Hisense H8F 4K HDR TV Review

55H8F Ultra HD 60Hz Android Smart LED TV

Intro

Hisense manufacturer’s budget-priced TVs in several series and performance classes. In this review I will have a look at the 55” H8F which falls in the middle of their current lineup – just below the H9F and right above the R8 series’. The H8F is also available in 50” and 65” screen sizes.

The following info shown in italics is from Hisense:

The Hisense H8F series represents a new pinnacle for what can be achieved in its product class. A spellbinding display doubles the brightness achieved in previous iterations and, for the first time in the series’ history, benefits from ULED enhancements to reach new heights of picture quality. Support for Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa improves voice interaction and positions the television as the epicenter of the smart home able to control everything from compatible lights to thermostats, appliances, smart locks and more.

Design/Features

The H8F appears to be a well-built TV with good overall construction which I noticed as I did my walk-around observation. The rear panel felt very solid and firm as I tapped on it with my closed hand, and it did not feel cheaply made as some TVs do, especially in this price class. When facing the TV head-on, you wouldn’t think this is a budget brand display; the semi-gloss screen is surrounded by one of the thinnest bezels I have ever seen which measures approximately 1/16” of an inch. The bezel is also made of metal; this combination gives the H8F a premium and aesthetically pleasing look.

The panel depth is slightly thicker when compared to other current slim profile designs, but is by no means too bulky, and is just under 3-inches at its deepest point. The TV’s feet are well-designed and made of metal, and give the TV very good support. The TV’s panel also has slots for variable foot positioning locations to help with the placement of the TV on a tabletop with a narrower surface area.

Remote Control

The full-sized remote control is well-designed with an intuitive button layout for simple operation of the TV from the comfort of your couch. I like the direct access buttons for some of the popular streaming services. Although I would have preferred to see buttons for Amazon Prime Video and Hulu in place of a couple of Hisense selections. However, due to certain restrictions at this time, Google’s Android platform does not support Amazon Prime Video. However, I have learned that an agreement has been reached between the two services and Amazon Prime will be available soon.

The remote features a voice control that allows you to operate certain TV functions including access to the built-in Google Assistant which is part of the Android smart TV platform where you can find more than 500,000 movies and shows plus video streaming from Netflix, Hulu, YouTube and many more, or browse Google Play for games.

The Android interface is well laid out which makes it easy to access content. The interface also provides a very smooth and fluid operating experience while in use.

Feature Highlights:

• Hisense ULED technology for better color, contrast, brightness and motion control
• Full-array LED backlighting with local dimming for increased contrast and black-level capability with 56 LED zones
• Dolby Vision HDR and HDR10 high dynamic range formats for extended picture contrast and brightness, and enhanced color and detail when viewing HDR content.
• Wide color gamut for expanded color reproduction
• Android smart TV platform with voice control using the remote control
• Motion Rate 240 for smoother motion control when watching fast action content in movies and sports – the H8F’s refresh rate is 60Hz
• 4K upscaling for converting non-4K content to near-native 4K quality
• Netflix Recommended TV – This certification makes it easier for consumers to know which manufacturers HDTVs work best with its streaming video service.

Connectivity

• 4 HDMI inputs 2.0a – HDCP 2.2 compliant
• 1 Ethernet (LAN) port
• 2 USB inputs (1) 3.0 (1) 2.0
• 1 RF antenna input
• 1 RCA composite video input (shared with component)
• 1 L/R audio input for composite (shared with component)
• 1 Digital optical audio output
• 1 Earphone/audio output
• Built-in 802.11ac Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5

Performance

I was very impressed at how well the H8F had all bases covered concerning the primary picture quality characteristics, which include contrast/black level and color reproduction. This was made possible with Hisense’s proprietary ULED technology and HiView Chipset.

HDR content was produced with ample amounts of peak brightness which Hisense claims to be approximately 700 nits, and gave HDR content enough brightness which was certainly evident when viewing both Dolby Vision and HDR10 content. HDR content showed plenty of peak brightness highlights that were very easy to see when watching nighttime scenes that had lots of illuminating points.

The extended contrast and peak brightness that HDR allows gave these HDR images a more “life-like” “you are there” presentation. I also had no problem seeing the fine detail in the dark and bright areas of these HDR scenes. Shadow detail was also kicked up a few notches showing and highlighting more of the surfaces of the objects when viewing the same scene when it wasn’t HDR mastered.

The H8F uses full-array LED backlighting with local dimming to illuminate its picture images. This array of LED zones provides very good contrast range and black levels. I was very impressed with the black-level capabilities of the H8F. Blacks were very dark and inky in nature, with no grayish overtones in the darkest scenes viewed on this display. This type of performance is usually reserved for much more costly LED TVs with this type of backlighting.

Black screen uniformity was decent on this display. The entire screen stayed uniformly dark with no obvious signs of light bleed or clouding on a completely dark screen. However, there was some slight blooming around bright white objects set against a solid black ground.

Color reproduction was great on the H8F. I saw a vivid and dynamically rich color palette, with accurate and true-to-life color rendering. This level of color processing was made possible by the H8F’s wide color gamut capability which allows it to produce at least 90% of the DCI-P3 color space, according to Hisense.

Detail and clarity were very good on this set. Images revealed very fine detail with sharp and refined definition. The H8F also delivered good image depth and transparency that allowed for an impressive depth of field in the picture images.

Side angle viewing presented the typical contrast and color saturation loss when viewing the TV at wide angles. This issue, however, was not extreme on this display.

Motion handling was one area where I did see some motion stutter on certain content. This issue was not overly obvious and I had to look intently at the image to detect it. At this price point, the processing power of the electronics inside this TV would not be as robust as more expensive LED/LCD TVs; therefore, this occurrence would not be uncommon or a surprise for motion artifacts to occur on a TV with this level of less aggressive processing and its 60Hz refresh rate when compared to higher-end models from other manufacturers.

The sound quality on the H8F is not the greatest, which is no surprise and is very common for many flat-panel TVs. It can play very loud but lacks bass punch and refined midrange and high-frequency response.

Reliability Issues?

In years past, Hisense TVs have been known to have reliability issues as reported by consumers. Furthermore, Consumer Reports has stated that Hisense TVs have a “fair” rating based on consumer reliability reports. Hisense is aware of this report and disputes their findings and questions what time period the publication was referring to. Click here to see the Consumer Reports article.

Hisense now seems to be focusing on the reliability and quality of their products, and if the outside build quality is any indication of what their product quality is like on the inside of their TVs, then this could also mean that Hisense has also been paying close attention to detail on how well their products are put together internally.

Customer Reviews

Another sign that Hisense products have turned the corner and have made quality and reliability a top priority is actual consumer reviews. I’ve checked out the latest reviews on the H8F and found that most of these consumer reviews are very favorable for this TV. I have provided a link to Best Buy so you can read these reviews for yourself.

Conclusion

Hisense has definitely made big strides for itself in the highly competitive TV market. Their latest offering with the H8F is shaping up to be a very favorable option if you’re searching for a budget-priced TV with above-budget-priced performance that delivers very good overall picture quality and also serves up a nice set of features with its Android smart TV platform being at the top of this features list. I truly enjoyed watching this TV and was simply amazed at how well it performed for such an inexpensive TV. The Hisense H8F may just be the best bang for your buck TV to beat for 2019. Check it out.

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