Philips PUS8359 (VA)

PUS8349 / PUS8359

Available screen sizes: 50”

Diagonal with a different matrix: , ,

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Panel type: LCD VA | Brand: PHILIPS | Resolution: 3840x2160 | System: Titan OS | Model year: 2024

Our verdict

5.5

Overall rating

Philips PUS8359 in 50" is a fairly simple television, yet sufficiently advanced for a large portion of consumers. Its biggest distinguishing feature (as well as the entire brand) is the Ambilight backlighting, which at this price point is definitely an added value and something that may encourage a purchase. In this price range, it's hard to find anything that will give us flawless picture quality, although we can look for units that offer something more. And in our opinion, this tested television is precisely that. In this context, we pay particular attention to the quality of tonal transitions, colour reproduction after calibration, and the television's performance when connected to a computer. Thanks to its low input lag, a casual gaming session will be quite enjoyable. However, we must also point out the unit's drawbacks. Without a doubt, these will be low luminance in HDR content and narrow coverage of the DCI-P3 colour space. Although it’s worth noting that the dynamic tone mapping feature works very effectively. We will also briefly mention the contrast and black levels, which, while not exceptional, are definitely better than in units based on IPS/ADS panels. The operating system of the television can be considered one of the better ones, although it is in development and lacks many features, which we will discuss more in a dedicated paragraph. It also does not have as wide a library of applications as its competitors, although this will likely change soon. Who is the PUS8359 for? One could say it’s for anyone looking for a balance between quality and price.

Advantages

Colour representation after calibration
Dynamic tone mapping function - recovers details that are too bright for the television
Smooth tonal transitions
Very good compatibility with computers and consoles - low input lag, chroma 4:4:4

Disadvantages

Low brightness of HDR materials
Missing a significant number of essential applications
Poor viewing angles

Movies and series in UHD quality

5.0
Classic TV, YouTube

5.4
Sports broadcasts (TV and apps)

4.5
Gaming on console

6.4
TV as a computer monitor

6.0
Watching in bright light

4.7
Utility functions

5.7
Apps

7.0
Sound quality

6.1

TV appearance

HDMI inputs: 3 x HDMI 2.0, 0 x HDMI 2.1 Outputs: Toslink (Optical audio), eARC (HDMI), ARC (HDMI), Mini-Jack (Headphones) Network Interfaces: Wi-Fi 2.4GHz, Wi-Fi 5GHz, Ethernet (LAN) 100Mbps

Review Philips PUS8359 (VA) Appearance of the TV

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Contrast and black detail

Viewing mode Game mode

5.6/10

Viewing mode Game mode

Local dimming function: No

Review Philips PUS8359 (VA) Contrast and black detail

Contrast between the black background and the bright spotlight illuminating Jack. Scene from the movie Oblivion (Universal Pictures).

Result

4,400:1

Contrast between the glare on the chameleon's skin and the black near the edge of the screen below. Scene from the Spears&Munsil test disc.

Result

4,950:1

Contrast between the reflection on the helmet and the black on the black film strip. Scene from the movie Arrival (Paramount Pictures).

Result

4,500:1

Contrast between the actress's face and the black film strip at the top edge of the TV. Scene from the movie Gravity (Warner Bros. Pictures).

Result

5,650:1

Contrast between the colorful balloon and the black slice between the falling objects. Scene from the Pioneer Kuro test disc (2008).

Result

3,800:1

Visibility of details in the lights:

Philips PUS8359/12 in the 50-inch version is equipped with a VA panel. We highlight this quite strongly, as the manufacturer is known for intermittently using IPS/ADS panels depending on the diagonal size. This is particularly important in the context of contrast and black levels, which are the primary criteria in assessing image quality. The panel itself uses direct LED backlighting; however, it has not been supported by any local dimming system, which is rather obvious when considering the device's price range. Nevertheless, the use of this type of screen allows for several rows of better black levels and contrast compared to the aforementioned panels that do not have advanced backlighting systems. The simple design of the television has positively affected the visibility of details in the blacks. Our first test scene from the film "Oblivion" showcased quite good blacks, but also excellent separation of lights, which is not an easy task even for much more expensive units. The second material prepared from the film Sicario 2 also presented itself decently. Although due to construction flaws, some light bleeding can be noticed, the details themselves are well visible, and it's hard to criticize them. The fact remains, the black levels could be deeper.

Halo effect and black detail visibility:

HDR effect quality

Viewing mode Game mode

4/10

Viewing mode Game mode

Supported formats: HDR10, HDR10+, HLG Color gamut coverage: DCI P3: 83.0%, Bt.2020: 61.0%

Luminance measurements in HDR:

Review Philips PUS8359 (VA) Brightness measurement

The measured point is the setting sun against a bright sky. Scene from the movie Life of Pi (20th Century Fox).

Result

281 nit

The measured point is the moon against a dark, starry sky. Scene from the movie Life of Pi (20th Century Fox).

Result

280 nit

The measured point is the flashlight on the rifle, which shines directly at the camera. Scene from the movie Gemini Man (Paramount Pictures).

Result

324 nit

The measured point is the tail light of a helicopter flying at night. This is a very small light point, the essence of the HDR effect. Scene from the movie Sicario 2: Soldado (Lionsgate).

Result

290 nit

The measured point is the sun visible directly between the clouds. The scene is very bright and should blind the viewer as in nature. Scene from the movie The Meg (Warner Bros. Pictures).

Result

320 nit

Philips PUS8359 didn't impress us with its performance in HDR materials. This model is capable of generating a maximum brightness of 320 nits, and often even less. Such results, combined with the lack of support for HDR Dolby Vision, mean that the image will be significantly darker compared to the source material. Therefore, it would be more beneficial for this television to play SDR content. This is also suggested by the quite low coverage of the DCI-P3 colour gamut at 83%, resulting in significant colour deficiencies. The fact remains that the television supports an HDR format based on dynamic metadata; however, HDR10+ is such a niche format that it doesn't offer any major advantages.

Scene from the movie “Pan” (about 2800 nits)

Scene from the movie “Billy Lynn” (about 1100 nits)

The results of maximum brightness in HDR materials were reflected in the performance of the display during our demanding test scenes. The scene from the film "Billy Lynn" is practically devoid of its main advantages, which are the combination of high brightness and deep blacks. The entire image was significantly dimmed, causing issues with detail in the blacks, creating dark patches here and there. There is also a noticeable problem with skin tones, caused by low coverage of a wide colour palette. The tested television definitely handled the second scene from the film "Pan" much better. Aside from the overall dimming of the image, caused by insufficient brightness and the lack of a popular HDR format equipped with dynamic metadata, the overall tonal quality was very good, and in this case, we must commend the tested television.

HDR luminance chart:

In HDR scenes requiring high brightness or good tone mapping from the television, despite the fact that the tested TV did not have high brightness, it surprised us quite positively and the details were very well visible. When a signal with dynamic metadata was given, the situation did not change significantly. There was only a slightly greater clarity in the farthest scenery. Therefore, the dynamic tone mapping feature in the tested unit deserves our recognition and high rating.

Static HDR10

Smoothness of tonal transitions

7.4/10

The fluidity of gradation in PUS8359 is at a good level. Practically every scene has preserved tonal transitions. The most difficult scene, which is the second from the film "The Green Knight", turned out not to be the proverbial "killer" and showed that the tested television, given its price range, performs excellently. The only thing we can "pick at" is the darkest scenes, where some inconsistencies can be seen here and there, but this is rather selective. Nonetheless, we rate the fluidity of tonal transitions very well. However, we must mention that this feature is not available in HDR materials.

Review Philips PUS8359 (VA) Smoothness of tonal transitions

Image scaling and smoothness of tonal transitions

6/10

Smooth transition function

Image without overscan on the SD signal

In this paragraph, we will look at two functionalities. We will once again take a look at the feature responsible for tonal transitions, but we will also check how the television handles image scaling. The option responsible for smooth gradation is called "Distortion Reduction." As we have established, it quite effectively smooths out inconsistencies. However, we must point out two things: we cannot enable it for HDR material, and it blurs details in films.

The tested television does not boast the best image scaling. The overall blurriness of the image is quite noticeable, but what’s worse, it blurs details. This is particularly evident on the branches and hair of the model. There is also a characteristic white halo around the character.

Blur and motion smoothness

3.8/10

Maximum refresh rate of the panel: 60Hz

Film motion smoothing option: No

Blur reduction option: No

Philips PUS8359 will not be the best television for sports. The reason for this is the lack of implementation of even the basic motion smoothing feature, which was to be expected given the price of the device. We also note that we are dealing with a VA panel, whose sharpness does not stand at the highest level by itself. This type of panel is mainly associated with high contrast, which comes with a rather slow response time, as we can clearly read from the matrix analysis results. As you can see, from the pictures captured in fast motion, the image is blurred typically for this type of panel. While it may not be the ideal option, it can conditionally be used for watching sports; however, one must keep in mind the less-than-sharp motion. It is worth mentioning that movies will be characterised by judder since the television does not possess any, not even the simplest, motion smoother.

Blur (native resolution, maximum refresh rate):

Console compatibility and gaming features

4.7/10

ALLM: Yes
VRR: Yes
VRR range: 60
Dolby Vision Game Mode: No
Correct implementation of HGIG: No
1080p@120Hz: No
1440p@120Hz: No
4K@120Hz: No
Game bar: Yes

It won’t be a surprise if we say that Philips PUS8359/12 only has the most basic support for consoles. Once we connect the console, we can expect features like VRR and ALLM. This is quite pleasing for the former, as life has shown that even in more expensive units, there can be issues with this. A nice touch is the implementation of a special GameBar that allows changing settings on the "fly", so we won't have to exit the gameplay and become unnecessarily distracted. This feature also allows for adapting the gameplay to the needs of individuals with disabilities, which will certainly be extremely beneficial.

Input lag

10/10

The measured input lag when connected to the console was very good, with nothing to pick at. Both at FHD and 4K settings, we recorded delays of 12ms, and when adding the HDR format to the higher resolution, the lag dropped to 11ms. Each of these results should be considered more than satisfactory, as such a level allows for gameplay that is practically free of delays between controller, eye, and screen.

SDR	HDR	Dolby Vision
1080p60: 12 ms	2160p60: 11 ms
2160p60: 12 ms

Compatibility with PC

6/10

Chroma 444 (maximum resolution and refresh rate): Yes

Font clarity: Good

Readability of dark text and shapes: Good

Input lag in PC mode (4K, maximum refresh rate): 11ms

Max refresh rate: 60Hz

G-Sync: Yes

Connecting the Philips PUS8359 to a computer won't create major complications in terms of gaming. The latency is at a very good level, and working at 4K HDR settings was associated with an 11 ms input lag, which is an imperceptible value on the line from eye to screen to mouse. The tested TV also supports chroma 4:4:4, making work with text files convenient. This model does not support G-Sync and offers a refresh rate of 60 Hz, which can be a significant drawback for PC gamers. Therefore, the gaming rating is lower, although the device performs excellently in everyday office tasks.

Viewing angles

3.4/10

Brightness drop at an angle of 45 degrees: 65%

The decrease in brightness at a 45-degree angle is 65%. This means that even a slight shift from the center of the screen can cause discomfort related to color degradation and image fading. This is rather a characteristic feature of the vast majority of VA panels that lack an angle coating.

TV efficiency during daytime

4.7/10

Matrix coating: Satin

Reflection suppression: Good

Black levels during daytime: Good

The screen Philips PUS8359/12 has a satin finish. This type of panel finish allows for quite good performance in keeping light reflections in check and provides fairly comfortable viewing of the television during the day. It’s worth mentioning that the maximum brightness of the television in SDR content is about 320 nits, which is a reasonable result, especially since the brightness is maintained even at 100% screen white fill.

Matrix brightness

Average luminance SDR

Philips PUS8359 (VA): 318 cd/m2

Details about the matrix

Software version during testing: V246.003.000.131

Image processor: nie wiem ale chyba tredriper

Subpixel Structure:

Backlight Type: White LED

TV features

5.7/10

System operacyjny: Titan OS
TV reception: DVB-T, DVB-T2, DVB-S, DVB-S2, DVB-C
Recording to USB (terrestrial TV): No
Recording programming: No
Picture in Picture (PiP): No
Screen mirroring (Windows Miracast): Yes
AirPlay: No
Voice search in native language: No
Ability to connect a keyboard and mouse: Yes
Possibility to connect Bluetooth headphones to the TV: No
Possibility to simultaneously use Bluetooth headphones and the TV speaker: No
Audio only mode: Yes
RF remote control (no need to aim at the screen): RF
Backlit remote control: Yes
Teletext: Yes

It’s hard not to mention the biggest differentiator of the manufacturer’s TVs first. We’re of course talking about the colorful Ambilight backlighting, which is placed on the back of the device and displays colours customised to what’s happening on the screen, often allowing for an even greater immersive experience. The operating system responsible for the TV’s functioning is Philips' proprietary system cleverly named TitanOs. It is definitely more closed off and limited in terms of app resources than is the case with this manufacturer’s TVs based on GoogleTv. Besides the lack of significant applications, its closed nature also reveals itself in another aspect. We won’t be able to do basic things like programming recordings or recording to USB. People using Apple devices may also feel disappointed by the absence of AirPlay, which allows for easy screen streaming. Fortunately, there is an option to connect a keyboard and mouse for easier navigation through the TV’s menu. It’s worth mentioning that there is the possibility of connecting headphones, but only wired ones. If we plug them in, we can also play audio through the TV’s speakers. It’s also worth adding that controlling the TV happens via IR, not Bluetooth, which is quite inconvenient these days.

In summary: TitanOs has quite a few “buts,” especially when we are aware users needing and using various streaming platforms. It’s rather an option for those limiting themselves to the so-called holy trinity, which is Netflix, YouTube, and CDA.

Playing files from USB

Video Photos Audio

8/10

Video Photos Audio

Maximum photo resolution:	Supported photo formats:
4 Mpix	JPEG
6 Mpix	HEIC
8 Mpix	PNG
10 Mpix	GIF
12 Mpix	WebP
16 Mpix	TIFF
20 Mpix	BMP
24 Mpix	SVG
28 Mpix
32 Mpix

The default media player built into Philips PUS8359/12 offers quite a wide range of capabilities, but it also has its limitations. It plays virtually all video formats, with the obvious exception of Dolby Vision and the less obvious .asf, which is not commonly encountered. However, the issue lies in the lack of the H.265 HEVC codec at high bitrate. When it comes to photos, the player performs adequately, but it lacks support for some popular resolutions and formats, such as HEIC, used on Apple devices. The player performs best with audio, where it can be praised. Unfortunately, due to system limitations, there is no possibility to expand its features, which means we are left with what the manufacturer has provided.

Apps

7/10

Sound

6.1/10

Subjective sound quality

Dolby Digital Plus 7.1

Dolby True HD 7.1

Dolby Atmos in Dolby Digital Plus (JOC)

Dolby Atmos in Dolby True HD

DTS:X in DTS-HD MA

DTS-HD Master Audio

The built-in audio system in the Philips PUS8359 consists of a basic connection of speakers 2x 10 W each. As you can probably guess, you can't expect too much from such a configuration. Nevertheless, if we don't exceed 50% of the maximum volume, it won't give us any negative thoughts. We definitely recommend connecting even cheaper soundbars. These, due to a range of codecs prepared by the manufacturer, will certainly work very well. It's worth noting the implementation of Dolby Atmos and DTS-HD Master Audio.

4K Ultra HD Resolution (3840 x 2160): Provides four times the resolution of Full HD, offering a sharp and clear image with a wealth of detail.
Ambilight Technology: The three-sided Ambilight system emits a glow that adapts to the content displayed on the screen, creating a more immersive viewing experience.
HDR10, HDR10+ and HLG Support: Support for various HDR formats ensures better contrast and more accurate color reproduction, resulting in a more realistic image.
Titan OS Operating System: An intuitive and fast Smart TV system that provides access to popular streaming apps and allows for interface customization.
Dolby Atmos Technology: Delivers spatial sound, creating an immersive audio experience and enhancing the quality of multimedia content reception.
HDMI 2.1 Ports: Three HDMI ports allow for connecting modern devices with fast data transfer and support for advanced features.
Gaming Features: VRR (Variable Refresh Rate) support provides smoother gameplay with reduced latency, which is beneficial for gamers.
Wi-Fi and Bluetooth Connectivity: Ensures wireless internet connection and connectivity with other devices, enhancing the TV's functionality.

Philips PUS8359 – Advanced Features for Gamers

PUS8359 test shows that this model offers a range of features dedicated to gamers that enhance gameplay comfort. With a low input lag of just 15 ms, on-screen reactions are almost instantaneous, which is crucial in dynamic games. The test highlighted compatibility with next-generation consoles, making Philips PUS8359 an attractive choice for video game enthusiasts. Check out other TV tests to compare this model with others.

Philips PUS8359 – Image Quality and Color Reproduction

As indicated by the test, Philips PUS8359 offers solid image quality, especially after calibration. Color reproduction post-calibration is at a high level, resulting in natural and vivid colors when watching movies or series. PUS8359 test also emphasises the smoothness of tonal transitions, which is significant when displaying scenes with delicate gradients. This means that PUS8359 performs well in both dark and moderately bright rooms, providing satisfying image quality in various lighting conditions.

Philips PUS8359 (VA)

Our verdict

Advantages

Disadvantages

Competing TVs in this price range

TV appearance

Buy in the best price

Contrast and black detail

HDR effect quality

Factory color reproduction

Color reproduction after calibration

Smoothness of tonal transitions

Image scaling and smoothness of tonal transitions

Blur and motion smoothness

Console compatibility and gaming features

Input lag

Compatibility with PC

Viewing angles

TV efficiency during daytime

Details about the matrix

TV features

Playing files from USB

Apps

Sound

Philips PUS8359 – Advanced Features for Gamers

Philips PUS8359 – Image Quality and Color Reproduction