Philips OLED769 vs Sony BRAVIA 5 (XR5)

Philips OLED769 performs quite well, particularly in film scenes with small points of light. The television surprises with its brightness, reaching around 800 nits, which is an impressive result. As a result, fine sources of light, such as street lamps at night or stars in the sky, are sharp and full of detail. However, the biggest challenge for this model is the scene with a full-screen burst of sunlight. In such moments, the brightness drops to about 250 nits, which is not very impressive. This is a typical problem for cheaper OLED displays, which struggle to maintain high brightness across the entire screen surface.

Looking at similar results in terms of blackness and contrast, we expected equally stable performance as last year's model when it came to HDR content. Unfortunately – and this needs to be said outright – there has been a regression here that is hard to overlook. The paradox is that the peak brightness of the Bravia 5 is impressive: in our synthetic tests, the television achieved around 1000 nits in HDR. Sounds great, right? The problem is that this power does not always translate effectively to all film scenes. When small, point-like elements appear on the screen, something that had usually been polished with surgical precision in Sony's case is this time noticeably lacking. The algorithms attempt to maintain deep black around small objects, but the side effect is that details can be dimmed to such an extent that they become barely visible. Just consider the example of the film Sicario 2 – in some scenes there, small light sources practically disappeared, as if someone had covered them with dark film.

Of course, not everything looks so dramatic. In simpler, brighter scenes, where the image is filled with more light, the Bravia 5 shows that it can shine: literally and figuratively. Then the television achieves values in the range of 600–800 nits, which we saw both in synthetic tests and during film screenings. The impression is really positive; the brightness adds dynamism, and the colours appear vibrant and fresh. However, there remains a certain dissonance. We feel a slight confusion because evidently something has gone in a direction it shouldn’t have. Technological progress – more zones, greater backlighting power – has not been supported by the well-crafted image management that we usually associate with Sony. Fortunately, there are elements that have not been worsened and are, in fact, at a very high level. We are talking about colour reproduction. Thanks to the application of the PFS filter, the colour palette coverage is excellent – around 97% DCI-P3 and 75% BT.2020. These are values that allow for truly broad colour reproduction, giving films a sense of naturalness and cinematic quality.

The "Film" mode proved to be the best factory setting in terms of fidelity to the source material, and it is on this that we based our tests. However, like other factory modes, it was not without flaws. Let us examine, therefore, what exactly went wrong in SDR and HDR materials.

In both cases, the white balance was disrupted by the excessive dominance of green and red hues. This phenomenon created a yellowish tint that spread across the entire image, leading to issues such as yellowed whites and unnatural skin tones. These problems were clearly highlighted on the "ColourChecker" palette, where each of the samples was shifted towards warmer tones.

As for contrast and brightness, in the Philips OLED769, we can look at two key graphs: Gamma for HD content and the EOTF curve for 4K HDR content. In the case of the first graph, the gamma value falls below the optimal level of 2.4, resulting in an increase in brightness of light areas of the image. This means that bright elements may be slightly overexposed, losing detail and depth. In contrast, the EOTF curve for 4K HDR content performs really well. The graph shows that the television effectively conveys details in both the brightest and darkest areas of the image, resulting in a realistic and dynamic representation of scenes.

Sony Bravia 5 was of course tested in the best possible mode, which is the Cinema mode. Right out of the box, it provides the most natural colours, definitely better than anything offered by the "eco" or "dynamic" modes, which are more suited for a showroom display than for a living room. However, the Cinema mode alone does not mean we can always expect cinematic picture quality. With SDR content, we had virtually no major complaints – the slightly warmed white balance gave the scenes a somewhat golden tone, but it was nothing that was visually jarring. However, the problem arose with HDR material. Here, the colour reproduction simply looked poor. The white balance was heavily skewed – with an excess of blue and a clear lack of red. At times, it resembled the store's "super vibrant image" mode, where everything is overexposed and artificially boosted.

This situation also made brightness management seem overly aggressive. The EOTF graph clearly showed that the television had problems with overexposing many scenes right out of the box. And while we know what Sony televisions are usually capable of, it was difficult to remain indifferent here – thus we quickly decided to go for calibration.

After professional calibration, Philips OLED769 truly shines in terms of colour accuracy. The television has been completely stripped of any yellow tint in both HD and 4K content. The Colour Checker test confirms that deltaE errors are minimal, occasionally exceeding a value of 2, which means we can speak of almost perfect director's representation.

When it comes to contrast, the situation is equally impressive. With 4K materials, there wasn't much to improve initially, while the gamma chart has been significantly enhanced. This allows dark and light areas of the image to be represented with greater accuracy, resulting in a realistic and dynamic portrayal of scenes.

The calibration has allowed the full potential of this television to be unleashed, both in terms of colours and contrast. Philips OLED769 now offers vivid, natural images of high quality that will delight any user, whether they are watching films or using other multimedia.

After calibration, the situation changed dramatically. We managed to adjust the white balance so that entire scenes began to look more natural, and the image gained cohesion and elegance. In HDR, we finally got rid of that unwanted clipping effect that had previously marred some shots. Suddenly, it turned out that the Bravia 5 can extract significantly more from films than the “out of the box” impression suggested. Indeed, if we look at the graphs and compare them with the patterns, we can see that the beginning of the EOTF curve slightly deviates from the reference line. However, this is not so much a calibration error as it is a natural limitation of Mini-LED technology, which cannot be bypassed. Sony, instead of clinging to perfect black, prefers to prioritise the visibility of details – and in practice, it's hard to disagree with that. We would rather see the texture of the material on the screen than a pitch-black blob where all nuances are lost.

The calibration itself was truly beneficial. After about an hour spent on the settings, we felt that the image resembled that from the best cinema halls – of course on a home scale, but with the same sense of quality and refinement. And in such moments, we remember why we like Sony televisions: because when we fine-tune them, they can reward us with an image that captivates for long hours.

When it comes to lower quality materials, the distortion reduction in the Philips OLED769 handles tonal transitions well, especially at the minimum setting. It is worth noting that at this setting, film grain is not blurred, which is a pleasant surprise, as such negative phenomena often occur with other manufacturers. Overall, it is quite a decent solution. However, it should be pointed out that this setting does not work in HDR mode, where gradation issues are much more pronounced. In HDR mode, the television struggles with smoothing tonal transitions and may present more noticeable distortions and noise, reducing picture quality in dynamic scenes.

Regarding digital processing, the Philips OLED769 performs well. The model in the photo is not overly jagged, and the branches in the background lack the characteristic jagged edges. The television achieves this effect thanks to the absence of artificial sharpness, which may be an advantage for some users. Others, however, may find this less attractive, as they prefer a more vibrant, sharper image instead of a subtle effect. This effect can be mitigated by using a higher setting for the "Sharpness" parameter.

Bravia 5 carries within it the genes of Sony, which have remained untouched – and thank goodness for that, because we are talking about absolutely remarkable digital image processing. It is no coincidence that for years it has been believed that it is televisions of this brand that set the standard for how a screen should handle lower quality materials. If someone still watches classic television, old films or YouTube in lower resolutions, here they get equipment that can transform such content into an unexpectedly pleasant experience. On board, we find several tools worth activating. The first of these is "digital noise reduction". Set to a medium level, it works perfectly – smoothing tonal transitions, which usually cause the most trouble in low-quality materials, while not introducing any artificial artifacts. Importantly, it also does not remove the filmic character, meaning the natural grain that is intentionally present in many productions. Another advantage of the Bravia 5 is the upscaling capabilities of the XR processor. The image displayed after scaling is soft, yet at the same time sharp and clear. The contours of characters are clearly visible, while backgrounds retain their structure without excessive artificial sharpening. It’s hard to find a better television for watching lower quality materials – Bravia 5 only confirms why Sony is regarded as a benchmark in this field.

Philips OLED769 features a multi-stage motion smoother called "Motion Style", which will satisfy users who appreciate the ability to customise the fluidity of motion in films. With this function, you can set the image to be more frame-like or smooth, resembling a theatrical effect. This is a great solution for those who want to adapt the displayed content to their visual preferences. Gamers will also not be disappointed, as the television, like most OLEDs, is equipped with a 120Hz panel. This provides exceptional fluidity and dynamism of the image. Unfortunately, Philips OLED769 does not have the BFI (Black Frame Insertion) feature, which could further improve motion fluidity and sharpness. Despite this limitation, the television still offers excellent visual experiences for both cinema lovers and gamers. This is definitely one of its strong points.

Bravia 5 received a 120 Hz panel, which in itself sounds like an invitation to watch sports, fast matches, or spectacular action films. However, the real magic begins when MotionFlow – Sony's proprietary smoothness technology – comes into play. Thanks to it, we can adjust the character of the image to our own preferences. The "smoothness" slider allows you to transition from a cinematic feel with a slight "jitter" of the film frame to a nearly theatrical fluidity, where every ball in the match glides across the screen as if on a string. The higher the value, the smoother and more fluid it is; the lower it is, the more cinematic and natural it feels. In the options, we will also find an additional setting that Sony has called "clarity". This is nothing more than the BFI function (i.e., inserting black frames), which is meant to improve motion sharpness. It sounds great in theory, but in practice, one must use it with great caution. Why? Because all higher settings cause brightness drops of up to half, and in some cases, contour doubling also appears. Therefore, if we wish to use it, we recommend the lowest possible level – "1" out of the available ten. This way, we gain a bit better motion clarity without risking a loss of half the image brightness.

Philips OLED769 has been designed with gamers in mind, offering full compatibility with consoles and the highest quality of gameplay. The television received the maximum rating in this category, providing everything that the heart desires. With HDMI 2.1 ports fully supporting ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode) and VRR (Variable Refresh Rate), the television ensures smooth and hassle-free gaming. ALLM automatically switches the television to low latency mode, while VRR eliminates stuttering and screen tearing, resulting in fluidity and stability in gaming. The Dolby Vision gaming feature is another advantage, although it only works at a frequency of 60 Hz. Most casual gamers will likely not feel the lack of a higher frequency; however, more demanding users may have some reservations. This allows for enjoyment of a dynamic range of tones and realistic images, enhancing the gaming experience. PC gamers will also not be disappointed, as Philips OLED769 offers full compatibility with Nvidia graphics cards, thanks to support for G-Sync. This technology synchronises the refresh rate of the television with the graphics card, eliminating tearing and stuttering, resulting in excellent image fluidity.

Philips OLED769 is a television that perfectly meets the needs of gamers, offering a wide range of advanced features and technologies that significantly enhance gameplay quality and user comfort.

In the Bravia 5, there is a significant improvement compared to the X90L model from two years ago. The television offers literally everything its predecessor had, but this time the issues that could frustrate gamers have been fixed. The problems with setting variable refresh rate (VRR) have disappeared, and there are no longer any issues with configuring HDR content in HGiG mode. In short: we get hardware that simply works as it should, without any fuss. Therefore, the Bravia 5 has everything you could expect from a modern gaming television – and it can be reasonably advertised with the slogan “ready for PS5.” This is a statement we couldn't make about the X90L model. Well done, Sony!

It’s just a shame that this relatively high-priced model lacks a full set of four HDMI 2.1 ports. In everyday use, this won’t be a problem for most people, but if someone has a console, soundbar, and additional equipment hooked up via HDMI, at some point there will be a need to choose or juggle the cables.