Philips says its 2020 OLED TVs have gone on sale in Europe, according to a report in FlatPanels HD. The Philips OLED805 and Philips OLED855 series TVs feature the company’s Ambilight mood lighting technology, offer 4K resolution, run the Android TV platform and for the first time, come with DTS Play-Fi.
The Philips OLED 805 and OLED855 were first announced during the company’s European TV event in Amsterdam in January. They’re both available in 55-inch and 65-inch sizes.
With the TVs, Philips is hoping to build upon the success of its earlier OLED804 and OLED984 TVs, which were introduced last year.
HDTVTest had an early look at the new Philips OLED TVs during the launch event and was fairly impressed with what it saw. Both the OLED 805 and the OLED 855 feature the company’s new 4th Gen P5 processor chip, which should ensure a big performance improvement over last year’s models as it uses machine learning technology, which is a form of artificial intelligence, to analyse the content on display using a massive database. The AI processor is able to analyze the picture based on factors including its source, colour, contrast, motion and sharpness, and apply adjustments to optimise it according to the content type.
The TVs also come with support for multiple High Dynamic Range formats including Dolby Vision, HDR10+, HDR10 and HLG. Meanwhile, Dolby Atmos decoding should enable a superior audio experience as it’s combined with Dolby Atmos Virtualizer and Dolby bass and dialogue enhancement, the company said. The company also reckons it’s the first “premium” TV brand to support the DTS Play-Fi multi-room streaming platform that makes it possible to connect third-party speakers for enhanced surround sound. Philips said support for DTS Play-Fi is the “first step towards building a complete wireless connectivity platform".
The Philips OLED855 picked up an iF Design Award in February for its bold and minimalist design. The TV is made of premium materials and finishing that exudes quality and a sense of exclusivity, while the Ambilight mood lighting system further enhances its look.
Philips’ OLED TVs will compete with similar offerings sold by the likes of LG Electronics, Panasonic and Sony, and offer a couple of features that help it to stand out against those rivals.
The most obvious one is its Ambilight technology, which is a mood lighting system that throws up colourful lighting effects around the screen and looks especially cool in darker rooms. None of its rivals have anything to compete with this.
Philips has joined Sony in embracing Google’s Android TV platform for its OLED TVs, and it’s a solid choice, providing access to thousands of apps available via its Play Store. The Android TV platform helps Philips to promote its OLED TVs as an alternative choice to those sold by from LG Electronics, which have more console-friendly features such as support for Variable Refresh Rates and Auto Low Latency Mode thanks to their HDMI 2.1 ports. It also helps the company differentiate itself from Panasonic’s own compelling OLED offering, which comes with a customized, high-brightness OLED panel.
Unfortunately, these Philips OLED models do not seem to be equipped with speakers from Bowers & Wilkins, the British company that built the audio system for a number of other Philips TVs.
All in all, the Philips OLED805 is basically identical to the Philips 855 (and the yet-t0-be released Philips OLED 865), with the only real difference being the design and the TV stand.
Both TVs have been listed at £1,499 for the 55-inch version, and £2,199 for the 65-inch model.
