Philips
has
unveiled
the
full
details
of
its
2024
flagship
OLED
TV,
the
Philips
OLED+959.
It
will
be
available
in
a
65-inch
size
only,
with
a
launch
price
of
£3,999.
First
models
are
set
to
be
shipped
in
mid-October
2024.
Philips’
TVs
sadly
aren’t
available
in
the
US,
so
the
OLED+959
is
a
UK
only
set.
I
recently
saw
the
OLED+959
in
action
at
the
legendary
Abbey
Road
Studios
in
London,
and
you
can
read
about
what
I
saw
below
–
but
first
the
specs.
The
OLED+959
uses
a
META
2.0
OLED
panel
with
micro
lens
array
(MLA)
tech
for
added
brightness
–
the
same
one
found
in
one
of
the
best
TVs
of
this
year,
the
LG
G4,
although
Philips
claims
the
OLED+959
will
hit
3,000
nits
of
peak
brightness,
which
is
way
beyond
what
the
LG
manages.
It
also
uses
a
‘Dual
Engine’
version
of
Philips’
8th
Generation
P5
AI
processor,
an
enhanced
version
of
the
processor
found
in
the
excellent
Philips
OLED909
and
Philips
OLED809.
This
processor
comes
packed
with
AI
features,
including
AI
Machine
Learn
Sharpness
V2
for
sharper
textures
and
details;
Ambient
Intelligence
V3,
which
optimises
HDR
performance
to
match
the
TV’s
Ambilight
feature;
and
Smart
Bit
Enhancement
V3,
which
boosts
8-bit
video
colour
to
a
14-bit
level
to
correct
for
banding
and
contrast
loss.
There’s
also
an
AI
Sports
Optimisation
mode
that
detects
when
football
is
on
screen
and
optimises
processing
to
reduce
judder
and
improve
picture
clarity.
Philips
has
confirmed
that
the
mode
is
currently
exclusive
to
football
but
will
look
to
expand
to
other
sports
in
the
future.
The
OLED+959
also
includes
Ambilight
Plus,
an
upgraded
version
of
its
Ambilight
tech
that
enables
192
lighting
zones
for
more
dynamic,
vibrant
and
faster
response
to
what’s
on-screen.
Elsewhere,
the
OLED+959
features
a
5.1.2-channel
Bowers
&
Wilkins
speaker
array.
This
uses
18
drivers
totalling
102W
of
power
output,
with
front
left,
centre
and
right
channels,
two
additional
side-firing
channels,
two
up-firing
channels
and
a
rear
subwoofer.
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deals,
and
more.
The
OLED+959
also
has
four
HDMI
ports,
with
two
HDMI
2.1
plugs
that
support
a
plethora
of
gaming
features
such
as
4K
144Hz,
Dolby
Vision
gaming,
VRR
(including
AMD
FreeSync
Premium
Pro
and
Nvidia
G-Sync),
HGiG
and
ALLM.
Philips
claims
a
5ms
input
lag
at
120Hz
and
13ms
at
60Hz.
The
OLED+959
uses
Google
TV
as
its
smart
TV
platform,
and
there
will
be
no
Freeview
Play
with
its
associated
apps
such
as
BBC
iPlayer
and
ITVX
but
this
can
be
solved
by
plugging
in
an
Amazon
Fire
Stick
or
other
streaming
device.
Brighter
pictures
and
Ambilight
The
Philips
OLED+959
(left)
shows
higher
brightness,
more
defined
details
and
bolder
colours
than
the
OLED909
(right).
(Image
credit:
Future)
For
Philips’
demo,
the
OLED+959
was
initially
shown
next
to
the
step-down
OLED909
to
showcase
its
Dual
Engine
P5
processor.
The
TVs
were
both
in
Crystal
Clear
picture
mode.
This
is
Philips’
version
of
Vivid/Dynamic,
a
mode
we
would
typically
recommend
against,
opting
instead
for
the
more
accurate
Filmmaker
or
Home
Cinema
modes.
However,
Crystal
Clear
mode
looked
good
on
the
OLED+959,
with
the
Dual
Engine
processor
enhancing
details
with
a
high
level
of
refinement.
Colours
were
still
over-saturated
in
places,
but
it
was
nonetheless
watchable.
I
also
received
a
demo
of
the
AI
Sports
Optimisation
feature,
which
did
a
good
job
of
reducing
the
halo
effect
around
players
of
compressed
video
while
lowering
the
motion
judder
not
only
on
the
pitch,
but
in
panning
camera
shots
across
the
crowd.
Next
up
was
a
demo
of
the
new
Ambilight
Plus
technology.
As
you
might
expect,
Ambilight
Plus
goes
one
step
further
than
standard
Ambilight,
adding
more
brightness
and
saturation
to
the
TV’s
coloured
backlight,
plus
a
more
dynamic
effect
through
increased
motion.
In
the
demo,
a
cyclist
on
a
bright,
neon-clad
bicycle
tore
through
a
forest,
and
Ambilight
Plus
conveyed
a
strong
sense
of
movement
in
the
lights
and
an
added
sense
of
immersion
even
beyond
what
you
normally
get
from
the
tech.
TV
sound
elevated
The
Philips
OLED+959
showcased
excellent
built-in
sound
–
arguably
its
most
exciting
feature.
(Image
credit:
Future)
The
most
exciting
OLED+959
demo
was
of
its
built-in
Bowers
&
Wilkins
5.1.2-channel
speaker
system
While
the
best
soundbars
often
improve
on
a
TV’s
built-in
sound,
some
of
the
best
TVs
for
sound
such
as
the
Sony
Bravia
9
and
Panasonic
MZ2000
are
good
enough
that
they
don’t
need
a
soundbar.
From
what
I
heard
during
this
event,
the
OLED+959,
too,
will
enter
that
category.
Starting
with
a
Dolby
Atmos
track,
So
We
Find
Ourselves
by
Fink,
the
OLED+959
demonstrated
plenty
of
detail,
clarity
and
a
wide
soundstage.
It
was
a
rare
experience
to
hear
a
TV
playing
music
so
accurately,
with
the
OLED+959
easily
conveying
the
song’s
delicate
piano
and
warm
bass.
On
a
more
bass-heavy
electronic
track,
the
OLED+959
showcased
thumping
bass
and
pulsing
synths
that
again
wouldn’t
be
out
of
place
on
a
modest
hi-fi
system.
But
it
was
during
movies
where
the
OLED+959
came
to
life.
Using
the
empty
bar
scene
from
Blade
Runner:
2049,
where
Joe
speaks
to
Deckard
properly
for
the
first
time,
the
OLED959+
had
an
excellent
sense
of
placement
and
spatial
awareness,
capturing
the
cavernous
and
echoey
nature
of
the
bar
as
glasses
thumped
onto
the
bar
and
all
the
creaks
and
scraping
stones
extended
beyond
the
screen.
Even
Harrison
Ford’s
famously
gravelly
delivery
of
his
lines
was
crisp
and
clear,
yet
still
authentic.
As
the
scene’s
action
intensified,
the
pounding
bass
of
the
explosions
gave
the
right
amount
of
rumble
and
even
pushed
at
a
high
volume,
there
was
no
sense
of
distortion.
Punches
carried
real
weight
and
the
OLED+959’s
soundstage
felt
expansive
and
wide.
Dolby
Atmos
effects
also
seemed
fully
pronounced
and
present
in
the
mix,
thanks
to
the
up-firing
speakers.
Although
this
was
in
a
controlled
environment,
the
OLED+959’s
speakers
were
nonetheless
impressive
and
I
personally
can’t
wait
to
get
some
real
testing
time
with
it.
Obviously,
the
built-in
sound
won’t
beat
the
best
Dolby
Atmos
soundbars,
such
as
the
excellent
Samsung
HW-Q990D,
but
for
those
who
don’t
like
the
idea
of
the
soundbar,
the
OLED+959’s
sound
could
be
good
news.
Final
thoughts
The
Ambilight
Plus
system
on
the
OLED+959
showed
more
dynamic
lighting
than
standard
Ambilight
(Image
credit:
Future)
There
is
no
getting
around
the
fact
that
at
£3,999
for
a
65-inch
model,
the
OLED+959
is
a
very
premium
TV.
For
comparison,
the
Samsung
S95D
and
LG
G4
are
both
pierced
at
roughly
£2,499.
But
from
what
I
saw
in
these
demos,
the
OLED+959
really
does
look
set
to
shake
up
the
TV
market
with
its
sound
system
and
brightness
and
put
some
of
the
best
OLED
TVs
on
notice
–
I’m
excited
to
see
what
it
can
do
when
I
some
true
testing
time
in.
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