PICTURE QUALITY. It did an excellent job displaying the finest detail of HD content. Color accuracy was acceptable, but below that of most models. Color temperature was slightly on the cool side, lending images a bluish tone. Lack of contrast gave images a flatter appearance with little depth. The brightness level was good, making it a suitable choice for most rooms. Black levels are excellent, with help from Hisense's Local Dimming, a local dimming feature, delivering very deep blacks that enhance contrast in dark scenes. In scenes with subtly shaded light-to-dark areas, such as a sky during sunset, the model did an excellent job producing a smooth transition without distinct, coarse bands. The deinterlacing and film mode operations were excellent on HD content; there was little or no trace of jaggies on the edges of objects for video and film-based 1080i video content, such as from cable.
VIEWING ANGLE. This Hisense has a narrow viewing angle overall, below-average performance among TVs for this attribute. Only those seated directly in front of the screen will see the best picture quality. When we viewed the TV from the sides image quality degraded significantly. The picture showed a strong loss of color, so flesh tones looked very washed out, along with a slight color shift. Black levels visibly brightened, reducing contrast especially on dark scenes. When viewing the image from above or below eye level to the screen, the vertical viewing angle was good. The picture showed some change in color, contrast, and black level.
ULTRA HD PERFORMANCE. Overall, very good. This Hisense UHD TV delivers full 4K picture detail, along with very good HD-to-UHD upconversion. All native 4K content we played on this model, including movies and test videos was presented in full detail with excellent image fidelity when played back via the TV's HDMI input using various 4K source players. This TV supports HDR (High Dynamic Range), but the process of getting the TV to recognize HDR has issues. Only HDMI inputs 3 and 4 support HDR, and to present HDR effectively you'll have to go into the TV's menu and set the "HDMI 2.0 Format" from "Standard" to "Enhanced," which is not an intuitive process. The TV should do this automatically, and we hope a future firmware update will address this. Also, when the TV detects HDR content, it does not automatically default to new picture settings that optimize the image for this format, and the user will not likely be adjusting the TV settings for different programs. Ultimately we found HDR performance to be only somewhat effective. It did a good job reproducing a greater range of nuanced shadow detail, but with the default settings there was little discernible contrast between moderately bright and very bright highlights from 4K content mastered specifically for HDR. And while the overall image brightness was fine for general viewing, it was limited for effective HDR performance (contrast adds a greater sense of realism to content mastered for HDR). Extended color capability was not so apparent on this TV. This model supports video streaming of 4K programs via Netflix and YouTube, with images that were clean and finely detailed with no visible over-sharpening. Using the TV's USB port, we were able to play back 4K videos stored on a flash drive which were encoded in the MP4 and VP9 formats, but no support for HEVC encoded files. High-resolution photos were a mixed bag, with images showing full 2160 pixel vertical resolution, but horizontal resolution was cut in half, showing compromised 4K detail on our test images. With regular HD content, the TV's HD-to-UHD up-conversion processing was very good, with edges along diagonals of image content showing slight jaggies, just short of the best we've seen. Only two of the TV's four HDMI inputs (HDMI 3, 4) comply with the latest HDMI 2.0 and HDCP 2.2 specifications that support play back for 4K video at 60Hz, and copy protection, a requirement for compatibility with 4K movie play back devices such as a 4K Blu-ray player.
MOTION BLUR. This Hisense TV has only fair motion performance, with significant blurring on our motion tests. This is typical of LCD TVs with the basic 60Hz frame rate. This model does not include a blur reduction feature. The visibility of blurring on typical program content is often subtle and may not bother most people, but keen-eyed viewers may detect some loss of texture and detail on scenes with movement.
SCREEN REFLECTIVITY. Though not as mirror-like as on some models, this screen surface is glossy and therefore susceptible to reflections from a nearby lamp or window. It does a good job reducing glare from ambient light and maintains contrast in a brighter room environment.
SOUND QUALITY. This model has good sound quality; about average among the models we've tested. When watching a movie blockbuster, a concert, or TV show, it delivers decent performance but falls short of the better performers. With movies, dialog was generally clear and natural sounding and remained well balanced with respect to background music and other sounds. Bass was lacking but treble was nicely detailed, while the overall sound was a bit closed in. The speakers produced a good volume range so this model should play sufficiently loud in typical room environments, and without obvious distortion. Most people would find this sound quality acceptable.
EASE OF USE. Overall, it was fairly easy to setup and fairly easy to do routine things. On first power up there is an on-screen guide that helps you through setting up the TV. The remote's major function buttons were sufficiently large and have high-contrast labeling, making them easier to see and navigate.
STAND ASSEMBLY. The TV's base does not come pre-attached, so some assembly is required. Mounting the support stand to the TV is straightforward, though the stand requires the assembly of one part before mounting. The TV's stand extends to the far ends of the display, which means the table top you'll be setting the TV on will need to be at least as wide as the display itself.
INTERNET FEATURES. This TV provides advanced Internet capabilities via its "Not Stated" portal with access to a library of applications, and a full Web browser. Movie streaming services include: Netflix, Amazon, Vudu, YouTube.
CONNECTIONS. This model has four HDMI inputs—one supports MHL (Mobile High-definition Link), one supports ARC (Audio Return Channel), one "component/composite shared" input (which means you can only use one type or the other at a time). It also has three USB ports, an optical digital audio out, a headphone out, an Ethernet port. WiFi wireless networking. DLNA, to access files within your home network. Casting, to control the TV from a smartphone that has the suitable app installed. Screen mirroring, where the image on your smartphone or other compatible device can also appear on the TV. Note: HDMI and other cable connections made to the rear-facing panel will protrude beyond the panel's slim depth.
INCLUDED IN THE BOX. A quick start guide. A remote control with batteries. No printed manual is included.
ABOUT ULTRA HD TESTING: We test UHD picture quality using 4K movies, videos, photos, and test patterns to confirm these displays deliver performance to this format's full potential. We check the TV's ability to reproduce 4K image detail, as well as high dynamic range (HDR) for TVs that support this capability. Image quality is tested using a 4K movie player connected to the TV's HDMI input, as well as from files stored on flash drive plugged into the TV's USB port. We also check the quality of 4K streaming from Netflix or YouTube (if the service is supported by the TV), and how well the TV can upscale HD movies to the display's higher UHD resolution while keeping artifacts such as "jaggies" along the edges of image content to a minimum. The best UHD TVs, and HDTVs, present high fidelity images that reveal the full quality of the best source content without degradation.
