TCL C655 / C69B (55"-85") vs Philips OLED909

Overall, the quality of HDR performance in TCL C655 / C69B looks quite promising. The average value in test patterns is around 450 nits, which already allows one to feel the effects of lighting and better image dynamics. However, as mentioned earlier, this effect may be partially suppressed by slight differences in bright and dark colors, resulting from the lack of local dimming technology. However, the DCI-P3 color gamut coverage of 94% deserves high praise, and this is made possible by the use of a quantum dot (QLED) panel. As a result, colors are vibrant and well-reproduced when watching HDR content.

The Philips OLED909 impresses with the quality of its HDR effect, achieving up to 1500 nits of peak brightness in tested scenes. This is an excellent result, placing this television among the best OLED models on the market. The MLA matrix, also used in models like the Panasonic Z95A and LG G4, plays a key role here, allowing for exceptionally bright and detailed reproduction of dynamic scenes. However, it's worth noting that in the most demanding scene from the movie The Meg, the brightness drops to around 700 nits. This is a typical phenomenon in OLED technology, where intensely bright full-screen images cause a limitation of luminance. Nevertheless, the HDR effect still looks very good, and the television performs better than most competitors under similar conditions. The wide color gamut coverage also deserves praise. The OLED909 offers 95% coverage of DCI-P3, ensuring the television can display vivid and realistic colors.

The TCL C655 / C69B television offers a movie mode that has been tested for color reproduction quality. Although this mode is called movie mode, unfortunately, it has quite a few errors that a director would certainly not want to see while recording their work. Starting with image analysis, it's worth looking at the white balance - both in HD and 4K HDR content, the white balance has significant errors. In both cases, the red color dominates, making the colors too warm, and overall it has a pink or yellow tint. This can be seen in the picture below from the movie "Star Wars." The Colour Checker test confirms these errors - the color samples stray into inappropriate shades, affecting the overall color fidelity. A minor issue is the brightness characteristic. However, it is also not free of flaws. The gamma chart shows a strong spike at the beginning, causing the image to be overly bright, and the EOTF curve responsible for brightness in 4K HDR material shows significant fluctuations as well – it is visible how the television tries to maintain proper brightness, but it does not always succeed effectively.

Like other televisions, the Philips OLED909 has been tested for color reproduction in factory modes. The best mode turned out to be Filmmaker Mode, but despite its name, it is not free of flaws.

The biggest problem is the white balance. Both in HD and 4K HDR content, there is a noticeable dominance of green and red shades, which causes a distinct yellowing of the screen. This effect is particularly visible in test materials, for example in the scene with Tom Cruise in the foreground, where the difference compared to the calibrated image is very clear.

Regarding brightness characteristics, the gamma in HD materials was boosted too much - it was below the reference value of 2.4, which gave the image a "milky" filter and affected the overall clarity. In the case of 4K HDR content, we noticed the opposite phenomenon – there is a clear drop at the beginning of the EOTF curve, indicating problems with reproducing the smallest details in dark scenes. Although the Filmmaker mode offers acceptable quality, noticeable errors in white balance and brightness characteristics show that the television requires additional calibration to fully reveal its potential in color reproduction.

After calibrating the movie mode of the TCL C655 / C69B television, the white balance has been equalized, and the colors look as they should – which is confirmed by only slight deviations in the Colour Checker test. The gamma is really accurate, which means the television should not have issues with brightness in low-resolution materials. Unfortunately, a similar EOTF characteristic is still visible, which is a natural phenomenon in televisions that do not have local dimming – they simply struggle to “shine” more brightly in a given part of the screen. Despite this structural limitation that cannot be overcome, we recommend adjustments in the settings, as the overall color representation looks really very good.

Philips OLED909 offers tools for image calibration, which significantly improves its quality. After calibrating the Filmmaker Mode, the television presents a much more natural color reproduction. The white balance after calibration looks very good. Although we noticed slight deviations in the blue hue in HD content, the errors fall within acceptable limits, and the image looks much better than in factory settings. The brightness characteristics, including gamma and EOTF, have also been distinctly improved. The television no longer has issues with excessive brightening or darkening of the image. Both dark and light details are now rendered correctly, making the image look very good in every scene. After calibration, the Filmmaker mode in the Philips OLED909 offers excellent image quality that will meet the expectations of even the more demanding users. The calibration fully utilizes the potential of this model.

The TCL C655 / C69B television handles tonal transitions in low-quality materials pretty well. The "Gradual Smoothing" feature at a low setting effectively smooths tonal transitions, but at the same time, it blurs important details, such as the texture of objects. On the positive side, it does not negatively affect film grain, allowing for a natural look of the image. As for digital processing, the television adds artificial sharpness, which may appeal to some users who prefer a sharpened image. However, for those who prefer a softer look, this may be a disadvantage. A downside is also that the image has been quite heavily cropped by so-called overscan, which reduces the field of view and cuts off the edges of the image.

Philips OLED909 offers a distortion reduction feature aimed at smoothing tonal transitions. Unfortunately, the effectiveness of this feature leaves much to be desired. Setting it to "Medium" yields some results, but it comes with the risk of blurring essential details in the image. For this reason, we do not recommend using this option unless you are focused on mitigating visible artifacts at the expense of detail.

When it comes to image scaling, the television presents a very pliable image, which may appeal to viewers who prefer a softer image. Those expecting sharper clarity will also find a solution, as image scaling can be adjusted according to individual preferences in the settings.

The C655 / C69B TV is equipped with a 4K@60 Hz panel, which means it performs best when watching movies and less dynamic content. It also has a "Flicker Reduction" feature that allows for adjusting the fluidity of the image – users can choose whether they prefer smoother motion or a more cinematic, frame-by-frame effect. The TV can also adapt to lower resolutions, such as Full HD and 2K at 120 Hz, which will definitely please gamers by offering a smoother image at the cost of resolution. It is worth noting that this feature is available in sizes from 55"+. Additionally, the largest variant, 98", is equipped with a 144Hz panel with full motion smoothing.

The Philips OLED909 with a 144 Hz panel offers excellent image fluidity, which should satisfy both movie lovers and gamers. Additionally, the television is equipped with a smoothing feature called "Motion Style," which allows precise adjustment of image fluidity to personal preferences. In the settings, we find two sliders: "Fluidity," which regulates the fluidity of motion in movies, and "Motion Blur Reduction," which helps eliminate minor artifacts and distortions in dynamic scenes. This feature works well, making even fast movements on the screen clear and readable.

The television TCL C655 / C69B offers an almost perfect set of features for gamers, supporting all the most important technologies. It has an ALLM feature that automatically switches the television to low latency mode, significantly improving responsiveness and minimizing signal delays, which is particularly important during dynamic gameplay. The VRR feature allows for synchronizing the screen refresh rate with the number of frames generated by the console, eliminating the tearing effect and ensuring smoother gameplay.

The television also supports Dolby Vision in game mode, providing better color reproduction and contrast in games that support this format, and the Game Bar enables quick access to gameplay-related settings such as response time, delay level, and other parameters. Unfortunately, C655 / C69B does not support 4K resolution at 120 Hz (with the exception of the 98" variant), which may be disappointing for more demanding gamers who expect the highest fluidity in high-resolution games. However, if we are willing to forgo 4K, the television offers support for Full HD and 2K at 120 Hz, providing a smoother image and being a great alternative for those who prefer a higher refresh rate at the expense of resolution.

The Philips OLED909 is a television that meets practically all the requirements of gamers. Equipped with ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode), VRR (Variable Refresh Rate), and support for Dolby Vision, it guarantees excellent gaming experiences. Additionally, the television offers very low input lag, ensuring that the response to player movements is instantaneous, which will be especially appreciated by fans of dynamic games.

The television easily supports any resolution at 120 Hz, and even higher refresh rates. The HGiG feature, responsible for the correct display of HDR content in games, works as it should, making the image in game mode balanced and tailored to the guidelines of console manufacturers.

The OLED909 also includes a Game Bar feature that allows for quick previewing and changing of game-related settings. Although the interface of this solution may seem less visually appealing than that of competitors, it serves its purpose well by offering all the most important options in one place.