Samsung DU8002 (IPS) vs TCL C655 / C69B (43" - 50")

The HDR effect on the DU8002 television leaves much to be desired. A brightness level of 300 nits is unable to provide a true high dynamic range experience, making the content viewed resemble more standard SDR than impressive HDR. Scenes that should dazzle with brilliance and detail appear muted and lack depth. Nevertheless, the television deserves praise for its high coverage of the DCI-P3 colour palette at 92%. This allows for vibrant and saturated colours, which may please viewers who prefer rich tones, even if the HDR effect does not fully meet expectations.

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

DU8002 offers a Filmmaker mode, which is supposed to provide authentic image reproduction in line with the creators' intentions. Unfortunately, despite its promising name, the effects are far from ideal. The white balance in this mode shows significant drops in blue colour, leading to a noticeable yellowing of the image, as seen in our comparison photo. Colour Checker tests confirm these errors. Regarding brightness, the gamma characteristic is too low compared to the reference line of 2.4, resulting in excessive screen brightness. A similar problem occurs with 4K content – the EOTF responsible for brightness in 4K materials shows significant increases above the reference line, leading to overly bright small light elements. As a result, the Filmmaker mode in DU8002 does not meet expectations and instead of providing high quality, presents an image full of tonal and colour inaccuracies.

Tested in film mode, the television TCL C69B / C655 unfortunately does not meet expectations regarding colour accuracy. Although the film mode suggests better representation, it has as much in common with film as nothing at all. There are numerous errors, particularly in the white balance – for both HD and 4K HDR content – where the dominance of blue is very apparent. For the viewer, this means that the image becomes unnaturally cool, affecting the overall perception of colours and the visual impression. The colour checker confirms these errors, showing that colours shift towards cooler shades.

When it comes to brightness characteristics and related contrast, gamma is very unstable for the material, making the image potentially slightly darker. The EOTF curve for the 4K material shows some errors, with significant deviations towards the end of the graph, which negatively affects the perception of darker parts of the image.

Samsung is one of those companies that offers advanced tools to enhance picture quality in its televisions, including a 20-point white balance adjustment. Even in the budget model DU8002, after proper adjustments, surprisingly good results can be achieved. The white balance, especially for HD content, performs really well – tests on the Colour Checker palette confirm accuracy levels of 2–1.5, which indicates the significant capabilities of this television in colour reproduction. In 4K content, although not as perfect as in lower quality material, the overall picture looks much better.

The gamma brightness has also been significantly adjusted, meaning the image is not overly brightened and appears more natural. What about the EOTF curve? At first glance, it seems fine, but upon closer inspection, especially in film tests, it's clear that the television struggles due to its low-contrast panel. And the EOTF drops below the reference line. Nevertheless, the DU8002 is an example of a budget model where investing in calibration is worthwhile. Although construction flaws, such as the type of backlighting, cannot be completely eliminated, colour accuracy is surprisingly good, especially considering its price.

After calibration, the movie mode on the TCL C69B / C655 television improves in quality. The most significant enhancement can be seen in tonal reproduction, and the white balance presents itself much better – without major errors. We will no longer see the excessive dominance of cool shades. The gamma has also been improved, resulting in a more stable representation of brightness and contrast. However, due to limitations in the average colour palette of the television, Colour Checker tests for 4K materials did not achieve outstanding results. Despite these technological limitations, the image became more authentic, positively impacting the reception of film content.

Smoothing tonal transitions on the DU8002 television leaves mixed feelings. Although the menu has an option for smoothing tonal transitions, in practice it yields no results and can even generate unwanted side effects.

Nonetheless, the television handles upscaling, or digital image processing, exceptionally well. The test pattern with the model looked really good – the image isn't overly jagged, and the overall presentation is decent and pleasing to the eye. This is definitely good news for those planning to watch traditional television on this model.

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

The DU8002 with a 60 Hz panel is a television that performs better for watching movies than for intense gaming. The motion smoothing feature acts as a fluid enhancer, smoothing out movement and giving scenes a more fluid appearance, which is useful for movie sessions. In the context of gaming, this model is likely only suitable for occasional entertainment.

Television TCL C69B / C655 in its smallest variants offers decent, though not perfect, results in terms of motion smoothness. For movies, the television features a "Flicker Reduction" function, which allows for adjustment of motion smoothness on a scale from 1 to 10. Thanks to this option, we can tailor the image appearance to either a cinematic or more theatrical preference (with less or greater speed).

DU8002 is a television that is mainly suited for casual gamers. The 60 Hz panel won't provide the highest motion fluidity, so in dynamic games, you might miss that extra smoothness of the image. On the plus side, it has ALLM and HGiG functions, which automatically adjust the picture settings for HDR games, enhancing the gaming experience. Unfortunately, the TV only comes with HDMI 2.0 ports, so we have to forget about more advanced features like VRR or support for 4K at 120 Hz. Choosing this equipment means we will have to make do without a full set of gaming features.

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

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