Philips 4K Ultra HD Ambilight HDR Android Smart TVs - 49" was £749.00 now £479.00 or 55" was £899.00 now £599.00 @ Argos

I think people on here are failing to see the deal with this and just want to be a snob about 10bit

Is £439 for a 49 inch 4k TV with HDR capability, Ambilight and Andriod TV a very good dead? - Yes

Is it going to compare to a 10bit TV thats going to cost you at the very least 3 times the price - No

Also the people saying "its getting bad reviews on AV forums" or "its not a great 4k TV" I do wonder if thats just what you've been told and you haven't actually looked at it with your own eyes. The reviews and people you are listening to are just snobs and experts, I guarantee 99.9% of you out there wont be able to tell the difference between this and a high end 4k tv.
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I had this set and I had to return it due to backlighting issues and poor black levels. Pity really as it's a great looking set and Ambilight is amazing.This is a HDR set but it's only rated at 350 nits.My search for an affordable 4k HDR set will continue and I will stick with my 51" Samsung plasma for now.

Bizness

In exactly the same boat with a 51" Sammy plasma. If you find anything … In exactly the same boat with a 51" Sammy plasma. If you find anything that does the job let me know. Read lessRead more

I would also like to sign up to your "search for an affordable 4K HDR set" newsletter.

For most people who will be using it with an Xbox One S (or a PS4 Pro), here's the Console end of things confirming what the TV is capable of.



Apologies for the massive pictures (tried finding out how to resize them embedded for 30 minutes but had to give up in the end)

Agree with above, HDR will make a bigger difference to the experience than going for a vanilla uhd set.

This is a very good and informative link for the very confusing HDR10/Dolbyvision/gamut/UHD/4k spec, worth a read for anyone considering a TV right now.

acousticfrontiers.com/uhd…v2/



(edited)

This is just another example of rebranded product made to be sold on constant "promotion" at one place(Argos)...£20 up or down but always around this price. Lots of returns to Argos due to image retention and backlight issue just shows what it's really worth...

Bought the 43PUS6401 for £399 in August and have found it a very good set (granted I am a student and know very little about TVs). The HDR settings aren't obvious, they only activate when a HDR source is run on it, then all the settings are available and in the top right a HDR symbol will show. I tested it with a Life of Pi 4K trailer, and I was blown away by the difference between HDR and non-HDR, the colours are very vivid and pop and the lighting wasn't dark at all. It reminded me of those UHD TVs they demonstrate in shops.

The Android system it runs on can be a bit hit and miss, but on the whole works fine, not laggy but not ultra smooth like a Playstation 4's interface (more like an Xbox one as a comparison - I have both). I have to turn the TV off to restart the android OS once or twice a week when certain programs like youtube or iplayer don't work. I have Kodi installed on it, and it works like a charm.

Annoying thing is all the resolutions between 1080p and 2440p support/run only at 30Hz, so are pretty much made redundant, so difficult to scale for PC gaming - I have it hooked up by HDMI. So you're either at 1080p or 4K, nothing inbetween if your GFX card can't handle it.

Philips do regular OTA/Internet updates to the software and the firmware which have made it a better set since I got it, so I'm reassured that they are continuing supporting the set.

Overall, I have a Wii U, PS4 and Xbox One hooked up and they are all excellent at 1080p. 4K HDR with Forza Horzion 3 looks just like the Life of Pi Trailer, absolutely stunning and makes you a bit annoyed to go back to anything non-HDR really. My BT YouView Box showing SD tv on it looks pretty rubbish though tbh, pixellation, motion blur and all that, but I'm not surprised to be honest, all SD content tends to look crappy on modern HD TVs for some reason.

With regard to the comment about the HDR being downscaled to SDR, that doesn't appear to be the case on my set, as both the trailer and games (well only one atm) are shown to be running at 4K (the info button), and looking like they're running at 4K as well.

Just wanted to give a positive opinion to balance out some of the more negative ones (not that there's anything wrong with them), as I'm very glad I got mine.

I've arrived to the conclusion that the majority of people on this site have a 51" Samsung plasma telly

Just to add to the 51" plasma.... mine sadly died a couple of weeks ago. Luckily it was from JL who gave me a full refund of the price paid.... after having had it for 4 years.

Next TV I buy will definitely be from JL, even if it is a hisense at least I know it will be covered!

TVS10 code works. I would change the OP and price.

Subtotal: £479.00
Promotional discount: £47.90
Balance due: £431.10

cost per inch

43" £341.10 = £7.93 per inch
49" £431.10 = £8.79 per inch
55" £539.10 = £9.80 per inch
(edited)

Heated, really impressive price for a quality branded set with Ambilight and HDR. I'm sure a lot of people are going to debate whether Philips is actually a quality brand but after a bad few years I think they have improved a lot over recent years and have put out some very good televisions and monitors...

Good price for a 4k false HDR set of this size ,it will accept a hdr signal but will only downscale it to SDR as the panel cant process a true HDR signal but of course you will have to spend a lot more than his if you want a 4k tv that can display true HDR ,it will play ps4 pro in full 4k but without any HDR features
(edited)

deeky

I just wish you could get the high end Philips TVs in this country. They … I just wish you could get the high end Philips TVs in this country. They have some superb sets. In fact I don't know what's happened with Philips in the UK. You can get hardly any of their stuff here now.Read lessRead more

Philips sold out to TPV years ago now TPV make and sell the sets under the philips brand. I bought one of the last excellent philips sets bought in 2011 still have it now. digitaltrends.com/hom…ss/
(edited)

SamboBambo

I've arrived to the conclusion that the majority of people on this site … I've arrived to the conclusion that the majority of people on this site have a 51" Samsung plasma tellyRead lessRead more

​Mines 50" and LG, and I'm now suffering from little man syndrome thanks to this thread

tkny200765

Bought the 43PUS6401 for £399 in August and have found it a very good set … Bought the 43PUS6401 for £399 in August and have found it a very good set (granted I am a student and know very little about TVs). The HDR settings aren't obvious, they only activate when a HDR source is run on it, then all the settings are available and in the top right a HDR symbol will show. I tested it with a Life of Pi 4K trailer, and I was blown away by the difference between HDR and non-HDR, the colours are very vivid and pop and the lighting wasn't dark at all. It reminded me of those UHD TVs they demonstrate in shops.The Android system it runs on can be a bit hit and miss, but on the whole works fine, not laggy but not ultra smooth like a Playstation 4's interface (more like an Xbox one as a comparison - I have both). I have to turn the TV off to restart the android OS once or twice a week when certain programs like youtube or iplayer don't work. I have Kodi installed on it, and it works like a charm.Annoying thing is all the resolutions between 1080p and 2440p support/run only at 30Hz, so are pretty much made redundant, so difficult to scale for PC gaming - I have it hooked up by HDMI. So you're either at 1080p or 4K, nothing inbetween if your GFX card can't handle it.Philips do regular OTA/Internet updates to the software and the firmware which have made it a better set since I got it, so I'm reassured that they are continuing supporting the set.Overall, I have a Wii U, PS4 and Xbox One hooked up and they are all excellent at 1080p. 4K HDR with Forza Horzion 3 looks just like the Life of Pi Trailer, absolutely stunning and makes you a bit annoyed to go back to anything non-HDR really. My BT YouView Box showing SD tv on it looks pretty rubbish though tbh, pixellation, motion blur and all that, but I'm not surprised to be honest, all SD content tends to look crappy on modern HD TVs for some reason.With regard to the comment about the HDR being downscaled to SDR, that doesn't appear to be the case on my set, as both the trailer and games (well only one atm) are shown to be running at 4K (the info button), and looking like they're running at 4K as well.Just wanted to give a positive opinion to balance out some of the more negative ones (not that there's anything wrong with them), as I'm very glad I got mine.Read lessRead more

And who says students have no money.

Siilver

I think people miss the point This is a cheap low end screen, it's not … I think people miss the point This is a cheap low end screen, it's not going to be the best, will it do the job I'm sure it willYou can wait until 10bit screens are in every cheap screen, but the new tech will be out then, so you will be looking that And really how important is 10bit hrd, you will be seeing it the very odd time, odd game consol and the odd over priced movie.If you like it buy itRead lessRead more

I guess the reason I decided to contribute to this post was because I felt posts like these were misleading for people (who were sitting on the fence) not that into tech. To my mind low, end screens are ones such as cello, alba or bush. I've had to use them at budget conscious friends' or familys' houses, and they are dreadful.

This is not a 720p screen nor does it have a poor bare bones interface as some TVs do for freeview.

Its pleasant to use, has a nice picture image and runs 4k HDR content. To compare it with £800 or £1000 TVs seems a bit off topic at least in my mind. True you're not getting a steal, but then again I would never buy a £800 TV in any case.

I grew up with Philips being a quality brand, maybe its changed now. But I personally with this TV haven't noticed that change, and it's at argos so if anything goes wrong you are covered if you need to return it.

deeky

Well I never knew that That's a major disappointment. I have a … Well I never knew that That's a major disappointment. I have a 42PFL9603 from 2009 which is a superb set and had never missed a beat. I was hoping to upgrade to their latest flagship but it looks like I'm gonna have to reconsider.Read lessRead more

I have a very similar set as you i bought the 52PFL8605H in nov 2010, i dont really feel the need to change it yet. Philips selling out and not making their own sets in europe any more has gutted me as i love philips and high end sets like yours and mine are the last ones that they made and are way better than any sony, samsung etc

n0chex

Don't expect the home made lights to go in sequence with what you are … Don't expect the home made lights to go in sequence with what you are seeing on the screen , maybe changing random colours or a solid colour.Read lessRead more

If paired with a raspberry pi and the right software, or something like a lightberry for example, the LEDs will correspond with whatever is on the display

Just to put this out there. Out of the box this thing has no access to things like ITV Hub and All4, you also can't side load apk because the option for unknown sources is missing . If you search for an update on the TV it won't find anything and the sw out of the box was from April .

Go to philips website and download latest update on there dated August. Put this on USB and update your TV.

You can now turn on install from unknown sources from settings . Seems philips disabled it on purpose and it upset a lot of people so they added it back in
(edited)

Deanhg

I had this set and I had to return it due to backlighting issues and poor … I had this set and I had to return it due to backlighting issues and poor black levels. Pity really as it's a great looking set and Ambilight is amazing.This is a HDR set but it's only rated at 350 nits.My search for an affordable 4k HDR set will continue and I will stick with my 51" Samsung plasma for now.Read lessRead more

In exactly the same boat with a 51" Sammy plasma. If you find anything that does the job let me know.

code TVS10 still works on all tvs over £350 at argos

I'd be all over this, had I not bought a new tele about 5 months ago! Cheers for the post anyway OP.

So to summarise... the more head lice the better when it comes to TV's nowadays.

if you've been toying with the idea of Ambilight. There are 3rd party … if you've been toying with the idea of Ambilight. There are 3rd party systems that can be hooked up to other models, but to be honest, I've not seen a huge amount of positive things said about them.Read lessRead more

Guy at work has got a 3rd party one set up on his TV. It's pretty impressive. And you can put it on a better TV than a cr@ppy Philips ....

(Needs something to drive it through. PC/RPi. It's a Lightberry setup he has I think.)

tkny200765

For most people who will be using it with an Xbox One S (or a PS4 Pro), … For most people who will be using it with an Xbox One S (or a PS4 Pro), here's the Console end of things confirming what the TV is capable of.Apologies for the massive pictures (tried finding out how to resize them embedded for 30 minutes but had to give up in the end)Read lessRead more

i may be wrong, but it looks like the TV will process HDR input (i.e. not just show a black screen with sound) but at 350 nits maximum brightness, the image won't be dazzling. UHD alliance recommend a minimum of 1000 nits

on a separate note, I too was once a Sammy 51" plasma owner. it died after 2y (? coincidence) and samsung gave me a replacement 49KS7000 (after me quoting Sales of Goods Act)

Been on or around this price for ages.

Not a hot deal but the mod posting sways it as usual.

kaiser051

Heat for the pics but i cant make out why the tv says its 10 bit and its … Heat for the pics but i cant make out why the tv says its 10 bit and its specs say its 8 bit ?Read lessRead more

With what everyone has been saying about the cheapest 10 bit panels being £1000 or so, I wouldn't be surprised. But still it's a nice panel, even if 8 bit.
(edited)

I think people miss the point
This is a cheap low end screen, it's not going to be the best, will it do the job I'm sure it will
You can wait until 10bit screens are in every cheap screen, but the new tech will be out then, so you will be looking that

And really how important is 10bit hrd, you will be seeing it the very odd time, odd game consol and the odd over priced movie.
If you like it buy it

cRuNcHiE

Disable the colour enhance setting. I noticed that with it flashing on … Disable the colour enhance setting. I noticed that with it flashing on xbox one. Turn it off and fine .Took the tv back though due to other issuesRead lessRead more

Thank you I have done this fingers crossed!

The ambilight made this set quite tempting - then I found out how easy and cheap it was to make a DIY one...

use TVS10 at checkout for a further 10% off!

Fila79

Can you use this code if you want to pick in store? If yes, what step ??? … Can you use this code if you want to pick in store? If yes, what step ??? Can't find it ...Read lessRead more

You have to use fast track and pay for it online, that's what I did to get the extra 10%

Siilver

cost per inch43" £341.10 = £7.93 per inch49" £431.10 = £8.79 per inch55" £ … cost per inch43" £341.10 = £7.93 per inch49" £431.10 = £8.79 per inch55" £539.10 = £9.80 per inchRead lessRead more

Specious/deceptive -- it's the square footage that counts.

n0chex

Don't expect the home made lights to go in sequence with what you are … Don't expect the home made lights to go in sequence with what you are seeing on the screen , maybe changing random colours or a solid colour.Read lessRead more

Before you post something about you have never seen, just do some research (via google - simple option).
And here is the link
instructables.com/id/…ur/

I wouldn't say it's a simple option...... much easier to buy the original Philips with Ambilight.

Quick update. TV came today, very impressed for the money! Android TV is really smooth , black levels on TV are only average but nothing terrible. I watched a HDR demo and thought it looked fantastic, this set is pretty poor for HDR apparently so the real 10 bit must look out of this world as it really impressed me.

Overall I'm very happy with the picture and casual watchers of TV who aren't picture experts won't have anything to grumble about.

Overall a very good entry level set
(edited)

I got the 55 delivered yesterday. This will is an upgrade from a 5 year old 32" HD telly.

Massive upgrade for me. Screen is great in comparison. I love ambilight.

Sound quality was not great. I had to use my soundbar - ARC works fine.

Not so good: I think the tv is a bit underpowered to run android tv. Navigating menus and TV guide don't feel very snappy. Netflix and amazon were a bit juddery until I reenabled motion smoothing. Netflix and amazon were both very laggy until i unplugged the TV and rebooted it. I assume it's because something was running in the background.

Overall I'm happy with it so far but a bit worried that the underspeced android tv will only feel 1000 times worse in 5+ years time.

As I've already said. Download latest firmware from philips website and update TV from USB . Then you can go into options and enable unknown soucres .

Pointless thought as all the missing apps when you load them on TV use a phone interface so can't really navigate with w controller .

And All4 the screen goes upside down . You also need side load launcher to see the icons

Picked up this TV today and I can see a light greyish horizontal line on the tv which keeps moving up and down.
Any suggestions?