Philips goes Meta with high brightness OLED flagship TV

Philips has announced a flurry of flatscreens in Amsterdam today, led by the OLED+908, a new flagship OLED TV employing Meta OLED technology. Due to go on sale this autumn, the OLED+908 will be the first Philips set to employ the latest LG Display Micro Lens Array (MLA) panel technology, coupled to a proprietary META brightness boosting algorithm. It’ll be available in 55-, 65- and 77- sizes.

The MLA display is allied to a new 7th Gen P5 AI processor, with improved Ambient Intelligence able to better adjust in real time brightness, gamma and colour response of the screen, matched to the ambient lighting conditions. MLA panels also offer a wider viewing angle, and greater power efficiency.

This V2 version of Ambient Intelligence employs a new XYZ light sensor that can measure the colour temperature of light in the viewing room, so that the white point of the screen image now exactly matches the real time tint of the room’s ambient lighting.

Philips says the display can deliver a peak HDR performance of 2100 nits, which equates to a 70 per cent improvement in HDR brightness. We can also expect an improved Super Resolution feature able to create enhanced detail in primary screen objects.

The OLED+908 also features an 80W integrated 3.1 Bowers & Wilkins frontal sound system. The sound system sports six front mounted drivers in a Left, Centre, Right, (LCR) arrangement. Bass is provided from a large, rear mounted subwoofer supported by four passive radiators.

Design wise, the OLED+908 boasts a super-slim dark metal bezel matched by the dark Kvadrat Audiomix cloth speaker grill and with a new black sheen, metal open frame stand.

The OLED+908 also introduces a new remote control with a rechargeable (by USB-C) battery, a ‘123’ hot key to turn the backlight on and off and a motion sensor to detect when the remote has been lifted.

The MLA range topper will be joined in the brand’s portfolio by the OLED808 range, which will continue to use OLED EX panels. The OLED808 will start with screen sizes of 42-inches, and also use the Gen 7 P5 AI processor. HDR peak brightness is a claimed 1000 nits. Only the models 55-inches and up will use OLED-EX panels.

With a view to courting gamers, the models support Dolby Vision 4K 120Hz, e-Arc, VRR support for 4K at a full bandwidth of 48Gbps (444, 12 bit), FreeSync Premium and G- SYNC compatibility plus Auto Game and Auto- Low-Latency modes.

The OLED808 line have an integrated 70W 2.1 sound system (50W for the 42-incher) with rear facing bass driver, supported by four passive radiators.

Philips is also boosting its Mini LED TV range in 2023 with two models, led by the 9308 with an integrated 64W Bowers & Wilkins 2.1 sound system.

Philips is also introducing a new Xtra line of Mini LED TVs. The 9308 Mini LED TV, which will be launched in Q3 in 55- and 65-inch sizes, is positioned below the Ambilight OLED models, but also uses the same Gen 7 P5 processor as its OLED stablemates. The WCG LED panel is 120Hz, with 98 per cent DCI and capable of a 1000 nits HDR output. It features a 64W 2.1 Bowers & Wilkins Frontal Sound System. Ambilight is three-sided.

A second entry-level Xtra Mini LED TV, the 9008 series, will also be launched in 55-, 65- and 75-inch versions. It’ll feature the same processor, 120HZ 1000 nits panel, and 40W 2.0 sound system .

Philips LED mid-range hasn’t been forgotten either, with two new models in its popular ‘The One’ line (so, in fact, there are Two): the 120Hz 8808 series and the 60Hz 8508 series. The 8808 series will offer 43-, 50-, 55-, 65-, 75-and 85- screen sizes, while the 8508 will be available in 43-, 50-, 55- and 65- versions. Both series feature three-sided versions of the immersive Ambilight system and the new Google TV OS.