Philips OLED809/819 vs LG OLED B6

Philips OLED 809 delivers a more than satisfying HDR effect. The television is capable of generating brightness exceeding 900 nits in almost every scene, and sometimes even over 1000. This result allows for a full experience of content with a wide tonal range. The only moment when Philips OLED 809 is unable to generate higher brightness is in a scene from the movie “The Meg,” which features a large amount of bright white across a significant portion of the screen. However, this cannot be regarded as a poor result, as it represents a considerable improvement over its predecessor. Generally speaking, such values for OLED panels produced by LG Display, which do not feature MLA technology, are very, very good. When combined with high coverage of the DCI-P3 colour gamut, they allow for an exceptional HDR experience. The Philips OLED 809 test showed that this television supports popular HDR formats such as Dolby Vision and HDR10+.

The LG B6 is a moderately bright OLED. After calibration it reaches around 800 nits, roughly 200 nits more than last year’s B5. That’s down to the new, budget OLED SE panel from LG Display. In practice it simply gives a bit more headroom and makes HDR look fuller in many scenes than on last year’s lower‑end OLEDs. That does not mean the B6 has no limitations. In very bright shots, when a large part of the screen is strongly lit, brightness can fall below 400 nits. This behaviour is typical for OLED TVs, especially in this segment, and that’s where you see the biggest difference compared with more expensive models. Even so, we judge the B6’s results as genuinely solid. It’s still not a TV for breaking brightness records, but the HDR effect is strong enough that films truly feel like a step up from ordinary SDR. Colour gamut Using the OLED SE panel has had a slight impact on wide colour gamut coverage. Compared with last year’s model the results have fallen by a few percentage points. It covers roughly 96% of DCI‑P3 and about 71% of BT.2020. That doesn’t mean the colours on the LG B6 are weak. In most films and series they look lively, well saturated and simply pleasing to the eye. You only notice the difference in very bright, highly colourful scenes. Then colours lose some intensity compared with QD‑OLED panels. This stems from the WOLED panel structure. Besides red, green and blue subpixels it also uses a white subpixel, which helps to boost brightness. However, this comes at a price. At very high luminance some colour is effectively 'diluted' by the white light, so the saturation of certain colours can be slightly lower. In everyday use this isn’t a major issue, but in the most demanding scenes you can notice it.

The best factory mode in which we conducted all our tests was "Filmmaker", which has become rather standard in televisions from this manufacturer. However, let's check what its characteristics were before we began the calibration process. The first aspect we will examine is white balance, as despite appearing unassuming, it determines whether the image will be free from any kind of tint. The graph clearly shows that both in SDR and HDR materials, there was a dominant presence of two colours: red and green, which resulted in a strong yellow tint that was ubiquitous across the entire image. This is perfectly visible on the "ColourChecker" palette, where all hues shifted towards their warmer counterparts. The second thing we will scrutinise is, in our opinion, the two most important graphs regarding image quality assessment: gamma and the EOTF curve. Both aim to maintain adequate brightness and contrast. The first one serves to describe the brightness level in SDR materials, while the second shows the rate of luminance increase. Analyzing the first one, we can observe that it was extremely lowered compared to the reference value marked by the orange line. This situation resulted primarily in a sharp increase in brightness and a significant reduction in contrast, almost reminiscent of that in OLED televisions. The EOTF curve exhibited greater "moderation" and only slightly brightened the entire image to 50% of the maximum brightness.

We tested the LG B6 in Filmmaker Mode, the best picture setting available straight out of the box. ISF modes produce very similar results, but in our tests we always stick to Filmmaker Mode for better comparison with other TVs. Each of them is, in any case, a much better starting point than Vivid or Eco mode, where the picture is heavily boosted and noticeably less natural. On SDR material the factory settings perform really well. Colour errors are small, the gamma response is correct, and the picture during normal viewing looks natural and does not feel overly "pumped up". It's a bit worse with HDR. When such content is played you quickly see that the white balance hasn't been set perfectly. Too much blue and red gives the image a slightly pink tint. This is also confirmed by colour gamut measurements and the ColorChecker, where samples clearly shift in that direction. It's not a flaw that completely spoils the picture, but it is noticeable with HDR films. Therefore anyone who wants the most faithful image should consider calibration, which we cover further on in the review.

Philips, like most leading manufacturers, has been providing advanced tools for calibration processes for years. Here we will find both 2- and 20-point grey scale adjustments, as well as an advanced CMS (Colour Management System). As you can observe, this has brought about extremely beneficial results and profoundly changed the perceived image. Practically every one of the elements mentioned above has undergone a transformation and has been brought back to its natural state. This is particularly evident on the "ColourChecker" palette, where the measured samples are harmoniously in place. It must be said that the white balance has turned out exceptionally well, allowing us to enjoy a clean image free from any tint in both SDR and HDR materials. The biggest issue of OLED809, namely gamma, has been properly modelled and only shows minor errors here and there, which will not affect the overall picture. The EOTF curve, on the other hand, has been rid of that subtle brightening and now presents itself as reference-level.

During calibration, we concentrated mainly on HDR content, because that's where the factory settings needed the most correction. We did not, however, neglect SDR mode, which after adjustment was brought almost to perfection. Colours are very accurate, and brightness is controlled as it should be. The biggest improvement in HDR came from fixing the white balance. Removing the excess red and blue eliminated the pinkish tint, and the image became much more natural. Skin tones, whites and all colours that had previously shifted towards pink improved. After calibration most errors fell below a Delta E of 2–3, the threshold at which the average viewer stops noticing differences with the naked eye. So the LG B6 can deliver a very accurate picture, particularly for the manufacturer's entry-level OLED model.

Philips OLED 809 did not perform particularly well in the test of tonal transition fluidity. Moving on to the part of the test where we assess the behaviour of the television's algorithms, we will once again check the function responsible for removing posterization. Indeed, such a function exists in the menu and has several available options. As you can see in the picture on the left, although its presence has been confirmed by us, it is not useful. Only at the highest setting does it effectively remove stuttering; however, it blurs the entire image in the process. Therefore, it is completely useless.

It happens more than once or twice that you and we watch lower quality materials. In this case, the quality of the image upscaling algorithms can have a beneficial effect. We must admit that those implemented in OLED 809 work quite efficiently and improve image quality without visible artifacts. You can only notice slight edge fringing; however, it is unlikely to be visible during normal viewing.

The LG B6 handles lower-quality material very well. This is largely thanks to effective digital image processing, which can mask some of the source’s imperfections without overly smoothing the whole scene. The "Smooth Gradation" function proves particularly useful. It noticeably reduces posterisation, especially in dark parts of the image. The safest choice remains the Low or Medium setting. The function still effectively smooths out unsightly tonal banding, but does not yet interfere too much with fine details. Purists can of course leave it switched off. Upscaling to 4K also performs very well. Full HD and 720p material retain a good amount of detail, and the image is neither overly sharpened nor heavily blurred. Some limitations only become apparent with very poor sources below 720p, where the smallest text and fine elements are not always perfectly sharp, but this applies to almost every other TV on the market.

The maximum refresh rate we can set on the tested television is 144 Hz. This value can be achieved by connecting it to a really powerful PC. In the case of consoles or television, everything remains the same. For those who require high smoothness of motion or dislike the characteristic stuttering of films recorded at 24 fps, the manufacturer has prepared a fairly extensive motion smoothing system. In the dedicated tab, we will find a slider for “Smoothness” that is responsible for eliminating stutter, and “Motion Blur Reduction,” which helps increase the sharpness of dynamic elements. The function works very well and granularly, meaning that each setting has a real impact on the perception of motion. We also mention that it works at a refresh rate of 120 Hz, as it operates on multiples of film or television materials. With such an extensive set of options, every user will find their golden mean. In the picture, we present our choice, which is slight smoothing without the soap opera effect.

Motion is influenced not only by settings on the television but also by the response time of the panel itself. OLED televisions feature the best response time on the market, which in the case of 809 is about 0.1 ms. There are no IPS/ADS or especially VA panels that come close to the results of organic panels.

One of the biggest advantages of OLED panels is the very fast pixel response time. This keeps the picture sharp and free of the visible smearing often seen on LCD TVs. However, there is a downside. During slow camera pans motion can look choppier than on LCD screens, where some of that effect is naturally masked by the slower panel. Fortunately, on the LG B6 this can be easily mitigated using the TruMotion system. With the motion smoothing set correctly you can achieve smoother motion without giving the picture an exaggerated soap opera effect.

The Philips OLED 809 television supports all technologies included in the HDMI 2.1 standard, and during our testing, each one activated without any problems. Therefore, we must state that this television is perfectly suited for all gamers, whether they are using a console or a computer. It is worth mentioning that the manufacturer has opted to implement the HGIG mode, which provides a great alternative to Dolby Vision, which unfortunately in the OLED809 is unplayable due to very high input lag.

A nod to gamers is also the inclusion of a dedicated GameBar, which allows for monitoring current gameplay parameters and quick changes to settings. We will also find a function to enable a crosshair, which will be very useful when shooting with a sniper rifle, but from the so-called hip. Additionally, we can also find a shadow enhancement function for better visibility in shadows and a colour filter for gamers with visual impairments.

In summary, the OLED 809 is a very good and versatile device for gamers. Anyone who purchases this television for gaming does not need to worry about anything, as it is simply made for gaming. Especially since features such as VRR, ALLM, G-Sync, FreeSync, or HDR Dolby Vision gameplay will allow for an even greater immersion in their favourite title. Lastly, we will add that the only downside of the television in game mode is the artificial image sharpening, regardless of the settings, and it cannot be 'softened'.

LG OLED B6 has plenty to offer gamers; it’s simply a complete base for PS5, Xbox Series X/S or a capable PC. It has four full-size HDMI 2.1 ports with 48 Gbps bandwidth, so you can avoid irritating cable swapping when connecting several newer devices at once. It offers a full suite of synchronization technologies, from standard VRR to G-Sync and FreeSync. The screen synchronises the refresh rate seamlessly with the frame output from the console or graphics card. Of course it includes ALLM: the B6 automatically recognises when a game is running and immediately reduces latency to a minimum. HDR support is also excellent. The TV supports Dolby Vision, and a correctly implemented HGiG standard means that, after initial calibration in the console settings, the image won’t suffer from blown-out highlights or lost detail in bright areas. The cherry on the cake is the Game Bar. Instead of digging through the full menu during gameplay, a single click is enough to adjust shadow visibility, tweak selected parameters or simply check the current display mode. All of this makes the LG B6 an excellent choice for gamers.