PICTURE QUALITY This model had very good high-definition picture quality. It did an excellent job displaying fine detail. Color accuracy was acceptable, but below that of most sets, with color temperature was slightly on the warm side, lending images a reddish tone. Lack of contrast gave images a flatter appearance with little depth. The brightness level was good, making it a suitable choice for most rooms. Black levels were only fair with darker areas of the image looking unnaturally illuminated. Dark scenes, in particular, looked hazy and lacking in contrast. In scenes with subtly shaded light-to-dark areas, such as a sky during sunset, the TV did a very good job producing a smooth transition without distinct, coarse bands. There was slight display nonuniformity that created brighter cloudy areas most noticeable on very dark scenes (or in the black bars of a letterboxed movie). We routinely see this issue with LCDs and severity can vary from TV to TV. Check your model for this issue, and if present, see if you find it distracting. The deinterlacing and film mode operations were excellent on HD content; there was little or no trace of jaggies on the edges of objects for video and film-based 1080i video content, such as from cable.
VIEWING ANGLE This Philips has a wide viewing angle overall, better than that of most LCDs. It will provide the same picture quality, with fewer problems than most LCD sets, for typical viewing conditions--say, if your family is seated across a long sectional or in chairs off to the sides of the TV.
With brighter scenes, like sporting events, the display did a fine job maintaining accurate colors and decent contrast whether we moved off to the sides or were viewing from above or from below screen. The picture did show some dimming from the sides but not to any point we found distracting. With dark scenes the display didn't fare quite as well. When viewed from the sides, the depth of black levels varied depending on the vertical position of the viewer's head. As we moved closer to the screen this limitation became even more apparent, especially if seated on the floor looking upward where black levels brightened significantly. This display's wide viewing angle is best appreciated when viewed at eye level to the screen.
ULTRA HD PERFORMANCE This Philips UHD TV delivers full 4K picture detail, along with very good HD-to-UHD upconversion. All native 4K content we played on this model, including movies and test videos from our Sony FMPX10 player, was presented in full detail with excellent image fidelity when played back via the TV's HDMI input. This model also supports video streaming of 4K programs via both Netflix and YouTube (among other emerging sources), and again, images were clean and finely detailed with no visible over-sharpening or other gratuitous processing. Using the TV's USB port with files stored on a flash drive, we were only able to play back 4K videos encoded in the MP4 file format, and not HEVC or VP9 encoded formats. High-resolution photos were displayed in full 4K detail, taking full advantage of UHD's extra resolution. With regular HD content, the TV's HD-to-UHD up-conversion processing was very good, with edges along diagonals of image content showing slight jaggies, just short of the best we've seen. All Three of the TV's HDMI inputs comply with the latest HDMI 2.0/HDCP 2.2 specifications for 4K at 60Hz play back and copy protection, a requirement for compatibility with emerging 4K movie play back devices such as a 4K Blu-ray player.
MOTION BLUR This Philips TV has only fair motion performance, with significant blurring on our motion tests. Though this model includes Perfect Motion Rate, a feature designed to reduce motion blur, we found it was ineffective. On typical program content, the blurring effect is often fleeting and may not bother most people. However, keen-eyed viewers may detect the loss of texture and detail on scenes with movement, especially in high-quality video such as a Blu-ray movie.
SCREEN REFLECTIVITY Though not as mirror-like as on some LCDs, this screen surface is glossy and therefore susceptible to reflections from a nearby lamp or window. The screen is dark so it does a good job reducing glare from ambient light and maintains contrast even in a bright room.
SOUND QUALITY This TV has good sound quality; about average among the TVs we've tested. When watching a movie blockbuster, a concert, or TV show, it delivers decent performance but falls short of the better performers. With movies, dialog was generally clear sounding, though a bit muffled, and overall a bit recessed with respect to background music and other sounds. Though base extension was lacking, what was present was a bit boomy, but treble was nicely detailed, with the overall sound a bit closed in. The speakers can play to fairly loud volume levels, though sound quality degrades at the highest settings. Most will find this sound quality acceptable.
EASE OF USE Overall, we found the set was easy to use for the most part. Setting up the TV for the first time was fairly straightforward, as was access to features and controls you'll probably adjust only once. Ease of access to features you typically use more often was good. Also, the remote is satisfactory, and the on-screen menu is moderately easy to navigate.
The black against black labeling of the connectors on the TV console is very difficult to read. We found the set responds slowly to commands from the remote.
STAND ASSEMBLY Mounting the support stand to the TV is straightforward, though the stand requires the assembly of two parts before mounting.
INTERNET FEATURES This TV provides basic Internet functionality with a limited selection of applications Movie streaming services include: Netflix, Vudu, YouTube, Pandora.
CONNECTIONS This TV includes three HDMI inputs, one shared connection between the component and composite inputs (which means you can only use one type or the other at a time), one VGA input, optical digital audio out, one USB port, an Ethernet port, and Wi-Fi. Wireless connectivity includes: DLNA network file sharing. HDMI and analog cable connections made to the rear-facing panel will protrude beyond the panel's slim depth.
INCLUDED IN THE BOX The TV comes with: a printed user manual, an electronic manual in the TV's menu, a quick start guide, and a remote with batteries. ABOUT FIRMWARE VERSION: Our test results and picture settings are valid for the version of firmware indicated. If your TV's firmware differs from the one shown you either have an older or a newer version of firmware. Manufacturers may periodically upgrade the TV's firmware to enhance operation, fix bugs, or add features. Firmware upgrades may be downloadable directly to your TV via a wired or wireless network (if internet capable), USB port, or memory card, depending on your TV's capability. You can check your TV's firmware version, or upgrade to the latest firmware by pressing the menu button on your remote and navigating to the appropriate submenu, typically under settings. Consult the user manual or manufacturer's website if further guidance is needed.
