The short answer
Do not buy on the number printed on the box. International-version specification sheets read 50Hz or 100Hz, not the 60 and 120 you see in American reviews. And "120Hz" is often DLG — bought by halving vertical resolution. What actually decides whether a PS5 can run 4K 120 is the HDMI line on the specification sheet, not the refresh-rate line.
First: Hong Kong is a 50Hz market
Hong Kong mains power is 220V at 50Hz, and local free-to-air television is 1080i at 50 fields per second — that is 25 frames — inherited from the PAL system. So manufacturers publishing specifications for 50Hz markets write 50Hz and 100Hz. The sheets written for the American market are the ones that say 60Hz and 120Hz.
These are not entirely different panels, but the practical effect is direct: you read an American review calling a set "60Hz", then look at the local specification and see "50Hz", and the two do not match. Neither is wrong — the markets simply label differently.
Here is what the international versions sold in Hong Kong actually are. Every figure below comes from the manufacturer's official specification:
| Model | Official native refresh rate | Official DLG |
|---|---|---|
| Samsung M75H 43-inch | 50 Hz | not listed |
| Samsung QN70H 65-inch | 50 Hz | 120 Hz |
| Samsung QN70F 55-inch | 100 Hz (up to 144 Hz) | none |
| Samsung M80H 65-inch | 100 Hz native | 240 Hz |
| Samsung QN80F 100-inch | 120 Hz (up to 144 Hz) | — |
Second: "120Hz" is often DLG, not native
DLG stands for Dual Line Gate, and what it does is straightforward: it halves vertical resolution to double the refresh rate. A 4K panel running DLG 120Hz is actually outputting 1920 × 1080.
Samsung lists DLG on a separate line from Refresh Rate. So the accurate description of a QN70H is "50Hz native, with DLG 120Hz" — not "a 120Hz television". This is not deception; the official sheet is perfectly clear. It is retail pages and reviews that quote only the bigger number.
And it can vary by size within one model. The M75H is listed with DLG 120Hz at 55, 65 and 75 inches, but not at 43 and 50 inches. So "the M75H is a 120Hz set" is simply untrue at two of its sizes.
Third: the real test is the HDMI port
This is the most useful section here. Even if the panel can reach 120Hz, if the HDMI inputs top out at 4K 60Hz then a PS5 or Xbox cannot send it 4K 120. What the panel can do and what the input will accept are two separate questions.
| Model | Native refresh / DLG | HDMI maximum |
|---|---|---|
| Samsung M75H 43-inch | 50 Hz / DLG not listed | 4K 60 Hz |
| Samsung QN70H 65-inch | 50 Hz / DLG 120 Hz | 4K 60 Hz |
| Samsung QN70F 55-inch | 100 Hz (up to 144 Hz) / DLG none | 4K 144 Hz |
| Samsung M80H 65-inch | 100 Hz native / DLG 240 Hz | 4K 144 Hz |
| Samsung QN80F 100-inch | 120 Hz (up to 144 Hz) / DLG — | 4K 144 Hz |
Look at the QN70H row: advertised at 120Hz, but the HDMI ceiling is 4K 60Hz, so a PS5 will never reach 4K 120 on it. The QN70F is native 100Hz with no DLG at all, yet all four of its HDMI inputs accept 4K 144Hz — for gaming it is the better set.
Plenty of articles tell you to look for "HDMI 2.1". But HDMI 2.1 is a specification version number and does not mean every port reaches 4K 120. The line to read is "HDMI (High Frame Rate)", together with which ports it names. On some sets only one or two of the four are high-bandwidth.
How many Hz do you actually need?
| What you mostly watch | Recommendation |
|---|---|
| Drama, news, YouTube, streaming | 50Hz is plenty. The source material is 25 to 30 frames; a higher refresh rate shows you nothing you can see |
| Sport | Native 100Hz or above, not DLG. A football match is full-screen fast panning, and the lost vertical resolution shows |
| Films | 120Hz genuinely helps, but not by being "smoother" — by having less judder. See the next section |
| PS5 or Xbox Series X gaming | Ignore the refresh-rate line. Check whether HDMI accepts 4K 120Hz, and whether there is VRR |
| PC gaming on the TV | 144Hz or above. This is cheap now — under HK$5,000 buys it |
| Bedroom, study, kitchen | 50Hz is fine. Spend the difference on screen size and brightness instead |
Why films want 120Hz rather than 100Hz
Film is shot at 24 frames per second. To display evenly, the panel refresh rate ideally divides by 24 without a remainder.
- 120Hz ÷ 24 = 5 exactly. Each frame is held for five refreshes — perfectly even.
- 50Hz ÷ 24 = 2.08. It does not divide, so frames are repeated unevenly and fast pans can show visible judder.
- 100Hz ÷ 24 = 4.17, which does not divide either. In practice many panels labelled 100Hz are also specified "up to 144Hz" and switch to 120Hz for 24-frame material.
So buying 120Hz for films is sound advice — but not for the reason most articles give. Nothing becomes smoother: the film is still 24 frames and always will be. What improves is judder. (Incidentally, LG OLED specification sheets list 48Hz, which exists precisely to give 24-frame material a clean 2:2 cadence.)
Three common misconceptions
1. A higher refresh rate does not mean lower input lag
These are separate things. Input lag is the delay between pressing the controller and the screen responding, and it depends mainly on whether game mode is on and on the set's picture processing pipeline. A 50Hz set in game mode can have lower input lag than a 120Hz set that is not.
2. A higher refresh rate does not fix screen tearing
Tearing happens when the output and the screen refresh are out of sync. The fix is VRR (variable refresh rate), FreeSync or G-SYNC — not a higher number. A high refresh rate only makes tearing less noticeable. Check for VRR as its own line.
3. A number higher than the source is wasted
Local broadcast is 25 frames, most of Netflix is 24 to 30, and YouTube tops out at 60. On that material a 144Hz set and a 50Hz set are the same. The difference appears in gaming, live sport, and in how the set handles motion processing.
The four lines to find on a specification sheet
- Refresh Rate — the native figure. This is the real one.
- DLG (or Motion Xcelerator) — if this line exists, the bigger number was bought with resolution.
- HDMI (High Frame Rate) — what the inputs will accept. For gaming, read this line, not the first one.
- VRR / FreeSync / G-SYNC — this is what deals with tearing.
Only when all four line up do you have a genuine 120Hz gaming television. When only the first two look good, it is a set for watching, not for playing.
Models we stock
- 50Hz — sufficient, and inexpensive: Samsung M75H 43-inch Mini LED, HK$3,980. Officially 50Hz with no DLG and 4K 60Hz on all HDMI inputs — we do not claim 120Hz at this size.
- 50Hz with DLG 120Hz: Samsung QN70H 65-inch Neo QLED, HK$8,980. Excellent for films and drama, but the HDMI ceiling is 4K 60Hz — not a gaming set.
- Native 100Hz, 4K 144Hz on all four ports: Samsung QN70F 55-inch Neo QLED, HK$4,980. No DLG at all, and it beats the QN70H for gaming.
For gaming see gaming televisions, for sport see sport televisions, and for the full range see all televisions. Prices and availability are as shown on each product page. All sets are international versions rather than local retail stock, with the warranty provided by us — details in our international-version warranty policy. Delivery, installation and wall-mounting charges are on our delivery and installation page. The Kwun Tong showroom holds stock for collection only — there is no demonstration or side-by-side viewing.
Frequently asked questions
Why do TVs sold in Hong Kong say 50Hz when overseas reviews say 60Hz?
Because the two markets label differently. Hong Kong mains power is 50Hz and local broadcast is 1080i at 50 fields per second, so manufacturers publishing for these markets write 50Hz and 100Hz, while sheets written for the American market say 60Hz and 120Hz. These are not entirely different panels, but figures from an overseas review will not match the local specification sheet.
What is the difference between DLG 120Hz and native 120Hz?
DLG stands for Dual Line Gate and works by halving vertical resolution to double the refresh rate. A 4K panel running DLG 120Hz is actually outputting 1920 by 1080. Native 120Hz sacrifices no resolution. Samsung lists the two on separate lines, so it can be checked.
How do I know whether a TV can run a PS5 at 4K 120Hz?
Do not read the refresh-rate line; read the HDMI (High Frame Rate) line. The QN70H is listed with DLG 120Hz but its HDMI ceiling is 4K 60Hz, so a PS5 cannot send it 4K 120. The QN70F is native 100Hz with no DLG, yet all four HDMI inputs accept 4K 144Hz, which makes it the better gaming set.
Do films need 120Hz?
Film runs at 24 frames per second. 120 divided by 24 is exactly 5, so each frame is held for five refreshes and the cadence is perfectly even. 50Hz does not divide by 24, so frames repeat unevenly and fast pans can show judder. The benefit of 120Hz for films is less judder, not more smoothness.
Does a higher refresh rate reduce gaming input lag?
No. Input lag and refresh rate are separate. Input lag depends mainly on whether game mode is enabled and on the set's picture processing pipeline. A 50Hz set in game mode can have lower input lag than a 120Hz set that is not in game mode.
About this article
Every refresh rate, DLG and HDMI figure quoted here comes from the manufacturer's official specification sheet for that model. Actual specifications vary by model and by screen size; the official data for each model takes precedence.
