Last year, Hisense released its F-series TVs (including the H9F that we reviewed) to high marks. The H9F and H8F were both worthy competitors to some more expensive models from Sony, LG, and Vizio. But the Hisense models were missing Quantum Dot technology that all their competitors were beginning to include in comparable TVs. The new H8G Quantum Dot 4K Android TV takes care of that. Does it exceed last year’s model? Let’s take a look.
Design and Features
Overall the Hisense H8G specifications are very similar to the H8F. They both have a max brightness of 700 nits, support Dolby Vision and HDR10, have Motion Rate 240, use the Android TV platform, have Google Assistant integrated, and local dimming (although the G ups the number of zones from 60 to 90). The major change with the new model is the addition of quantum dots to improve color accuracy and color brightness.
Quantum dots used to be limited to the high-end of LCD displays, competing with OLED for flat panel superiority. But over the past year or so they’ve been creeping into cheaper models (Vizio expanded quantum dot technology to its sub-$1,000 M series with the 2019 line release). The H8G looks to be the cheapest 65-inch TV yet to include the tech. Quantum dots are a photo-emissive technology, meaning that when hit with energy from the TV backlight, the quantum particles are excited and glow different colors (the color is dependent on the size of the quantum dot). The dot size can be fine-tuned to get the color just right, and because they emit their own light there isn’t a large loss of luminance and makes them very efficient.
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Visually the H8G looks similar to the F-series displays. It’s a thin-bezel design without any flashy thrills. This year’s model has two places to attach the feet, in a wide position that puts the feet about three inches in from the edge of the display (for a width of about 50 inches). There’s a second set of mount points closer in that makes the stand width only 40 inches in case your home theater credenza is less wide than the TV. Both positions are relatively secure (the wider position more so), although I’d still recommend securing it with straps if you have pets or children. Personally I think this is good practice in any situation to protect your investment.
All connections are around the left side of the H8G. There’s a panel of side-facing connections including three HDMI 2.0 (one with ARC), a cable port, two USB ports, and an optical digital audio out. An additional rear-facing panel has a fourth HDMI 2.0, Ethernet port, RCA audio with composite video, and headphone out. If you’re looking for a TV that will take full advantage of the next-gen consoles (expected) video capabilities the H8G unfortunately isn’t it. The HDMI 2.0 inputs top out at 4K/60 signals. The USB ports power is limited to 0.5A max output, which means they aren’t useful for any streaming sticks you want to add (they require 1A).
Streaming sticks really aren’t necessary though, as the Hisense H8G uses the Android TV interface. In the past I’ve felt that Android TV is a bit more sluggish than Roku, but that is no longer the case. The menu selection is peppy and smooth. All major apps are available through the Android store – once you’ve signed in with your Google account – and they load relatively quickly. Being a Google-based TV means you get Google Assistant integrated as well, which is an excellent voice control system that can be used to open specific apps, change inputs, and adjust volume. If your chosen ecosystem is Alexa, have no fear. The Hisense H8G is compatible with the Amazon system as well.
The H8G remote isn’t the most ergonomic you’ll find. It’s a long black stick with a bunch of similarly-sized buttons that doesn’t have a backlight. The number of buttons is adequate, but their spacing could be an issue for someone with larger fingers. There were a couple times I accidentally activated Google Assistant instead of hitting the Home button for the main menu.
Testing and Gaming
Testing was done with a Photo Research PR-650 spectroradiometer, a Konica Minolta LS-100 luminance meter, and Calman calibration software. HDR patterns were from Diversified Video Solutions’ UltraHD/HDR-10 Test Pattern Suite. SDR patterns were from a VideoForge Classic generator. When testing, a numerical DeltaE value is used to indicate how close to perfect a measurement is. A DeltaE of 1.0 or below is considered perfect as any difference from reference is indistinguishable. 3.0 or lower is excellent and it is hard to see a discrepancy without scrutiny, while above that value any variations become more perceptible.
The Hisense 65H8G comes shipped in the Energy Saving picture mode and the first thing anyone should do when they get it is change it to Theater Day. This mode was by far the most accurate out of the box. All others had some issues, either with color temperature being too high or color points being off. But with Theater Day, all measurements were excellent and, as near as makes no difference, perfect. Color temperature was 6460K, just under the target 6500K. Grayscale tracking points were all under 3.0. The luminance curve was ever so slightly above the target between 30-60%, but not enough to make any noticeable effect. Color points were all below 3.0 except for blue that was only slightly over at 3.5, and the average ColorChecker DeltaE value was 2.2. All in all, exceptional performance, especially from a display that only costs $800.
HDR results were just as good. The ColorChecker average value was, coincidentally, also 2.2. Grayscale tracking was almost all below 3.0, except at 70% where it measured 4.6. At 70% on the EOTF curve (which shows expected light output across the brightness range), there was a dip at 70%, which means images at that brightness will be slightly dimmer than intended. That said, it’s not something you’ll notice in normal viewing.
The Hisense 65H8G is rated to hit 700 nits, and that number is actually a bit conservative as I measured a little more than that during testing. That means the H8G is plenty bright, and at least meets its competitors at the same price point. It’s not the 1000 nit benchmark that many look for (because most HDR10 content is graded at that brightness), but for most it will be plenty bright and give an impressive image.
The detail on the Hisense 65H8G is stunning. Individual hairs of Ryan Gosling’s beard in Blade Runner 2049 or the detail in the excellent set design gives depth to the picture and drew me in to the story. I kept all of the extra processing off, such as noise reduction and motion enhancement. I also made sure to keep off motion clearness, which uses black frame insertion to reduce motion blur but also significantly adversely affects image brightness. Having all that off allows the Hisense to do what it’s best at: display a highly-detailed, accurately colored picture that pops with highlights. Disney+’s Dolby Vision presentation of The Last Jedi was one example of the image popping. The opening assault on the Dreadnought has great moments of color and brightness as Poe flies down the length of the star ship blowing up the surface turrets.
If your source isn’t pristine, like a 4K UHD Blu-ray or a high-quality stream, the H8G will show it though. When there’s a reduction of bit depth or some quantization errors through streaming apps, there can be banding, particularly in grayscale, where there are distinct blocks of gray instead of it blending naturally into shadow. The most evident example was while streaming The Lighthouse through the Amazon Prime app on the Hisense. The gradations from shadow to light were blocky and there was excessive mosquito noise (looks a bit like old-school TV static) in the gray sky.
When your viewing angle is more than 30 percent or so off-axis, the image starts to become a bit washed out and past 45 degrees the colors get dull. There’s a toggle for enhanced viewing angle in the advanced settings menu, but I didn’t like what it did to the colors. While it does combat the issue of a washed out picture from the sides, it does it by adding an almost orange tint to every viewing angle. I’d recommend just keeping it off. If you’re able to sit three across on a couch, you won’t find any significant alteration to the image and everyone will have a similar viewing experience.
For gaming, there’s a dedicated picture mode that turns off all extra processing and lowers the input lag to only 13.6ms. In all other picture modes the input lag measures 65ms, so changing to game mode is a necessity. Unfortunately by default it’s less accurate than the Theater Day (or Bright in HDR) mode. But changing the color temp to low gets it closer to target. It’s a little too warm, but I preferred it to the mid-low color temperature setting.
My friends and I can’t seem to get away from Sea of Thieves, and on the Hisense 65H8G it looks absolutely gorgeous. Detail is crisp, the sun burns brightly in the sky and causes me to squint if I look directly at it, and the white caps of the ocean add incredible depth. At night there’s still enough shadow detail to see approaching ships on the horizon and skeleton skulls glisten sharply on the shores.
The colors were on full display travelling from planet to planet in Jedi: Fallen Order. The greens of Kashyyyk looked incredibly lush, the reds of Dathomir foreboding, and the snowy cliffs outside the Jedi temple of Ilum were imposing. Sunlight streaming through holes into the Ilum temple glistened through the crystals magnificently.
Purchasing Guide
The Hisense 65H8G Quantum Dot 4K Android TV can be found on Amazon with an MSRP of $799. The G-series also includes 50-inch ($421), 55-inch ($600), and 75-inch ($1,300) models.
Source: IGN.com Hisense 65-Inch H8G Quantum Series 4K TV Review