Philips PUS8209 vs Philips PML8709

Unfortunately, this is where the problems begin. A maximum brightness of 280 nits is definitely too low to feel the true HDR effect. In practice, the image resembles standard SDR more, so it's hard to speak of deeper visual experiences. On the plus side, the color gamut coverage is commendable – 91.4% DCI-P3 is a result that will be sufficient for most films. It must also be noted that the image is stable and there are no issues with sudden changes in brightness or colors. Looking at the overall picture, HDR on this TV is more of a formality than an actual added value. If we are looking for true HDR emotions, this model may not meet expectations.

Looking at the contrast results, we expected that the algorithms responsible for the zones in the Philips PML8709 would be at least decent. However, what we encountered during testing is hard to explain. The maximum brightness we were able to achieve was only 350 nits, which is definitely too low to fully enjoy HDR effects. In practice, the TV barely stands out against an average SDR. The situation becomes even more surprising in the case of test scenes, such as the second one from the movie Life of Pi or Sicario 2. Small light elements reach only 120 nits there, making them practically invisible. Such a level of brightness is completely inadequate to modern HDR standards and significantly diminishes the viewing experience of high-quality content. The only bright spot in this category is the very good coverage of wide color gamuts – 97% DCI-P3 and 83% BT.2020. This ensures that colors are saturated and well reproduced, which can improve the overall viewing experience of HDR materials, even if just a little. However, the lack of appropriate brightness means that even this cannot save the Philips PML8709 in this category.

Philips PUS8209 offers many picture modes, but the best among them, without a doubt, is the Filmmaker mode. Despite its proud name, it has its clear issues. In the case of HD content, the white balance is characterized by a strong dominance of red, causing the image to be significantly warmer than it should be in reality. The brightness characteristic (gamma), although correct in the midtones, has serious problems at the beginning and end of the graph. Drops in the shadows lead to a loss of details in dark areas, and highlights in bright areas make some elements look unnatural.

For high-quality 4K HDR content, the situation reverses. In this case, blue dominates, leading to an effect of artificial image enhancement, reminiscent of unnatural store settings. Such an image looks unappealing and inconsistent with the creators' intentions. An additional problem is the EOTF curve, responsible for brightness in HDR materials. It deviates significantly from the reference chart, making the image appear too dark, robbing the depth and detail of HDR content.

Against this background, the errors in the Color Checker test and deviations in color palette reproduction are exceptionally large, which negatively impacts the overall image quality. The Filmmaker mode, although the best among the available options, requires significant corrections to fully deliver the director's vision.

Although theoretically the Filmmaker mode on the Philips PML8709 should provide natural color reproduction, in reality it resembles a store mode more. In the white balance, both for HD and 4K content, there is a clear dominance of blue. This makes the image appear washed out and cold, which is particularly noticeable in the comparison picture below.

The brightness characteristics also leave much to be desired. Both the gamma and the EOTF curve show excessive screen brightness. As a result, there is a loss of detail in both the brighter and darker parts of the image, which further diminishes its credibility and naturalness. Bright elements appear unnaturally flat and little varied.

These significant problems in white balance and brightness characteristics lead to noticeable color reproduction errors, which can be easily seen in films as well as in the Colour Checker test. The colors are imprecise, affecting the overall image quality and visual experience. The factory settings require substantial improvement to fully enjoy the potential of this television.

After calibration, the white balance for HD and 4K content has improved significantly. Although we did not achieve a perfectly flat characteristic, the effect is definitely better than before. The image on the television no longer appears artificially warm or overly cold, which significantly enhances the naturalness of the displayed content. The brightness characteristic (gamma) has also been adjusted - the biggest issues at the beginning and end of the graph have been mitigated. The EOTF curve, which is responsible for brightness in 4K HDR material, has been stabilized, eliminating problems with excessive dimming of the image. In the color palette test, some imperfections can still be seen due to average coverage of a wide color gamut, which is a limitation of the hardware itself. Nevertheless, the final effect is clearly better than before calibration - the image looks more natural and approaches the expectations for the Filmmaker mode.

Philips offers advanced image calibration tools in its televisions, which we decided to fully utilize. The effects? While we managed to improve many aspects, it was not without difficulties. White balance was one of the biggest challenges – despite our efforts, it can be called a battle against windmills. We managed to correct it significantly, making the image look much better than in the factory settings, but it is still far from perfect. Particularly in some scenes, a subtle dominance of blue is noticeable, though not as intense as before. We achieved significant improvement in brightness characteristics – gamma now presents itself much more stably. The EOTF curve looks correct at first glance; however, when analyzing film content, it becomes evident that the television has difficulty maintaining the appropriate characteristics. The algorithms "struggle" to adjust brightness, which may result from the limited number of dimming zones that do not always cope with more complex scenes. Overall, the image after calibration looks much more pleasant to the eye – colors are more natural, and errors in color reproduction have been minimized. Although it's still not perfect, the Philips PML8709 now presents itself much better than in the factory settings.

The television offers a "Distortion Reduction" feature that effectively improves the gradation of tonal transitions, especially when set to the minimum level. Unfortunately, it comes at a price – the feature also smooths out details like the texture of materials. On the plus side, the operation of this option does not negatively affect the film grain, which remains intact.

As for image scaling (upscaling), the television generates a plastic, soft image that generally looks pleasant. However, in the background, one can sometimes notice issues with aliasing on some elements, such as branches or fine details, which can lower the quality of the reception. Despite these minor imperfections, the overall experience of scaling is satisfactory.

The distortion reduction function in the Philips PML8709 smooths tonal transitions, but its effectiveness leaves much to be desired. We recommend setting this option to "Medium" – at this level, the effect is noticeable but not excessive. Unfortunately, compared to other Philips models, the smoothing effect is less effective, meaning that some tonal transitions may still appear slightly uneven. An additional drawback is that this function also smooths other details, such as material textures like shirts, which can affect image sharpness.

As for image scaling, the television performs very well. The image appears plastic and free of noticeable "jaggies." This effect may appeal to many users, although some may prefer a more pronounced look. Fortunately, the television allows for adjusting the sharpness parameter, enabling us to tailor the image to individual preferences.

The 60 Hz panel in the Philips PUS8209 is mainly suited for watching movies, but there is also a certain sense of dissatisfaction here. The TV does not offer any motion smoothing feature that would allow adjusting the smoothness of the picture to individual preferences, which may be disappointing for some users.

Philips PML8709 is one of the few models with mini-LED technology on the market that offers a refresh rate of 60 Hz. Although it is not a panel for the most demanding gamers, it should satisfy those who mainly watch movies. The television is equipped with the "Motion Style" feature, which is a motion smoother that allows you to adjust the fluidity of motion according to your preferences – from a more "plastic" appearance to a cinematic aesthetic with clearly visible frames.

The Philips PUS8209 offers basic functions useful for gamers, such as variable refresh rate (VRR), automatic low latency mode (ALLM), and a Game Bar that makes managing settings easier.

Unfortunately, due to the 60 Hz panel, the television will not meet the expectations of more demanding gamers who are counting on higher fluidity and precision of the image. Additionally, this model does not support any HDR mode dedicated to games, such as HGiG or Dolby Vision, which further limits its capabilities in this regard.

Philips PML8709 is a television aimed more at occasional gamers, mainly due to its 60 Hz panel, which does not meet the expectations of the most demanding users. However, for those who appreciate gameplay at a more measured pace, this model may prove sufficient.

The television offers several gamer-friendly features, such as ALLM (automatic switching to game mode) and VRR (variable refresh rate), which help in displaying images more smoothly without annoying stutters. Moreover, in terms of HDR, we find here the implementation of HGiG, which adjusts the HDR effect to the specifics of games, providing a more natural image in appropriately optimized titles. Unfortunately, there is no support for Dolby Vision mode, which may be felt in games that utilize this format.

A nice addition is the presence of a basic "Game Bar," which allows for quick preview and modification of key settings related to gaming. It's a simple yet helpful feature, especially for those who often change their setup between different types of gameplay. Despite certain limitations, the Philips PML8709 offers a solid set of features for less demanding gamers.