Let's begin where anyone's relationship with a new telly starts: the design. Our set, the 55in 550LED807, looks quite different to last year's model. For starters, it swaps out the blade-style feet for a centrally mounted, polished chrome 't-bar' desktop stand, which is attractive and raises the TV enough to potentially tuck a soundbar underneath. The finish is somewhat reflective though (not necessarily ideal in a movie room) and very susceptible to fingerprints. The mammoth 77in version of the OLED807 keeps the feet - for obvious reasons while 48in and 65in iterations also get the 't-bar' pedestal.
The set's bezel is significantly narrower than that of the OLED806, which itself was pretty slinky. This is made possible by Philips switching to one of the latest EX type of OLED panels. The frame is so skinny, in fact, that it plays beautifully with Philips' Ambilight system, making the coloured illumination that comes from all four sides feel even more connected with the images you're watching.
The TV gets all the usual Ambilight features, including the ability to track the colours of the picture on the screen; connectivity with a Philips Hue lighting system; and a new Aurora mode that ties Ambilight to a library of still and moving images that you can call up as 'screensavers' when you're not watching the TV in earnest.
Start your engines
As well as aiding the 550LED807's design, Philips' move to an EX OLED panel introduces a brightness boost of as much as 30 per cent over 'regular' OLED screens, and as much as 10 per cent even over previous high-brightness panels. And my experience suggests the potential of this new panel brightness will be unlocked by the latest (sixth) generation of Philips' redoubtable P5 Al picture processing engine, which feeds pictures through a huge, carefully ordered series of 2 processing elements.
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
AV Avenger
You should think twice before accepting an invitation to play Resident Evil 4 with spatial audio in a haunted prison, warns Steve May
Catalogue classic Star Wars: Ep. VI - Return of the Jedi → Ultra HD Blu-ray, Disney
Forty years on from the movie's cinema release, Anton van Beek ponders what might have been if things had gone a little diff erently during the making of Return of the Jedi…
Feedback
Got an axe to grind? Need to comment on current tech? Want to share your knowledge with our readers? Team HCC is here to help
M&K Sound V12
TIME ON TEST: Three years REVIEWER: Steve Withers
Sony 'bar demands to be upgraded
This well-specified Dolby Atmos soundbar may have a mid-range price tag, but you'll soon want to spend more, cautions Steve May
Short and sweet
Marantz's compact AV receiver returns with a new look and boosted features – Jamie Biesemans slips it into his AV rig
Discreet delivery
A slim, stylish Scandinavian on-wall system impresses Mark Craven with its handling of the sweet stuff
One project, two rooms
Dan Sait reports on a custom install where a JVC PJ/ Atmos system is joined by a stylish media den
THE KING OF B RDA HOLLYWOOD
Three of his movies have taken over $2billon at the global box office, he's pioneered SFX and 3D technologies, and he's been to the very bottom of the Pacific Ocean. That's James Cameron by the way, not Anton van Beek
System selector!
Given three similar budgets, Mark Craven, Steve May and John Archer assemble three different AV setups focused on movies, streaming and gaming
