On today’s episode of You Asked: Panasonic W95A or TCL QM6K? How to adjust your settings for better motion clarity? And should you go with the LG C5 or Samsung S90F as your next upgrade?
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@shawn2481 asks: I just purchased the TCL QM8K, and I’ve been noticing motion blur when watching shows. For example, when streaming on Apple TV through an Apple TV 4K box connected via HDMI 1, I see noticeable blur during fast motion, like a golf swing. The video is displayed in Dolby Vision. Is this expected behavior for the QM8K? Or are there settings I should adjust to reduce motion blur?
Hey Shawn. It seems like you already know a little bit of your own answer there. No, that’s not expected behavior on the TCL QM8K. And yes, adjusting the settings will make a big difference for you. In fact, we have a whole video on how to get the best picture from your TCL TV.
To answer your question about motion clarity: On the main menu, go to Picture Settings, down to Advanced Settings, and then down to Motion. You can have Motion Clarity turned off altogether if you like. Or if you turn it on, you can use a pair of sliders to set your preferences for Blur Reduction and Judder Reduction.
It’s worth experimenting to see what you like best for different types of content. You may find that you prefer movies and shows filmed at 24 frames per second to look one way, and higher frame-rate content like live programming, reality TV, and sports to look another.
Again, to Shawn and everyone else, it’s always worth diving into your settings when you pick up a new TV, especially when it’s one of the best on the market like the QM8K. We’ve got videos on our channel for every brand, and in general there’s a ton of information out there for many different models that covers everything from the best picture modes to getting the most out of HDR viewing. In some cases, like on Panasonic TVs that run Amazon’s Fire TV, you can even turn off the automatic videos that play ads.
TVs are very customizable these days. Even if it’s really good out of the box, it could be better if you take a few minutes to make the changes.
Margo asks: After seven years, I’m upgrading my old Samsung LED TVs with either OLED or QLED. I’m looking to buy a 65-inch TV for my living room that gets a decent amount of natural light and will be the primary TV-watching spot in the apartment. For the bedroom, I’m considering either a 42- or 48-inch TV. The room gets less natural light. Picture quality, brightness, and cinematic viewing are crucial to me. Audio is not as important since I’ll have a Sonos system in the living room and Amazon Fire soundbar in the bedroom. The TVs I’m considering are the LG C4, LG C5, or Samsung S90F. Which would you recommend and why?
Thanks for the question, Margo, and congrats on the upgrade! To me, the Samsung S90F makes the most sense for you.
You’re coming from Samsung TVs that you already know well. While there are likely some differences between the menus and features, you will already be familiar with the brand, which has its benefits.
But picture quality is where I think the S90F will really benefit you, especially on the 65-inch model. At that size, as well as 55 and 75 inches, Samsung gives the S90F a QD-OLED panel, which is going to be considerably more colorful than LG’s W-RGB OLED panel in the C5. Since that living-room TV is going to be your primary viewing spot, it seems like a no-brainer to go for the option that’s going to look best.
Even in a room that gets some natural light, you should be fine with how the S90F handles reflections. In general, I think it’s one of the best buys for an OLED TV.
To be honest, I’d go with a smaller size of the S90F in the bedroom as well, since it comes in both 42- and 48-inch sizes. One benefit: those remotes could be interchangeable. If you’re like me, it’s hard to keep track of those tiny Samsung remotes because they’re so small and dark.
The only thing that would change my mind on this answer would be if you can still find the LG C4 on a really good discount. That might be worth it to save money. But since you’re prioritizing picture quality, QD-OLED is the way to go with Samsung.
@lopin07030 asks: 75-inch Panasonic W95A Mini LED or TCL QM6K?
Good question. Not sure if I’ve compared these two, but it’s relevant because that W95A remains on a great sale. I think I’ve seen it around 600 dollars recently.
It’s actually been a little while since I’ve put eyes on that Panasonic, but what stood out to me was brightness.
Quick note as we show some B-roll on these models: when we film TVs, we’re exposing for the TV so you can accurately see the picture. Unless we put them side by side, it’s hard to tell which model is actually brighter.
While we never compared them directly next to each other, what I recall being impressed by is the W95A’s HDR performance. We played a good bit of content on the W95A side by side with the Sony Bravia 7.
In our review, the QM6K was noteworthy for how accurate its colors were out of the box and how well it handled off-angle viewing, at least compared to previous models. But for HDR and SDR viewing, I think the W95A is going to perform better.
Still, that’s not everything. Consider the operating system. If you prefer Google TV, that’s what you’ll find on the QM6K. If you prefer or don’t mind Amazon Fire TV, that’s on the W95A.
Both TVs support HDR, HDR10 Plus, and Dolby Vision. Both have a max native refresh rate of 144 Hz.
Inputs are mostly the same with two HDMI 2.1 and two HDMI 2.0 ports, but the Panasonic has an ATSC 3.0 tuner versus 1.0 in the TCL model. That means for over-the-air content you can receive a higher-resolution picture on the Panasonic if one is available. Version 1.0 is limited to 1080p, while 3.0 allows 4K HDR and enhanced audio like Dolby Atmos.
The only potential dealbreaker on the Panasonic comes with gaming features: Variable Refresh Rate and Local Dimming don’t work simultaneously. I’d love to hear from anyone who owns the W95A in the comments about how big of a deal this is. But if you’re not a heavy gamer or can live without variable refresh rate, I don’t think it’s worth passing on the TV for.
The fact that it’s still available right now is a big win for consumers at this price.
Instagram is making its way to yet another screen, and this time, Apple TV is getting a taste of the Reels rabbit hole. The company has launched a dedicated Instagram app for Apple TV, bringing Reels, longer videos, and live shows to the big screen. So, if watching one quick clip on a phone somehow turns into an hour of scrolling, there's now a much larger screen for that.
Instagram brings Reels and more to Apple TV
Audio-Technica, a brand well known for making some of the best studio and professional headphones on the market, has just come out with the ATH-AWX7000, which the company itself claims to be its "finest headphones ever." The new flagship closed-back headphone has debuted at an eye-watering price of $3,799. It combines hand-finished Japanese woodwork with a newly developed 58mm driver.
The earcups are made from Kiso cypress, a prized wood historically used for Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples. Each housing is finished by hand with traditional Echizen lacquer, which brings out the grain and is expected to darken over time. The frame and sliders are finished in a deep navy kachi-iro shade traditionally associated with samurai.
This post is brought to you in paid partnership with Best Buy.
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