Philips 65OLED937 review, the successor to last year’s Philips 65OLED936. It features Philips’s top-of-the-range OLED panel that promises optimal peak brightness. It is compatible with all dynamic HDR video formats and Dolby Atmos and DTS audio and is equipped with a Bowers & Wilkins soundbar that serves as a stand to hold the Ultra HD screen fitted with the new generation Ambilight ambient lighting system.
Pros
- Image quality and contrast
- 4-sided Ambilight
- DTS Play-Fi, Dolby Atmos and DTS
- Wider sound
Cons
- Only two HDMI 2.1 sockets
The Philips OLED937 TV represents the ultimate in Philips expertise in 2023. It is based on a panel manufactured by LG Display on which various Philips treatments are applied to optimise the brightness and detail of the picture. The idea is to obtain the highest possible brightness while offering the most accurate colours possible, without forgetting the production of natural effects and the technologies on board to seduce even the most demanding gamers. This includes multiple HDMI 2.1 inputs compatible with gaming optimisation technologies and the lowest possible display lag time.
TECHNICAL DATA
|
Model
|
Philips 65OLED937
|
|---|---|
|
Display Technology
|
OLED
|
|
Max Resolution
|
3840 x 2160 pixels
|
|
HDR Compatibility
|
HDR10, HDR10+, Dolby Vision
|
|
Surround Sound
|
DTS-HD
|
|
Number of Speakers
|
8
|
|
Speaker Power
|
95 watt
|
|
Voice Assistant
|
Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa
|
|
Dimensions
|
1444.3 x 929 x 267.5 mm
|
DESIGN
The design of the Philips 65OLED937 is very similar, if not identical, to that of last year’s OLED936 series. The materials used are among the highest quality, including an extremely thin aluminium frame.
It comes with a sound bar, just like the TCL 65X10 TV. The bar is to be installed on the TV base. The sound bar is a stand for the screen, which is then perfectly supported.
A fabric cover on the front and top of the sound bar replaces last year’s metal grille. There is no visual disturbance, as the image is hardly reflected on the top of the soundbar. The front of the soundbar is always slightly bevelled towards the front. In the centre is the famous eye-shaped tweeter-on-top, a trademark of Bowers & Wilkins, Philips’ audio partner for some years now.
CONNECTIONS
As with most TVs, the connections are located on the right side of the TV when viewed from the back. Here they are divided into two poles. As with the previous model, there are two HDMI 2.1 inputs, two HDMI 2.0b inputs, an aerial socket, a satellite socket, an Ethernet port, a digital optical output and an output for a subwoofer. There are also three USB sockets and a headphone socket. The TV is Wi-Fi 802.11ac (Wi-Fi 5) and Bluetooth compatible.
Two of the four HDMI 2.1 inputs support Ultra HD signals at 120 frames per second. These are also compatible with VRR and ALLM technologies to minimise image tearing and display lag. There is also support for FreeSync Premium for Xbox/PS5 consoles and G-Sync for gaming computers.
As the Philips OLED937 is powered by Android TV, the American giant’s assistant is present. A nearby connected speaker is required to use the services of the Amazon Alexa assistant.
As with the brand’s other TVs, this series is compatible with DTS Play-Fi technology. This allows the TV to be used to play music, the same as the other speakers in the house or a different track, via a multiroom function. With this feature, two satellite surround speakers can be interfaced to enhance the audio. With the subwoofer socket provided, it is possible to enjoy fully immersive sound with the sound bar at the front, the subwoofer nearby and the surround speakers at the back.
A quick word about screen marking that can happen on some OLED TVs. To prevent this, Philips offers regular maintenance of the panel: the anti-burning system when the panel is in standby mode. Otherwise, the television automatically triggers a standby image after two minutes of inactivity, as on recent LG models, whereas previous models require one minute. With Panasonic, it takes five minutes for the screen saver to be triggered.
AMBILIGHT
Like the previous series, this one also benefits from the exclusive Ambilight system on all four sides. Behind the TV, you can see the various LEDs that light up to match the picture on the screen or in other modes. The system can follow the images, only the audio or remain fixed to embrace the colours of a country’s flag when broadcasting a sporting event, for example. Compared to last year, the colour diodes are now managed independently of each other and no longer by zones, which allows for more precise and relevant lighting.
In all objectivity, you’d have to have last year’s model and this year’s side by side to see the differences, but let’s say that we could see that the colours were slightly more striking and relevant. With Ambilight, the atmosphere is much more immersive and allows the image to spread on the walls around the screen.
Of course, there is still the option to synchronise the light signal with other available Philips Hue equipment for even greater immersion throughout the room.
HIGH-CONTRAST PICTURES
The Philips 65OLED937 features a 10-bit 100/120 Hz White-OLED panel with Ultra HD (3840 x 2160 pixels). The panel is supplied by LG Display and is called OLED+ by Philips.
The Philip 65OLED937 promises a higher peak brightness but is organised like a conventional OLED panel in its sub-pixels. To produce high brightness, the TV is equipped with a heat sink to dissipate heat.
It uses the sixth generation of the Philips P5 AI processor for image processing, including scaling of non-UHD content. This is highly effective, providing a very high level of detail for shows, movies and series unsuitable for the highest definition. The chipset also supports a front-mounted brightness sensor that allows the screen brightness to be adjusted according to the lighting conditions in the room (eye protection function). As with all OLED TVs, the viewing angles are very wide. However, they are not as wide as the viewing angles offered by the Sony A95K and Samsung S95B models using a QD-OLED panel manufactured by Samsung Display.
The motion compensation offered here is of a very high standard. Scrolling is perfect, with no afterglow. The cameraphone effects we could reproach to the previous generations are no more. The image looks much more natural. Contrast can be considered infinite, with perfect blacks in dark scenes and no blooming effects, which is a significant strength of OLED panels. This is particularly noticeable in the night scenes of the documentary Earth: Night, broadcast on Netflix, where the moon appears very bright without any artefacts and with perfect contours.
In the series The Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power, broadcast on Prime Video, the image is highly realistic and natural, with perfectly fluid movements giving the impression of being close to the actors. Although this is not a problem, the overall rendering shows scenes that appear slightly too hot, which we will check with the measurements below.
The Philips 65OLED937 offers several picture modes. At Samsung, the number of modes has been seriously reduced so that users stay aware of them, which is not the case at Philips. Here you can choose Preferential, Crystal Clear, Home Cinema, Eco, Filmmaker, Game, Monitor, Expert 1, Expert 2 and Calman.
The best results in image rendering immediately out of the box are achieved in Filmmaker mode. With this mode, we could measure an average Delta E of 2.16, which is less than 3, the threshold below which the human eye can no longer distinguish between the displayed colour and the one required. The more demanding can adjust some menu parameters to obtain an even more accurate result.
The gamma was raised to 2.18 with an interesting tracking along the grey scale curve but with a tendency to want to brighten the images too much. This value is low compared to the 2.4 expected for viewing in dark conditions. The average colour temperature was measured at 6263 K, a little warmer than it should be, with an outstanding value of 6500 K.
With HDR content, the available picture modes are HDR Personal, HDR Crystal Clear, HDR Home Cinema, HDR Filmmaker, HDR Imax, HDR Game and HDR Monitor. Again, the Filmmaker mode provides the best results. As far as colour fidelity is concerned, it can be considered faithful, as we measured an average Delta E of only 1.43.
The peak brightness in Filmmaker mode was measured at 840 cd/m². This is less than the brightest OLED TVs, which peak at around 1000 cd/m², depending on the model. Finally, in terms of colour spaces, we found 99% coverage for the rec709, 96.5% for the DCI-P3 and 70% for the BT2020, which is satisfactory, although these figures are in the lower range of results for OLED TVs, the best in this area being the Sony A95K and Samsung S95B reaching 89% for the BT2020 and 99% for the DCI-P3.
AUDIO
The Philips 55OLED937’s audio system is based on a Bowers & Wilkins sound bar. Last year’s OLED936 had a 3.1.2 channel system. Here we have a 5.1.2 channel system with two additional channels at the front, a built-in subwoofer and two risers to exploit the Dolby Atmos audio format, which the TV supports. It also supports Dolby Digital and DTS audio formats. It is worth noting that it has built-in DTS Play-Fi technology, which allows the TV to be used as a connected speaker (with or without a picture) that can be grouped with other DTS Play-Fi devices in the home.
The soundbar is equipped with two 10-watt speakers, two 12.5-watt surround speakers, a 5-watt tweeter-on-top, a 20-watt woofer and two 12.5-watt speakers for overhead effects. The package offers about 95 watts of power, up from 70 watts. There is still a somewhat effective port at the rear to add warmth.
This configuration offers a punchy sound with the bass present, but not too much. We would have appreciated more punch and amplitude at times, especially during large explosions. The association with an external subwoofer (wired or wireless) would be a significant plus to achieving such a result.
As it is, dialogue is clear and perfectly intelligible, even at low volume. The system is very satisfactory at a higher level, with limited distortion and good precision in details. It can even be used to listen to music. One should not expect a fully immersive sound for ceiling effects, as the rendering is not high enough. The design of the elevation speakers in the chimney behind the panel of the Panasonic JZ2000 or LZ2000 is more effective. However, we appreciate the good spatialisation of objects through the sequences, mainly thanks to its two additional speakers compared to last year. The scene is thus wider.
INTERFACE
Like other Philips TVs, the OLED937 series benefits from the Android TV system (version 11) and the possibility of installing many applications. The main page, which acts as the home menu, offers suggestions according to the programmes watched. The most popular platforms can be enjoyed.
The Chromecast function is integrated to send audio or video content from an Android smartphone or tablet. The settings are very comprehensive. However, we still have to regret that you have to go through several menus and sub-menus to change the picture (or sound) mode, something you do from the dedicated button on the remotes that come with Panasonic TVs, a reference in this field.
Philips is still trying to respond to this by offering two types of detection to automatically switch to a cinema-like picture mode: either by artificial intelligence or by content. Artificial intelligence-enabled is relevant, but some commercials may be identified as a movie or series, so the TV activates the desired mode. With content-based detection, the results could be more convincing. To change the picture mode manually, press the Menu button, select the Frequent Settings function and then choose the AI Picture Style function.
The brightness automatically adjusts to the lighting conditions in the room.
What’s nice is that Philips has managed to develop a comprehensive interface for setting up options that don’t use the more indigestible Android TV menus. However, it is possible to access them from the Configuration menu. The different picture sources are quickly accessible via a dedicated button on the remote, which is always good.
Standby is instantaneous; it takes less than 10 seconds to get a picture after the TV is switched off. If the Ambilight is switched on, the system remains active for a few seconds, so you can find your way back to the bedroom or bedside table to put the remote control down, for example.
CONCLUSION
After a good time with the Philips 65OLED937, we didn’t find a significant difference between this model and last year’s. The design is identical, with a very high level of contrast. The design is similar, except for the fabric on the front of the sound bar, which offers a better effect, and the addition of two extra speakers for audio, which now provide a wider soundstage than before but still have an impact. Adding a subwoofer and, why not, DTS Play-Fi compatible surround speakers would be a significant plus, but let’s admit that the audio quality is present even if we would have liked it to be even ampler, a dimension achieved with a complete system.
The picture offered by this television is up to our expectations with a realistic rendering, faithful to the colours requested and benefiting from an impressive fluidity of movement. This model does not break records in brightness but is still at the top of the range. Like its predecessor, it offers a well-managed Philips Home Cinema image processing and a well-calibrated Filmmaker mode. It pushes its Ambilight system towards greater precision for an ever more immersive image. The gaming features and performance are identical to last year’s model, which is almost ideal for all gamers.
Philips 65" OLED937 Ambilight 4K UHD OLED+ Android TV
