Use caution when buying this monitor or anything from Gigabyte (had I known their post purchase support was this bad, but hey now I do). As it turns out Gigabyte doesn't support this monitor beyond purchase (no post purchase updates). They warranty the panel itself or rather I think (hope) they do.
Per their customer service:
Answer:
Dear Customer,
According to the feedback from our team, this monitor does not offer any OSD support or offer any sort of firmware support.
That's all I was able to get out of Gigabyte support after numerous questions submitted including detailed analysis of the S55u's issues. Our local rep advised me to just return it, but I've spent a great deal of effort at this point. The Hisense 55U8G, I mean Gigabyte S55U, ships with broken firmware and they're either unwilling to or can't fix it. I have included my original review hoping to warn potential buyers.
What really takes the cake is Hisense has already fixed ALL the issues I mention in later firmware and Gigabyte insists on using a broken version. I just don't see how Gigabyte would launch a near 1:1 clone of a smart tv and call it monitor in the first place. This isn't like the jumbos from Acer, Asus, HP, etc. No, this is a Hisense U8G (US version) minus the Tuner/Coax input; it's still called a Hisense SmarTV in the panel's about section.
If you don't want to read a wall of text here's the monitor's primary issues:
Without our fix (explained a bit later) it has:
-No Freesync/VRR with local Dimming
Issues that we (my team and I) can't fix:
-In 4k 120hz: NO HDMI range Selection, No active contrast, No aim stabilizer, and there's always raised brightness/gamma that must be calibrated in order to even use it. You will not hit reference because you must alter gamma calibration significantly.
-HDR is unusable for All PS5, Series X, Series S, and AMD graphics cards unless you personally/professionally calibrate the preset you're using.
-possible PWM whine (my unit no longer has this). -Four permanent bright Amber Leds which come on when you disable the microphone and they're located at the bottom center of the screen making it impossible to ignore.
My honest suggestion: Don't buy it or Return it if you have unless you're wanting a decent smart TV without a tuner (it's got too many issues as a monitor especially if you're wanting something for console gaming). An argument could also be made for using it as a monitor if you have a NVidia GPU as we had fewer issues with the picture there (bu there were some) and should you get VRR & Local dimming working as I did, maybe you can handle the missing/broken features. I will continue to use it as a "monitor" for my Xbox because I've fixed my major issue of no VRR with dimming (no help From Gigabyte whatsoever). I wish they'd fix the washout and active contrast.
Now as I mentioned above, here's my take on the S55U:
Okay first about me: I calibrate/repair/review tech professionally with a local group. I'm going to be a bit more nitpicky than your average consumer. If it didn't have so many software/firmware problems (and had Gigabyte's support actually gave two shits) It'd probably be one of my top recommendations in both size and performance-to-price. Mine currently serves its purpose, but it has taken me a lot to get here (my team and I put over 30 hours into troubleshhoting and calibrating; when Gigabyte wouldn't help I was determined to get at least U8G-level performance).
I received the monitor a little over two weeks ago and have spent countless hours trying to "fix" it through calibration and I'm happy to report color is now accurate most of the time. The box arrived damaged and though the panel showed no signs of being compromised, I can't be sure as it's been one dissapointment after another. This isn't my typical Gigabyte experience, not in the slightest. Still, it's made me reconsider recommending them for monitors.
Let me be frank. This is nearly the same as a Hisense 55 U8G (as I mentioned above) being sold as a Gigabyte "monitor." I wish this wasn't the case, but My Amazon, Disney +, HBO, etc. ALL recognize it as a HisensSmartTV 4K FFM (identical system info to the current U8G I own). What's worse is that it's using THE OLD M0314 firmware that Gigabyte rigged/modified to be more like a "monitor," but they went about it backwards. Instead of adding functions, they renamed them (brightness to black equalizer) or broke them entirely (more about that below).
The U8G is a decent TV now especially with the latest firmware (as I said, I own one and when it launched it has issues displaying 4K 120hz), but it's not a $1100 panel in 2022, it's not even a $799 panel especially since you can get a new 144hz 55" MiniLed TCL for $650 or Hisense U8H WITH MiniLed for around $1000. You could say, "Igneus, those are Budget TVs!" Well no kidding, but Gigabyte is trying to sell you a Budget TV as a premium monitor.
The only differences this has with the traditional Hisense is a few different buttons on the remote (which I like btw and like the Hisense, its buttons glow in the dark), slightly different stand legs, Gigabyte badging, and dated firmware. The "2ms G2G" and other monitor-specific jargon/specs are a complete fantasy or rather, they've been exaggerated a bit (manufacturers trump up specs all the time). It's a 55inch Hisense smart tv clone (word used a lot in knock offs) minus the OTA Tuner/Coax input; there's no display port and it's missing Imax/Filmmaker modes the U8G has.
Typically, monitor makers often use the same panels/backlighting systems, etc. You often find 2 or 3 with the exact same hardware for the panel but not identical SOC's/firmware/other internals (plus badging/casing/stand is also obviously different). In my 20 years doing this (casually then profesionally) I've only seen this happen with "good" knockoffs (bad ones usually don't even put forth the effort), not with genuine products. It'd be like Firing up a PS5, having the right Sony startup logo, but end up having the Xbox home screen/os show up afterward. Again, it's more clone than "knock off." If everything worked as it should you could use the U8G reviews/specifications as a reference for this monitor's capabilities.
Let's move on to The breakdown of individual areas:
It has great response/input when compared to TVs of the same class (not monitors). Any new Lg Qned MiniLed IPS or Samsung Neo Qled (even last year's QN90A models) will do just as well and at times surpass this panel (they are starting to use the words monitor and TV interchangeably which isn't too far off the mark). If I could get the advertised specs it would have been a game changer (just as it was previewed in detail throughout various articles), but in terms of raw gaming performance (response/input timings) it's only slightly better than a stock U8G.
I will both praise and condemn the S55U's Freesync. It has an incredible range and a bit of low frame compensation, but like the u8G it can't be used in conjunction with local dimming regardless of preset (game mode vs. Standard, etc.) Unlike most TVs it can be enabled at anytime (which AGAIN disables several features that must all be re-enabled after disabling), so that has to count for something. Keep in mind I was only able to get the forum VRR to work (through an extensive reset/format/manual firmware installation; I'm pretty much using a homebrew of Hisense's M0314), not Freesync and while similar it's the inferior type of VRR (in my opinion).
As far as smearing, ghosting, etc. That's one area this panel excels, especially to the naked eye (I'm just glad they didn't use the u8G's original which had red ghosting). Blurbusters and other tests indicate it handles motion as good as any other jumbo monitor at baseline settings. I would be pleased except there's no settings to change how it's handled and I can't get aim stabilizer to work correctly period. You have standard TV options ie de-judder/blur removal; there's no correcting pixel speed(overdrive or under/overshoot) so you get what you get. Thankfully, it's usually pretty good just don't be expecting Oled/upper end IPS-level performance; it's decent for a 55inch VA panel.
The uniformity is excellent for darker colors especially black, but lighter colors reveal more dirty screen than a premium gaming monitor/TV should, but I'd say it's all down to panel lottery (hate that word, but it's true because our U8G has far more DSE than this S55U, but the U8G at our shop has almost none). It's for sure not as bad as your average TV, so it gets a pass from me. I haven't encountered a dead or stuck pixel either which is outstanding for a 55 inch panel. On the other hand, It's not flicker free (but shouldn't bother you as it flickers at over 900hz). If you keep backlight above 40 you will hear the PWM; it's high pitch and not nearly as bad as the coil whine from some TV's capacitors (looking at you TCL). The whine was getting worse, but a factory reset and fresh firmware update from the USB (my idea, not Gigabyte support) surprisingly fixed it.
It's loaded with color. I pegged 97% D3 and in the 80's for rec2020. It has enough to complete a few different gamuts and I was shocked by this because it was calibrated so poorly out of the box (the u8G was a 8/10 out of box, but this was like 6.5 with things too yellow and lacking of blue). The reset/fresh install mentioned above has somehow gave me a 8/10 color accurate starting point. Perhaps the original install was glitched? Who knows, but "movie night" didn't need as much adjustment the second time around.
It packs a punch in SDR and HDR; I got up to 1k nits in SDR (maxing backlight) and over 1500 in Dolby Vision all while maintaining accuracy, so once calibrated these panels bring the volume. It's not a bad looking image; I find local dimming makes the screen a bit warmer on average, but it's mostly noticeable when dealing with white backgrounds.
The speakers are great and better than you'll find on most TV's; your average monitor doesn't have any. The only 3 or 4 monitors I know of with better sound: Samsung's Ark, LG's Flex Oled, and Philip's 55 xbox edition Momentum (HP has a 65inch beast I'd like to review and I think it has a soundbar too); they all have 30 to 40watt multi-channel suround and some form of woofer. It appears built well (the Gamer-look of the back casing is a step-up from the rather plain U8G) and it doesn't look cheap, but the stand itself takes up too much space while allowing too much wobble (it's chunky as well so I don't think it would look nice hanging from the wall, but it does support mounting if you need it). It's got decent I/O including 2x hdmi 2.1 (1 eArc) , 2x hdmi 2.0, 2 USB (one is a newer 3 type, but no C), Bluetooth, and Wifi 2/5ghz. It uses Android and it's quick/snappy, but not quite Roku-level.
It is a great device for streaming/watching all manner of content (maybe not sports due to banding and DSE). The latest films and movies look fantastic; the HDR is truly stunning here (wish this carried over to 4K 120hz game/pc mode) and it supports the major formats Dolby Vision, HDR10, HDR10+. I was able to play Imax content even without the special mode, but it looked to process it correctly. Like most new TV's, it has Atmos support built-in for the internal speakers and DTS over the headset jack. It correctly upscales 480, 720, and 1080 to 4K; it natively supports some of those resolutions as well so it's strange it lacks channel tuner (it works with all the DVD/BluRay players, cable/DirecTV boxes I hooked up). The local dimming is also above average and performs better in content (not test videos) than TCL's new 6 Series miniled (the 55" R655).
I've spoke about the good and some of the bad, now it's time for the ugly. Here's the main issues (I'll do my best to name them all): It's got a mic built-in for the assistant, but if you disable it you get 4 permanent amber lights at the bottom which never turn off! It's not bad on a TV I suppose, but on a monitor? This is an issue with some other TV's too, but I want total control of my monitor. That level of control seperates monitors from TVs.
Freesync doesn't work with local dimming (as I've mentioned). Yep, same Ole' Hisense budget TV issues rearing their ugly head on a premium "gaming monitor." The aforementioned reset/install allows HDMI 2.1 forum VRR with local dimming (along with a slight increase to input latency)!! Freesync remains disabled, but I can confirm this works on both consoles. Your average user won't be able to perform the troubleshooting I have and so I must assume those who purchase this display won't have it. This means it doesn't come with the ability to have dimming and VRR on at the same time and for me that was a deal breaker.
Regardless of my success, you (the average consumer) will be left with awful ips-like contrast (not the advertised 5k:1) while gaming in HDR/SDR if you keep Freesync enabled. Unlike a lot of TV's the dimming on the S55U is just as good in game mode as it is in movie mode. However, If you want to keep dimming on you will likely have to accept tearing which as it happens occurs more often at higher refresh rates (like 120hz console gaming). Why buy a 4k 120hz "monitor" with Full Array dimming and Freesync if it you cant use them together?
To make matters worse, going into 4k 120hz mode breaks most of this panel's picture features. You lose the ability to adjust hdmi range (so no matching black level), no active contrast (this is actually important since they tied brightness to black equalizer/image processing), and a lot of other little annoyances (noise reduction no longer smoothes the banding issues and smart scene stops working). HDR gets washed out as do all other picture modes (even SDR) in 4k @ 120 when using either a PS5 or Series X; it's like the brightness/gamma get cranked way up. I was able to recalibrate it to some degree, but your average user won't and both consoles calibrate HDR @ 60hz in their settings, so using those types of tools aren't a viable option. Thankfully Dolby isn't affected but that's because this panel only supports Vision up to 60hz.
Note: It's not truly calibrated because all we could do was use a U8G (that's been calibrated) as a reference. I attempted to make the screens look the same as that was the best I could do. On the U8G you can calibrate the game preset regardless of the refresh rate as the image render itself doesn't change. If you calibrate the S55U using the 60hz disks (video patterns) it doesn't work for 120hz because it interprets the signal differently/incorrectly depending on the refresh rate (imagine going from gamma 2.2 to 1.8 with the brightnes cranked, and the HDMI range is also set incorrectly all of which result in a massively washed out image). To further complicate things the Series X and PS5 default to a different refresh rate during disk/video playback and for the gaming picture to look right calibration must be done in 4K 120hz (makes my tools useless as they rely on a test video). Ironically, if the same level of washout occured regardless of signal/refresh, it'd be easier to calibrate it.
It needed better gradient handling (it acts more 8 bit FRC instead of true 10 bit); so expect fair bit of banding especially in bright scenes with sky gradients (that's somewhat typical of GB monitors; average gradient).
Sure sounded great: 4k 120hz, Freesync, ~130 zone Full Array dimming, 1500nit brightness in hdr/10+, Dolby Iq, 96% D3, and the list goes on. When you find out it can't do those things or lots of concessions must be made (plus the issues) you want answers and upon investigating I discovered that I had bought a Hisense parading around as a Gigabyte monitor. I've submitted two help tickets on the 24th of November and GB has responded with: "We don't support the firmware." I feel like this was more of an experiment on their part because every other Aorus/Gigabyte product I've bought has been great; their 43" exceeded all my expectations (1.5 years ago) and the 32 inch 4k was also decent. I just expected them to use their own hardware/Soc, not a fresh coat of paint.
I can't justify the price tag even at 799.99 when there's TVs and monitors which do a better job at you know being a "monitor" (without the issues) that cost the same; when you go up to $1100 the options really open up with Oleds and MiniLeds that walk all over this panel.
In closing I rate it 2/5 as I received it and 3/5 after putting 30+ hours into fixing it. If the issues are fixed it's an easy 5/5 (and I mean it because the response times are better than our U8G's and it's a pretty good package). That said, I don't think they are going to "fix" anything. If you're like me and have a lot of experience (patience helps) you can find a great gaming TV beneath the issues. I calibrated the washed out image in HDR, fixed the PWM noise, and was able to get a form of VRR to work with dimming (it raised input latency a bit), but it mostly works as it was advertised now (minus a couple things). So far they aren't trying nor acknowledging the primary issues (lack of HDMI range, active contrast, and raised brightness/washout when gaming @ 4k 120hz).
Gigabyte: DID you try using this with the new consoles? I just don't understand how you could launch this without testing every area.
Thanks for reading
Submitted by IgneusPSN | #Specialdealer Special Offer Online Shopping Store 2016
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