Sharp GP6765 vs LG QNED87T6B

In movie mode, the Sharp GP6765 reaches a brightness of 300 nits, which is relatively average. This level of brightness is more suited to standard SDR content than to the full HDR experience. As a result, the TV struggles to deliver the depth and dynamics typically expected from a good HDR mode. Visual effects that might appear sharp and detailed on other models could seem more subdued here, and high-contrast scenes won't be as striking. However, compared to other models in this price range, this is still a decent performance. A positive feature is the TV's support for a wide DCI-P3 colour gamut, covering 92.5%, thanks to the inclusion of quantum dots (Quantum Dot/QLED). This offers a solid improvement, particularly in this price bracket, resulting in vibrant and more saturated colours, although the limited brightness still prevents a fully immersive HDR experience.

The QNED87T6B provides a solid HDR performance, delivering an impressive visual experience in many aspects. With a brightness approaching 500 nits, it offers good visibility of fine details in high-dynamic scenes. Support for HDR10 and HLG ensures the content appears well on the screen, though the absence of more advanced formats like Dolby Vision or HDR10+ limits the potential for optimal brightness and detail in certain scenes. Without dynamic metadata, the TV may struggle to reproduce fine details in very bright areas, where these advanced standards would typically make a difference. However, its excellent coverage of the DCI-P3 colour gamut (96.4%) provides vibrant, natural colours, enhancing the overall visual quality of 4K content.

The Sharp GP6765 was launched in movie mode, which offers the best settings for colour reproduction. However, despite this, the quality remains far from ideal. In SDR mode, the white balance graph shows significant increases in the red colour, making the image appear somewhat yellowish and distorting natural skin tones. This results in some scenes looking unnatural, and colours losing their authenticity. In HDR mode, the issue worsens as blue becomes the dominant colour, which negatively affects the colour balance and causes a loss of detail in cool tones. As a result, the image can appear cold and unbalanced, highlighting the TV's inability to achieve optimal colour reproduction. Tests with the Colour Checker tool confirm these shifts across several samples.

In terms of contrast, the HD mode shows a significant jump at the start of the graph, but it remains close to the reference line at 2.4. This means that in most scenes, the TV delivers a satisfactory level of contrast, enhancing details in shadows and adding depth to the image. However, in HDR mode, the EOTF curve fluctuates significantly at both ends of the graph, leading to inconsistencies in bright and dark areas of the image. In scenes with intense light, such as explosions or dynamic actions, key details may be lost, and the image may appear blurry. Similarly, in darker scenes, the lack of clear differences in shades may cause details to merge into a uniform spot, reducing overall quality. While movie mode offers the best factory settings for the GP6765, there are still significant issues with colour reproduction and contrast.

The LG QNED87T6B, even in its best factory setting, Filmmaker Mode, exhibits issues with colour reproduction. A significant problem is the white balance, where the blue colour tends to drop on the graph, causing a shift towards yellow. This results in a warmer hue than intended, which affects the naturalness of color reproduction, especially in scenes with white or neutral backgrounds. The Colour Checker test confirmed that certain colours are distorted and do not accurately reflect reality, which can make movie scenes seem less lifelike and distort details.

In terms of contrast, there are notable issues with the gamma graph, showing significant drops where the optimal value should be around 2.4. This results in the TV displaying darker areas brighter in some scenes, which reduces depth and dynamic range. Additionally, the EOTF (Electro-Optical Transfer Function) curve, which corresponds to brightness reproduction, shows an unnatural drop at the start, leading to lower accuracy in dark scenes. This diminishes the TV's ability to convey full black depth, causing details in darker areas to be lost. As a result, more demanding scenes may appear less realistic, with a noticeable loss of detail in shadows and dark areas.

After calibration, the Sharp GP6765 television shows marked improvement in film mode, particularly in SDR content. The white balance now closely aligns with the reference line, offering more natural and true-to-life colour reproduction. While not perfectly straight, the results are still satisfactory for the price range, significantly enhancing the overall visual experience and immersion in movies. The colour gamut shows some improvement, with the initial jump in the graph persisting but being less noticeable, leading to a more consistent and enjoyable image.

For HDR content, while the white balance performs somewhat worse than in SDR, it is still a notable improvement compared to pre-calibration. The calibration ensures better colour consistency, though some shortcomings remain. As for contrast, no major gains were observed. The lack of control over dynamic tone mapping prevented significant improvement in EOTF, resulting in uneven brightness reproduction.

Despite some limitations, particularly in HDR content and dynamic tone mapping, the Sharp GP6765 reveals a more polished performance after calibration. The improved white balance and colour reproduction in SDR make it more visually appealing. While further refinement is needed, it still provides a satisfying visual experience, making it a strong contender in its price category.

After calibration, the LG QNED87T6B delivers impressive results with SDR content. The white balance has been improved, resulting in natural, harmonious tones across various scenes. The precise gamma tuning allows for accurate reproduction of details in both dark and bright areas, making the TV perform excellently in everyday use. The overall image is vivid and well-balanced, with solid colour quality in HD. The contrast has also improved, with the gamma chart showing fewer significant errors, providing a more refined viewing experience.

In 4K HDR, the white balance continues to perform well, though some errors remain at the end of the chart. These might be linked to the TV's aggressive local dimming, which can affect colour accuracy in certain scenes. While the TV does not fully improve brightness as indicated by the EOTF curve, its inherent construction limitations prevent it from achieving perfection in this area. The Colour Checker test highlights an issue with colour saturation, as the TV, despite offering a wide colour gamut, cannot fully capture what the director intended.

Nevertheless, the overall picture quality after calibration is considerably better than before. The improvements in white balance and gamma tuning result in more vivid and realistic colours, enhancing the viewing experience despite the remaining shortcomings.

The Sharp GP6765 television delivers solid performance with its "10-bit colour reproduction" feature, particularly in the tested scene featuring light bulbs. Setting this option to "medium" provides satisfactory results, with no issues related to grain smoothing or the blurring of important image elements. Even the "low" setting performs well, delivering a clear image without compromising detail. These transition smoothing options enhance visual quality by providing more natural colour transitions.

In terms of image scaling, the Sharp GP6765 shows strengths, such as the absence of overscan when displaying test material. This ensures viewers can enjoy the full image without losing edge details. However, some weaknesses were noted in a tested scene featuring a model. Elements such as branches or trousers appear slightly jagged, indicating a lack of effective edge-smoothing techniques. This can cause certain details to look distorted, impacting the overall viewing experience.

When it comes to lower-quality content, the LG QNED87T6B performs admirably, with smooth gradation effectively addressing problematic areas in the image without negatively impacting the film grain. For optimal results, setting the "Smooth Gradation" feature to a low level delivers the best effect, significantly enhancing the viewing experience of lower-resolution materials by making them smoother and more visually appealing.

The TV handles digital processing well, ensuring the image is displayed without overscan or clipping. While slight jaggedness may be noticeable on certain fine details, such as branches against a background, the overall presentation remains impressive. Users will be satisfied with the quality of the image when watching lower-quality content, such as standard television, as the TV does an excellent job of enhancing the visual experience.

When it comes to motion blur and movement fluidity, the Sharp GP6765 TV offers rather average performance. Equipped with a 60 Hz panel, it handles movies adequately. The TV includes a motion smoother called "Motion Enhancement," which allows users to control motion fluidity, enabling a choice between visible film frame interpolation or a smoother, more theatrical appearance. This feature should meet the needs of most users focused on movie viewing.

However, the TV's performance falls short in sports or gaming. In the tested UFO alien scene, noticeable blurriness indicates that the panel's low response time negatively impacts the sharpness of moving objects. This issue becomes particularly evident during dynamic sequences, where rapid movements are frequent. For viewers who enjoy sports or fast-paced video games, these limitations in motion handling can be off-putting, making the Sharp GP6765 less suitable for such content.

The LG QNED87T6B delivers decent motion smoothness, particularly with the "TruMotion" feature, which allows users to adjust motion smoothing on a scale from 0 to 10. The "De-Judder" setting helps regulate the smoothness of motion, while the "De-Blur" option enhances motion sharpness. This provides flexibility for users to choose between a more traditional cinematic effect with slight judder (lower settings) and a smoother, more theatrical image, which, while slightly deviating from the cinematic standard, can be appealing to many viewers.

For gamers and sports fans, the 120Hz panel ensures an immersive experience, while the IPS technology offers better response times compared to comparable VA panels at a similar price. This results in smoother gameplay and more dynamic viewing of fast-paced sports events, making the QNED87T6B an excellent choice for those seeking high-quality motion performance.

The gaming functionality of the Sharp GP6765 leaves much to be desired. Although this model includes HDMI 2.1 ports, which theoretically promise modern features, the reality is far less impressive. The only feature that takes advantage of this standard is Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM). Unfortunately, the absence of key functionalities such as Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) and HDR Gaming Interest Group (HGIG) significantly limits its appeal to gamers. VRR is crucial for eliminating screen tearing and stuttering, particularly in dynamic games where fluidity is essential. Similarly, HGIG ensures optimal HDR mapping, enhancing visual quality and immersion. While Dolby Vision might seem like a benefit, it proves useless for gaming due to the very high input lag in this mode.

The inclusion of HDMI 2.1 ports in the Sharp GP6765 feels like a marketing ploy, potentially misleading users into believing that the standard automatically provides all its associated benefits. Gamers expecting full functionality from HDMI 2.1 are likely to be disappointed.

The LG QNED87T6B is a top-tier choice for gamers seeking high-performance features. It is equipped with four HDMI 2.1 ports, allowing seamless connection to the latest consoles like the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X. This ensures full functionality, including support for Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) and Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM), which provide a smoother and more responsive gaming experience. The Game Bar feature enables easy management of gaming settings, allowing users to adjust VRR, ALLM, Multi View, and monitor the frame rate without navigating complex menus.

Additionally, the TV supports G-Sync and FreeSync, which are crucial for gamers using Nvidia and AMD graphics cards. These technologies synchronize the TV's refresh rate with the graphics card, reducing screen tearing and stuttering. With a 120Hz panel, the LG QNED87 delivers exceptional motion smoothness and image clarity, while the Black Frame Insertion (BFI) feature, available at 60Hz and 120Hz, further enhances visual fluidity. Overall, the LG QNED87T6B meets the demands of even the most discerning gamers, offering a comprehensive range of features that elevate the gaming experience.