Comparison TCL 55P8K vs TCL 55C765

— Edge LED — side backlight of the matrix. In this case, the LEDs are distributed around the perimeter of the screen. To evenly distribute the backlight, the background of the matrix has a special reflector. An important advantage of TVs with Edge LED backlighting is the minimum thickness of the device. Among the shortcomings, one can note the presence of glare at the edges, which appear under certain conditions. Glare may be visible in scenes where dark hues predominate.

— Direct LED — rear matrix backlight. In this case, the LEDs are evenly distributed over the entire screen area. The Direct LED backlight makes the image contrast and bright at the same time. TVs with this technology have good colour reproduction. Among the shortcomings can be noted increased power consumption and increased dimensions. Additionally, such TVs have a large delay (Input lag), which is why Direct LED backlit screens are poorly suited for dynamic games.

— FALD (Full-Array Local Dimming) is a backlight technology widely used in LG TVs. A close analogue of FALD is the Direct LED backlight. The LEDs are also evenly spaced across the entire surface of the matrix, but FALD technology provides a bright, colour-rich image with high contrast. Another distinctive feature of FALD is the ability to reproduce natural blacks. When black is displayed on the screen, the LEDs are turn...ed off in groups, by sector, which allows to make black extremely saturated. Of course, the abundance of LEDs on the matrix makes the TV more massive, and at the same time heavy. The appetite for electricity in such models is above average.

— Mini LED. Screen backlight system on a substrate of reduced LEDs (hence the Mini prefix). On the same plane of the TV panel, the number of LEDs has increased several times, if we draw parallels with traditional LED systems. As a result, the canvas with Mini LED backlight has many times more local dimming zones of the picture (Local Dimming), which is necessary for the correct operation of the extended dynamic range image technology. For playing HDR content, Mini LED systems are much better than ordinary LCDs.

— Dual LED. Proprietary backlight system used in Samsung TVs. The technology involves illuminating the image on the screen with two types of LEDs: one emits light in a cold spectrum, the other in a warm one. The Dual LED enhances colour reproduction and enhances detail contrast by adapting the colour tone of the picture according to the content on the screen.

The maximum brightness of the image provided by the TV screen.

The image on the screen should be bright enough so that you do not have to strain your eyes unnecessarily to view it. However, too high brightness is undesirable — it will also lead to fatigue. The optimal brightness level depends on the surrounding conditions: the more intense the ambient light, the brighter the TV screen should be. So, on a sunny day, the screen may have to be “turned up” to the maximum, and in the evening, in dimmed light, a relatively dim image will be more comfortable. In addition note that large screens require higher brightness, since they are designed for a greater distance from the viewer.

Thus, the higher the number in this paragraph, the greater the margin of brightness this model has, the better it will show itself in intense ambient light. The lowest indicator sufficient for more or less comfortable viewing in any conditions is 300 cd/m² for models with a diagonal of up to 32", 400 cd/m² for models in the range of 32 – 55" and 600 cd/m² for large screens of 60" and more. In this case, the brightness margin anyway will not be superfluous. But with lower indicators, you may have to darken the room somewhat for comfortable viewing.

The level of static contrast provided by the TV screen.

Contrast in a general sense is the ratio in brightness between the brightest whites and the darkest blacks that the screen can produce. Other things being equal, the higher the screen contrast, the better the quality of colour reproduction and detail, the lower the likelihood that it will be impossible to see details in too bright or too dark areas of the image. Static contrast, on the other hand, describes the maximum difference in brightness that can be achieved within one frame without changing the brightness of the image — this is its difference from dynamic contrast (see below).

The values of static contrast are much lower than those of dynamic, but this characteristic is the most "honest". It is on it that the properties of the image seen on the screen at a particular moment depend, it is describes the basic properties of the screen, without taking into account the software tricks provided by the manufacturer in the hardware of the TV.

The response time can be described as the maximum time required for each pixel of the screen to change brightness, in other words, the longest time from the receipt of a control signal to the pixel until it switches to the specified mode. The actual switching time may be less — if the brightness changes slightly, it can be calculated in microseconds. However, it is the longest time that matters — it describes the guaranteed response speed of each pixel.

First of all, the frame rate is directly related to the response time (see the relevant paragraph): the lower the response time, the higher the frame rate can be provided on this sensor. However, the actual frame rate may be less than the theoretical maximum, it all depends on the TV. Also note that the overall image quality in dynamic scenes depends primarily on the frame rate. Therefore, we can say that the response time is an auxiliary parameter: the average user rarely needs this data, and in the specifications they are given mainly for advertising purposes.

Color gamut describes the range of colors that can be displayed on a screen. It is indicated in percentages, but not relative to the entire variety of visible colors, rather to a specific color space (color model). This is because no modern screen can display all the colors visible to the human eye. Nevertheless, the larger the color gamut, the broader the screen's capabilities, and the better its color reproduction quality.

DCI-P3 is an advanced color model mainly used in digital cinemas. It is significantly wider than the standard sRGB, providing more accurate and realistic colors. However, in practice, this model is primarily used for professional filmmaking and other tasks of a similar level. This is why televisions with this standard display movies and series as close as possible to the director's vision.

The IMAX Enhanced Seal of Conformity is awarded to televisions that meet the video device certification requirements of IMAX Corporation. It applies to streaming and Blu-Ray content shot with IMAX cameras or processed using special DMR (Digital Media Remastering) software. To qualify for IMAX Enhanced certification, your TV must have 4K resolution, 10-bit color, support HDR10 and HDR10+, and DTS:X audio. As a result, viewers get the opportunity to enjoy the immersive effect of an IMAX cinema at home.

TV compatibility with special frame synchronization technologies used in AMD graphics cards.

You should pay attention to this parameter if you plan to use the TV as a gaming monitor for a PC or laptop with an AMD graphics adapter. Special timing technologies are used to match the screen refresh rate to the frame rate of the incoming video signal. Such a need arises for the reason that the frame rate issued by the graphics card can “float” when the load on the video adapter changes (this is especially true for demanding games); and if this frequency does not match the screen refresh rate – tears and other unwanted artifacts appear on the image.

The AMD technology used to eliminate this effect is called FreeSync. Nowadays, it is presented on the market in three versions — the original FreeSync and two extended ones:

– AMD FreeSync Premium Pro. The most advanced and functional version, formerly known as AMD FreeSync 2 HDR. In addition to refresh rate sync, it also includes support for HDR (see above), output at a frame rate of at least 120 Hz at Full HD resolution, as well as low frame rate compensation (LFC). The essence of LFC is that when the frame rate of the original video signal falls below the minimum frequency supported by the screen, the same frame is displayed on the screen several times, which allows to maintain the maximum smoothness of the “picture”.

— AMD FreeSync Premium. A somewhat s...implified version compared to FreeSync Premium Pro. It does not provide working with HDR, otherwise it is completely similar.

The nominal power of the sound produced by the TV's sound system.

The larger the screen and the greater the estimated distance to the viewer, the more powerful the sound system must be in order to be heard normally. Manufacturers take this moment into account, moreover, most often they also provide a solid volume margin. So if a TV is bought for home viewing in a quiet, calm environment, you can not pay much attention to the sound power: it is guaranteed to be enough for such a usage. It makes sense to specifically look for models with high-power speakers for a noisy environment — for example, a cafe or other public space. Detailed recommendations on this matter can be found in special sources, but here we note that even in such cases, connecting external speakers can be a good alternative.

A decoder can be broadly described as a standard in which digital audio (often multi-channel) is recorded. For normal playback of such sound, it is necessary that the corresponding decoder is supported by the device. Dolby Digital and DTS were the first in multi-channel decoding, gradually improving and introducing new features. The final stage for 2020 is Dolby Atmos and DTS X decoders.

– Dolby Atmos. A decoder that uses not a rigid distribution of sound across channels, but the processing of audio objects, due to which it can be used with almost any number of channels on a reproducing system — the sound will be divided between channels so that each audio object is heard as close as possible to its proper place. When using Dolby Atmos, ceiling speakers (or speakers facing the ceiling) are highly desirable. However, in extreme cases, you can do without them.

— DTS X. An analogue of the Dolby Atmos described above, when the sound is distributed not through individual channels, but through audio objects. The digital signal contains information about where (according to the director's intention) the object audible to the user should be and how it should move, and the processor of the reproducing device processes this information and determines exactly how the sound should be distributed over the available channels in order to achieve the required localization. Thanks to this, DTS X is not tied to a specific number of audi...o channels — there can be as many as you like, the system will automatically divide the sound into them, achieving the desired sound. Also note that this decoder allows you to separately adjust the volume of dialogues.