Philips PUS8500 vs TCL V6C

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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, 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.

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.

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."

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.

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.