Home Cinema Choice – September 2019

SEPTEMBER 2019 HOME CINEMA CHOICE

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Hisense 55A6200

« £430

A great value option, despite

brightness levels not doing

justice to its HDR support.

Visuals are sharp with solid

black levels and fi nessed

colour handling. 4K apps

and decent audio round out

the package. HCC #295

Samsung QE65Q85R

« £3,000

Reducing the number of local

dimming zones versus the

Q90R weakens backlighting

precision, but otherwise this

step-down model is highly

desirable. Bright, sharp and

well contrasted. Smarter

design, too. HCC #299

Sony KD-55AF9

« £3,000

Pricier than most 55in OLED

rivals, but this Master Series

Sony has a unique style,

eff ective 'invisible' audio

solution, Dolby Vision/Atmos

support and lush 4K visuals.

Good new Android OS, too.

HCC #292

Hitachi 75HL16T64U

« £1,350

This 75in megascreen off ers

a lot of 4K image for not a lot

of money. Predictably, picture

quality can't match that of

big-brand rivals – but the TV

holds appeal if you're mainly

after an SDR display.

HCC #285

Philips 43PUS6753

« £430

Sharp, colour-rich, direct-LED

images, plus Ambilight and

Philips' bespoke SAPHI smart

system, make this 43in 4K

HDR LCD a smallscreen(ish)

dream. Superb option for a

second-room/budget setup.

HCC #291

TCL 55DC748

« £700

While this budget UHD LCD

can look bright, detailed and

colour-rich, its whole-frame

dimming engine and absence

of motion compensation

count against it. The JBL

soundbar is a little

underpowered. HCC #289

LG 65SM9800PLA

« £2,300

This direct-lit 65-incher has

a forward-thinking spec,

slick smarts and impacts

with brightness and colour.

But it's not the most

cinematic of performers, with

noticeable backlight niggles.

HCC #301

Hisense 55U7A

« £800

FIFA-branded 4K HDR

fl atscreen that makes up for

a lack of HDR brightness

through its image clarity and

solid black levels. Strong

audio and a clutter-free

smart platform sweeten the

deal. HCC #287

Hisense H75U9A

« £3,500

This 75in LED is the brightest

display we've seen, yielding

benefi ts with HDR content,

while backlit illumination aids

black levels. Sharpness and

colour delivery are less

impressive, but the price/size

ratio is good. HCC #289

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Samsung QE82Q950R

« £10,000

Second-generation 8K QLED

that introduces an HDMI 2.1

input, and viewing angle and

backlight management

tweaks. Upscaled 4K imagery

is mindblowing at times,

and the 82in size sells the

resolution well. HCC #300

LG 65OLEDC9 « £3,300

LG continues to evolve its OLED proposition, fi ne-tuning AV

performance and smart skills to deliver an excellent all-

rounder. HDMI 2.1 brings some feature tricks, too. Also see the

step-up E9 model. HCC #299/#300

Panasonic TX-65FZ852

« £3,000

4K HDR OLED (with HDR10+

support) that off ers subtlety

and refi nement in spades

(particularly with colour

presentation and near-black

handling), making up for a

slight lack of dynamic punch.

HCC #290

LG65S

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Samsung QE65Q90R « £3,800

The Korean giant's premium 4K HDR TV continues to showcase

the colour and brightness talents of QLED tech, and improves

black level delivery and upscaling via panel/processing

upgrades. HCC #298

Sony KD-85ZG9

« £14,000

A debut 8K model from Sony

that makes an astonishing

impression, by virtue of its

supreme clarity, eff ective

(and bright) locally dimmed

LED engine, and remarkably

involving onboard audio.

HCC #301

Sony K

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