Philips OLED+908: New Ambilight TVs use brighter LG META panel

TP Vision, the company behind the Philips TVs, has introduced the new OLED models “OLED+908” and “OLED808”, which are scheduled to be launched in autumn this year. The new flagship uses LG's latest and brighter OLED panel generation with META technology, in which micro lenses focus the light.

META -OLED panel is said to achieve 2,100 cd/m²

The OLED+908 is the new flagship at Philips and is planned in sizes of 55, 65 and 77 inches. The Ambilight television is thus offered in the same diagonals as the G3 series with META panel presented at CES. LG Display presented the third OLED generation for televisions last year. This is an upgrade to the second generation (OLED EX) with a Micro-Lens Array (MLA) that uses micro-lenses to focus the light at points to provide higher brightness. With the new Philips flagship, a peak brightness of 2,100 cd/m² should be achieved – LG Display itself also mentions this value. HDR effects should come into their own even better than with the previous OLED models on the market. According to Philips, the technology also offers optimized viewing angles and improved energy efficiency.

Image processor also analyzes ambient light

< p class="p text-width">The TV is also equipped with the manufacturer's well-known Ambilight lighting on three sides of the chassis and can thus expand the displayed content to the environment around the device, at least in terms of color. The 7th generation of the P5 AI image processor handles an improved 2nd generation of “Ambient Intelligence”, which corrects the brightness, gamma value and colors of the screen in real time depending on the ambient light in the room. A new sensor should also take the color temperature into account and adjust the white point of the image to the environment. A super-resolution function is also handled via the new image processor, which is intended to provide more edge sharpness and a generally higher level of detail in objects.

Clay by Bowers & Wilkins, OS by Google

On the audio side, Bowers & Wilkins joins the party contributing a 3.1 system with 80 watts on the OLED+908, which offers six front-facing drivers divided into Left, Center and Right. A subwoofer is installed on the back, which should provide appropriate coverage in the low-frequency range. The TV comes with a new remote that charges via USB-C and offers a new “123” hotkey to activate the backlight. A motion sensor can also turn it on when you lift the remote control. When it comes to the operating system, Philips is switching from the previous Android TV to the new Google TV OS.

OLED808 also comes in 42 inches

With the OLED808, a class lower, a new OLED series is planned for the first time with 42 inches in addition to the known sizes of 48, 55, 65 and 77 inches. These Ambilight televisions, which are illuminated on three sides, also have the latest image processor, but the panel largely remains with OLED EX from LG Display, which – with a few exceptions – is said to achieve up to 1,000 cd/m². The 42- and 48-inch models do not use the better OLED EX panels, and Philips does not provide any information on the brightness of these devices.

New gaming features for gamers

< p class="p text-width">All OLED televisions from 2023, including the OLED808 and OLED+908, are said to make progress in gaming by now also supporting Dolby Vision in 4K at 120 Hz via HDMI 2.1. In addition, the manufacturer mentions VRR support for 4K from 40 to 120 Hz with a full bandwidth of 48 Gbit/s, 4:4:4 display without color undersampling and 12-bit color depth. AMD FreeSync Premium, G-Sync compatibility and Auto Game and Auto Low Latency modes are also on board.

With the OLED808, a 2.1 sound system with 70 W or 50 W in the 42-inch version handles the sound output, which is intended to offer a more precise division into the two left and right channels and the rear subwoofer. Google TV OS is now also used as the operating system for the OLED808.

New mini LED and LCD televisions too

< p class="p text-width">In addition to the new OLED televisions, the new Xtra series for the third quarter also includes mini LED televisions from the 9308 series in 55 and 65 inches, which also use the latest image processor and 120 Hz and 98 percent DCI-P3 at 1,000 control cd/m². Clay supplies Bowers & Wilkins in 2.1 at 64 W. Below this model, Philips positions the 9008 series with mini-LED, advertised with 120 Hz, 1,000 cd/m² and a 40 W sound system.

Under the brand name “The One”, the manufacturer also combines the Ambilight 8808 televisions in 43, 50, 55, 65, 75 and 85 inches and the 8508 in 43, 50, 55 and 65 inches, which in terms of value for money should convince, but still get the latest image processor. For the 8808, Philips only mentions a WCG (Wide Color Gamut) display with 120 Hz, while the 8508 only has 60 Hz.