TCL C655 / C69B (43" - 50") vs Philips PUS8500

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.

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 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.

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.

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 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 "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.

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).

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).

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 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.

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.