Verdict
The Philips 48OLED808 is another slick Ambilight video with hire picture timbre and estimable audio for a small tv set . It is n’t as bright as hoped , though , and falter with stammer movement processing , and is still lack Freeview Play integration for UK users .
Pros
Cons
Key Features
Introduction
ThePhilips OLED807was a break through 4 K idiot box , so I had every Bob Hope that its continuation – the OLED808 – would equalise and surpass its predecessor .
On the test work bench is the 48 - inch version – 48OLED808 – this later model is one of the first batches of Philips ’ organic light-emitting diode to move from Android TV toGoogle TV .
More of the same is not a bad case law when talking about the follow - up to a five - adept tv set , though with LG dominate the OLED market , the 48OLED808 must put in a potent shift to carry likely LG customer to jumpstart ship .
Design
At first glimpse , there ’s not much to specialise between the OLED807 and OLED808 aside from the variety in stand design . Gone is the shiny and chrome rendering that was attractor for fingerprints , and in its spot is a grey - coloured key pedestal . It ’s a more accommodating design if you do n’t have a wide space to alight this TV on .
There is swivel action , especially helpful to protect against sunlight glare , and assembly is agile – it took me around two minutes to put the television set together equate to five for the previous model . Around the back of the outdoor stage you ’ll find a compartment to piping cables through and keep the rear area free of clutter .
The rear panel conception mirrors Philips ’ prior mid - range OLEDs : the sound system planted in the center , link facing down and to the side , with the Ambilight system around the edges . TheAmbilight systemis a downgrade on the 2023 model , available in its three - sided form rather than four - side implementation . If you rampart - mount it leaves the bottom bound endanger .
Coming back to the front and the Philips 48OLED808 is an aesthetically elegant TV . Slim bezel guarantee hatful of blank space for its painting , enclosed in a slight alloy shell . reflection were n’t a noticeable issue on this set , and viewing angles are excellent – as expect for an OLED – defend up better than LCD television set .
Software
Rather than tug Android telecasting interface for another year , Philips has jump to Google TV , though there ’s presently noFreeview Playsupport – yet .
Freeview and Google have n’t derive to an agreement yet , though Philips expects a resolution sooner rather than later . For the time being , to get all the catch - up and on - demand apps in the UK , you ’ll need to stop up in a streaming stick or set - top box .
Aside from that , Google TV is an advance over Android TV . Navigation is more runny with no lag . contented curation is full , with recommendations offered from a extensive chain of apps . It ’s not necessarily perfect in what it advocate though . The resilient action Loki appear in a list of animated shorts is a imitation P.A. system .
Google TV compensate the chief TV cyclosis apps in their Dolby Vision / Atmos forms , with Prime Video also supporting depicted object inHDR10 + Adaptive . In brusque , sound and imaginativeness through the likes ofNetflix , Disney+ , andApple TV+should be the good the 48OLED808 can rally .
Philips ’ own menus have been improved – more reactive , not as obtusely filled with information , and the carte du jour no longer take up the totality of the screen . That ’s helpful for those who care to tinker and see the consequence in existent - time .
There is a tweaked remote control , and it works fine , though there are two ‘ options ’ buttons – one of which ca n’t be accessed unless it ’s pressed on one of the comment , while the other open up the ‘ immediate options ’ computer menu . Could n’t it be simple ?
Features
Ambilight celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2024 , though for this 2023 manakin there ’s nothing new with esteem to Ambilight .
Ambilight Aurora is useable , pop the question a cool down - out experience with music and images on a closed circuit – watch it in a dark room and it can be a quite vivid experience . Whether you ’re catch television receiver , movies , listening to euphony or playing games , there ’s an Ambilight mode for each of those activities .
On the gaming front the Philips 48OLED808 has a aboriginal 120Hz screen with support forVRR(HDMI , AMD FreeSync Premium , Nvidia G - Sync compatible),ALLM , Dolby Vision Game mode , and freshen up rates up to 4K/120Hz . That puts it on a exchangeable footing to the OLED48C3 .
Input meantime in game mode is comparable too , as I assess it at 12.7ms , though LG ’s TVs can reduce it in the appropriately named Boost mode to below 10ms . Regardless , with games that support VRR , even lower latencies are possible on the 48OLED808 .
Unlike LG , the Philips only offers theHDMI 2.1 standardacross two of its four HDMI stimulation , of which one is shared with the ARC / eARC remark for connect a sound organisation . If you have more than one 2.1 subject source and a soundbar , you ’ll have to do some swapping .
The rest of the connections amount to the CI+ interface , Ethernet porthole , digital optic audio output , artificial satellite , and divine service connector , three USBs , and headphone output . Wireless includes Wi - Fi ( Chromecast ) as well asBluetooth 5 .
Google Assistantis built in and available via the remote control . If you prefer Alexa that ’s not useable natively through the telecasting – you ’ll need an outside speaker system / gadget to colligate to Amazon ’s AI assistant .
On the pic and audio front , there ’s HDR10 , HLG , HDR10 + Adaptive andDolby Vision . HDR10 + Adaptive can adjust its operation using the TV ’s unaccented sensor for the in force operation in brilliant and benighted room .
Filmmaker modeis included , disabling processing to preserve the Divine ’s intent , whileIMAX Enhancedoptimises video and sound in - line with IMAX ’s own requirements .
Pictures are fed through Philips ’ P5 AI Perfect Engine that employ deep - ascertain AI algorithms to improve the prototype to make it more ‘ realistic ’ , although this processing does n’t utilize to Filmmaker or ( I think ) IMAX modes .
With audio there ’s Dolby Atmos , and the 48OLED808 plays nicely withDTS : Xsoundtracks too through its 70W 2.1 phone system . You also get DTS dramatic play - Fi keep whereby you’re able to set up a wireless surroundings strait arrangement or a multi - room environment , as well as Mimi Sound Personalisation that can enhance the sound according to your audition abilities .
Picture Quality
If I ’m not mistaken , the Philips 48OLED808 boast an OLED EX gore from LG Display . In theory , that should offer high-pitched superlative brightness than the 48OLED807 screen .
And in the mensuration tests I conduct out , that turns out to be reliable . Luminance on 5 % and 10 % HDR windowpane is 653 and 580 nits , up from the 48OLED807 ’s 416 and 380 nit . That should result in a bright HDR word picture .
But routine only tell part of the level , and while the 48OLED808 is brighter on newspaper , it does not look or feel brighter than its herald .
Viewing Ridley Scott ’s The Last Duel on 4 K Blu - ray , and the highlight of the candles in the murkily - lit sleeping accommodation conniption do n’t find as intensely shining as I ’ve come to bear from Philips ’ OLEDs .
The overall image feel a bit dimmer , and watching The Last Duel as well as Elemental on Disney+ in Dolby Vision , Bright style leave me with a similar feeling – brightness and colours lack a little punch . The fire universe in the animated film feels warm rather than flare live .
blank tone are n’t as bright as they were on the 48OLED807 while determine She Hulk : Attorney at Law , so while demarcation is satisfyingly good with OLED ’s accustomed deep blacks , there ’s not the level of punch or vividness I experience is Philips ’ stock in trade .
And measured up against a similarly vivid Sony KD-55X85L LCD TV , the array of colour is wider on the Sony . With Anatomy of a Scandal on Netflix , white tones face bright on the Sony – coloring material have more volume – the Philips contain a less vivacious tone with Bolshevik particularly . Skin tones come across as greyer and pale , while particular in the figure of speech ’s darkest region is unspoiled on the Sony . The 48OLED808 ’s ignominious levels are deep and a footling impenetrable at times .
Each screen technical school has its own strengths and weaknesses , but count up against an LCD TV , I find myself preferring how the Sony operates . That I did not expect .
The Philips also suffer from motion issuance , specifically falter , and this is across all the MEMC configurations . As K come into nation at the Los Angeles police station in Blade Runner 2049 , judder is evident . Viewing The Fablemans in Dolby Vision and there is stochasticity and judder in place , and though the Movie set issue in a smoother image , there are still some deflect artefacts .
So far , I ’ve been a small unenthused by the Philips , but it is capable of frequent excellency . The stream of Anatomy of a Scandal features high levels of raciness and detail that blow the Sony X85L out of the water ; and it ’s the same with The Last Duel . The Philips wrings every routine of raciness and definition to face , objects , and environments as it can for a high tone image .
Upscaling is another strong area when see Casino on Blu - ray . I would say with SDR contentedness , it ’s better to determine in the Home Cinema mode than Filmmaker , which lends colours a more natural passion .
Otherwise , the Philips P5 central processing unit wield the cinematography ’s soft appearance with its pastel expression , bring out natural but also punchy , promising , and vibrant colours – the contrast in the night scene really brings the Vegas strip alert . There are o.k. levels of detail , cutis tones have a naturally tender accent , with Casino feeling every moment as filmic as it should with its food grain tier . This film looks fantastic on this idiot box .
With a DVD of Sherlock Holmes : A Game of Shadows , the 48OLED808 proves skillful at managing lower resolution sources . The P5 C.P.U. does n’t go full hog on sharpening the image but it ’s not too soft either , retrieve a enough amount of fine detail that throw for a watchable enough two hour .
Faces can appear slenderly smooth in some blastoff but not waxy . There ’s also a dear definition of edge – I ca n’t espy any jagged edges – and what noise there is in the actor ’s font is managed well enough to not deflect . Colour reproduction is good , although black levels are almost too inky-black .
The upscaling works because it ’s not heavy - handed , mildly knead and pick up the image where refinement is needed . Previous Philips organic light-emitting diode could over - sharpen the prototype – the 48OLED808 rule a just equilibrium .
Sound Quality
This 48 - inch screen sounds ripe than some bigger TV . The shell and size of its output wee-wee for a superior sounding system . With Dune ( Prime Video ) the audio organisation can be appropriately big and intense with the film ’s action scenes , such as when the Harkonnens attack the Atreides base .
High frequencies are furnished with live up to levels of clearness , and dialog replication is never less than solid and well prioritised . There ’s a eloquence to dialogue that I find works well and avoid sibilant tones , though some may feel it ’s a little bleary .
I ’d disagree with that averment . There ’s a realism to dialogue with no sense of it sound softened , and where required the telecasting steers dialogue into the right areas to make it seem as if it ’s coming unmediated from actors ’ mouth .
The basso is practiced , with weight to Kong ’s footsteps at the get-go of Godzilla vs Kong that express his sheer size . While in one of the later fights between Godzilla and Kong , there ’s decorous weight to the punches being thrown that , again , adds to the size and scale of the clank .
The Entertainment visibility is the best mode for flick , much bigger , wider , and more expansive than with Original mode .
With music ( streaming fromQobuz ) , and the Philips 48OLED808 sound much good than I expect it to . main road to the Anger Zone from The Batman soundtrack features punch , drive , and energy to the low frequencies ; and the top ending of frequency range is n’t too sharp , the TV mines good storey of limpidity and item from the string instrumentation .
It just about avoids sibilance with Chris Cornell ’s voice in Black Hole Sun , while with Raveena ’s headache there ’s decent depth to the bass . This Philips could play as a serviceable music system on its own .
It ’s not the most active , but the midrange and triple are clear with a nice crispness to the highs . There are plenty of modes to pick out from : Personal put up slews of customisation and Music modal value is good with articulation though I scratch my head with the Spatial Music mode . I ca n’t hear much remainder away from focusing on the vocals ( which can sound a minuscule echoey ) to supply a little more depth to music .
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Should you buy it?
Ambilight bias lighting does also provide real - world benefits by reducing eye fatigue . It also just looks really cool .
Though the 48OLED808 is bright than its herald on paper , it does n’t feel that way check it . LG ’s humble OLEDs are brighter still , and around the same price .
Final Thoughts
In curt , the Philips 48OLED808 is a very good tv set . It ’s just not quite as good as the now discontinued48OLED807felt .
Though it ’s brighter on paper , the depiction feels dimmer than its predecessor ; the color are n’t as vivacious and wide - ranging as I ’d trust , and the motion processing suffer from a few distracting artefacts . Add to Google TV not yet plump for Freeview Play , and it ’s a slightly diminished overall functioning .
The announcement of theOLED809may also give some pause , though at its current cost of £ 1099 , the 48OLED808 is worth considering . It ’s another silklike , pocket-size concealment OLED from Philips , but as good as it is , I ’d be tempted to wait for the OLED809 arrive later in 2024 . check out out ourBest TVguide for more selection .
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FAQs
The Philips 48OLED808 is compatible with wall mount sizes 300 x 300 mm .
