Latest news with #picturequality
CNET
2 days ago
- CNET
TCL QM8K (2025) Review: Mini LED TV Takes On OLED for Less
CNET's expert staff reviews and rates dozens of new products and services each month, building on more than a quarter century of expertise. 8.6 / 10 SCORE TCL QM8K Pros Great picture quality Very few haloing artifacts New Filmmaker mode helps create more accurate pictures Cons Still bright, but dimmer than the TV it replaced Worse input lag with games TCL QM8K 8.6/10 CNET Score For the past few years, TCL's QM8 TVs have consistently been at the top of our most recommended models, thanks to their excellent image quality for their price. In 2025, the company appears determined to beat more expensive OLED TVs at their own game. And you know what? It's almost there. The latest QM8K TV looks great, especially in high dynamic range movies and games, and its new anti-halo technology helps to improve contrast. Even so, the TV wasn't as consistent with my measurements of standard dynamic range material, and I found this to be surprising in a flagship television. As I write this, the 65-inch QM8K is available for half its original retail price at $1,250, and that a really good deal, especially considering the LG C5 OLED is $1,800 right now. Even still, for the same price it comes up against some heavy competition from other mini-LED backlit TVs, especially the Hisense U8Q. Meanwhile, the TCL QM851 that preceded it is a better TV in a number of ways, especially in terms of brightness and saturation, but it appears to be out of stock in many places. That said, if you're trying to choose between the Hisense U8Q and TCL QM8K specifically, the TCL has the more cinematic look while the Hisense is better for gaming. Either TV is well worth your time, though, and if you don't have a strong preference for either one, my advice is should buy whichever is cheapest in the moment. Also read: Best TVs of 2025 TCL QM8K series TV sizes Ty Pendlebury/CNET I performed hands-on testing of the picture quality of the 65-inch TCL QM8K but this review also applies to the other screen sizes in the series. All sizes have similar specifications and should exhibit similar picture quality. Sturdy stand and a sweet remote The TCL stand packs flat and is easy to put together. Ty Pendlebury/CNET As TVs get thinner and less "bezelly" (I made up this word and I'm sticking to it), the outward appearance of a new television becomes a non-issue because it basically looks like all picture, especially if you're mounting it on a wall. If you're not, then the one thing designers can influence becomes even more important -- the stand. As a reviewer who regularly puts together TV bases, I appreciate a stand that doesn't require an extra set of hands or the need to consult the manual. The QM8K's pedestal stand was quick to assemble and relatively attractive as well. Ty Pendlebury/CNET The TCL QM8K features something that's rarer than it should be at this level, a backlit remote. It's a fairly plush model too, with a metal facade and dedicated input buttons (hooray!). It's a step up from the "Twix bar" that shipped with the previous model. Google your TV While Samsung's Tizen OS is the most popular smart TV interface that's designed in-house by a TV maker, Google TV also enjoys wide support from a number of brands including Sony, TCL and Hisense. After Roku took development of most of its TVs in-house, the majority of TCLs now feature Google's smart TV interface instead. Google TV does a great job of surfacing content, in a similar way to Amazon Fire TV, although you can set up shortcuts to feature your favorite apps as well. The latest version of Google TV will work with a Nest-based smart home and can display your cameras on the Home tab as well. Furthermore you can ask your Nest mini to play an episode of Alien: Earth, for example, and it will play on the TCL. TCL's Google TV interface is relatively zippy. If you want more power or customization, you could add a separate set-top from Apple or Roku -- although most people won't need to. The QM8K features Google TV onboard Ty Pendlebury/CNET Halo control, Master Chief approved (probably) The TCL QM8K is a 4K TV which includes the company's new "all-domain halo control technology." TCL claims the TV offers "contrast and color gamut comparable to OLED" via a mini-LED backlight. The TV has up to 35% more dimming zones than the previous model, which had up to 5,000 local dimming zones, though TCL did not respond immediately to my requests for clarification about the actual number of zones on the QM8K. Full-array local dimming allows the screen to dim and brighten different areas simultaneously and this ultimately increases contrast and therefore picture quality. The TV includes compatibility with Dolby Vision IQ (with room lighting detection), HDR10+, HDR10, HLG and Dolby Atmos. If you connect a console or PC to the TV via its HDMI 2.1 ports, you will find you have VRR capability as well as a 144Hz native refresh rate. New for the 2025 model is Filmmaker mode, and while I found it to be virtually identical to Movie mode, its addition is helpful for people familiar with the benefits of Filmmaker mode from other TVs. The TV has a speaker system by Bang and Olufsen, and though I don't have a formalized test for this, I did find that it sounded the best of the assembled TVs and had the the clearest dialog. Connections include: RF Input with ATSC and ATSC 3.0 tuners Ethernet 1x USB 2.0, 1x USB 3.0 4x HDMI (1x eARC) Optical digital audio Four HDMI 2.1 ports should handle most gaming setups Ty Pendlebury/CNET TCL QM8K vs Hisense U8N vs LG C5 vs TCL QM851 : Picture quality compared TV and movies Based on my testing, and taking into account TCL's claims about OLED-like pictures, I found that the picture quality gulf between the technologies has indeed narrowed. With the company's focus on improving black levels, and reducing "haloing," though, it was perhaps inevitable that the QM8K's light output would be affected. While this wasn't reflected in my test measurements, I did see this when comparing program material. For instance, when watching the extended chase scenes across the post-apocalyptic Australian landscape, last year's QM8 TCL looked better than both the new QM8K and the Hisense with better saturation and a higher brightness. When it came to the two contemporary TVs, though, it was a close match between the QM8K and the Hisense U8Q. They weren't equal in every respect, as the QM8K had a little more contrast while the Hisense looked more saturated. Next, with the 4K HDR version of the movie It, I found that the QM8K was able to uncover the most shadow detail in the early scene of Georgie descending the basement stairs. The QM8K had the best combination of black levels and shadow detail under the stairs, and the texture on the wall of the basement looked the most realistic. The QM8 (2024) exposed too much detail, so much so that picture artifacts appeared, and it was overly green. Meanwhile, the Hisense and LG had too little detail in this scene with the stairwell hidden by the murk. When viewing the Spears and Munsil HDR test disc the TCL QM8K had mixed results. When comparing the high-contrast scenes, the TCL looked great with very little blooming of the objects on the black backgrounds, and it held up well against OLED TVs. TCL's new anti-halo tech was also noticeable in transitions between scenes. For instance, the screens were grey on the QM8 (2024) but black on QM8K. The TCL also had the brightest highlights of all on test disk in general, but weirdly a sun was completely obscured during the test disk's image of a sunset -- all of the other TVs, including the LG C5, could display it. The Hisense didn't come out perfectly, though, as it crushed the detail out of the brighter scenes, particularly a snowy scene of horses. The TCL QM8K looked best overall during this test with a little more vibrant red and a touch more contrast. Taking into account the TCL's relatively poor showing in the white balance measurements below -- particularly at 80% bright grey -- I watched one of my favorite rock biographies: the black and white film Control. I watched the movie streaming in HD SDR on all four TVs and did find that the QM8K was a little green in palette, though not as green as the LG C5. Meanwhile both the Hisense and original QM851 looked more natural overall. Gaming The TCL QM8K isn't the fastest TV when it comes to displaying games, as my Leo Bodnar input lag tests suggested, but even so its Game Mode is only about 4ms behind the fastest TVs. In the real world this isn't noticeable, but what was more apparent was that this mode wasn't as color saturated as the LG C5 I tested it against. I played all sorts of games, including everything from shooters to platform games, and the TV was able to follow the action without blurring or tearing. Bright lighting and off-axis I watched the four TVs together with the lights on and found that all of the models had decent amounts of contrast in a lit room. I next turned on my phone's flashlight and held it up to each screen in turn -- to simulate how each TV dealt with lights or window reflections. The LG fared the best with the least amount of reflection, the Hisense TCL did the second best and the QM8s tied for last place with the most. Next I tested the off axis angle of both the Hisense U8Q and the TCL QM8K, and while the TCL was marginally better, colors still bled to grey the further from center I went. The LG C5 OLED, for instance, kept its contrast and color no matter what angle I viewed it at, and that's a relative problem that LCD may never overcome. Settings and picture mode notes The addition of Filmmaker Mode for 2025 is a welcome development, even though I didn't find it to be that different from Movie mode. While testing was great from a HDR perspective, things went awry when it came to testing the SDR modes. Though the gamma was good at 2.26 (leading to great shadow detail) almost everything else was a little out of whack. This was a common issue with all of the TCL's SDR picture modes. All of them measured poorly compared to other TVs of its type, and the "least bad" mode was Filmmaker. I wasn't able to see much effect of these readings on real-world material, it's worthwhile to say. Geek Box Test Result Score Black luminance (0%) 0.000 Good Peak white luminance (SDR) 3038 Good Avg. gamma (10-100%) 2.25 Good Avg. grayscale error (10-100%) 5.42 Poor Dark gray error (30%) 3.50 Average Bright gray error (80%) 7.26 Poor Avg. color checker error 3.08 Average Avg. saturation sweeps error 3.00 Good Avg. color error 7.23 Poor 1080p/24 Cadence (IAL) Pass Good Input lag (Game mode) 13.70 Good HDR10 Black luminance (0%) 0.008 Good Peak white luminance (10% win) 2746 Good Gamut % UHDA/P3 (CIE 1976) 96.78 Good ColorMatch HDR error 3.36 Average Avg. color checker error 2.86 Good Input lag (Game mode, 4K HDR) 13.27 Good Portrait Displays Calman calibration software was used in this review. How We Test TVs
Digital Trends
12-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Digital Trends
Tune Your Game: Mastering Your Hisense TV for the Ultimate Club World Cup Experience
Out of the box your Hisense TV will deliver great picture quality. Bright colors. Crisp movement. Definitely a crowd-pleaser! But you aren't here merely for 'great' when the FIFA Club World Cup 2025™ final match kicks off. You want to feel every goal, every replay, and every anthem. This is more than a tournament, it's your chance to turn your screen into the best seat in the stadium. As Official Partner of the Club World Cup, Hisense develops its display technology with more than just clarity and size in mind. And their TVs and projectors are built for fine-tuning, truly enabling fans to own the moment. That means diving into the deeper layers of display and audio customization. Because 'great' won't cut it when trophies are on the line, you need the best. Picture Perfect for the Pitch: Diving into Picture Modes Let's start with the most immediate visual change: picture modes. The presets for Hisense TVs typically include Standard, Vivid, Sports, Theater, and Filmmaker. Standard/Vivid: These are crowd-pleasers — increased brightness, contrast, and saturated colors. Great for big visuals, but not always great for realism. When viewing a soccer pitch, they can turn a lush green field into an unnatural neon glow. Sports Mode: This is designed for movement, Sports Mode reduces blur with frame interpolation, increases brightness, and sharpens the image. Great for high-paced action, but sometimes over-processes skin tones or introduces visual artifacts. Use it for that high-energy edge, but don't be afraid to tweak it. Theater/Filmmaker Mode: These modes aim for accuracy. True-to-life color temperatures, natural contrast, and minimal post-processing. It might sound like the dream of a film buff, but these modes work well for soccer too. They retain nuance in lighting and crowd shots, and with a few manual motion setting adjustments, they achieve realism without action. Custom Settings: Your Personal Playbook Brightness: Start here. Too low and you miss the details in darker shades. If you go too high, the pitch will look washed out. Mid to high range usually hits the sweet spot. Contrast: Turn it up to deepen blacks and make whites pop, but avoid crushing the shadows. You still want to see the sweat on a defender's face. Sharpness: Counterintuitively, it's best to keep this one near 0. Over-sharpening creates halo effects and fake detail. Color Temperature: The most natural look is often 'Warm 1.' Blues are blues. Skin tones will look natural. Motion Enhancement (Judder/Blur Reduction): These settings smooth fast motion but sometimes can feel fake. Keep motion smoothing moderate or low for soccer. You want clarity when a striker makes a run, not a soap opera filter. The Sound of the Stadium: Optimizing Audio Modes The visuals are only half of the game. For true immersion, you need to hear the game like you're in the stadium. Standard/Speech Modes: Useful for news or dialogue-heavy content, but they flatten the dynamic range. The stadium roar loses its bite. Sports Mode (Audio): Here, Hisense dials up spatial crowd noise, emphasizes on-field audio (think boots hitting the turf), and balances commentary so it doesn't get lost. It's a good starting point for matches. Dolby Atmos / DTS Virtual:X: These are game-changers. If your Hisense TV supports it, or if you pair it with a soundbar like the Hisense U5120G, you get surround-style staging that puts you in the soundscape. Atmos pulls you into the action with audio cues all around: from chants behind you to the referee whistling at your side. EQ Adjustments: Want more punch? Notch up the bass! Need clearer commentary? Ease off the low end and lift the treble slightly. Every room's acoustics will vary, so you'll need to trust your ears. Just avoid going too big, balance is key. The Intelligence Behind the Experience: Leveraging AI Processing Hisense's Hi-View AI Engine X does more than just switch settings, it acts like your own match-day producer. Built with deep neural networks and real-time analysis, this engine adapts picture and sound dynamically to what you're watching. AI Picture: Hisense AI scans every frame for key visuals like crowd closeups or the blur of a cross-field pass. It will then adjust contrast, sharpness, and HDR tone mapping accordingly. That translates to better grass texture, discernible player reactions, and no lost detail during high-motion plays. AI Sound: Leveraging intelligent audio optimization will ensure consistent clarity is delivered with each decibel. Crowd noise grows when appropriate, commentary cuts through cleanly, and game transitions are seamless. No fiddling needed during the match. AI Scenario Detection: Most advanced Hisense models can identify sports content and automatically optimize picture and audio settings. It's like having a producer at your disposal making sure your settings are always on point. AI Energy: Bonus points here: AI fine tunes power utilization but doesn't skimp on performance. You can binge every group stage match guilt-free. Display Tech Showdown: Choosing Your Ultimate Club World Cup View Various Hisense displays suitable for different viewing needs. Here's a quick lineup rundown: ULED MiniLED (U7 Series, ULED X): Why it rocks: This series combines Quantum Dot Color, precise local dimming, and 165Hz Game Mode Ultra. Blacks are inky. Motion is buttery. Brightness cuts through even sunlit rooms. Who it's best for: The everyday viewer who wants solid performance but doesn't want to think about a projector setup. TriChroma Laser Cinema (PX3-PRO): Why it rocks: Three lasers produce an ultra-wide color gamut and 150-inch display potential. With Dolby Vision and IMAX Enhanced, you're not watching a match; you're in it. Who it's best for: The cinematic superfan with room for expansion and an appetite for scale. Laser Mini Projector (C2 Ultra): Why it rocks: Portability, 4K resolution, and up to 300-inch display size with the right settings. Outdoor match nights? Backyard viewing parties? Done. Who it's best for: The diehard soccer fan who wants stadium vibes anywhere (or Dad's that love going overboard) Your Customized Matchday Command Center Imagine assembling your dream XI, but for technology. From picture modes to audio tweaks and enhancements made by AI, you have the tools to customize your final Club World Cup experience to perfection. Tinker a little. Trust your eyes and ears. What looks great on paper might not hit quite right in your living room. And that's the point: customization creates connection. Whether it's the thunder of a last-minute goal or the shared nerves before a penalty kick, your Hisense setup can be tuned to produce precision, power, and presence. Ready to Kick Off Your Optimized Experience? The ball is in your court now. Go in-depth with your TV settings, experiment with modes, and see just how much the FIFA Club World Cup 2025™ final match can offer when every scene is tuned to be just right. And if you still need that perfect match-day setup, check out Hisense's latest lineup. Because when the world is watching, you deserve to Own the Moment — your way.
Forbes
10-06-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Roku Launches New Upgraded TV Range
Roku has announced today that it's rolling out new upgraded versions of its own-brand TVs that claim to deliver a range of enhancements including improved picture quality, bigger screen sizes, slicker navigation of Roku's smart system, and the latest Roku smart platform features. All three Roku TV series, the Roku Select, Plus and Pro models, are going to benefit from some level of improvement when the latest models go on sale in the U.S. from today (June 10 2025), with the key features of each series shaping up as follows: The Pro Series represent the most premium TVs in Roku's own-brand TV range, a status they earn thanks to Mini LED lighting, QLED colour, native 120Hz refresh rates and support for all four of the key high dynamic range formats (HDR10, HLG, HDR10+ and Dolby Vision). For their new 2025 iterations, though, Roku claims to have worked closely with content providers and supply chain partners to make streaming content more 'lifelike' via enhanced image processing and enhanced manufacturing quality. Roku has launched three new series of upgraded TVs with immediate effect. The improved picture quality part of the enhanced Pro Series also relates to their introduction of a new generation of Roku's Smart Picture Max processing system, which automatically works to enhance such picture features as motion clarity and compression noise on a scene by scene basis. The new processor can also auto-select the best picture mode for the type of content you're watching, and has been tweaked to optimize its workings to the new Pro Series' re-engineered Mini LED backlight system. This new backlight system is claimed to achieve sharper image highlights, reduce backlight blooming issues, and deliver up to 75% higher dynamic contrast than the previous Pro Series TVs could manage. Pro Series feature summary: * Mini-LED with QLED color, a 120Hz refresh rate, HDR10+ Adaptive, and Dolby Vision IQ® deliver a brilliant picture with dazzling highlights, deep blacks and accurate color—now with 75% more dynamic contrast. * Refined Roku Soundstage Audio features side-firing Dolby Atmos® speakers and enhanced tuning for clearer dialogue and deeper bass. * Snappy performance with Wi-Fi 6 and a streamlined OS for quicker app launches and smoother navigation. * Hands-free voice control for quick actions, easy streaming, and finding your lost remote. * Game-ready features, including AMD FreeSync Premium Pro, ALLM, and 120Hz refresh rate elevate the Pro Series experience * Headphone Mode with Bluetooth pairing lets you enjoy shows and sports your way—ideal in shared spaces or during quiet moments. * Thin, modern, shadow-box aesthetic designed to flush-mount to the wall like a picture frame—transforming your TV into a work of art with Backdrops showcasing a free, curated catalog of digital artwork. * Slim-profile Wall Mount Kit is an optional accessory designed by Roku with hinge and kickstand, for easy access to TV ports and cables. * Streamlined setup with tool-free stands, integrated cable management, and a placement guide for easier wall mounting. * The Roku Voice Remote Pro with backlit buttons, customizable shortcuts, a rechargeable battery with USB-C, and a remote finder built into the TV. The new Roku Plus Series benefits from numerous hardware and software improvements. The new iteration of Roku's step-down Plus Series brings some of the features previously only available on the Pro Series down to a more affordable price point. In particular, this series' pictures are now delivered by Roku-tuned Mini LED backlighting with Quantum Dot color, resulting, Roku claims, in deeper blacks, better contrast and richer, more natural colors. The Roku Smart Picture Max processing that was previously exclusive to the Pro Series also makes its way down to the updated Plus Series range, bringing with it its content recognition and intelligent scene by scene picture adjustment features. The updated Plus Series now carry an on-TV remote control finder button too, along with better cable management, a new built-in subwoofer to improve sound quality, and new processor and memory architecture for faster navigation around the TV's smart features and set up menus. Turning, finally, to enhanced features that will be available across the entire upgrade Roku TV range, including the entry-level Select Series, all sets will be equipped with the latest Roku software installed, complete with recently launched features such as Daily Trivia notifications, short-form content rows for easier browsing, award badges, personalized sports highlights, and game-time mobile notifications. All upgrade Roku modes will now support Bluetooth Headphone Mode for private listening, and even the entry-level Select model will join the more premium models in enjoying faster and more responsive menus. Each new Roku series benefits from design tweaks too, including simplified cable management and more clearly labelled ports, and now Roku's helpful TV placement guide will be available even with the 65-inch and larger Select models, rather than just Roku's Pro Series sets. The latest Select series will now include a mixture of HD, full HD and native 4K models, with support for the premium HDR10+ high dynamic range format and Dolby Audio available on the 4K sets, while the Select series range of sizes has been expanded to run all the way from 24- to 85-inches. The upgraded Roku Plus and Pro series will be available in 55, 65 and 75-inch sizes, and all three series should be available now nationwide from such retailers as Best Buy, Walmart, Target and Amazon with pricing starting at $130 for the 24-inch Roku Select. — Related Reading LG OLED And LCD TVs Are About To Get Easier To Use Panasonic Unveils Full 2025 OLED And LED TV Line Up—Including 'Revolutionary' ThermalFlow OLED Sony Unveils New Bravia TVs—Including A Premium QD OLED Range
The Sun
20-05-2025
- The Sun
Millions able to upgrade their TV for FREE just by tweaking three settings to unlock better picture in under 30 seconds
THE default settings on your Samsung TV don't always make for the sharpest picture. But with a few quick tweaks, you can unlock a picture perfect viewing experience. 1 Eco mode Eco Mode is designed to reduce your TV's energy consumption. But in prioritising energy conservation as its main objective, picture quality can take a hit. The setting reduces brightness and contrast, dulls colours, and makes it harder to see details in darker scenes. This can be a pain when watching a dark-lit, shadowy movie, or gaming. To disable it, press the gear icon on your remote - this will take you to your telly's settings. Navigate to All Settings > General and Privacy > Power and Energy Saving > and Energy Saving Solution > then toggle it off. Automatic brightness Another tweak you can make is to your brightness optimisation. This is the tool that automatically adjusts your TV's brightness based on the lighting in your room. While helpful, it can often deliver inconsistent results, especially in rooms where the light levels change throughout the day. Samsung's home robot Ballie rolls around and projects TV anywhere you like This means the feature can leave your telly looking to dim or too bright - an annoyance for those searching for the best picture. Fortunately, you can still adjust your brightness settings manually. First you'll want to turn off Brightness Optimisation in the Power and Energy Saving menu. Next, head to All Settings > Picture > Expert Settings > Brightness and adjust it manually while watching. If you're watching high-definition content, make sure you put an HDR video on the screen and adjust the brightness accordingly. Motion smoothing Motion Smoothing, which is also called Picture Clarity on Samsung TVs, is another feature you should switch off in settings. The tool adds extra frames in an effort to reduce blur on fast-moving content, like sports. But it often creates the unwanted soap opera effect - where motion becomes hyper-smooth like on live TV. To turn it off, go to All Settings > Picture > Expert Settings > Picture Clarity Settings and set Picture Clarity to Off.
