Philips PUS8359 (VA) vs Samsung Q8F

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

In terms of brightness, the Samsung Q8F performs surprisingly well for a television without local dimming. It measures up to 500 nits, which practically means that most movie and series scenes look pleasant, and it definitely cannot be accused of lacking the "HDR effect." In films like Life of Pi or The Meg, the screen was able to glow and deliver light effects at a satisfying level. It struggles more during challenging moments—with dark frames containing single bright points. The global dimming used causes the television to darken the image to maintain deep blacks, but at the cost of detail brightness. This is clearly visible in the scene from Sicario 2, where the helicopter lights dropped to around 200 nits. This is a conscious design decision that gives the impression of deeper blacks but somewhat takes away from the brilliance of individual elements, and this should simply be kept in mind. When it comes to color reproduction, the Q8F utilizes quantum dot technology, which broadens the color range. A DCI-P3 coverage of 91% can be considered a decent result, although it is not a record-breaking achievement compared to other QLEDs.

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 decided to check the Filmmaker mode because it provided us with the best picture right out of the box. However, this does not mean it was perfect. The white balance had too much blue and red tint, causing the white to take on a slight purple-pink hue. Such an imbalance affected the visibility of practically all colors, as can be seen in the comparison photo below. The brightness characteristic in SDR content was quite well adjusted, although in HDR materials, we noticed that the television did not always manage its global dimming—at times, the screen was too dim, while at other times it suddenly brightened. Fortunately, issues related to colors can be effectively corrected with calibration tools, so we decided to get to work.

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.

After calibration, we managed to correct the white balance almost to perfection. Older SDR content looks stunning — most errors are within a threshold of 2, which is definitely below the human eye's perception limit. In HDR, we also brought the white balance to the correct level, but a different problem arises here. So why are there still relatively large errors in color reproduction? This is mainly due to the limited color palette and the way the television manages brightness. The applied global dimming technique does not give the user control in the settings, so when analyzing the EOTF curve in HDR films, it is clear that the Q8F can independently modify luminance. This can be considered a certain limitation, but despite this, the image after calibration is still much more enjoyable than in the factory version.

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.

Let's see how the Q8F handles older content, which often has poor quality. Let's start with the positives: the upscaling, which means raising the image to a higher resolution, works really well. The TV handles both classic television and materials from YouTube without giving the impression that we are dealing with something completely unattractive. Materials in very low resolutions, such as 576p, perform worse — the image can be cropped, and unfortunately, the overscan phenomenon cannot be turned off. However, the digital processing itself looks worse too. The noise reduction function, instead of removing unwanted interference, smooths out almost everything: film grain (which is desirable for many viewers) disappears along with the texture of the image, and the faces of the actors begin to resemble characters from cheap Turkish soap operas. It is therefore hard to consider this option useful — it's best to leave it completely turned off. Perhaps Samsung will refine the operation of this feature in updates, but for now, it’s difficult to regard it as anything other than an unnecessary addition.

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.

Due to the 60 Hz panel, it's hard to call the Q8F a television made for gaming or watching sports. The panel isn't particularly fast, making motion blur clearly visible. If you were counting on spectacular, almost "stadium-like" experiences during broadcasts, you might feel a slight disappointment. Fortunately, in the case of movies and series, Samsung has not abandoned motion smoothing features. This is nothing other than a motion smoother that allows improving the fluidity of productions recorded at 24 or 30 frames per second. Thanks to this, one can decide whether they prefer a smoother, "television" image or to maintain a cinematic quality. It all depends on the viewer's preferences, and the ability to adjust this parameter is undoubtedly a plus.

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.

It is not entirely clear what Samsung has mixed up this year with its televisions, but the Q8F is not free from all the confusion with updates and shortcomings. While its older cousin, the Q67D, could still be recommended to casual gamers with a clear conscience, it's hard to find a reason to do so here. Aside from the automatic game mode and the attractively designed Game Bar, we practically get nothing that could attract gamers. The lack of proper HGiG implementation is a big problem, especially since function simply disappeared after the 1126 update. The issue with VRR is even worse. Although it is featured in the manufacturer's brochures and appears in the Game Bar, we couldn't activate it. The Xbox Series X console did not allow it to be activated at all, and the option remained grayed out and inactive. It's hard to praise such a television even to casual gamers, which is a shame because Samsung has had a strong bargaining chip in the gaming segment for years.