If you're looking for a TV with overall superior picture quality, particularly for movie watching and gaming, and don't mind paying a higher price, the Sony A95K OLED would be the better option. It offers excellent performance in both bright and dark rooms, vibrant colors, and wider viewing angles.
On the other hand, if you are budget-conscious, the Samsung CU8000 LCD offers a reasonable quality at a significantly lower cost. However, it has lower picture quality scores across the board and might not perform as well in dark rooms. If bright room usage is a priority, it still offers acceptable performance. Keep in mind that the Samsung model would not match the Sony's performance when it comes to gaming. Give Feedback
this description is based on the product variant with some specs and product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars and the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Advantages of the Samsung CU8000 (LCD)
The Samsung CU8000 (LCD) has no clear advantages over the Sony A95K (OLED).
Advantages of the Sony A95K (OLED)
Very good for bright room
Excellent for dark room
Very good for gaming
Best in class for movies & TV
Best in class for sports
Best in class for news, talk, & other TV
Best in class for cartoons & animation
Excellent for use as monitor
Best in class for upscaling
Best in class motion processing
Best in class viewing angle
Best in class reflections
Key differences
Picture Quality
5.8/10
9.4/10
4.92/10
CONTRAST
10.00/10
6.9/10
COLOR VOLUME SCORE
9.1/10
LED
PANEL TYPE
RGB OLED
VA
PANEL SUB-TYPE
QD-OLED
The Sony A95K (OLED) has excellent picture quality, while the Samsung CU8000 (LCD) has poor picture quality.
Movies & TV
5.3/10
9.5/10
4.92/10
CONTRAST
10.00/10
6.1/10
BLACK UNIFORMITY
10.0/10
6.0/10
UPSCALING
10.0/10
Yes
HDR10 SUPPORT
Yes
Yes
HDR10+ SUPPORT
No
No
DOLBY VISION SUPPORT
Yes
The Sony A95K (OLED) is best in class for movies & TV, while the Samsung CU8000 (LCD) is poor.
The Samsung CU8000 has a lower contrast, no local dimming, and poor black uniformity, which may lead to less impactful dark scenes and a less immersive movie-watching experience. In contrast, the Sony A95K boasts perfect contrast, effective local dimming, and excellent black uniformity, enhancing the quality of movies and cinematic content by producing deeper blacks and more vibrant colors.
Sports
6.4/10
9.5/10
8.2/10
MOTION PROCESSING
10.0/10
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
8.7/10
INPUT LAG SCORE
10.0/10
6.0/10
UPSCALING
10.0/10
6.7/10
SDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
7.9/10
Yes
HLG SUPPORT
Yes
The Sony A95K (OLED) is best in class for sports, while the Samsung CU8000 (LCD) is only fair.
The Sony A95K is praised for its outstanding response time and best-in-class motion processing, alongside its superior handling of reflections, which is crucial for sports viewing; on the other hand, the Samsung CU8000 falls behind with poorer response time and subpar reflection handling, factors that could detract from the sports watching experience. Additionally, the OLED technology of the Sony A95K offers significantly better viewing angles and gray uniformity compared to the LCD-based Samsung CU8000, enhancing the overall sports viewing for wider seating arrangements and when watching content with large uniform fields, like grass on a football pitch.
Gaming
5.5/10
8.9/10
4.9/10
RESPONSE TIME SCORE
9.4/10
8.7/10
INPUT LAG SCORE
10.0/10
8.2/10
MOTION PROCESSING
10.0/10
0.0/100
GAMING LOCAL DIMMING
100.0/100
5.8/10
GAME HDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
8.3/10
The Sony A95K (OLED) is very good for gaming, while the Samsung CU8000 (LCD) is poor.
The Samsung CU8000 has poor response times which can result in blurred motion during fast-paced gaming, in contrast, the Sony A95K exhibits excellent response times, ensuring crisp visuals even in quick action scenes. Additionally, while the Samsung has very good input lag making it responsive to gaming inputs, the Sony A95K offers the best input lag performance, ensuring minimal delay between player actions and their on-screen effects.
Cartoons & Animation
5.9/10
9.5/10
7.3/10
COLOR GAMUT SCORE
9.3/10
6.9/10
COLOR VOLUME SCORE
9.1/10
6.7/10
SDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
7.9/10
6.2/10
COLORS OUT OF THE BOX SCORE
9.3/10
6.6/10
GRAY UNIFORMITY
9.8/10
The Sony A95K (OLED) is best in class for cartoons & animation, while the Samsung CU8000 (LCD) is poor.
The Sony A95K (OLED) excels in displaying cartoons and animation due to its excellent colors out of the box and color gamut, ensuring vibrant and accurate images, while its color volume further enhances the viewing experience. In contrast, the Samsung CU8000 (LCD) shows limitations in these areas, resulting in less impressive cartoon and animation representations, and its performance in gray uniformity and contrast can't match the superior capabilities of the Sony A95K (OLED).
News, Talk, & Other TV
5.7/10
9.5/10
6.7/10
SDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
7.9/10
6.0/10
UPSCALING
10.0/10
The Sony A95K (OLED) is best in class for news, talk, & other TV, while the Samsung CU8000 (LCD) is poor.
The Sony A95K excels in upscaling lower resolution content and producing bright, vivid images in standard dynamic range, vital aspects for enjoying news and talk show programs. In contrast, the Samsung CU8000, while still delivering a fair viewing experience, may not match the Sony's performance in these key areas, partly due to its lower upscaling quality and SDR brightness, along with a narrower color gamut and less accurate colors out of the box.
Bright Room
5.9/10
8.6/10
5.2/10
VIEWING ANGLE
10.0/10
6.7/10
SDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
7.9/10
5.5/10
HDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
8.0/10
5.9/10
REFLECTIONS SCORE
10.0/10
The Sony A95K (OLED) is very good for bright room, while the Samsung CU8000 (LCD) is poor.
The Samsung CU8000 has lower SDR and HDR brightness levels, meaning it doesn't shine as brightly in well-lit rooms, and its poor reflections handling can make it harder to see the screen when light is hitting it directly. On the other hand, the Sony A95K boasts much higher brightness in both SDR and HDR, and with its superior reflections handling, the screen remains clear and easy to view even in bright conditions.
Cost
$578
$2,997
$0
$1,000
$2,000
$3,000
$4,000
$5,000
The Samsung CU8000 (LCD) has a price of $578 and the Sony A95K (OLED) costs $2,997.
"A95K will be one of the highest-performing TVs of the year, if not the hottest TV of 2022. The color on the Sony A95K is the most accurate I have ever seen. Certain hues of red just haven’t been produced on a TV … until now. Perhaps with deeper scrutiny, I may one day find some nit to pick, but in the time I was able to spend with the A95K, I was simply thrilled."
Get a great deal on the Samsung CU8000 (LCD) or the Sony A95K (OLED)
About Samsung
Samsung, a South Korean electronics manufacturer, holds the title of being the largest global TV vendor in terms of units sold. They offer a diverse lineup of TV products that cater to various budget ranges. A notable achievement in recent years is the development of Quantum Dots, a technology that enhances color reproduction, resulting in richer and more vibrant hues. Samsung TVs are well-regarded for their high manufacturing quality and user-friendly software, making them an excellent choice for consumers seeking an intuitive viewing experience.
About Sony
Sony stands as a highly experienced and widely trusted TV manufacturer, earning a reputation that surpasses all others. A Japanese company, Sony has been making TVs for far longs than it has been making Playstation game consoles. Sony's high-end TVs are often regarded as the ultimate choice for videophiles, representing the epitome of quality, albeit at a premium price point. Renowned for their advanced and precise motion handling, as well as their cutting-edge local dimming algorithms, Sony consistently delivers unparalleled performance in these areas. They include Google TV software with all their TV sets, which grants access to the largest selection of apps available and they also include Bravia Core which is a movie streaming platform specifically for Sony TVs that offers higher picture quality by using more bandwidth.
This information was produced and vetted by the PerfectRec TVs team. We are a product research and recommendation organization that meticulously reviews and evaluates the latest TV information and makes it digestible for you.
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