Philips PML9009 / 9019 / 9059 vs Sony Bravia 9 (XR90)

The Philips PML9009 struggles to deliver the highest HDR performance. Scenes with effects around 550 nits don’t provide particularly impressive lighting, though the effects remain stable, an improvement over SDR materials. A notable exception is in Gemini Man, where a flashlight as the sole light source stands out. This is likely due to the absence of large dark areas and the relatively small size of the light source compared to scenes with larger, brighter elements like the sun. While the brightness results in HDR content aren’t quite strong enough to recommend this TV for productions utilising a wide colour gamut, it’s worth mentioning that the model does achieve decent coverage, reaching 93% of the DCI-P3 spectrum.

The brightness performance of the Sony Bravia 9 is exceptional. Each scene reaches over 1500 nits, and the television can shine even brighter during movie playback. This level of brightness provides an extraordinary viewing experience, allowing for immersive interaction with high-quality video content. Thanks to its extensive coverage of the DCI-P3 colour gamut, the image is vibrant, and when combined with such high luminance, it almost feels alive. With its impressive peak brightness, viewers can fully appreciate the colour range, even in the most challenging scenes involving dynamic lighting changes. The Bravia 9 also supports Dolby Vision and HDR10 formats, further elevating the viewing experience.

During testing, the Philips PML9009 performed best in the factory "Filmmaker" mode, which we evaluated across both SDR and HDR content. A key characteristic observed in this mode is the EOTF curve’s behaviour in HDR content and gamma settings in SDR, designed to enhance image accuracy. However, the PML9009 presented noticeable issues, particularly with white balance, as a pronounced red dominance created a yellow tint across the entire image. This affected skin tones and white areas, with faces and whites appearing unnaturally warm. The colour shift was confirmed through the "ColourChecker" palette, where colours leaned towards warmer shades.

In the gamma analysis, responsible for image contrast, we noticed considerable inaccuracies early on. Our measured values spiked above the reference, causing dark scenes to lose detail and merge visually up to about 10% screen brightness. Following this, the values dropped below the target line, further degrading contrast—an area already challenging for this model.

In HDR content, the white balance remained similarly flawed, and the EOTF curve also restricted brightness levels, resulting in a dim, muted image. Colour inaccuracies were even more pronounced here, with lower luminance levels causing large deviations from accurate colours, which were clearly visible on the error graph, often exceeding acceptable limits. While aiming for cinematic quality, this mode ultimately fell short in delivering balanced colour and contrast fidelity.

The "IMAX Enhanced" factory mode has remained the best option in Sony televisions for years, and it was used throughout the entire testing process. While it aligns closely with the reference compared to other predefined settings, improvements could be made for a better viewing experience.

In SDR materials, the gamma shows a noticeable boost, which leads to over-contrasting the image. Additionally, the beginning of the graph deviates significantly from the reference, resulting in merged details in the darker areas, creating an unpleasant uniform blotch. The EOTF curve in HDR content, on the other hand, appears mostly correct, with only minor deviations from the reference.

However, the most prominent issues affect the white balance. There is a persistent green colour dominance, leading to problems with grey tones and overall colour misalignment. This imbalance in the white balance gives the image an unwanted greenish tinge, negatively impacting the overall visual quality.

Philips has long provided sophisticated calibration tools, including 2-point and 20-point grayscale adjustments as well as an advanced CMS (Colour Management System). These allow users to make significant improvements, and even those less attentive to image quality will likely notice a positive difference post-calibration. Both SDR and HDR content benefit from this process, notably eliminating the prominent yellow tint caused by an overemphasis on red in the white balance.

For SDR content, although gamma adjustments don’t entirely resolve the loss of detail in dark areas, the overall improvements bring most content to an impressive standard, with minimal, hardly perceptible errors. Colour accuracy is notably enhanced, achieving nearly reference quality with low deltaE errors.

HDR content, however, remains somewhat limited due to the display’s lower brightness capability. While the white balance has largely been corrected, a slight blue tint can occasionally appear. The EOTF curve aligns very well, providing accurate geometry, though colour errors persist due to the limited luminance. This calibration offers a substantial improvement but may still fall short for viewers who expect high brightness levels in HDR.

The colour reproduction after the calibration process on the Sony Bravia 9 is nothing short of excellent. Regardless of the signal, whether SDR or HDR, the image comes remarkably close to the director's intended vision. Nearly every flaw in the image has been meticulously modelled and corrected to a high degree.

This impressive result can be attributed to the advanced tools available for calibration, which Sony has been offering in its televisions for years. Notable tools include the 2- and 20-point grayscale calibration and a very comprehensive CMS (Colour Management System). These features allow for precise adjustments, ensuring that the colours and overall image quality are as accurate and faithful to the source material as possible.

Given the impressive handling of tonal transitions by the Philips PML9009, one might expect similar success in the image scaling test. However, the results were less than stellar. When upscaling lower-quality images, like those from certain TV programmes or older films, the Philips algorithm tended to blur fine details noticeably, especially in intricate elements like fine branches or a model's hair.

On the other hand, the tonal transition performance remains noteworthy, with the TV offering several levels of smoothing. Even at the lowest setting, it effectively addresses non-smooth transitions in most materials, and crucially, it preserves the film grain effect, maintaining fidelity to the director's vision. However, it’s worth noting that some fine details may still appear slightly softened.

When analysing the quality of tonal transitions and image scaling, especially for lower-quality materials, the improvement after activating the function for tonal transitions is clear. By default, the quality is quite average, but once the function is turned on, even at the lowest setting, the results are among the best we've seen. This feature can be enabled without worrying about negative side effects, such as film grain blur.

Sony's "XR" processor, which the brand has been touting for several years, lives up to its reputation for image scaling. The image quality is incredibly sharp while maintaining a very natural look. This reinforces that Sony's processing technology is one of the best available, particularly when handling lower-resolution content.

The Philips PML9009 has a 120 Hz native refresh rate, a baseline standard for watching sports and an ideal setting for gaming on consoles or PCs. Philips includes an effective motion-enhancement system for users who want to reduce the stutter of 24 fps content or need fluid motion for fast-paced scenes, like in football matches. The dedicated "Smoothness" slider effectively mitigates stuttering, while "Motion Blur Reduction" enhances the sharpness of dynamic content. Each setting produces a noticeable difference, so users can tailor the motion effects to their preferences. Our recommended setup achieves a moderate smoothing effect, avoiding the exaggerated “soap opera” appearance.

Regarding pixel response time, VA panels like this generally fall short compared to OLED or even IPS panels, which can lead to a slight "black halo" trailing behind fast-moving objects. Although not a frequent issue with this TV, the effect can be seen in certain scenes.

The maximum refresh rate of the Sony Bravia 9 is 120 Hz, the minimum for those primarily watching sports or other high-motion content. This refresh rate ensures the image remains sharp and smooth, even during fast-paced scenes. For more demanding users, Sony has implemented an advanced motion smoothing system, divided into three distinct segments: Smoothness (Film), Smoothness (Camera), and Clarity. These settings can be adjusted to various degrees, allowing users to fine-tune the picture to their preferences. For example, a setting with slight smoothing can be used to avoid the "soap opera effect," delivering a more natural and cinematic viewing experience. This level of customisation ensures that viewers can find their ideal balance between smoothness and clarity.

The Philips PML9009, with HDMI 2.1 ports supporting full bandwidth, is thoroughly equipped with gamer-focused features. Core functions like Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) and Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM) are included, as well as the additional perks of G-Sync and FreeSync compatibility and low-lag HDR Dolby Vision support. All these gaming features activate seamlessly, proving this model’s suitability for gaming. The TV’s HGIG mode, particularly beneficial for gaming, adjusts HDR effects to the television’s capabilities to avoid image dimming and blooming, an advantage given the still limited number of games supporting Dolby Vision.

For added convenience, the PML9009 has a GameBar menu, allowing in-game setting adjustments without needing to exit. This menu includes features like a crosshair option and black level correction, which can enhance the visibility of shadowed areas—ideal for competitive play.

Overall, the Philips PML9009 offers a comprehensive setup for gamers, supporting VRR, ALLM, G-Sync, FreeSync, and HDR Dolby Vision to deliver immersive, high-quality gaming experiences across a wide range of titles.

The Sony Bravia 9 television is equipped with four HDMI ports, but what is puzzling for a device of this class is that only two of them operate in the 2.1 standard. Despite this, it should not detract from the fact that nearly all features work excellently, providing a positive experience when using them. Games running in HDR10 or Dolby Vision benefit from low input lag, ensuring a comfortable gaming session. The solid implementation of the HGIG mode is a noteworthy feature, as, after proper calibration, it closely aligns with Dolby Vision.

Sony introduced the GameBar feature to its televisions last year, a standard for many manufacturers. This feature allows for quick adjustment of settings without exiting the game. Its implementation has been seamless, offering conveniences such as a crosshair grid, black level adjustment, and reducing the screen to gaming monitor proportions.

The Sony Bravia 9 will find its fans, particularly among PlayStation enthusiasts. It is a natural pairing since the console and the television share identical capabilities. However, more broadly speaking, despite the minor issues with Dolby Vision in games, the Bravia 9 remains a very good television for gaming overall.