HD PICTURE QUALITY HD picture quality was Very Good, overall. Reproduction of fine HD image detail was Excellent. Color accuracy was acceptable, but below that of most models. Very Good contrast—the difference between the darkest blacks and brightest whites—gave images convincing depth and dimension. However, black levels were merely OK, maintained some contrast in darker scenes, but they short of the better TVs. The quality appeared worse as we viewed from the sides—see our Viewing Angle results, below. Image brightness was moderately low, dimmer than most even with the backlight control turned up—OK for a dark room but not the best choice for a bright room. There was slight display non-uniformity in our test sample—it appeared as brighter cloudy areas which were most noticeable on very dark scenes (or in the black bars of a letterboxed movie)—the severity can vary from model to model. Its reproduction of smooth edges on image content with minimal "jaggies" (jagged edges) was Very Good for "up-converted" HD-to-UHD images. Deinterlacing of 1080i video, and film mode detection of 1080i film-based content, were both Excellent.
4K UHD PICTURE QUALITY Overall 4K UHD picture quality was Very Good, overall. In our UHD testing, we played native-4K movies and test videos (non HDR) thru the TV's HDMI input, and found their image detail was all there. For color, contrast and black level, the TV performed similarly to its HD picture quality.
HIGH DYNAMIC RANGE (HDR) PERFORMANCE HDR performance was ineffective In our tests, the display did not have the peak brightness capability necessary (by HDR standards) to reproduce the extended contrast on our HDR content. In HDR mode this TV did not allow us to optimize the picture settings. All settings were as they were for the standard-dynamic range (SDR) HD picture.
VIEWING ANGLE This Philips model has a narrow viewing angle overall, below-average performance among TVs. Only those seated directly in front of the screen will see the best picture quality. We examined the image quality at various viewing angles—its image quality notably decreased as we moved away from the center position. When we viewed the TV from the sides image quality degraded significantly. The picture showed a strong loss of color, so flesh tones looked very washed out. Black levels brightened significantly, and made dark scenes look hazy. We viewed the image from above and below center screen, and saw Fair vertical viewing angle performance, with significant changes in color, contrast, and black level.
MOTION BLUR In our motion tests, this Philips TV had Good motion performance, with some blurring. It does not have a special feature to minimize motion blur.
SOUND QUALITY We got sub-par sound quality, with below average performance. It could be acceptable for typical programming, but its shortcomings would be obvious with movie soundtracks and music. In our listening evaluations, we found the bass (low frequencies) to be lacking in depth and definition, and had a very noticeable amount of rattle or buzzing during our bass-heavy sound clip. Treble (high frequencies) was satisfactory. The overall sound was overly bright, thin and closed in. This TV should be OK if the room isn't too noisy--we found the speakers could produce a Good volume level and without obvious distortion. If sound quality matters to you, you might want to add a sound bar or other external speaker system.
EASE OF USE Consider the TV's stand is 40 inches wide when choosing a table top to place it on. On first power up, an on-screen guide appeared—which you could choose to follow when setting up the TV. The remote controls the TV via an IR light beam which must be pointed at the TV. It has a full number keypad for entering channel numbers. It includes all the buttons we typically expect: power, channel up/down, volume control, mute, source input, menu and exit buttons. The remote and the TV both have microphones for accessing the built-in voice assistant feature. The remote also has dedicated buttons for streaming Netflix, Vudu, YouTube, and Google Play.
INTERNET FEATURES This TV provides internet functionality via its "Android TV" portal, with access to a library of applications from the Google Play Store. Movie streaming services that can be downloaded to this TV, or are built-in, include Netflix, YouTube, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, Disney, Apple TV and HBO Max—and these can be streamed in either HD or (except Hulu) 4K UHD. It includes a built-in Google Assistant, which allows you to use natural speech to ask questions, launch applications, and search programming by talking to the remote or to the TV. Claimed support for external voice assistants (not built in to the TV) include Google Assistant.
CONNECTIONS This model has three HDMI inputs (one supports ARC, audio return channel). It also has one USB port (for service only), an optical digital audio out, a headphone out, an Ethernet port, and WiFi wireless networking.
WHAT'S INCLUDED You get with this TV: a quick start guide, an electronic user guide via the TV's menu, and a remote control with batteries. No printed manual is included.
ABOUT UHD TESTING Ultra-high definition "UHD" can refer to both the TV and program content. While the UHD industry standard includes 4K and 8K, most UHD TVs and UHD content at this time are 4K. A 4K UHD image is presented as 3840 x 2160 pixels—four times the pixel-count of HD. We test UHD TV picture quality using 4K UHD movies, videos, photos, and test patterns to confirm these displays deliver performance to this format's full potential. We examine the TV's ability to reproduce 4K UHD image detail, as well as high dynamic range (HDR)—for TVs that support this capability. Image quality is tested using a UHD movie player connected to the TV's HDMI input, and from files stored on USB flash drive. We also check how well the TV can upscale HD movies to the display's higher UHD resolution while keeping artifacts such as "jaggies" along the edges of image content to a minimum. The best UHD TVs, and HDTVs, present high fidelity images that reveal the full quality of the best source content without degradation.
