Philips The One (PUS7304) Assessment

Whereas we have to see its value earlier than we will be sure, the PUS7304 is shaping as much as be a superior mid-range TV in a market the place high quality choices are getting tougher to search out

Philips PUS7304 Fingers on: The famous person of mid-range TVs?

Nowadays, most TV manufacturers appear virtually ashamed of their mid-range TVs. They don’t promote them, they usually infrequently ship them out for assessment.

That is weird, on condition that it’s exactly these types of fashions that many discerning customers are prone to find yourself shopping for. So it’s nice to see Philips speaking up considered one of its upcoming mid-range collection, a lot in order that the corporate is calling it “The One”.

By which Philips means a collection of TVs that it believes hits some form of candy spot between value, options and efficiency.

Sadly, we are able to’t but decide how correct or optimistic this lionising of the 4K PUS7304 vary could be, since Philips has but to verify costs of its 2019 TVs.

Nonetheless, we do applaud the mid-range selling sentiment. Plus, we’ve had the prospect to get some early impressions of The One’s principally spectacular design and capabilities.

Associated: Philips “The One” is a TV for everybody

The Philips 55PUS7304, AKA “The One”

The PUS7304 design actually stands out from the mid-range pack. Its body boasts a surprisingly opulent-looking mild silver end that additionally carries down into its cute T-bar fashion stand. What’s extra, unusually for such a big-screen TV, the stand design enables you to swivel most display sizes (43, 50, 55, 58, 65, and 70-inch choices will probably be accessible) left or proper, to face totally different viewing positions.

The sunshine silver color is offset handsomely by Philips’ Ambilight expertise, which right here casts colored mild from three of the PUS7304 fashions’ 4 sides. As ever with Ambilight, this mild will be set to comply with the color content material of the photographs you’re watching with hanging color and placement accuracy.

In the meantime, The One’s good features will probably be offered courtesy of the newest Android TV Pie (era 9) platform. We haven’t seen this in motion but, however it’s rumoured to convey a considerable enchancment to Google’s TV interface.

It’s nice to see that the 7304’s good options embrace built-in Google Assistant and compatibility with Alexa units for voice management too.

With regards to satisfying the image high quality element of The One collection’ supposed all-round candy spot, the units mix a direct LED lighting system with Philips’ P5 image processor.

The PUS7304 (proper) operating towards a 2018 PUS7303

This isn’t the identical double-chip P5 model Philips is introducing for its 2019 OLED TVs, however it’s nonetheless an improved model of the unique P5 engine launched a few years in the past. That is promising on condition that even the unique P5 was extraordinarily highly effective in the way in which it prolonged its enhancements into all the important thing corners of TV image efficiency.

Philips has additionally launched Dolby Imaginative and prescient HDR assist to its 2019 TV vary. This joins the model’s earlier assist for the HDR10+ premium HDR format, and makes The One TVs the one mid-range – and LCD – fashions introduced by any model to assist each HDR10+ and Dolby Imaginative and prescient.

Expertise exhibits that types of HDR – primarily HDR10+ and Dolby Imaginative and prescient – that present scene-by-scene metadata ship the most important image advantages on comparatively inexpensive TVs.

I wasn’t capable of see a PUS7304 TVs operating Dolby Imaginative and prescient at Philips’ product unveiling occasion, however I did get to see one operating regular HDR content material towards a PUS7303 from final 12 months. The outcomes had been hanging.

The very first thing that stood out was how far more detailed and crisp the PUS7304’s photos seemed. The distinction was so pronounced that it made final 12 months’s equal mannequin appear to be it was merely HD moderately than 4K. Though these PUS7303s had been typically effectively obtained.

Associated: Dolby Imaginative and prescient HDR – Every little thing it’s good to know

Nook element of the PUS7304

The One TV’s color efficiency additionally seemed comfortably superior to that of its predecessor. Tones had been richer, serving to the image take pleasure in extra “pop” and impression. But there was additionally extra subtlety within the dealing with of blends and tiny tonal variations. This contributed to a way of additional sharpness and refinement that appeared very spectacular for a mid-range TV.

As well as, it was refreshing to see how far more successfully the PUS7304 retains color accuracy and saturations within the brightest elements of the image than the PUS7303s.

The picture appears to be like extra steady, too, with much less flickering in areas of high quality element. I believe from this and former expertise of the P5 chipset that the PUS7304s may even profit from a lot cleaner movement dealing with than their predecessors – though I couldn’t definitively verify this primarily based on the restricted sort of content material we had been proven in Philips’ demonstrations.

One different facet of the PUS7304’s image efficiency that I want to order judgment on is black degree. The units use direct LED lighting, which is a superb begin. However I haven’t been capable of verify if the PUS7304 vary makes use of IPS or VA panels – or, probably, a combination of IPS and VA panels throughout totally different display sizes. Units that use IPS panels are inclined to battle for distinction versus VA fashions (though they provide a wider viewing angle in return).

There was actually a bit of greyness within the occasional darkish clip or fade to black we had been proven in the course of the Philips occasion. However not sufficient to make any form of definitive judgement in some way.

Philips additionally offered us with an illustration of the PUS7304’s sound high quality – once more, in comparison with a PUS7303. In some methods this impressed; actually, the brand new mannequin delivers a lot deeper and extra constant bass. Male voices sound richer and extra rounded, too, and the sound stage shows better scale, spreading excessive and extensive of the principle TV chassis.

The PUS7304 is being positioned by Philips as The One – the right mixture of value, efficiency and design

There was no rattling or distortions from the drivers both, regardless of the apparent uptick in energy and scale.

There was one problem, although: specifically that the sound appeared considerably muddier than that of the PUS7303. It was if the sound was rising by means of a closed door and shedding a few of its treble element and stability within the course of.

First impressions

Philips was fast to level out that the TV’s audio design and tuning isn’t locked down but, so what we heard shouldn’t be taken as consultant of the completed product. I additionally obtained the sensation that it could possibly be a sound system that advantages from very excessive volumes and fairly exact positioning in your room. However it actually stays to be seen if The One TVs will probably be fairly the mid-range audio heroes we’d love them to be.

Look out for full critiques of this super-promising – offered their value is true – collection of mid-range TVs in late spring.

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