Philips MLED920 / MLED910 vs SONY BRAVIA 3

In our measurements, the Philips MLED920 achieved even around 900 nits in static tests, which is a really solid result for a mid-range TV. In practice, this translates to a lot of satisfaction during viewing sessions – in scenes rich in bright light, such as the first, third, or fifth test screens, the screen was able to generate about 700 nits, which is enough to feel the true "HDR effect." However, it cannot be denied that the limited number of backlighting zones and the compromises of mini-LED dimming algorithms in more demanding scenes reveal their nature. In sequences with small light sources – such as the moon or a scene from the movie Sicario 2 – the television clearly prioritizes maintaining deeper blacks at the expense of the brightness of those small elements. For most viewers, this is still a reasonable compromise, as the dark background tends to look much better, though one must be aware that the details themselves may not impress with intensity. There is also some disappointment regarding colors. Although the applied PFS filter (the equivalent of quantum dots known from QLEDs) does its job and colors appear quite vivid, the coverage of the DCI-P3 color space reaches "only" 90%. In everyday viewing, this will be sufficient, but in extremely colorful productions – such as the latest Disney animations – one can notice that some tones are not as vibrant as they could be in other constructions.

Bravia 3 does not hide the fact that it belongs to the group of televisions that are rather modest in terms of brightness. Our measurements showed around 370 nits, which is a value balancing on the borderline where one can still speak of any HDR effect. For some, this is an acceptable level; for others, it is rather typical for SDR materials, where spectacular highlights or vivid contrasts are not expected. The impression is that this is not a television for those focused on the highest image quality in demanding film content. However, this does not mean that we won't find any advantages here. Compared to its predecessor, the X75WL, Bravia 3 has gained an additional PFS filter, functioning similarly to solutions known from QLED technology. Thanks to this, the DCI-P3 color gamut has been significantly expanded and reaches over 91 percent, which in practice provides more saturated colors and a more pleasant image texture. As a result, even everyday content looks a bit livelier, and movies and series can surprise with their colorful presentations, despite the limitations in brightness itself.

Like every Philips television we tested, we primarily evaluated the MLED920 in Filmmaker mode – this is supposed to be the "most honest" mode, designed for films and to faithfully convey the creators' intentions. Indeed, in terms of colorimetry, it performs the best among all the modes available on the television, but it is not without its flaws. The first thing that stands out is the white balance. The image has a slight tendency to take on purple-pink tones, which gives it a somewhat unnatural character. However, an even bigger problem turned out to be what we mentioned earlier – image clipping. Just look at the gamma or EOTF graphs to see that the line deviates significantly beyond the norm, falling below the value of 1.8. In practice, this means "clipping" the brightest whites, where the image becomes almost milky. Fortunately, most of these issues can be corrected – the MLED920 responds to calibration, and with a few adjustments, the image quality can be significantly improved.

We primarily tested the Sony Bravia 3 in movie mode, which immediately proved to be the best choice among the factory settings. The picture is not perfect, but compared to the eco mode that the TV suggests right out of the box, the difference is significant and for the better. In movie mode, one can notice a certain problem—the image seems too warm, which results from a lack of blue in the white balance. Despite this, in SDR content, the final effect can still be considered quite decent and satisfying for everyday viewing. Much more serious errors occur in HDR materials. The Color Checker analysis showed significant deviations, and poor brightness management combined with limited color gamut coverage further exposes the shortcomings of the image in this mode. All of this makes HDR on the Bravia 3 look unconvincing and can spoil the impression left by the quite decent SDR content settings. Fortunately, this is not a situation without a solution. Various errors can be somewhat mitigated, and some can even be completely corrected through professional calibration. Therefore, we decided to check how the TV would perform after such adjustments.

After calibration, we managed to largely tame the white balance – to the extent that the average viewer will not be able to detect color inaccuracies. The characteristic pink-purple glow that previously disturbed the naturalness of the picture has also disappeared. The color palette has been organized, and the colors appear more consistent and neutral. The gamma in SDR content after calibration looks really good – there's no sign of the earlier “bleeding” effect in bright scenes. The picture has become more contrasted and devoid of the milkiness that previously spoiled the perception significantly. In the case of HDR content, the improvement is also noticeable, although it is still evident that the television is “doing its own thing.” The EOTF curve cannot be fully shaped, as Philips simply does not provide tools in its settings that allow for precise control over this parameter. In many films, the television simply still showcases the image “in its own way.” Despite these limitations, calibration has brought quite a lot of good – it has managed to minimize most of the color inaccuracies and significantly improve the overall balance of the picture. However, it must be remembered that certain barriers arise from the very hardware construction and they simply cannot be overcome.

The calibration allowed us to extract significantly more from ChooseTV 3 than we could have expected at the beginning. First and foremost, we managed to address the shortage of blue color, which previously caused a noticeable warming of the image. After a slight adjustment in white balance, most of the errors in Color Checker measurements for SDR content practically disappeared. The shades of white gained a natural quality, and brightness management in gamma stabilized to a level that is nearly perfect, not exceeding the threshold of human eye perception. Therefore, it can be confidently said that in SDR content, after a few tweaks in settings, ChooseTV 3 performs really excellently. HDR content, however, fares much worse, although it is still definitely better than before calibration. The white balance has been corrected, but the limitations of the IPS panel are insurmountable. The lack of local dimming means that even the smallest elements can be overexposed, which immediately stands out. Color-wise, the effect has also improved, although it is far from ideal—many errors still exceed the threshold of four or even five delta E units, meaning they remain visible to the human eye. It was already clear before that ChooseTV 3 is not a television designed to amaze with HDR quality. Nonetheless, it is gratifying that in SDR content, after calibration, the image can look really great, and in this category, the television pleasantly surprised us.

The manufacturer equipped this model with several features that improve signal quality, and although we usually approach such "enhancers" with skepticism, they turn out to be really helpful here. The key option is called "distortion reduction" – it works best at a medium level because, on one hand, it effectively smooths out unwanted banding and color transitions, while on the other, it doesn't excessively cut details, which keeps the image looking natural.

The situation is a bit worse with upscaling. Lower quality materials – such as test videos with models – appeared soft and lacking in sharpness. Yes, this can be somewhat corrected with the sharpness slider in the menu, but the effect still remains far from what competitors in a similar price range offer. Philips therefore still needs to work on this aspect because, in light of the successful improvement of tonal transitions, the upscaling simply performs poorly.

Bravia 3 brings something more to the Sony television family than just a common name. It stands out primarily for its ability to improve the quality of weaker materials thanks to the applied processor. Of course, we won't find the advanced XR chip known from more expensive models here, but it must be acknowledged that the image at a lower resolution looked surprisingly good. Scaling worked effectively, and most parts of the screen were free from the typical excessive jagged edges found in budget constructions.

The feature that enhances the fluidity of tonal transitions is also worth noting. In the high setting, it works really well, effectively masking the imperfections of gradation without significant loss of detail. It does happen that the algorithm overly smooths elements that should remain sharp – for example, faces – however, in overall terms, the effect is beneficial. The best results were achieved precisely at the highest setting, and this option could be recommended to those watching lower-quality content.

The Philips MLED920 features a 144 Hz panel, which immediately suggests that we shouldn’t complain about motion smoothness. And indeed – the motion blur is relatively low here for a VA panel, and although one might occasionally notice slight issues on darker backgrounds, they are not something that most people would notice during regular viewing.

A major plus is the presence of a motion smoother called "Motion Style." It allows you to adjust the smoothness to your own preferences – if someone prefers a more “theatrical,” almost television-like image, they can increase the sliders, and if they want to preserve the natural “jitter” of a cinematic frame, they just need to set lower values. This way, everyone can find the perfect balance.

The fluidity of motion has never been a strong point of TVs equipped with 60 Hz panels, and the Bravia 3 is no exception. Nevertheless, Sony has added something that might appeal to those who are more sensitive to the way images are displayed. We are talking about the proprietary Motion Flow motion smoother, which offers users a lot of adjustment options. Thanks to it, one can make the image smoother, even theatrical, or stick to a more cinematic style with the characteristic stuttering that many simply associate with the film atmosphere. These features work with content at lower frame rates, such as movies and series recorded at 24 or 30 frames per second, which are the materials we encounter on a daily basis. It is precisely in this area that the motion smoother proves to be one of the most important features in everyday use of the television, and here the Bravia 3 performs really well.

For gamers, the Philips MLED920 is truly a complete tool. The manufacturer has taken care of everything that today is considered standard in televisions designed for consoles and PCs. It features ALLM, so the console automatically switches the screen to game mode, it has VRR and 144 Hz refresh rate, which guarantees smooth gameplay even in fast titles. All key HDR formats are supported – including HGiG and Dolby Vision Gaming for Xbox – which means that regardless of what you are playing and on which console, the TV will be able to extract maximum potential from the image. In everyday gaming, the Game Bar also proves to be useful – a relatively simple implementation by Philips, but a functional panel where you can quickly check image parameters, turn on VRR, or adjust details without leaving the game. It may not be as advanced as the competition's offerings, but it performs its job flawlessly. And lastly, something that distinguishes Philips from its competitors – Ambilight. The three-sided LED backlighting can make a huge impression in games, especially in the evening. It also provides a way to slightly "expand" the screen and feel greater immersion. And since colorful LEDs have recently become almost a mandatory element of a gamer’s room, the MLED920 fits into this trend perfectly.

Bravia 3 is not a device for e-sports enthusiasts or fans of late-night marathons with a controller in hand. The lack of 120 Hz refresh rate and HDMI 2.1 ports wraps up the topic before it can even develop. This is a TV for casual gamers who, after work, want to fire up FIFA or racing games, not for someone who measures every frame in a spreadsheet. Nevertheless, Sony has added a few nice extras so it’s not too barren. ALLM works as it should, automatically switching the TV to game mode (low latency). We even find a simple Game Bar here that is clear. However, the biggest curiosity is the PlayStation Portal app. With it, you can launch games from PS5 wirelessly and immediately see them on the TV screen. It sounds great, but it only takes a few minutes to feel significant delays. In our opinion, it’s more of a showcase of capabilities than something usable on a daily basis. If someone really wants to play, it’s better to connect the console with an HDMI cable right away and forget about wireless problems.