Sony Bravia 7 (XR70) vs Philips PML8709

Since we know that the television performs well with contrast, let's check how it fares in terms of HDR effects. The luminance graph shows the very high capabilities of this model – 1500 nits is truly an impressive result. HDR effects are particularly striking in scenes where most of the screen is covered in light, as seen in the 1st, 3rd, and 5th test scenes. Minor shortcomings, typical of this technology, are still noticeable with very small light effects, such as in the scene from the movie "Sicario 2," where brightness drops to 500 nits. Although these are not stunning results, they can be considered decent. Additionally, it is worth praising the television for its high coverage of a wide color gamut – DCI-P3 at 96%, which allows for vibrant, saturated colors.

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.

The IMAX Enhanced mode on the Sony BRAVIA 7 television is definitely the best mode available on this model, although it is not without its flaws, as its name might suggest. The biggest issue is white balance – both in HD and 4K HDR content, there is a noticeable dominance of red color, which makes the image take on pinkish shades. This is particularly evident on the tested snow screen, where the pinkish hue becomes very noticeable. Errors in the Colour Checker test also confirm these deviations – although they are not catastrophic, there is a tendency to lean towards warmer tones. As for brightness characteristics, gamma remains at a decent level with a slight bump but without major issues. However, the biggest challenge is 4K materials. It is clear that the EOTF curve is significantly above the reference chart, which causes the image to become too bright.

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.

Sony BRAVIA XR70 offers a wide range of tools that allow for customizing the picture to personal preferences, which has enabled us to make significant adjustments to the settings. The white balance has been free of the issue of red hue dominance – snow no longer ends up with pink shades, which was previously noticeable. Although one can detect minor deviations at the end of the white balance chart concerning a drop in blue color, they are acceptable and hard to notice in everyday use. The Colour Checker test confirms that color reproduction errors are no longer as pronounced and rarely exceed a value of 2, which is a very good result. As for brightness, gamma, while not requiring significant improvement, has been slightly adjusted. However, the most notable change has been observed in the EOTF curve – the television no longer has issues with overly brightening the entire image in 4K content. However, upon closer analysis and enabling EOTF characteristics in films, certain limitations of the television arise due to the previously discussed dimming algorithm. Some small elements may be slightly more illuminated, but these errors are so minor that most users will not notice them. Overall, the calibration results are very, very positive.

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.

Since we know that the television performs very well with high-quality materials, it is worth checking how it fares with lower-quality content. Here the television shows its potential, and the applied graphics processor works really well. On the test board with the light bulb, there are no visible issues with color transitions, and the smooth gradation function works very well – we recommend setting it to "Medium".

When it comes to digital processing, or so-called upscaling, the television sharpens the image quite a bit, which leads to slight aliasing, for example on branches in the background, but it does not remove desired details. Nonetheless, the overall appearance is truly attractive and may appeal to most users. However, if we prefer a softer, more plastic image, this effect can be reduced in the settings by adjusting the sharpening level to our personal preferences.

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 Sony BRAVIA 7 television with a 120 Hz panel will satisfy most users in terms of motion smoothness. Additionally, Sony offers the Motion Flow feature, which allows for the selection of three different picture settings, adjusting them to personal preferences: Smoothness – Film: This setting improves motion smoothness, giving the image a more cinematic or theatrical character. Smoothness – Camera: This setting provides even greater smoothness, useful when watching dynamic scenes such as sports broadcasts. Clarity: This setting focuses on minimizing noise and motion artifacts, resulting in a more stable and clear image.

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.

Sony Bravia 7 has significantly improved its capabilities for cooperation with consoles compared to previous models. The TV supports variable refresh rate (VRR), which eliminates screen tearing, and it is compatible with graphics cards, ensuring smooth display. The auto low latency mode (ALLM) effectively reduces input lag, which is crucial in fast-paced games. Dolby Vision with low latency additionally provides impressive HDR effects that look great during gameplay.

Sony Bravia 7 also offers a Game Bar feature that provides quick access to settings and allows monitoring of parameters during gameplay. An interesting option is the ability to enable a virtual crosshair on the screen, which can give a slight advantage in shooting games. However, compared to the Bravia 9 model, the HGIG feature in the Bravia 7 does not perform as well, which may be noticeable for more demanding gamers – especially since the HGIG mode is becoming more popular in the gaming world as the preferred method for reproducing HDR effects.

A downside is the lack of support for 1440p@120 Hz resolution, which could make gaming easier for users with less powerful graphics cards. Additionally, the Sony Bravia 7 is equipped with two HDMI 2.1 ports, one of which is often used to connect an audio system via eARC, limiting the number of available ports for connecting next-generation consoles.

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.