Philips ‘ 2014 Tv Line-up – Android and Ultra HD for the high-end models

We have not talked about Philips too much in the last year, so today we'll do a short review of their Tv range  for 2014.

While everyone talks about the new Samsung models,  Lg and its Web OS or about 4K TVs from Sony, Philips no longer manages to maintain its popularity in this segment. The new range is designed to revive through a diversification of the TV range designed to cover every possible user desires.

Let's talk briefly about the new 2014  Philips models:

We have a premiere – the first Smart TVs equipped with Android, which should bring a new Smart Tv experience similar to the one we found in tablets and smartphones.  Android is present on Ultra HD models from  8800 and 8100/8200 series.

We must recognize we have craved that these models would appear on the market and here it happens that Philips was the first manufacturer to take this step.
 

Of course the price of these models is not for everyone, not only  because we're talking about Android Tv  but also because these are top Smart 3D TVs with Ultra HD resolution (8800 series), Ambilight on 4 sides (series 8200) and other high-end features. Having Android on these Led television sets lets us use Google Play Store to install our favorite apps just like on our tablet or smartphone.

For those who want an excellent picture but do not want to spend a small fortune on a tv set, the 7800/7500 or 7100 series  are the perfect choice. These models have Ambilight on 2 or 3 zones and the image is processed at 600 or 800 Hz.

As a Smart TV we don't have Android operating system but a simple OS that looks similar ( on the surface only ) with Web OS from LG. In addition the 7800 series comes with Ultra HD resolution for those who want to own a screen with a top resolution .

The 6 series from Philips brings forward the 3D  Smart TVs with a more common specifications if we should  compare them with the models listed above. Image processing is done at 400 and 600 Hz (otherwise sufficient for the average user) for the models 6710/6600 and also have the Ambilight feature

The low-cost range of  the producer includes  models from the series  5600/5500 and 4500/4300/4200/4100. These are plain Led TV sets  which don't  surprise by specifications, but come having a decent price for those who use the Tv only  occasionally to watch a show, for news and do not focus on audiovisual performances so much. Motion processing is done at 100 or 200 Hz and integrated Wi-Fi is only available on 5500 and 5800 models .

The screen size varies, so we have screens  up to 55 inches for the 7 and 8 series, though the 6600 series have even a diagonal of 65 inches available.

Generally speaking much has changed, but not necessarily for the better.

We managed to test the 48PFH5509 model and we made a short review about this Smart Tv.  Conclusions refer only to this model and not the top range models by this manufacturer.

Design

It is a clear resemblance between the 2014 models from Philips and the same generation of TVs from LG on the design and even the Smart TV interface. The design is defined by  straight corners and the X shaped stand.

Image and sound

If the sound has slightly improved we can't say the same thing about the picture if we talk about the middle Smart TV series (series 5 and 6). Shades of blue and green are too intense and the nuances are extremely limited. Screen brightness is good, even at a medium level you lose pretty much black.

Philips 3D

We had  the same 3D technology used last year with slightly improved 3D effects with the aid of famous  Ambilight technology patented by Philips.

Smart TV

If doing a review of an Android TV model, then we would have probably applauded. Instead the  middle range Smart TV models do not have much to offer.

We tested the interface for a day and at this time we had some problems: TV was unable to return to the main menu from the browser page or incompatibility with the Logitech K400 keyboard (pad only). There is still a lot of  work to do. Besides the Web OS aspect there is not much to say.

Conclusions

Has Philips recovered and is ready to offer us exceptional TV? Yes and no.

High end models are audio-video jewels and being powered by the Android OS makes them unique at this time.

Low-end models  have many drawbacks, both on the image and on the Smart TV area, and probably will not be able to steal fans from rivals Sony or Samsung.