Philips PUS8359 (IPS) vs Philips PUS8209

The quality of HDR effect on the Philips PUS8359/12 television is also not impressive. A brightness level of 280 nits is too low, resembling standard SDR more than true HDR, which is clearly visible on the five tested images. Additionally, the television does not impress in terms of color gamut coverage – just 76% DCI-P3 is a result that can be considered weak, especially compared to other models in a similar price range.

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.

The "Film" mode turned out to be the most faithful in terms of compliance with the source material used in our tests. However, like other factory modes, it also had its drawbacks. In both SDR and HDR materials, we noticed issues with white balance, where the dominance of green and red resulted in a yellowish tint. This effect was particularly visible in the form of yellowed whites and unnatural skin tones. The "ColourChecker" palette test showed that every color was shifted towards warmer tones, which affected color accuracy. A key aspect of the image is also contrast and brightness, which can be evaluated by analyzing gamma charts and the EOTF curve. On the gamma chart, we observed significant deviations – both too high values causing loss of detail in the shadows and too low values leading to a drastic decrease in contrast. Compared to gamma, the EOTF curve performed better, only slightly brightening the image, which had a less negative impact on overall quality.

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.

Philips, both in its cheaper and more expensive models, offers a wide range of tools for image calibration. We used them to improve the quality of the displayed image, although it was not as simple as it might seem. We managed to adjust the white balance, improve the gamma, and tune the EOTF curve; however, despite these actions, the deltaE errors were still at a very high level. The main causes are limited coverage of the DCI-P3 color palette and low maximum brightness, which significantly affected the final result. Although the overall presentation looks much better, the design features of the TV did not allow us to achieve spectacular results.

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.

In this paragraph, we will look at two functionalities. We will once again take a look at the function responsible for tonal transitions, but we will also check how the television handles image scaling. The option responsible for smooth gradation is the one called "Distortion Reduction." As we established, it quite effectively smooths out the choppiness. However, we must point out two things: we cannot enable it for HDR materials and that it blurs details in films. The tested television cannot boast the best image scaling. There is a noticeable overall blurriness of the image, but, worse, it blurs details. This is particularly visible on the branches and the hair of the model. A characteristic white halo around the character is also noticeable.

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.

Philips PUS8359 is not the best choice for watching sports. The lack of even basic motion enhancement features means that the picture in dynamic scenes is not suitably clear. Despite using an IPS panel (43 and 55'), which theoretically should offer better sharpness than VA panel variants, there is no noticeable improvement in terms of motion blur. In fast-moving images, it is clear that the UFO character is distinctly blurred, which indicates that the television does not cope well with maintaining sharpness in dynamic shots.

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.

In terms of compatibility with consoles, the Philips PUS8359 is mainly suitable for casual gamers. Although the TV is equipped with an HDMI 2.0 port, it offers features such as Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM), Variable Refresh Rate (VRR), and Game Bar. ALLM automatically switches the TV to low latency mode, facilitating quicker reactions during gameplay, while VRR smoothly adjusts the refresh rate, eliminating the issue of screen tearing. Game Bar provides quick access to game settings and real-time monitoring of parameters; however, in our opinion, it performs worse compared to competitors' solutions.

However, more demanding gamers may feel underwhelmed. The Philips PUS8359 does not support advanced HDR formats in games or higher refresh rates, which is due to the use of a 60 Hz panel. These shortcomings limit the TV's capabilities in delivering smooth and detailed experiences during fast-paced, dynamic gameplay.

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.