the source transmits it. For fans of cinematic "motion jump," this might be fine, but everyone else just has to get used to the absence of any motion support.

Unsurprisingly the Philips PUS8359/12 offers only the most basic support for consoles. When connecting a console, users can rely on features like VRR (Variable Refresh Rate) and ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode). VRR is particularly commendable, as even some higher-end models can struggle with this functionality.

A noteworthy addition is the implementation of a dedicated GameBar, which allows for on-the-fly adjustments without needing to exit the game, minimising unnecessary distractions. This feature also provides options to tailor gameplay for individuals with disabilities, making it a highly commendable inclusion.

When it comes to gaming on the Blaupunkt, we didn’t expect miracles and indeed – the list of features is not very long. However, there are two interesting points worth mentioning, as they may be significant for some of you at this price. The first advantage is that the TV quite efficiently detects the connected console. Thanks to the ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode) feature, the device automatically knows when you start gaming and switches to low latency mode. This is convenient because you don’t have to fiddle with the settings every time to prevent input lag from ruining the fun. The second point is a real curiosity that surprised us. Even though it’s a 60 Hz panel, the Blaupunkt can display images at 120 Hz at Full HD resolution. Sure, we lose 4K details then, but for those playing more dynamic, online shooters where fluidity is more important than resolution, it’s a really nice and unexpected addition in such an inexpensive piece of equipment. Besides these two points, however, you won’t find anything else here. There are no advanced systems for improving fluidity for gamers or extensive gaming menu bars. It’s a simple screen for occasional gaming.