"Had been looking at 50" tv's for a while and glad I went for this one. The ambilight feature is a game changer, genuinely. Go for it you'll not be disappointed "
"Looking for a good price 4K 50’ tv and very pleased with this Phillips
Picture is excellent out of the box, easy set up and good remote too. Colours a touch bright but easily adjusted. Like the ambilight feature but it’s not for every type of show!"
"What I like about this TV:
- ambilight is quite cool - it actually improves the experience
- remote is nice because of the keyboard on the back and since I use this TV 90% for youtube and 10% connected to a PC it is very useful
- nice sound
Not that great:
- remote has to be pointing more or less in the direction of the TV so when typing on the keyboard it does not always work. My previous solution was BT keyboard and that was working way better.
- remote is quite heavy
- menu is not as fast as I would like"
"Have lived with the Philips 50PUS7383 (identical to 7303/7353) for a few weeks, playing with various features. Most reviews fall into the ‘love-it’ or ‘hate-it’ category, which aren’t very helpful, so wanted to give an honest and balanced review.
I did lots of research before purchasing, so knew the strengths and pitfalls. I usually buy Panasonic equipment, so this was a bit of a gamble, especially with so few professional reviews around. Philips TVs seem to be more popular in Europe than UK. My budget was limited to around £500 and wanted a TV with the most features and not compromising on picture. Specifically needed 4 HDMI ports (one to connect to surround system using HDMI) and ideally a platform offering Netflix, iPlayer, all4 and NowTV. I was curious about Android TV. It’s a lot cheaper than Sony Android TVs (which don’t always get great reviews). Other features, such as Ambilight, are a bonus. The TV is a VA panel with direct back-lighting, so promises excellent contrast, at expense of viewing angles.
The TV is a mid-range, featuring the muted P5 processor. In my opinion, the TV looks fine. It sits quite high, so you can place a narrow soundbar in front, should you wish. The stand is metal and frame plastic, but the two look identical. It doesn’t have the premium aluminium look, but better than budget sets.
On first switching on, there’s no mistaking that this is an Android TV. It boots up like any Android phone. The TV automatically links to your surround system, and takes you through the Google setup screens. So far, impressive. The home screen is running Android Oreo 8.0, and is slick and modern. Netflix, YouTube, Amazon Prime and iPlayer are pre-installed, alongside lots of other apps. These can be deleted and homepage customised. Recommendations are given, making the homepage appear interactive and dynamic with content. Again, these features can be disabled.
Personally, I’m a big fan of the remote, which feels like it’s been designed from the ground-up for smart TVs, unlike Panasonic remotes which just evolve. It’s weighty and modern, with all the necessary shortcuts, and a useful keyboard at the back. Premium, practical, but not too showy.
The TV features Freeview AND satellite sources, unheard of at this price. I consider satellite a bonus. This TV doesn’t feature Freesat, which means you’ll have to add the channels manually from a long list to your favourites. Once done, accessing the preferred channels using the TV button is easy. Other sources are easily accessed using the Source button, but the list of sources can’t be edited or deleted, which is an oversight.
One immediate drawback is the picture pre-sets. All pre-sets look terrible for SD and HD sources, whether it’s standard, natural or vivid. All look overly processed and unnatural, making a mockery of the claimed P5 processor. Choosing ‘ISF Day/Night’ is a good place to start, which disables most picture processes. Contrast confusingly controls backlight and shouldn’t be higher than 60. Set brightness to 80 and colour 53. Set Motion to ‘movie’, colour temperature to ‘warm’, video contrast to 90, Ultra Resolution ‘off’, all noise reductions off, sharpness ‘2’ and contrast mode ‘off’. Now you will have a much more realistic picture. However, you will have to copy these settings for each source, which is time consuming. If playing HDR content, you will need a different set of pre-sets. Try ‘Personal’, although you will need to play around with these settings.
Sound is very good overall, and certainly better than most flat-screen TVs I’ve heard. Sound is clear and natural. There are lower frequencies, to give a sense of balance. Some customers have complained about lack of bass, but this is unrealistic. The sound is on par with any good TV. However, a soundbar or AV amp will always be better and is recommended for films.
The other drawback is the lack of apps. You would assume all Android apps would be available. There are two apps stores: Philips Store contains a very limited number. Google Store is better, but still lacks ITV player, all4, NowTV, etc. This is a real shame. You can sideload the apps (Google it). This forces apps designed for phones to run on a TV, but the apps are virtually unusable, are difficult to control and look terrible. This is not a fault of the TV, rather a lack of development on apps for Android TV. This may improve in the future. The only real solution is to use a separate Roku stick, or equivalent. On the plus side, you can install the PRG App (from a USB stick), a retro gaming app which turns the TV into a retro video game console. You can plug in a gamepad, mouse and keyboard. This works very well.
Ambilight is fun, but not essential. If placed close to a bare wall, it works well, less so if in front of curtains or textured walls. Other fun features are Google cast, which allows you to view pictures and video directly from your Android phone.
Some users have reported bugs and glitches. On the whole, I’ve only come across one glitch. Things have obviously improved following various updates! Relating to Netflix, 5.1 surround sound isn’t always passed across from the app to your surround AV amplifier if using ARC. You have to switch to stereo. I have had to speak to Philips Customer Support, who are easy to contact via online chat. Not resolved yet…
Overall this is a great TV with potentially a great picture, once set up correctly. There is a lot of potential with the Android TV and the list of features, such as 4 HDMI ports, satellite and Amblight, puts others to shame. It’s great value considering the price. It’s a modern, innovative TV. There are drawbacks, but this is mainly due to Google, not Philips. Would recommend, but be realistic and do your research first. For some, the cheaper 6000 series might be better, as this has more native apps, although only 3 HDMI sockets."
5 of 5 people found this review helpful.
"A really fabulous piece of kit. A clear, quality picture and excellent sound ... plus all the apps you’d ever need, with the ambiant lighting a fantastically clever addition. All in all, we’ve been very impressed with our new purchase. "
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.
"I bought this TV for work as I had an old 720p and this has blown my mind! Easy set up, light TV, plus fantastic backlighting.
I'd highly recommend this to anyone who likes to watch some good Cinematography on a high quality screennOr people who like Fluid and flawless actions from their gaming!"
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.