Samsung DU7192 (VA) vs LG UT8100 (IPS)

The peak brightness of the television is about 280 nits on the luminance charts. Unfortunately, this value is too low to fully enjoy the effects of HDR, which require significantly higher luminance. In the tested materials, such as The Meg or Gemini Man, the lack of adequate brightness significantly limits the magic of HDR, and the details in the brighter parts of the image are not sufficiently exposed. For users primarily consuming SDR content, this level of quality may be acceptable, but it is definitely insufficient when it comes to HDR. Additionally, the coverage of the DCI-P3 color palette at 82% does not favor the presentation of HDR content in its full glory. The limited color gamut makes it difficult for the television to reproduce vibrant and diverse colors, which is crucial for achieving a cinematic experience.

The LG UT8100 television unfortunately does not meet expectations in the HDR effect category. The peak brightness of only 300 nits on the luminance graph is significantly below the required value to fully enjoy HDR effects. In practice, the image resembles SDR quality more than true HDR, which is particularly evident in demanding high-contrast scenes. The coverage of the DCI-P3 color palette is only 82%, which further limits the ability to present vibrant and rich colors. Instead of impressive visual experiences, we get a muted and washed-out image. For those looking for a television to fully utilize HDR content, the LG UT8100 model proves to be highly disappointing.

The best factory mode we relied on during testing turned out to be "Filmmaker." Although this mode is the closest to the intentions of filmmakers, it is not without certain imperfections. The white balance chart shows a clear dominance of red in both SDR and HDR, resulting in significant yellowness, particularly noticeable in whites and on the actors' faces. In HDR mode, there is additionally a slight dominance of green, which, however, does not have as much impact on the overall perception of the image. The gamma, responsible for brightness in SDR materials, performed quite well, but with one serious caveat. In the darkest areas of the image, it was too low, leading to excessive brightness in those scenes, depriving the film of drama and contrast. In HDR, the white balance remains at a similar level, but the EOTF curve chart draws attention. At the beginning, the curve clearly bulges, leading to strong brightness in the darkest scenes. Then the result drops sharply below the reference line, resulting in an image that is too dark and a loss of dynamics in the brighter areas.

To summarize, the "Filmmaker" mode, despite its advantages, requires refinement – especially regarding white balance and proper management of brightness in the darkest and brightest areas of the image. In its current form, it may be acceptable for less demanding users, but for viewers expecting precise image reproduction, it may leave much to be desired.

The Filmmaker Mode on LG UT8100, although theoretically the best for watching movies, has significant flaws. The biggest issue is white balance – drops in blue color cause noticeable yellowing of the image, visible in both HD and 4K content. These errors are confirmed by the measurement results in the Colour Checker test, which indicate significant deviations in color reproduction.

As for brightness characteristics, both HD and 4K content feature a high tonal boost. The gamma curve in both cases remains well below the reference value of 2.4, leading to excessive brightening of darker elements in the image. A similar problem is evident in the EOTF curve – in the case of 4K content, the TV struggles with proper brightness management, resulting in issues with screen brightness. This means that the factory settings of this model require significant adjustment to achieve better image quality.

Even with its lower models, Samsung offers extensive tools for image calibration, allowing for significant improvement of factory settings. We undertook this task, and the results proved to be more than satisfactory. The white balance, which previously exhibited strong yellowing in both SDR and HDR, has been significantly improved. Although minor deviations from the norm can be observed, the overall effect is much cleaner and more natural than before calibration. As a result, whites and skin tones look much better. We also managed to appropriately model the gamma in SDR materials, allowing for maximum contrast that this television can offer. The EOTF curve, responsible for HDR materials, has also been improved – the image is no longer brightened or darkened as drastically as it was before calibration. Despite these successes, HDR materials still struggle with high deltaE error values. The main cause lies in the limited brightness of the television, which does not allow for a full representation of HDR content dynamics. Nevertheless, after calibration, the picture is clearly better and more aligned with the creators' intent. For users seeking the best possible quality in this class of equipment, calibration is definitely recommended.

After calibrating the Filmmaker Mode, the gamma has been aligned to practically ideal, reference values, which significantly improved the overall tonal characteristics in HD content. 4K HDR content also looks better, although some issues are still visible at the end of the graph, where the curve deviates from the ideal. The EOTF curve performs worse, as the television struggles to maintain appropriate brightness values. As a result, the image in some scenes may be overly bright or slightly dimmed, which stems from the device's design. Nevertheless, the calibration has brought significant improvements, especially in the case of HD content, where tonal balance and color reproduction are now at a much higher level.

The tonal smooth transition function operates in two modes – "off" and "auto." Turning it off causes gradation issues, while the "auto" mode provides smooth transitions but at the expense of grain and details that are often blurred. Due to these limitations, we do not recommend using this function, as confirmed by our tests conducted with it turned off.

Scaling lower resolution materials in this model is not impressive. Details are blurred, and the edges of objects may contain artifacts. This limitation means that the television is better suited for higher resolution content.

The fluidity of tonal transitions is also correct, although the effect depends on the settings. The update improved the functionality of smooth gradation, smoothing transitions better than before, but introduced minor issues with loss of detail, e.g., on textures.

Image scaling on LG UT8100 performs very well. The image presents itself decently, without major issues with edge aliasing. Details are preserved at a satisfactory level, which makes lower-resolution materials look really solid on this TV. As a result, users can enjoy watching older content without obvious quality flaws.

Although the Samsung DU7192 is the lowest model in the manufacturer's offer, it is equipped with a motion smoothing system. While the functionality of this solution is significantly limited compared to more expensive models, its mere presence distinguishes the television from competitors in this price range. The television supports a maximum refresh rate of 60 Hz, which is sufficient for comfortable viewing of movies and series, but may be inadequate for dynamic content such as sports. In the motion smoothing menu, we find, among others, the "Motion Blur Reduction" function. Unfortunately, its performance leaves much to be desired – regardless of the setting, the image exhibits characteristic stuttering known from material recorded at 24 frames per second, which makes this function practically fail to fulfill its role.

LG UT8100, equipped with a 60 Hz display, will be especially suitable for people watching movies. The television offers the TruMotion system with de-judder effect adjustment, allowing users to customize the fluidity of the image – from more choppy to exceptionally smooth, reminiscent of a soap opera effect, depending on user preferences.

The Samsung DU7192 is equipped with HDMI 2.0 ports, which is expected in this price range. This limitation means a lack of support for the full capabilities of the latest generation consoles, such as VRR technologies. The television only offers basic features for gamers – automatic switching to low latency mode (ALLM) and support for basic HDR for games in the HGiG standard. HGiG allows for displaying HDR content in games according to manufacturers' guidelines; however, the limited brightness of the television does not allow for fully enjoying the effects that this standard offers. Unfortunately, there is a lack of conveniences such as GameBar, which is increasingly found even in cheaper models and greatly facilitates quick adjustments of settings for games. The presence of this feature could significantly enhance user comfort, especially among those who frequently change display modes.

LG UT8100 offers basic features for gamers, such as ALLM and Game Bar, which makes access to settings easier. The TV also supports HGiG, which improves image quality in HDR games. Unfortunately, the lack of support for Dolby Vision and VRR limits the capabilities of the device, as does the 60 Hz panel, which excludes support for 120 Hz resolution. This model will be more suitable for less demanding gaming applications.