Samsung DU7192 (VA) vs TCL C6KS / C69KS / Q6CS

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.

And how does the issue of HDR look? Here the C6KS performs quite well and – as is becoming a recurring theme in this review – identically to the C6K model. The maximum brightness generated by this television is around 600 nits. In bright scenes, this translates to a really solid, cinematic effect, and generally, the video materials look good here. However, one must remember the specifics of the dimming algorithm in this model. When very small, bright points (e.g., stars) appear against a dark background, the television can dim them quite significantly. The goal is simple: to eliminate blooming and maintain the best possible black levels. It’s a reasonable compromise. Most viewers will definitely appreciate deep, “true black” more than additional micro-details that could cause grayness on the screen. Such is the nature of local dimming technology in this price range, and one must be aware of it. It’s also worth noting that the TCL C69KS (C6KS) has an additional PFS coating, which is marketed under the tagline of QLED technology. Thanks to this, the colors are saturated and vibrant – our measurements showed that the coverage of a wide color gamut reaches 92% here.

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.

Unlike the more expensive C6K model, the tested C6KS does not have an option labeled Filmmaker Mode in the menu. Is this a reason to cry? Absolutely not. Our tests have shown that in practice, in terms of color reproduction, the absence of this specific label makes virtually no difference. The best available Film/Cinema mode here offers nearly identical picture characteristics to the aforementioned Filmmaker mode in the more expensive model. So we get a very similar image, just under a different name. So if you were wondering whether paying extra for the C6K gives you better colors – the answer is: no, in both cases the base is the same and requires slight adjustments.

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.

Thanks to the white balance adjustment, the tendency of the C69KS to distort colors has been effectively reduced, leading to a very good final effect. After calibration, we won't see excessive warmth in SDR scenes or overly cool tones in HDR. However, it's worth noting the brightness characteristic. In SDR content, there are hardly any objections – the image looks very good, especially in older films, television programs, or materials from YouTube. It is much more difficult to evaluate the performance of the television in HDR. Analysis of the EOTF curve suggests correct behavior, but its practical variant shows certain limitations. The C69KS can overly brighten the smallest elements of the frame, while at other times it can dim the entire scene. Calibration has therefore brought clear benefits in terms of color reproduction, but certain limitations arising from the operation of local dimming and the way it is controlled by the C69KS cannot be avoided, as we also saw in the C6K test.

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.

C69KS handles upscaling quite well. The tested 576p material looks surprisingly decent – a significant amount of detail is preserved, and the algorithm adds a subtle "rounding" effect to sharp edges, making the image appear more cohesive. However, the smoothing of tonal transitions is lacking. The television practically cannot improve them, leaving the image in a somewhat raw state. With older materials, this can be simply exhausting, as the lack of additional processing highlights all imperfections.

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.

C69KS offers a simplified motion improvement panel in movies, allowing you to adjust the intensity of the effect using a slider. This makes it easy to match the smoothness to your own preferences. The possibility of using higher refresh rates is also a plus – even though the panel operates natively at 4K at 60 Hz, lowering the resolution to 1440p allows you to enable 120 and 144 Hz modes, both on consoles and PC. This sounds like great news, but in practice, the image at these settings suffers from significant motion blur. The effect is noticeable enough that the overall experience feels simply mediocre and loses its appeal in everyday use.

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.

If we overlook the smearing and lack of native 4K at 120 Hz, the C69KS impresses with how well it performs during gaming. We get everything you can expect from a gaming television: variable refresh rate (VRR), automatic switching to game mode (ALLM), Dolby Vision Gaming mode, and a reasonably functioning HGiG. The TV can also operate at 120 and even 144 Hz at lower resolutions, allowing for smoother gameplay on console or PC. Additionally, there is a clear Game Bar that lets you quickly glance at key settings during gaming. As a result — despite a few limitations — the C69KS can be a truly successful screen for gamers.