TCL A300 is a television styled as a painting, which in everyday use can successfully pretend to be a work of art hanging on the wall. It is equipped with a special image display mode, additional frames in a light wood tone, and a flat wall mount that allows you to hang the television like a real painting – without any gap from the wall.
A significant advantage of the image mode is that it is completely free. We have access to several dozen works from which we can choose one to be displayed while in standby – instead of a black screen, the image we selected remains on the wall. The quality of graphic reproduction is okay, but it must be admitted that it clearly falls short of that from Samsung's ART Store. Although access to images there is paid, the quality of the scans is significantly better – you can see the texture of the paint, canvas, and details. In the TCL A300, it resembles high-quality photos rather than realistic reproductions of artworks. Additionally, the implementation of the image mode in the system leaves a lot to be desired. For example – if we set the brightness to 10% in image mode, that same value automatically transfers to the regular viewing mode, where we could easily set the brightness to 50% or even 100%. It also works the other way around – when we set the brightness to 100% in regular mode, after switching to gallery mode, the images are displayed with the same maximum brightness, shining too intensely and losing the whole effect of a “picture on the wall.” These are minor but irritating errors that can spoil the experience of what was supposed to be visually subtle and elegant.
Moving on to more classic functions – the A300 runs on the Google TV system, which currently offers by far the largest selection of applications (full list available below). The responsive voice assistant with support for the Polish language also deserves a big plus. As standard – as with most TCL televisions – the USB recording function or picture-in-picture (PiP) mode was missing.
Functional Features
Let's start with the basics, which are the classic functions of a television. The Philips OLED770 doesn’t turn the table here; we have a standard EPG interface, the ability to connect devices via Bluetooth, and a few simple configuration options including teletext. Interestingly, there is a jack connection, which is becoming quite rare these days. However, those with older receivers or wired headphones will appreciate it. The remote creates a good impression – it’s ergonomic and has a backlit numeric keypad – but there’s also a sense of a step back here. It works via infrared, so you have to aim it at the television, and frankly, by 2025 we would expect full wireless support. The exception is voice commands, which use Bluetooth, but even here there’s no reason for euphoria.
SmartTV Features – TitanOS
Speaking of voice, let’s move on to the Smart TV system, which is an element that largely defines the daily comfort of using a television today. And here the OLED770 clearly lags behind the competition. TitanOS operates quickly enough that it's not a disaster, but daily use can be frustrating due to minor bugs and shortcomings. Theoretically, we get support for AirPlay, but on the other hand, screen mirroring just didn’t work at all in practice. Voice search? Yes, but only through Amazon Alexa and without support for the Polish language. In other words, the features are there, but when we try to use them, we find that their practicality is severely limited and nearly useless. And it’s this Smart TV aspect that becomes the greatest hindrance of the OLED770. The image can be astonishing, gaming is excellent, and Ambilight creates a unique atmosphere – but when we transition to daily use of apps and services, we feel a sense of dissatisfaction.
Ambilight – Philips OLED770
Although in terms of smart functionality, the Philips OLED770 is rather average, it has something in store that its competitors honestly envy. We’re talking about the three-sided Ambilight system, which has been a hallmark of this brand’s televisions for years. The LED lights positioned at the back of the housing dynamically illuminate the wall in colours matched to whatever is happening on the screen at that moment. The effect is simple but very suggestive – the image seems to extend beyond the boundaries of the television, giving us the impression that the screen has suddenly grown by extra inches. During a movie screening, it can create atmosphere, in games it enhances immersion, and during regular TV viewing, it simply pleases the eye. It’s this addition that makes it so that despite the limitations of TitanOS, the OLED770 has something that can attract attention and give it character.