VU masterpiece GLO indepth review

[Alphaforest]

Hey guys, So I've had the Tv for around 3 weeks now and I spent 1 week testing the heck out of it. I tested the TV in a similar manner I test my Monitors with a little addition to Dolby Vision and HDR10+ testing. The Colorimeter I used for testing is Xrite i1 Display Pro. The software used for testing was DisplayCal. The picture modes used for testing were Calibrated mode for SDR content, HDR cinema for HDR content, DOLBY Vision IQ for DV content, and HDR10+ CInema for HDR10+ content with motion enhancement turned off, Digital Noise turned off, sharpness set to the default value of 0 and Active contrast turned off. I did not test Motion enhancement on this TV as I prefer it off in whatever mode I am. Also since I prefer gaming on my Monitor, I did not care about gaming performance, nor did I test this TV for its 4k120hz capabilities. Also, no upscaling or SD/HD channel performance was tested as I do not use any satellite Tv service anymore nor do I have the desire to test just for the sake of it.

Let's Start with the display, you may already know this but the display type is ADS-IPS display. Due to it being an IPS display, the contrast levels are really poor. 4x4 ANSI checkerboard with a set D65 white point, the contrast ratio was around 1300:1 with local dimming disabled and with Local Dimming enabled the contrast ratio was measured around 1800:1. The number of zones measured was 32 which is what the company claims it to be. The size of zones is quite large and blooming is observable during dark scenes and more pronounced in subtitles or areas around text and even appreciable during the day. This is quite expected though because of the size of the dimming zones in addition to the poor implementation of the dimming algorithm. I tested the local dimming in the starfield test at off, low, medium, and high settings and there was a little black crush observable at high settings. Medium turned out to be the best setting. Compared to regular IPS-ADS panels, black is superior on this Tv however nothing compared to OLED or VA panels. If inky blacks are your fetish then you have to look somewhere else. A better local dimming algorithm would have mitigated this issue. In bright scenes, poor black levels are not such a huge issue due to high peak brightness which gives a contrasty image.

This panel has excellent grey uniformity with No DSE on my unit. Vignetting is present on the corners and is noticeable. The colors are really good post calibration, the reds were a little exaggerated pre-calibration but were easily fixable. Average dE2000 was measured post-calibration of 1.22 with a Max dE2000 of 2.57. Post-calibration the colors look really natural. DCI-P3 coverage was 95% post calibration and Rec2020 was 70%.

HDR performance of this TV is excellent, post calibration with white point set to D65 following peak brightness values were observed.

870 nits in a 10% window
968 nits in a 25% window
561 nits in 100% window

PQ EOTF tracking on this particular unit is rather poor with darker scenes being displayed as darker than usual. Dolby Vision and HDR10+ performance is really good and it somehow improves the local dimming and even tries to preserve the highlights in really bright scenes.

The company claimed 100-watt speaker output seems a bit of an exaggeration and the audio is a bit better than the competition but nothing out of this world as the company claims it to be and as expected Dolby Atmos from internal speakers is not appreciable. A decent soundbar or HT setup will provide a much better experience. Even a budget 2.1 setup like M10 swans or bookshelf speakers like Edifier R1280 will be a nice upgrade. Far-field microphones work like a charm even in noisy environments. The Remote is entirely made out of Aluminium but still kind of feels cheap. It is rather long and cluttered with unnecessary buttons.

The performance is rather decent on this TV and it uses Mediatek MT5895 clocked at 1.8ghz accompanied with Mali G52 GPU which is rather weak. Boot time is respectable and is under 30 secs, app loading times are decent as well. Internal storage is marketed as 16GB out of which 7.9 GB is available for users. It can be upgraded via external USB 3.0 storage or maybe a portable SSD.

Overall, for the price, this TV has decent performance and has its own advantages compared to similarly priced TVs. This TV outperforms its competition in terms of HDR performance along however weak black levels leave a sour taste in the mouth.

 

[asit619]

Thank you for the review, im planing to buy one.Do u have any suggestions other than this at this price which performs better, same or bit less.

 

[Alphaforest]

Thank you for the review, im planing to buy one.Do u have any suggestions other than this at this price which performs better, same or bit less.

If you can find LG A1 or new A2 around the same price during festival sale then go for it. Blacks in VU masterpiece will disappoint you to say the least. The peak brightness is outstanding but that is not the sole criteria. Plus there are blooming issues. If you don’t want an OLED then I suggest buying 50inch QN90A. It’s the only alternative to OLED tv in this price range.

 

[asit619]

If you can find LG A1 or new A2 around the same price during festival sale then go for it. Blacks in VU masterpiece will disappoint you to say the least. The peak brightness is outstanding but that is not the sole criteria. Plus there are blooming issues. If you don’t want an OLED then I suggest buying 50inch QN90A. It’s the only alternative to OLED tv in this price range.

I have a qn90a for my living room. A2 at 65k is tough.. masterpiece glo went to 65k after all discount in last sale.

 

[Spinekar]

The Colorimeter I used for testing is Xrite i1 Display Pro. The software used for testing was DisplayCal

you use the TV as a monitor when you are caliberating this way? or is there a way we can caliberate TV using Xrite i1 display pro without a computer/htpc

 

[Alphaforest]

you use the TV as a monitor when you are caliberating this way? or is there a way we can caliberate TV using Xrite i1 display pro without a computer/htpc

You have to use a laptop or a desktop to connect and power Xrite but you don’t have to connect your pc via HDMI to TV. It’s a long process however on TVs that have calman support this process is much easier

 

[Alphaforest]

I have a qn90a for my living room. A2 at 65k is tough.. masterpiece glo went to 65k after all discount in last sale.

Yes I understand at 65k any oled would be difficult. Don’t get me wrong, VU Masterpiece is a good TV but I feel like black levels do disappoint you. Plus the software support isn’t great either. Since VU isn’t writing their own firmware and Hisense isn’t providing direct customer support I think there will be hardly any software updates unless VU has some kind of contract with Hisense to provide software support. It’s a tough price segment honestly to suggest anything. Also since you own QN90A you aren’t gonna like this TV much.

 

[asit619]

So what will be ur pick for a gud tv under 65k

 

[Spinekar]

You have to use a laptop or a desktop to connect and power Xrite but you don’t have to connect your pc via HDMI to TV. It’s a long process however on TVs that have calman support this process is much easier

Is there an established process for TV's without calman support?
google isn't very helpful on this regard

 

[Alphaforest]

Is there an established process for TV's without calman support?
google isn't very helpful on this regard

Yes there is, first you need to download the software of your choice ( this guide is based on calman, which is the most preferred one for TVs). Connect your Then you need to open it and select the type of your workflow ie type of calibration. Then you need to set your source for test pattern generator and select the pattern window size. Then find your colorimeter and select the type of display. Position your meter and then set your calibration targets along with pattern size and then enter your default settings ie the picture mode you would normally use. Then read series (you have to do it manually if you’re using a DVD) for pre calibration reading. Then set your Color temperature and read the temperature, aim for 6500k. Then read the gamma and make the adjustment. Then you can set your Color space and then you can set your dynamic range for your brightness and contrast settings. Then Color decoder if you have those settings. Then your bit accuracy(not very important) after that grey scale adjustment (2 point). Read the series and adjust your tv settings for individual Colors and use read continuous and adjust accordingly. Aim for dE of less than 3. Work from high point to low point. Remember to adjust for both 30% and 80%. Then enter your post calibration settings. Then you can read the post calibration series and compare it to pre cal and you’re done.

 

[Alphaforest]

Is there an established process for TV's without calman support?
google isn't very helpful on this regard

Also calman can be used for any TV, it’s just that some TV have inbuilt support for it.

 

[Alphaforest]

So what will be ur pick for a gud tv under 65k

Any particular requirements? You can go for VU Masterpiece glo if you don’t care about blacks much and ready to deal with blooming issues. You also need to keep in mind what content you’ll be mostly watching and do you actually care about good HDR

 

[asit619]

Any particular requirements? You can go for VU Masterpiece glo if you don’t care about blacks much and ready to deal with blooming issues. You also need to keep in mind what content you’ll be mostly watching and do you actually care about good HDR

Yeah i actually care about hdr n dolby vision contents .so you can suggest some tvs with compromisable black levels and good dark scene hdr..there shouldn't be much details crushed in dark scenes that to under 65k...i know we won't get those 1 lakh or above priced tv performance. I won't watch setup box contents only ott and content from hdd.

 

[lightgamer]

.so you can suggest some tvs with compromisable black levels and good dark scene hdr..

that’s a contradictory statement

 

[asit619]

that’s a contradictory statement

Somewhat for very budget TV's

 

[Alphaforest]

Yeah i actually care about hdr n dolby vision contents .so you can suggest some tvs with compromisable black levels and good dark scene hdr..there shouldn't be much details crushed in dark scenes that to under 65k...i know we won't get those 1 lakh or above priced tv performance. I won't watch setup box contents only ott and content from hdd.

Since you have to compromise a bit on either side then I suggest going for Hisense U6G. It’s has decent peak brightness for HDR impact and good black levels since it’s a VA panel. Samsung the frame will also deliver a decent performance if you prefer deeper blacks. If you’re fine with grey blacks then go for VU Masterpiece glo or wait for the new Hisense U7H. Do not buy Toshiba 550 under any circumstances. Hisense U6G is a much better tv than that piece of crap and trust me, none of the Indian YouTubers actually test the TV in the correct way. They just read specs and give out subjective opinions without hard data. Subjective opinions should always go hand in hand with objective data. Even though Indian unit of Hisense U6G is slightly different from American one, they still use the same panels and image processing.

 

[asit619]

Since you have to compromise a bit on either side then I suggest going for Hisense U6G. It’s has decent peak brightness for HDR impact and good black levels since it’s a VA panel. Samsung the frame will also deliver a decent performance if you prefer deeper blacks. If you’re fine with grey blacks then go for VU Masterpiece glo or wait for the new Hisense U7H. Do not buy Toshiba 550 under any circumstances. Hisense U6G is a much better tv than that piece of crap and trust me, none of the Indian YouTubers actually test the TV in the correct way. They just read specs and give out subjective opinions without hard data. Subjective opinions should always go hand in hand with objective data. Even though Indian unit of Hisense U6G is slightly different from American one, they still use the same panels and image processing.

I was planning to buy u6g 55 inch but the one problem is they don't have earc port. So i was waiting for new hisense tv but it seems like u7h will be on vida os.Meanwhile i thought masterpiece glow will be a good option, as compared to other ips panels it has gud blacks somewhat but you are saying its gray so now i don't knw what to pick.

 

[Alphaforest]

I was planning to buy u6g 55 inch but the one problem is they don't have earc port. So i was waiting for new hisense tv but it seems like u7h will be on vida os.Meanwhile i thought masterpiece glow will be a good option, as compared to other ips panels it has gud blacks somewhat but you are saying its gray so now i don't knw what to pick.

Like my review pointed out the contrast numbers, it does have deeper blacks compared to other IPS panel but they still look grey and even bluish without calibration. Hisense U6G is a solid TV and eARC shouldn’t be a consideration imo. I am assuming here but I don’t think you are going to buy a soundbar worth more than your TV. And on the cheaper side I always recommend to not buy soundbars. You’ll happier by going for a decent 2.1 or bookshelf speakers along with a sub. If you’re looking for Atmos experience then trust me cheaper soundbars will disappoint you. If you really want an Atmos setup then an AVR with atmos support and real ceiling speakers (ie a proper 5.1.2 or 7.1.2 setup) is the way to go.

 

[JKS]

Like my review pointed out the contrast numbers, it does have deeper blacks compared to other IPS panel but they still look grey and even bluish without calibration. Hisense U6G is a solid TV and eARC shouldn’t be a consideration imo. I am assuming here but I don’t think you are going to buy a soundbar worth more than your TV. And on the cheaper side I always recommend to not buy soundbars. You’ll happier by going for a decent 2.1 or bookshelf speakers along with a sub. If you’re looking for Atmos experience then trust me cheaper soundbars will disappoint you. If you really want an Atmos setup then an AVR with atmos support and real ceiling speakers (ie a proper 5.1.2 or 7.1.2 setup) is the way to go.

Thanks for the clarity on Masterpiece and U6G Alphaforest!!. Having watched multiple Indian TV reviewers, I agree with you that they don't have the depth and inclination to provide unbiased reviews.

I currently own a 6 year old 50 inch VU TV, bought without much thought at the time, and am now looking to buy a good 65 inch TV. Am also looking for a 65 inch TV to be used with Fire TV stick. I mostly watch YouTube or Netflix/Prime Video/Disney Hotstar etc.. in my bed room with little light. No set top box. Picture quality is my main concern. Average sound quality is acceptable as I have an AV receiver with 2.1/5.1 options.

I have shortlisted Hisense U6G and am thinking about U7H too if its discernably better in picture quality. But VU Masterpiece and Glo LED TVs are at the back of my mind too!! I can stretch my budget to 1.5L also if the alternative (thinking of Sony X90H/85J/90J) is vastly superior to the above mentioned options. If difference in picture quality is 15-20%, I would rather stick to Hisense or VU.

Would you be able to throw some light on how to go about it?

 

[Alphaforest]

Thanks for the clarity on Masterpiece and U6G Alphaforest!!. Having watched multiple Indian TV reviewers, I agree with you that they don't have the depth and inclination to provide unbiased reviews.

I currently own a 6 year old 50 inch VU TV, bought without much thought at the time, and am now looking to buy a good 65 inch TV. Am also looking for a 65 inch TV to be used with Fire TV stick. I mostly watch YouTube or Netflix/Prime Video/Disney Hotstar etc.. in my bed room with little light. No set top box. Picture quality is my main concern. Average sound quality is acceptable as I have an AV receiver with 2.1/5.1 options.

I have shortlisted Hisense U6G and am thinking about U7H too if its discernably better in picture quality. But VU Masterpiece and Glo LED TVs are at the back of my mind too!! I can stretch my budget to 1.5L also if the alternative (thinking of Sony X90H/85J/90J) is vastly superior to the above mentioned options. If difference in picture quality is 15-20%, I would rather stick to Hisense or VU.

Would you be able to throw some light on how to go about it?

Hey, sorry for the late response. I have been quite busy with work lately. So to begin with your shortlisted products, both of the options are decent. I am not going to finalize a TV out of these two options because of the budget you mentioned. The reason I bought VU masterpiece glo was that it was going into my parent's bedroom. They have large windows and they get plenty of direct sunlight and they don't want to block the natural sunlight. In this scenario, I needed a TV with high peak brightness plus they arent so picky about blacks like me. For them its the perfect TV for that particular budget. For them, greyish blacks are not a deal breaker. Neither do they care about judder or HDR performance. The only reason I reviewed the TV is just that I could. Keeping in mind the budget you mentioned I would recommend you to stay away from the options you shortlisted. You have a great budget and you can spend that money wisely on something like an OLED. OLED was not a consideration for me as my parents wouldn't know how to take proper care of the TV. However, if I were in your shoes I would look for a good deal on LG C1 or Sony A80J. If your room gets quite bright, then I would consider something like Samsung QN90B. These are very standard recommendation and they are intentionally so because they are very safe bets.