TCL C655 / C69B (43" - 50") vs LG UA75006LA (IPS)

The quality of the HDR effect in the TCL C69B / C655 television is quite average. A brightness level of 350 nits, while not the worst, still does not allow for fully enjoying HDR effects, which require higher luminance to show their strength. Additionally, despite the use of a quantum dot coating (QLED), the television offers average coverage of the wide DCI-P3 color gamut at 91%, which may limit its richness of colors in HDR content.

The situation is even more modest in the IPS version, where the peak brightness reaches only 250 nits. In practice, this means that there can be no real sense of HDR effect, and the materials being viewed resemble ordinary SDR. Similar to the VA case, the image behaves stably on most test screens, but in demanding scenes with fine details, the television tends to slightly dim the image. As a result, blacks appear somewhat better, but at the cost of losing detail in bright elements. The lack of additional color filters is also noticeable here. The UA7500 in the IPS version does not belong to QLEDs or PFS LED panels, and the DCI-P3 color gamut stops at 80%, which means that HDR films present themselves without much color depth and give the impression of being heavily flattened.

The television TCL C69B / C655 tested in movie mode unfortunately does not meet expectations regarding color accuracy. Although movie mode suggests better reproduction, it has little in common with film. There are quite a few errors visible, especially in white balance – both for HD and 4K HDR content – where the dominance of the blue color is very apparent. For the viewer, this means that the image becomes unnaturally cool, affecting the overall perception of colors and the visual impression. The color checker confirms these errors, showing that colors shift to cooler shades.

As for brightness characteristics and the associated contrast, gamma is very unstable for material, which can make the image slightly darker. The EOTF curve for 4K material shows some errors, with significant deviations at the end of the chart, negatively affecting the perception of darker areas of the image.

The Filmmaker mode on the LG UA7500 performs better than one might expect from such a budget TV, but let’s not get carried away with enthusiasm. The picture is fairly well put together and at first glance does not offend, but its weaknesses quickly start to show. This is most evident in scenes with bright points — background lamps or light reflections on the skin are clearly overemphasized. The faces of the characters often look unnatural, as if they have been "blown out." Additionally, the default gamma characteristic brightens the smallest details and causes the image to lose subtlety in darker areas. That said, given its price range, the UA7500 in factory mode provides a pretty decent starting point. However, it is clear that without additional adjustments, these problems cannot be avoided, which is why — as with other TVs — we decided to check what could be achieved after calibration.

After calibration, the movie mode on the TCL C69B / C655 television improves in quality. The most significant improvement can be seen in tonal quality, and the white balance is much better – without major errors. We will no longer see an excessive dominance of cool tones. Gamma has also been improved, which translates to a more stable representation of brightness and contrast. However, due to the limitations of the television's average color palette, Colour Checker tests for 4K materials did not achieve remarkable results. Despite these technological limitations, the image has become more authentic, positively influencing the reception of film content.

The biggest improvement we noticed was when calibrating the mode designed for everyday SDR content. We managed to smooth out the white balance in an acceptable way and tackle the problem of excessive brightening of small elements due to the gamma characteristic. As a result, the image gained consistency and naturalness that was lacking in the factory settings. After such correction, we can confidently state that for everyday television content, programs, or materials from YouTube, the LG UA7500 performs really well – especially after professional calibration. The situation is somewhat different for HDR content. Here, calibration allowed us to tame the white balance and slightly improve brightness management, but the limitations of the design are immediately apparent. The lack of additional filters to broaden the color palette makes the most vibrant colors appear flat, and the image lacks the intensity we would expect from good HDR. So, in SDR, the UA7500 performs quite well, but in HDR – despite corrections – it remains far behind, and this is a feature one has to come to terms with when choosing this television.

The "Gradual Smoothing" function works very well on the TCL C69B television and, surprisingly, does not remove desired effects like film grain – unlike some solutions from other manufacturers. Unfortunately, the image scaling looks poor. The TV artificially sharpens the image, causing the edges of objects to be heavily jagged. This state of affairs may appeal to some users who prefer a more "hard" look of the image, but it is not an ideal solution for those who value naturalness and the smoothness of details.

The version with the IPS matrix performed significantly worse here. Image scaling was uneven – this was particularly noticeable in lower-quality materials, where edges became jagged and the image looked less detailed. At times, there was also a sense of slight blurriness that detracted from sharpness and made the overall presentation seem less polished than in the VA version. The tonal smoothing function turned out to be a lifesaver. At the medium setting, it worked very well – it didn't ruin the image with excessive softening, while smoothing out colors in such a way that everyday content gained consistency. The difference was especially visible with television programs or streaming materials of poorer compression quality, where the television with the function enabled presented itself much better. This is one of those features that is worth keeping active because it significantly enhances the reception of everyday materials.

The TV TCL C69B / C655 in its smallest variants offers decent, although not perfect, results in terms of motion fluidity. In the case of movies, the TV has a "Flicker Reduction" function that allows for motion fluidity adjustment on a scale from 1 to 10. With this option, we can adjust the appearance of the image to cinematic or more theatrical preferences (with lower or higher speed).

LG UA7500 is a television with a 60 Hz panel, so it's difficult to expect any excitement in this category. It's more of a screen intended for everyday content or an evening movie session rather than for following dynamic sporting events or playing action games. It's clear that the manufacturer designed this model specifically for that group of viewers – and in that regard, it works properly. We have access to the TruMotion feature, which is a motion smoother. It's simple, with just one slider, but it can make a noticeable difference. At lower settings, the picture looks more raw and cinematic, while at higher values, the motion becomes smoother and more pleasant to the eye.

The TCL C69B / C655 television in its smallest variants offers a range of features dedicated to gamers, such as ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode), VRR (Variable Refresh Rate), Dolby Vision for gamers, and Game Bar. ALLM automatically switches the television to low latency mode, improving responsiveness and minimizing delays in control. VRR allows for synchronization of the screen refresh rate with the number of frames generated by the console, eliminating tearing, resulting in smoother gameplay. Dolby Vision for gamers ensures better color and contrast representation in games that support this format, resulting in better image quality. Meanwhile, Game Bar provides quick access to game settings and allows monitoring of key parameters, such as input lag.

However, the television has certain limitations that may affect gaming comfort. The 60 Hz panel does not allow for displaying signals with a higher refresh rate, which may impact image smoothness in dynamic games. The lack of support for G-Sync technology for PCs may also be noticeable when gaming on a computer, especially with demanding, fast-paced titles.

LG UA7500 is a television that can be confidently recommended for "casual" gamers. While it lacks a 120 Hz panel and HDMI 2.1 ports, making full use of the potential of modern consoles out of the question, the manufacturer has included a few additions that can enhance the gaming experience. Notably, the Game Bar deserves mention – a very nicely designed panel that allows quick access to and modification of the most important settings. From this panel, we have access to features such as ALLM mode (automatic switching to game mode) and frame synchronization, which is VRR. The range of VRR is limited – it operates from 48 to 60 Hz – but the mere presence of this feature in such an affordable television is impressive.

Additionally, it supports HGiG, which is a calibration mode for HDR specifically for gaming. This sounds good, but based on testing experience, we already know that in the case of the UA7500, this option doesn't make much sense. The television doesn't handle HDR very well, so paradoxically, we achieved better results with this feature turned off. This is another signal that the UA7500 is more of a screen for occasional gamers who value simplicity and comfort rather than for those looking for a complete experience from the latest consoles.