The press conference given this week in Barcelona leaves no room for doubt: Philips is banking heavily on its OLED+ series to stay at the top of the bill.
Three series of OLED TVs have just been announced. The OLED+ 959 and OLED+ 909 are equipped with Meta 2.0 panels with MLA+, while the entry-level OLED 809 uses an OLED EX panel. All three will be equipped with Google TV, and not the new Titan OS operating system, currently reserved for The Xtra and The One series.
OLED959 and OLED909: Meta 2.0 technology, B&W audio, Ambilight
With its OLED+ models, Philips intends to demonstrate once again that it has unique know-how and expertise in image matters. The brand, owned by the TP Vision group, has just announced the launch of two new OLED+ series, models with an organic display which present themselves as the pinnacle of the television.
First we find the OLED+ 959 to crown the manufacturer’s 2024 catalog. Resolutely high-end, this television features an LG Display panel with Meta 2.0 technology. As a reminder, the latter combines the MLA+ (Micro Lens Array Plus) microlens layer with the META Multi Booster and Detail Enhancer algorithms. This allows Philips, and other manufacturers concerned, to announce a peak light of 3,000 cd/m² on its OLED+ 959 and OLED+ 909.
The OLED+ 959 has all the advantages of a high-end television. Its design of course, but especially on the image side, with support for HDR10+ Adaptive, HDR HLG, and Dolby Vision formats, thanks to the P5 AI Dual Engine Gen8 processor, and numerous features and compatibility (eARC, ALLM, G-Sync and FreeSync Premium Pro, etc.), notably with a new Game Bar which will allow players to have even more control over the gaming options. On the sound side too, with a 5.1.2 audio section signed Bowers & Wilkins which features two new speakers and titanium dome tweeters. In total, 18 speakers make up this system, for a maximum power of 102 W.
Philips has, however, worked on the main advantages that make it a unique player in the television market, namely its P5 processor, and the Ambilight ambient lighting system. Presented as a more sophisticated and dynamic version, Ambilight Plus equips this television with lighting on three sides. Philips talks about using special lenses, controlled independently of each other, to create “a wider halo with unique two-dimensional effects”and project up to four different halos at different depths to improve immersion.
Eighth generation P5 processor
The eighth generation of the P5 AI Dual Engine processor includes various innovations: Ambient Intelligence V3, a new AI Machine Learn Sharpness V2 system and a new Smart Bit Enhancement V3 algorithm. This includes improving HDR rendering by adjusting it according to ambient brightness (particularly in high brightness conditions), improving contrast in real time in low-light scenes or, conversely, for reduce clipping with highlights. The two other algorithms, new, concern the sharpness and realism of images for one, and for the other a processing of 8-bit to 14-bit video signals to eliminate the phenomenon of banding with certain sources.
For its part, the OLED+ 909 features more or less the same technologies as the OLED+ 959. The significant differences are especially visible in terms of design, with a more discreet OLED+ 909, audio, with a 3.1 sound section only ( still signed B&W), and a classic Ambilight function, but on four sides this time. The OLED+ 909 also has the advantage of being available in diagonals of 55, 65, and 77 inches.
Philips OLED 809: an OLED series that leads the way
Third and final range announced: the OLED 809. This consists of five diagonals of 42, 48, 55, 65 and 77 inches, the two smallest diagonals are equipped with classic OLED panels, while the others have the right with OLED EX technology. For the latter, the light peak is announced at 1,300 cd/m², which should not, however, be the case for the 42 and 48 inch models.
The P5 AI Dual Engine Gen8 processor is present across the entire range with all the new features it integrates. The Ambilight is of course on the program, on three sides. We once again find Bowers & Wilkins at work on audio with a 2.1 system with a power of 70 W on all models except the 42-inch one (50 W). For the rest, the on-board technologies and other compatibility are the same as the rest of the OLED catalog.
For the moment, no price has been revealed. However, this will not take long since these references should quickly be available in stores, by the end of the first quarter.
Source: press release and press conference
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