Samsung DU7192 (VA) vs Philips PUS8500

The peak brightness of the television is about 280 nits on the luminance charts. Unfortunately, this value is too low to fully enjoy the effects of HDR, which require significantly higher luminance. In the tested materials, such as The Meg or Gemini Man, the lack of adequate brightness significantly limits the magic of HDR, and the details in the brighter parts of the image are not sufficiently exposed. For users primarily consuming SDR content, this level of quality may be acceptable, but it is definitely insufficient when it comes to HDR. Additionally, the coverage of the DCI-P3 color palette at 82% does not favor the presentation of HDR content in its full glory. The limited color gamut makes it difficult for the television to reproduce vibrant and diverse colors, which is crucial for achieving a cinematic experience.

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.

The best factory mode we relied on during testing turned out to be "Filmmaker." Although this mode is the closest to the intentions of filmmakers, it is not without certain imperfections. The white balance chart shows a clear dominance of red in both SDR and HDR, resulting in significant yellowness, particularly noticeable in whites and on the actors' faces. In HDR mode, there is additionally a slight dominance of green, which, however, does not have as much impact on the overall perception of the image. The gamma, responsible for brightness in SDR materials, performed quite well, but with one serious caveat. In the darkest areas of the image, it was too low, leading to excessive brightness in those scenes, depriving the film of drama and contrast. In HDR, the white balance remains at a similar level, but the EOTF curve chart draws attention. At the beginning, the curve clearly bulges, leading to strong brightness in the darkest scenes. Then the result drops sharply below the reference line, resulting in an image that is too dark and a loss of dynamics in the brighter areas.

To summarize, the "Filmmaker" mode, despite its advantages, requires refinement – especially regarding white balance and proper management of brightness in the darkest and brightest areas of the image. In its current form, it may be acceptable for less demanding users, but for viewers expecting precise image reproduction, it may leave much to be desired.

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.

Even with its lower models, Samsung offers extensive tools for image calibration, allowing for significant improvement of factory settings. We undertook this task, and the results proved to be more than satisfactory. The white balance, which previously exhibited strong yellowing in both SDR and HDR, has been significantly improved. Although minor deviations from the norm can be observed, the overall effect is much cleaner and more natural than before calibration. As a result, whites and skin tones look much better. We also managed to appropriately model the gamma in SDR materials, allowing for maximum contrast that this television can offer. The EOTF curve, responsible for HDR materials, has also been improved – the image is no longer brightened or darkened as drastically as it was before calibration. Despite these successes, HDR materials still struggle with high deltaE error values. The main cause lies in the limited brightness of the television, which does not allow for a full representation of HDR content dynamics. Nevertheless, after calibration, the picture is clearly better and more aligned with the creators' intent. For users seeking the best possible quality in this class of equipment, calibration is definitely recommended.

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.

The tonal smooth transition function operates in two modes – "off" and "auto." Turning it off causes gradation issues, while the "auto" mode provides smooth transitions but at the expense of grain and details that are often blurred. Due to these limitations, we do not recommend using this function, as confirmed by our tests conducted with it turned off.

Scaling lower resolution materials in this model is not impressive. Details are blurred, and the edges of objects may contain artifacts. This limitation means that the television is better suited for higher resolution content.

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).

Although the Samsung DU7192 is the lowest model in the manufacturer's offer, it is equipped with a motion smoothing system. While the functionality of this solution is significantly limited compared to more expensive models, its mere presence distinguishes the television from competitors in this price range. The television supports a maximum refresh rate of 60 Hz, which is sufficient for comfortable viewing of movies and series, but may be inadequate for dynamic content such as sports. In the motion smoothing menu, we find, among others, the "Motion Blur Reduction" function. Unfortunately, its performance leaves much to be desired – regardless of the setting, the image exhibits characteristic stuttering known from material recorded at 24 frames per second, which makes this function practically fail to fulfill its role.

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.

The Samsung DU7192 is equipped with HDMI 2.0 ports, which is expected in this price range. This limitation means a lack of support for the full capabilities of the latest generation consoles, such as VRR technologies. The television only offers basic features for gamers – automatic switching to low latency mode (ALLM) and support for basic HDR for games in the HGiG standard. HGiG allows for displaying HDR content in games according to manufacturers' guidelines; however, the limited brightness of the television does not allow for fully enjoying the effects that this standard offers. Unfortunately, there is a lack of conveniences such as GameBar, which is increasingly found even in cheaper models and greatly facilitates quick adjustments of settings for games. The presence of this feature could significantly enhance user comfort, especially among those who frequently change display modes.

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.