When comparing Samsung Q8C 75" (QN75Q8C) vs Sony A1E 55" (XBR55A1E), the Slant community recommends Sony A1E 55" (XBR55A1E) for most people. In the question“What are the best TVs?” Sony A1E 55" (XBR55A1E) is ranked 7th while Samsung Q8C 75" (QN75Q8C) is ranked 18th. The most important reason people chose Sony A1E 55" (XBR55A1E) is:
The Sony A1E has exceptional picture quality because of its infinitely high native contrast ratio, decent luminosity, and near-perfect black uniformity. The TV does a fantastic job when it comes to reproducing dark scenes, as the infinitely high native contrast ratio and the near-perfect black uniformity allow it to display thick, rich, and immersive dark scenes. As for bright scenes, the luminosity of 389 nits allows this OLED TV to fight glare and reproduce crisp and vibrant colors in vivid scenes.
Specs
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Pros
Pro No image retention problems
Unlike the OLED TVs, it does not suffer from any image retention so you can leave the TV on for long periods without having to worry about pixel damage.
Pro Ideal for console gaming
The TV is fully compatible with all the current generation gaming consoles, including the Xbox One X, PS4 Pro, and Wii U. The Q8C also supports HDR gaming, which will allow you to experience the full range of HDR effects in the latest console games, like Hitman, NBA 2K17, Final Fantasy XV, Deus Ex: Mankind Divided and World of Tanks.
Pro Good for watching sports
The Samsung Q8C is an excellent option for sports fans as the TV can display fast and dynamic content very clearly. The clear representation of dynamic content is achieved by the TV’s rapid pixel response time of 10.7 ms which almost eliminates the motion-blur effect. As the pixels can change their colors in nearly 1/100th of a second, fast-moving objects don't leave trails.
Additionally, the Samsung Q8C is especially good for watching outdoor sports, like football, rugby or golf, because the TV has high color uniformity which makes sports fields look more even and consistent.
Pro Has a large panel
The Samsung Q8C comes with a massive 75-inch LED panel. The panel has around 2400 square-inches of viewable area, which is a third more than what the 65-inch competitors offer.
Pro HDR-ready TV
The Samsung Q8C is more than capable of handling HDR content because of the TV’s wide color gamut, high HDR peak brightness, good native contrast ratio, and uniform blacks.
Pro Curved panel gives extra deep experience
The main feature of the Samsung Q8C is its curved panel which can give you an immersive feeling of being surrounded by the TV. However, if you are not a fan of curved TVs, there is a flat, equally priced version of the Samsung Q8C simply called the Samsung Q8.
Pro Eye-catching design
Tthe Samsung Q8C looks great because of its extra thin bezel and brushed metal finish on all exterior parts which make the TV look classy.
Pro Good reflection handling
It's an excellent choice for bright rooms with lots of windows because of the TV’s ability to handle reflections, which is achieved by the aid of the TV’s glossy screen finish and anti-reflective coating.
Pro Accessible inputs
Samsung Q8C comes with the One Connect box which moves all the hard-to-access rear inputs away from the TV. This way, you’ll always have full access to all inputs and outputs of the TV even if it’s mounted on a wall. Additionally, the One Connect box can be used as a USB charging hub.
Pro Stylish remote
The Samsung Q8C comes with an eye-catching remote. The remote is made from metal and has a shiny metal finish. Apart from being stylish, the remote offers some extended functionality, like a microphone and voice control.
Pro Nice-looking picture
Picture-wise, the Samsung Q8C has everything necessary to provide excellent quality.
The TV can reproduce eye-catching bright scenes; especially in HDR mode, where it can sustain up to 700 nits of brightness making its colors look genuinely crisp and vivid. In SDR mode, however, the sustained luminosity drops to 400 nits, which is still higher than what the competitors in the price range of the Q8C offer.
As for dark scenes, the Samsung Q8C has it all sorted as its panel has a relatively high native contrast ratio of 4761:1, combined with well-uniformed blacks; which allows for deep scenes with noticeable brightness shifts among multiple regions of the screen.
Pro Excellent gaming TV
The Samsung Q8C offers smooth and lag-free gaming experience because of its low input lag and well-managed motion blur.
The input lag of the Q8C is 23.6 ms, which means that it takes less than 1/40th of a second for a TV to react to the input from an external source like a click of a button. In terms of input lag, the Samsung Q8C is on par with its closest competitors, including the LG seven series OLED TVs.
The panel has a full pixel response time of 10.7 ms, ensuring that it takes less than 1/100th of a second for its pixels to change their color; thus, even fast-moving objects won’t leave trails on the screen. As a result, the TV has almost negligible motion blur.
Pro Excellent picture quality
The Sony A1E has exceptional picture quality because of its infinitely high native contrast ratio, decent luminosity, and near-perfect black uniformity.
The TV does a fantastic job when it comes to reproducing dark scenes, as the infinitely high native contrast ratio and the near-perfect black uniformity allow it to display thick, rich, and immersive dark scenes.
As for bright scenes, the luminosity of 389 nits allows this OLED TV to fight glare and reproduce crisp and vibrant colors in vivid scenes.
Pro Decent color accuracy
Out of the box, the Sony A1E has excellent color accuracy, so the majority of users will not require doing the color calibration procedure. The A1E has better color accuracy than its competitors, including the LG seven series OLED TVs.
Pro Compatible with current-gen consoles
This 4K120 TV works well with all of the current-generation 4K consoles, including the Xbox One X and PS4 Pro, because of the A1E’s adequate input lag (30.7 ms) at 4K resolution. Additionally, the TV is a good choice for HDR gaming, since its input lag does not increase when processing high-bandwidth 4K HDR signal.
Pro Decent viewing angle
The Sony A1E looks good even from an angle since its colors only start to degrade when the angle between the viewer and the panel is greater than 29 degrees.
Pro Good sound quality
The Sony A1E sounds noticeably better than all of its competitors, including the LG Seven series OLED TVs.
Pro Extensive app selection
The Sony A1E runs the Android TV which has the widest app selection among all the smart TV platforms currently available.
Pro Perfect for 24p content
The Sony A1E is an excellent option for those who have a collection of old DVDs or Blu-rays, a cable or satellite box, or an Apple TV since the A1E can detect and eliminate judder from those sources and make 24p content playback nice and smooth.
Pro Can handle reflections
The Sony A1E does an excellent job of managing reflections as its panel is coated with the anti-reflective material; therefore, the TV looks good even when situated right in front of a window.
Pro Ads-free interface
The main interface of this TV is free of advertisements and sponsored content.
Pro Makes low frame rate content look good
The Sony A1E can boost up the frame rate of low FPS content up to a stunning 120 Hz, making such content look more fluid and smooth. This feature is called motion interpolation, or in some sources, the 'soap opera' effect. Some people find the interpolated content very attractive.
Pro Excellent for watching sports
The Sony A1E manages to balance all the features required for a good sports TV. It has well-handled motion blur, excellent color uniformity, and superb picture quality.
Motion blur handling is the most critical aspect of a good sports TV. The A1E has almost negligible motion blur because of its fast full pixel response time of 0.7 ms, which ensures that the pixels of this TV need only 1/1400th of a second to go from one color to another. Therefore, even fast objects don't leave noticeable trails on the screen.
As for the color uniformity, the A1E is currently the best TV money can buy. The overall color uniformity of a TV is essential for sports fans, as it allows a TV to reproduce realistic and good-looking football fields, hockey arenas, golf fields, and other large sports fields.
Cons
Con Not good for group watching
Unfortunately, the curved panel of the Samsung Q8C looks good only from a single spot, which is located at the center of a circle made by the curve. If you need a TV that is suitable for group watching, this might not be the right option for you.
Con Narrow viewing angle
The maximum viewing angle of this TV is 14 degrees, making it useless for group watching, as those who view the TV from the sides will see degraded colors and shadows.
Con Has image retention problems
Just like many other OLED TVs, the Sony A1E does suffer from severe image retention which is caused by a static frame which is displayed for an extended period. However, the burn-in effect fades after 5 minutes.
Con Hard-to-access rare inputs
Once the TV is mounted on a wall, it is very difficult to reach its rear inputs as there is simply not enough space between the TV and a wall.
Con Lacks Dolby Vision
At the moment, the Sony A1E is not compatible with Dolby Vision content which severely limits its HDR capabilities.