TCL P7K / P79K vs Philips OLED820

When evaluating the HDR effect, we must make it clear and without marketing embellishment: the P7K/P79K is not and was never meant to be a master in this field. The maximum peak brightness that this panel can generate is only around 300 nits. This is a borderline value, a sort of thin red line between what can be considered a barely satisfactory HDR signal and what is really not much different from standard dynamic range (SDR), unfortunately leaning towards the latter. Synthetic tests found brutal confirmation in reality – our measurements taken during movie screenings showed that luminance in key bright parts of the content rarely exceeded the threshold of 200-250 nits. Therefore, this is not a television that would allow content produced in a wide tonal range to truly shine, and we must openly acknowledge that.

Unfortunately, the issue of color reproduction is presented equally restrained. Although the manufacturer positions this model in the "QLED" family, thanks to the use of a PFS LED filter, the results do not match the heightened expectations. The coverage of the wide DCI-P3 color gamut is only 86%. Compared to the market, this is at best an average result, as most devices that employ additional layers to expand the color spectrum easily achieve values at a minimum level of 90-92%.

When it comes to HDR quality, the Philips OLED820 uses the same class of WOLED panel that we find in its biggest competitors – LG C5 or Samsung S90F. This means we can count on truly solid performance. This year, mid-range OLED panels are capable of exceeding the threshold of a thousand nits, and the model tested reaches around 1300 nits in some films. This is an outstanding result that allows for an extremely precise depiction of the director's vision, as contemporary productions are mastered in such brightness ranges. Of course, there are situations where even the OLED820 has to compromise. Full-screen scenes flooded with white, like those in the movie The Meg, can drop brightness to 400–500 nits, which clearly weakens the effect. This is a characteristic of OLED technology that has not yet been fully eliminated. Despite this limitation, it is hard not to appreciate the HDR in this model – high luminance and wide coverage of the DCI-P3 color gamut at 99% make the picture simply look great.

Every reliable image quality assessment must begin by selecting the most optimal factory mode. In the case of the tested model P7K/P79K, the choice was confidently made for the "Film" mode. It is this mode that presents an image closest to the creators' intentions, avoiding both the exaggerated brightness of dynamic mode and the excessive dimming known from eco settings. And it must be admitted that, for a device in this price range, the factory calibration is surprisingly decent, although it is not free from a few stumbles. The most noticeable flaw turned out to be an imperfectly adjusted white balance. A slight dominance of the blue component gives the image a subtly cool, chilly character, thus deviating from the exemplary neutrality that the director wanted to show us. The television performs much better in reproducing the grayscale in a standard dynamic range – the gamma curve is executed almost perfectly. A minor reservation can only be made for the darkest parts of the image, where a slight deviation from the norm causes a loss of some detail in the shadows. The most serious challenge for TCL's software, however, was the interpretation of the HDR signal, which is illustrated by the EOTF curve. The television follows its own, rather free path here – the darkest details are disproportionately brightened, followed by a noticeable slowdown in brightness increase for midtones. Fortunately, most of these imperfections are software-related issues that can be eliminated. With this thought in mind, we proceeded to the professional calibration process.

The color reproduction in the factory settings really surprised us, and positively so. The Philips OLED820, switched to Filmmaker mode, immediately showed that it was quite well tuned in terms of color. The white balance was relatively accurate, though with a slight lack in the blue hue, which sometimes gave the image a slightly yellowish tint. However, this is not a flaw that particularly interferes with everyday viewing. A larger problem arose with the brightness characteristic. The gamma chart clearly deviated from the ideal, with the line being below the expected values, causing the image to be overly brightened, and the colors looked as if they were covered with a light milky filter. This effect was also noticeable in tests using the Colour Checker pattern, where more pronounced errors appeared.

The calibration process turned out to be a home run, especially in the context of standard dynamic range (SDR) content. We successfully managed to eliminate the TV's tendency to emphasize cool tones, restoring the whites to their natural neutrality. Furthermore, precise adjustments allowed us to correct a slight error in the gamma curve, so the darkest areas of the image regained their proper depth, without a trace of unnatural brightening. The effects are measurable and impressive – in the ColorChecker test, the vast majority of color reproduction errors fell below the perceptual threshold, achieving a deltaE value below 2. This is a result that would not shame much more expensive constructions. Unfortunately, in the case of HDR content, we hit a wall in the form of the inherent limitations of the panel itself. And although we managed to bring the colors in line, the software's specifics mean that the TV still adapts brightness in its own way, as evidenced by the persistent, non-standard EOTF curve. In summary, calibration brings tremendous added value, but one must be aware that it cannot overcome certain physical barriers. A slight boost in black levels, resulting from the lack of local dimming, and limited peak brightness mean that HDR content will not always be able to showcase its full potential. This is simply not the main task of this display; its true strength, especially after professional tuning, lies in the viewing of SDR materials.

After calibration, both the Filmmaker mode and the game mode gained quite a lot. A slight adjustment of the white balance and an improvement in brightness characteristics resulted in excellent outcomes for SDR content – the image looked almost perfect, natural and very close to the reference. In the case of HDR materials, the situation was similar; the colors looked stunning and it was hard to find anything to criticize. However, we noticed a certain feature that we had already pointed out when comparing scenes from the movie Billy Lynn. An analysis of the EOTF curve revealed that the television has a slight tendency to dim details in the blacks, which means that the darkest sections are not always displayed exactly as the director intended. Nevertheless, the effect after calibration is remarkable, and the OLED820 stands out as one of the more interesting screens in its class. It just needs a little bit of fine-tuning, and there's really nothing to be afraid of.

After a series of harsh evaluations, fortunately, the time comes for praise, and this is due to the TCL AiPQ image processor for its work in digital processing and content scaling. It should be noted right away that we are not talking about the level known from flagship designs; nevertheless, in the price segment represented by the P7K/P79K, the results achieved are more than solid. The feature that smooths tonal transitions performs particularly well, effectively eliminating posterization, which are the characteristic bands often visible in materials with higher compression, such as from the YouTube service. The algorithm can elegantly remove unwanted gradients, which ultimately looks really good. The television also competently handles upscaling, which is the task of raising low-resolution materials to 4K standard. The output image, although it may seem a bit too sharp out of the box, fortunately, is not a problem. The software allows for easy adjustment of this parameter using a sharpness slider, so the final appearance can be easily tailored to personal preferences.

Fortunately, the earlier effects of the aforementioned posterization can be quite effectively mitigated. The "distortion reduction" feature set to medium handles unwanted color banding, improving the smoothness of tonal transitions. It does happen, however, that it works a bit too aggressively and smooths out some details – such as minor skin imperfections of the actors – but despite this, it can be considered worth using without major compromises. The upscaling in the OLED820 also performs well. The test image with the model is exceptionally soft, sometimes even too much so, although this can be alleviated by slightly increasing the sharpness in the picture menu – it’s a matter of personal preference. The lack of overscan issues with very low-resolution content is also commendable, meaning we don't have to worry that the image will be unnecessarily cropped.

The issue of fluidity and sharpness of the image in motion is inextricably linked to the fundamental parameter of the panel, and in the case of the TCL P7K/P79K, we are dealing with a panel that has a native refresh rate of 60 Hz. This specification already defines its capabilities and makes it difficult to unequivocally recommend it to enthusiasts of dynamic sports broadcasts. During rapid camera movements, the image loses sharpness, and the panel itself also shows a slight tendency to blur, which may be noticeable to more sensitive viewers. Fortunately, not everything in this aspect has been left to chance. The manufacturer has implemented a simple motion smoothing system, which is primarily used in film materials recorded at 24 or 30 frames per second. Thanks to a dedicated slider, the user can independently decide on the final character of the motion – from a fully cinematic, slightly juddery image to achieving a very smooth, almost theatrical effect. It is a simple yet effective tool that allows users to tailor the viewing experience to their own preferences.

Motion fluidity is an area where OLEDs always shine, and the Philips OLED820 confirms this rule. The panel itself offers a refresh rate of 144 Hz, which will mainly benefit PC gamers, but even with standard television sources or consoles, where 120 Hz is used, the motion is fast, sharp, and simultaneously smooth, without traces of ghosting. This is thanks to the outstanding response time between pixels, which ensures the image retains clarity in every dynamic scene. The manufacturer has also added its own smoothing feature called "Motion Style." In the menu, we find two sliders – the first, responsible for fluidity, allows us to adjust the amount of artificially added frames in movies. This way, we can choose a raw, cinematic character with a clearly visible film frame or a more theatrical image with smooth motion. The second slider is for reducing blurring, especially useful in sports broadcasts. Here, we definitely recommend setting it to the maximum value, as the effect is truly excellent.

Although on paper the native 4K@60Hz matrix might suggest that the TCL P7K/P79K is not a TV tailored for gamers, the reality turns out to be surprisingly different. On the contrary, the manufacturer has ensured a rich package of features that make it a very friendly companion for next-generation consoles. Onboard, we find key technologies such as ALLM, which provides automatic switching to low-latency mode, and VRR, or variable refresh rate, which eliminates screen tearing. The list is completed by support for Dolby Vision Gaming and a simple yet functional Game Bar. However, the real and extremely pleasant surprise is something else. It turns out that the TV easily supports high refresh rate signals of 120 Hz, but at lower resolutions – 1080p and 1440p. This is fantastic news for console owners who know full well how rarely games run in native 4K at a full 120 frames per second. The ability to choose between higher resolution and doubled smoothness is therefore an extremely sensible compromise.

In summary, although the P7K/P79K may not be the target screen for the most avid tournament gamers, it offers a package of options for the casual or occasional console user that is hard to find among many competitors at this price point.

Philips OLED820 is one of the most complete televisions for gamers. It practically has everything you could expect: two HDMI 2.1 ports with full bandwidth of 48 Gbps (too bad there aren't four), variable refresh rate VRR, automatic game mode ALLM, support for Dolby Vision in games, and a good implementation of the HGiG mode. The television also handles lower resolutions at 120 Hz without any issues, so you can count on great flexibility when choosing different picture modes on the console. Philips also adds Game Bar – a panel that allows you to change picture modes, add a crosshair, or view parameters. Although it looks quite clunky and is less polished than that of the competition, it serves its purpose. In practice, therefore, the OLED820, besides having a full set of four HDMI 2.1 ports, offers almost everything a gamer might need.