Question Panasonic TX50GX800B vs Samsung UE55RU8000 vs Samsung QE55Q70R

bobbe79

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Hi

Having just acquired a PS4 Pro I am looking to upgrade my ~7 year old Samsung UE40D5500 to a 4KTV in the £550-£600 price range.

Initially had my eye on the Samsung UE55RU8000 (£599) but the inclusion of Dolby Vision on the Panasonic TX50GX800B (£549)has me looking at that one mainly now.

I do a 50/50 split between gaming (mostly single player) and watching movies/series with occasional sport thrown in and the viewing angle is straight-on.

So far the only thing I'd be missing from the Samsung would be the 100Hz panel frequency - does this have a major impact at all?

In a nutshell I'd want something to mainly showcase and appreciate the benefits that 4K/HDR can offer (at this price range) that also serves as a great all-rounder TV. I'm also relatively easily impressed and after 7 years with my current TV anything new and modern would likely blow my mind!

Thanks in advance
Johann
 
the Samsung is 120hz and better faster motion and gaming. its a better TV.
 
The Samsung is by far the better option for gaming. Faster response time makes for less motion blur. Samsung even has some exclusive gaming features like being able to use motion controls without adding input lag and even supports HDMI Variable Refresh Rate for the future gaming consoles.

By comparison the GX800 is using a slow-response time 60hz panel (more motion blur) and much the same as the RU8000 has next to no HDR hardware making it poor with HDR. The GX800 may support Dolby Vision, but Dolby Vision is useless for gaming and the TV still lacks the same fundamentals as other TVs in this price range to display HDR to an acceptable standard and without issues, namely higher peak brightness and good local dimming.

My main concern for you is with HDR actually, true HDR comes at quite a premium right now and your budget will not allow for you to enjoy a trouble free HDR gaming experience so you can expect whichever TV you buy, to treat it almost exclusively for SDR use.

My suggest would be keep with what you have, save up for a an adequate HDR performer instead, the future of gaming and video is mostly in HDR and its with HDR where you'll see the biggest quality increase compared to UHD.
 
Thank you for the detailed reply.

If I upped my budget to £800, would you recommend either of the Sony BRAVIA KD49XG9005BU or Samsung QE55Q70R or are there better sets for that price range?
 
Last edited:
Thank you for te detailed reply.

If I upped my budget to £800, would you recommend either of the Sony BRAVIA KD49XG9005BU or Samsung QE55Q70R or are there better sets for that price range?
Those are indeed the two starter TVs where HDR becomes problem free. I'd consider the 55" Q70R since the 49" version comes without a 120hz panel. You'll get Samsung-centric gaming features that way that are missed on the smaller sized models.

The Sony XF9005/XG9005 are good options too, but they are TVs with video first, gaming second, so if you are a gamer, I wouldn't consider them unless you care more about things like motion in sports than you do motion in games.
 
Just noticed that the Samsung Q70 only has HDMI 2.0b - would it be better to find a similar priced set with HDMI 2.1 or is that still overkill? The PS4 Pro has a 2.1.
 
Just noticed that the Samsung Q70 only has HDMI 2.0b - would it be better to find a similar priced set with HDMI 2.1 or is that still overkill? The PS4 Pro has a 2.1.
The PS4 pro does not have HDMI 2.1. If it did it would support Variable Refresh Rate which it doesn't.

The only TVs that come with a complete set of HDMI features would be from LG. You'll want to look at the LG B9 or C9 OLEDs and not their LCDs, since their LCD TVs are poor TVs with HDR.

The Samsung Q70R (55 and up) come with support for HDMI Variable Refresh Rate and Auto Low Latency Mode which are both HDMI 2.1 features, but they are strapped on to HDMI 2.0 ports and not HDMI 2.1 ones.

The main limitation there isn't now, but in the future. It means that the TVs won't be able to do 4k gaming whilst also using Variable Refresh Rate and will be limited to 1440p. Compare this to true HDMI 2.1 port TVs like the higher end LG's, they can do both Variable Refresh Rate and 2160p.

This may mean more to some people than others though, because whilst the Samsung Q70R (55 and up) will not support VRR at more than 1440p, it can still support 4k fine without it.
 
Ok looks like I'm getting settled on the Q70R but just had a quick look at the Sony BRAVIA KD55XF9005BU as well - appears it has a 100Hz screen refresh and will be getting support for Dolby Vision through a firmware update some time. Would you still recommend the Q70R over this one though?
 
Ok looks like I'm getting settled on the Q70R but just had a quick look at the Sony BRAVIA KD55XF9005BU as well - appears it has a 100Hz screen refresh and will be getting support for Dolby Vision through a firmware update some time. Would you still recommend the Q70R over this one though?

The Samsung is the better gaming tv. The Sony is marginally better for normal content. What Dolby Vision sources do you have - Netflix full plan? Will you be getting a 4K player?
 
Both have 120hz panels but the speed of the panel has very little consequence compared to HDMI VRR support. That will be the technology that gives you the least amount of motion blur, especially since consoles are unlikely to be able to render games above 60fps.
 
The Samsung is the better gaming tv. The Sony is marginally better for normal content. What Dolby Vision sources do you have - Netflix full plan? Will you be getting a 4K player?

I do not currently have any 4K subscriptions, and not likely to upgrade to Netflix 4K as fibre is not available on our street and I get a measly 9mbps if I'm lucky. I'll just be trying iPlayer and Amazon to see if the 4K works (after some buffering time I assume). So it'll mostly be 4K gaming for now. And I think I just answered some of my own questions here :p
 
Samsung are currently selling the Q80R through the employee portal for the same price as the Q70R at Richer Sounds and most other places. I assume this would be worth getting instead? Does Samsung offer extended warranties when buying direct? It's currently out of stock though so not sure if the price would still be the same if the new batch arrives.

Also - the Samsung Frame - doesn't appear to be any better than the Q70R specs, or am I missing something?
 
Q80R is a Q70R but with increased peak brightness and the improved anti glare/wide viewing angle filter. Definitely worth the extra if you are planning to use the TV for HDR although I'd consider stepping up to the Q85R instead if you can for better local dimming.

The frame is an overpriced commodity and matches cheaper Samsung models like the Q60R in spec, its by no means a capable HDR TV and is priced so high due to its value to those who favour looks above picture quality.
 
Ok, looks like Richer Sounds are doing £400 cashback on the Q85R which brings it down to the price of the Q70R if you buy a soundbar or 2nd TV from the T&C list as well. Am I understanding that correctly?
 
Thinking about future proofing - I've heard if you have a model with the One Connect Box that it can be upgraded to a box with a 2.1 HDMI port - is this correct or would it not be compatible with the TV's internal hardware?
 
Thinking about future proofing - I've heard if you have a model with the One Connect Box that it can be upgraded to a box with a 2.1 HDMI port - is this correct or would it not be compatible with the TV's internal hardware?

Most 2.1 features can be added via firmware update to 2.0 ports. The only one missing is 4K @ 120hz, but that’s irre. Buy for the present, rather than the future.
 

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