Philips PUS8500 vs Hisense E7Q PRO / E79Q PRO

When it comes to HDR performance on the PUS8560, one can confidently say that it is quite average. The brightness of the panel is around 350 nits, which we consider to be the absolute minimum for viewing content in this format. However, this is not a result that will impress viewers looking for the best possible image.

On the plus side, it is worth noting that the PUS8500 series – including the PUS8560/12 we tested – is marketed as a QLED television. And indeed, we can expect a wider color gamut here. This model is equipped with an additional filter (PFS), and the coverage of the DCI-P3 color space at around 90% should be sufficient for the majority of users. This filter works very similarly to quantum dots. As a result, the colors are quite well saturated. It’s not an outstanding result, but perfectly adequate for watching movies and series on streaming platforms.

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.

We tested the TV on the best available factory settings, which is in Film/Filmmaker mode – this is the mode we recommend for everyday viewing. Unfortunately, it is not without its flaws. Both in HD and HDR content, the image had a clear tendency to appear pinkish, caused by too much red and blue in the white balance. Another problem turned out to be excessive brightness of the image, which was confirmed by both the gamma chart and the EOTF curve. This characteristic was responsible for the loss of detail and washed-out colors in more challenging HDR scenes, as we mentioned earlier. Overall, this led to quite significant color reproduction errors – in extreme cases, the delta E value exceeded 7, while the threshold of visible errors for the human eye is about 3. This situation can be improved through calibration, and you can read about its effects below.

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.

The Dutch manufacturer offers quite a large dose of settings in their products, so as usual, we decided to dig a little into them. The effects are immediately visible – we managed to correct the white balance, which made the image stop appearing excessively pink. The brightness characteristics were also partially balanced, of course, within the limits that the television itself allows. The image is no longer overly vibrant, and the overall reception after calibration is definitely better than in the factory settings of the Filmmaker mode.

One could only criticize the characteristics of the EOTF curve, which still indicates that the image tends to lighten materials in HDR format. Despite our efforts, the darkest parts of scenes can still be too bright, and the brightest do not always reach their full contrast potential. However, it must be clearly stated that we are dealing with a typically budget construction – you cannot expect reference-quality reproduction of HDR content from it.

Calibration definitely helped this model – it improved the balance, toned down the aggressive color scheme, and brought the image closer to what one might expect from a well-configured movie mode. However, there are certain limitations that cannot be overlooked.

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.

Philips PUS8560 offers a feature that reduces posterization, hidden under the name "distortion reduction." And while it indeed serves its purpose by smoothing problematic tonal transitions, it operates a bit too broadly. In practice, it affects not only colorful gradients but also softens faces, clothing textures, and furniture surfaces. This decreases the authenticity of the image—especially in films where natural texture is of great importance. However, if someone is looking for smoothing at all costs, it's best to set this option to "Low." For cinema image enthusiasts—definitely not recommended.

On the plus side, the quality of upscaling older materials should be noted—the PUS8560 model handles them surprisingly well. The image maintains a natural softness without artificially enhanced sharpness. It is also worth mentioning that the television correctly displays very low-resolution content, avoiding problems with cropping the edges of the image (so-called overscan).

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 Philips PUS8560 is a television equipped with a 60 Hz refresh rate panel, which already limits its capabilities for displaying dynamic content. Watching sports or playing on a console is not one of the most enjoyable experiences. The situation is further worsened by the lack of any option to improve the smoothness of films. In the menu, we won't find settings that would allow for the activation of a motion smoother or even a slight motion smoothing in films recorded at 24 frames per second. You can imagine the effect. The picture may look jerky, especially in shots with panoramic camera movements.

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.

Although the Philips PUS8560 is not designed specifically for gamers, the manufacturer decided to equip it with several features that may prove useful when connecting a console. It includes automatic switching to game mode (ALLM), as well as a simple connection status information bar – the so-called Game Bar. While it does not make a particularly strong visual impression, it serves its purpose. The presence of variable refresh rate (VRR), operating in the range of 48 to 60 Hz, might come as a surprise. While this is not a wide range, in the case of less demanding games or titles with unstable fluidity, VRR can help reduce the stuttering effect. However, this is the only element that can be considered above the minimum.

It should be clearly stated that the PUS8560 is not hardware for gamers looking for a responsive screen and full support for modern console features. It lacks HDMI 2.1 ports, the refresh rate is limited to 60 Hz, and the panel's response time is not among the fastest. This model may be suitable at most for casual gamers who want to enjoy the Ambilight system.

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.