Compare Philips OLED809/819 vs LG OLED C4

The Philips OLED 809 is a versatile television that caters to a wide audience. Its standout feature is the multicoloured Ambilight backlighting, which enhances immersion and engagement, particularly when watching films. As expected from an OLED TV, key aspects such as contrast, black levels, and colour reproduction are excellent, providing impressive visual quality.

However, the television has some drawbacks, such as the quality of tonal transitions and the inconsistent operation of the dynamic tone mapping function, which can occasionally distract more sensitive viewers. Despite these shortcomings, the Philips OLED 809 excels in two key areas: gaming performance and motion smoothing. Gaming performance is particularly noteworthy, with each implemented feature functioning seamlessly to create a highly immersive experience.

Motion smoothness is also impressive, with two effective sliders allowing users to customise the motion settings. The inclusion of the Google TV system further enhances the user experience, offering smooth and lag-free operation during tests. Overall, the Philips OLED 809 strikes a solid balance between its strengths and minor imperfections.

The LG C4 stands out in its price range, likely offering little competition for many users. With its versatile features, it is perfect for movie and series enthusiasts, as well as gamers. The advanced WebOS system, paired with a remote that functions like a mouse, ensures an excellent user experience, making it a compelling choice for long-term brand loyalty. The OLED panel, built on over a decade of expertise, continues to impress with its ability to deliver a dynamic and immersive viewing experience. The brightness performance on HDR content is exceptional, with a deep and vibrant image. The dynamic tone mapping function is particularly noteworthy, making HDR10 content nearly as stunning as Dolby Vision.

Additionally, LG's televisions are well-suited for calibration, offering flexibility for home users with basic settings and professionals using 3D LUTs. For gaming enthusiasts, the LG C4 is a top choice, like most of the manufacturer’s OLED models. Thanks to HDMI 2.1 support and features like VRR, ALLM, FreeSync, and G-Sync, the gaming experience is incredibly smooth. The panel’s 144Hz refresh rate and advanced motion smoothing make it ideal for high-performance sports broadcasts. Overall, it’s hard to fault the LG OLED C4, as it offers exceptional features at a competitive price.

The Philips OLED 809, true to its name, uses an OLED panel sourced from LG Displays, a common choice among major brands like Sony and Panasonic. This advanced panel technology enables the television to achieve outstanding results in contrast and black-level tests. The image produced is three-dimensional and entirely free of the blooming effect often seen in TVs with local dimming, where bright text on dark backgrounds can appear hazy.

This exceptional performance is due to the panel's structure, crafted from conductive organic polymers and controlled by electrical impulses. Unlike LCD TVs with layered filters, OLED technology allows individual pixels to turn off completely, creating true black levels with a value of 0. This direct control ensures the precise separation of bright and dark elements in the image.

In tests, the Philips OLED 809 showcased its ability to render contrasts with exceptional precision, such as isolating bright elements like headlights against dark backgrounds. This capability is one of the TV's strongest advantages, elevating its performance in scenarios where contrast and black levels are critical.

The LG OLED C4, as the name implies, utilises an organic matrix developed in-house, making it one of the most recognisable series on the market. With over 10 years of experience producing self-emissive panels, LG has continually refined its designs, and the 2024 models are the pinnacle of this progress. An OLED screen ensures flawless contrast and black levels, immersing viewers in the director’s vision. OLED technology stands out for its lack of traditional backlighting, instead relying on current flowing through organic pixels. This design allows for precise image control, eliminating issues like dimming of fine details or halo/blooming effects.

In our test scenes, two standout features were immediately apparent: perfect light separation and an abundance of detail in "The Revenant." Crucially, the C4 displayed the distinct green tint some televisions attempt to correct, without issues. The LG OLED C4 excels in delivering exceptional contrast, resulting in incredible depth and richness. Test results confirm that the black levels are flawless, particularly in high-contrast scenes. Ultimately, the LG C4 offers an unmatched contrast ratio, delivering a visually stunning experience whether watching movies or gaming.

The Philips OLED 809 delivers a highly satisfactory HDR effect. The television can reach luminance levels exceeding 900 nits in most scenes, and in some cases, even surpassing 1000 nits. This brightness ensures a rich and immersive experience for HDR content with a wide tonal range. The only exception occurs in a scene from the movie The Meg, where a large amount of bright white occupies most of the screen, preventing the TV from reaching higher brightness levels. However, this is not a significant issue, as the performance is still a considerable improvement over its predecessor.

Overall, these brightness levels, especially for an OLED panel not equipped with MLA technology, impress. Coupled with excellent coverage of the DCI-P3 colour spectrum, the Philips OLED 809 offers a truly spectacular HDR viewing experience.

The HDR performance of the LG OLED C4 is impressive, firmly placing it in the higher tier. Most films exceed 700 nits, delivering a highly realistic image. While none surpass the 1,000-nit mark, the combination of these results with the TV’s infinite contrast and perfect blacks significantly enhances the visual experience. The final scene, with a full-screen flash of sunlight, is slightly less bright than the others but still maintains a solid level of brightness. Another highlight is the excellent DCI-P3 colour gamut coverage, which ensures incredibly vibrant colours. The HDR technology in the LG OLED C4 delivers exceptional colour and detail reproduction. The dynamic tone mapping feature optimises brightness levels, ensuring ideal light reproduction in every scene, even in the most demanding high-dynamic films.

The best factory mode in which we performed all our tests was "Filmmaker," which is quite standard in televisions from this manufacturer. However, let’s first examine its characteristics before the calibration process. The first aspect we will focus on is white balance, as it is critical to ensuring the image remains free from any colour cast. The chart clearly shows that in both SDR and HDR materials, two colours dominated significantly: red and green, resulting in a strong yellow tint that affected the entire image. This was particularly noticeable on the "ColourChecker" palette, where all colours shifted towards their warmer counterparts.

The second aspect we will assess is what we consider to be the two most important charts for evaluating picture quality: gamma and the Electro-Optical Transfer Function (EOTF) curve. Both aim to maintain appropriate brightness and contrast. The first chart, which describes the brightness levels in SDR materials, shows that the brightness was significantly lower than the reference value marked by the orange line. This resulted in a sharp increase in brightness and a notable decrease in contrast, which was inconsistent with typical OLED television behaviour. The EOTF curve, on the other hand, showed greater "moderation," subtly brightening the overall image only up to 50% of the maximum brightness.

The best factory mode on the tested television was "Filmmaker," which served as the basis for all evaluations. In terms of colour reproduction, this mode performed reasonably well; however, certain flaws significantly detracted from the overall viewing experience. The most fundamental issue was the white balance, which exhibited a noticeable dominance of red, skewing the image characteristics. This resulted in a pronounced yellow tint to whites and a general shift of all colours towards warmer tones.

The gamma, an equally crucial—if not more important—aspect, was notably lowered, leading to a marked reduction in contrast. Additionally, the television frequently lost detail at the start of the gamma curve. These issues were most apparent in SDR content.

When examining HDR materials, the same yellowing effect in the white balance was observed, as seen with SDR content. However, the EOTF curve, which replaces the gamma curve for HDR, was near perfect and left little room for criticism.

Philips, like most leading manufacturers, has been providing advanced calibration tools for years. The inclusion of 2- and 20-point grayscale adjustments, along with an advanced CMS (Color Management System), has yielded extremely beneficial results and fundamentally improved the perceived image. Nearly every element previously mentioned has undergone a transformation and has been restored to its natural state. This is particularly noticeable in the "ColourChecker" palette, where the measured colour samples align harmoniously. Notably, the white balance has been excellently calibrated, ensuring a pure image free from unwanted tint in both SDR and HDR content. The previously problematic gamma has been well addressed, with only minor errors that do not impact the overall performance. Similarly, the EOTF curve has been refined, removing the subtle brightening effect, and now offers a truly reference-quality presentation.

As mentioned, LG televisions come with advanced tools to facilitate an accurate calibration process. By utilising these tools, we meticulously adjusted the image to align with the director’s original vision. Without overstating, the results were outstanding. Both SDR and HDR content now achieve a level of visual fidelity that reflects how films are intended to be seen.

Examining the colour accuracy on the "ColourChecker" palette reveals impressive results, with almost all colour errors falling below a delta of "1," aside from two minor exceptions. Post-calibration, the LG OLED C4 demonstrated a marked improvement in colour reproduction, particularly in SDR and HDR modes. Testing the TV after calibration highlighted its capacity for delivering exceptionally accurate colours, underlining the high calibre of this model. The LG C41LA offers a stunningly precise colour palette, sure to satisfy even the most discerning viewers.

Equally important as colour accuracy, black levels, and contrast in the context of image quality is its purity. This includes the quality of tonal transitions. Many viewers will be familiar with the "stepping" effect of colours on older displays—a frustrating issue that can significantly disrupt immersion in films or series. Unfortunately, the Philips OLED 809 suffers from such a problem, and while it might be tempting to overlook, it warrants examination.

In almost every tested scene, a lack of fluidity between colours was evident. While this is somewhat acceptable in certain films, such as Kingsman, it becomes far more distracting in others, particularly in The Green Knight. In this film, the thick fog was rendered as horizontal stripes and indistinct geometric shapes rather than a smooth gradient.

Though some televisions handle tonal transitions with excellence, the Philips OLED 809 does not belong in that category. Tests revealed visible stepping effects in colours, especially in demanding scenes, which detract from the viewing experience. Even options designed to mitigate posterisation failed to deliver adequate improvements, making this a significant drawback of the model.

The fluidity of tonal transitions in LG TVs has long been a delicate issue, as the manufacturer, despite excelling in many areas, has consistently faced challenges in this aspect. However, the tested TV performed notably well in this regard. Issues were primarily confined to darker scenes, particularly the final two, where imperfections were more apparent. Interestingly, this model delivered better results in tonal transitions than LG's flagship model, the G4, showcasing a commendable improvement in this area.

Philips OLED 809 struggled significantly in the smooth tonal transitions test. Focusing on the TV's algorithms, particularly the feature responsible for removing posterisation, the results were disappointing. This function, which offers several adjustable settings, proved ineffective in practice. The highest setting, while it does mitigate inconsistencies, it simultaneously blurs the entire image, rendering it virtually useless.

When dealing with lower-quality content, the performance of image upscaling algorithms becomes crucial. In this regard, the algorithms implemented in the OLED 809 perform admirably. They enhance image quality effectively, with minimal visible artefacts. Although slight edge fraying can occasionally be observed, it is unlikely to be noticeable during typical viewing sessions.

Let us revisit the function responsible for smooth gradation and consider its role in improving lower-quality materials. The default smoothing of tonal transitions, while decent, can be further enhanced. The feature includes a slider for adjusting its strength, and we recommend selecting the first option. This setting strikes a balance, offering excellent results without compromising important details through unnecessary blurring.

The image scaling on the LG C4 is commendable, though not entirely without flaws. By default, the image appears slightly sharper, though not to an intrusive degree. While jagged edges on elements like trees are occasionally visible, this issue is relatively minor compared to similar offerings from other manufacturers.

The maximum refresh rate achievable on the Philips OLED 809 is 144 Hz, a feature that can be fully utilised when connected to a high-performance PC. However, when connected to consoles or used for standard television viewing, the refresh rate remains at typical values. For users seeking enhanced motion fluidity or wishing to eliminate the characteristic choppiness of films shot at 24 fps, Philips provides a sophisticated motion-smoothing system.

In the settings menu, there is a "Smoothness" slider designed to reduce choppiness, along with a "Motion Blur Reduction" option to enhance the sharpness of fast-moving elements. These features perform impressively and allow for granular adjustments, ensuring that each setting has a tangible impact on motion perception. Notably, the system operates effectively at a refresh rate of 120 Hz, taking advantage of multiples of video frame rates. With this comprehensive range of options, users can easily fine-tune the settings to suit their preferences. For example, slight smoothing without inducing the soap opera effect offers a balanced viewing experience.

Motion clarity on the OLED 809 is further bolstered by the exceptional response time of the OLED panel, measured at approximately 0.1 ms. This surpasses the performance of IPS/ADS or VA panels, making OLED technology unrivalled in this area.

The LG G4 supports a maximum refresh rate of 144 Hz, achievable only when connected to a high-performance PC. Otherwise, the television operates at a maximum of 120 Hz, the recommended setting for viewing sports or content with fast-paced motion. For those prioritising smooth image quality, LG has included a versatile motion smoothing feature called "TrueMotion." This function is split into two adjustable sliders: De-Blur, which sharpens moving images, and De-Judder, which reduces jitter. Both sliders offer a range of settings from 0 to 10, enabling users to fine-tune the motion smoothness to their preference.

The LG OLED C4 boasts an impressive average response time of less than 1 millisecond, as confirmed by our measurements. This results in exceptional image clarity, far surpassing LCD televisions, which often have response times of several milliseconds. This clarity is evident in tests like the "UFO Test," where no trailing blur is visible behind moving objects.

The Philips OLED 809 fully supports all technologies included in the HDMI 2.1 standard, and during testing, each activated without issue. This makes the TV an excellent choice for gamers, whether on console or PC. Notably, it features HGIG mode as a strong alternative to Dolby Vision, which is less ideal for gaming on this model due to its high input lag.

The TV also includes a dedicated GameBar for monitoring gameplay parameters and adjusting settings quickly. Features like a crosshair overlay for sniper shots, shadow enhancement for better visibility, and a colour filter for gamers with visual impairments further enhance its gaming appeal.

In summary, the OLED 809 is a fantastic choice for gaming, equipped with VRR, ALLM, G-Sync, FreeSync, and HDR Dolby Vision gaming for a deeply immersive experience. The only drawback is the artificial sharpness in game mode, which cannot be fully softened, regardless of settings.

The LG C4, like nearly all OLED televisions from the manufacturer, excels in its compatibility with consoles and PCs. With the inclusion of four full-bandwidth HDMI 2.1 ports supporting 48 Gbps, the TV incorporates a range of features to enhance the gaming experience. Notably, it offers simultaneous support for FreeSync and G-Sync, making it an ideal choice for gamers using AMD or Nvidia graphics cards. For those seeking the best possible gaming quality, the integration of HDR Dolby Vision and HGIG mode is particularly impressive. HDR Dolby Vision operates with remarkably low input lag across all settings, ensuring smooth and responsive gameplay.

A standout feature in LG's televisions is the GameBar, which allows users to adjust settings in real-time without leaving the game. This includes options for customising the image for viewers with visual impairments, a thoughtful addition. Additionally, enabling VRR (Variable Refresh Rate) does not result in a loss of contrast—a benefit of the OLED panel's self-emissive technology, eliminating the need for conventional backlighting. While some slight flickering of grey tones may occur, this is a characteristic of VRR technology across all manufacturers.

In summary: The LG C4, like the brand's other OLED models equipped with high-refresh-rate panels and HDMI 2.1, provides a seamless and immersive gaming experience. For gamers demanding top-tier performance, this TV is an outstanding choice.

The input lag measurements on the Philips OLED 809 are impressively low across all signals and resolutions. Gamers will undoubtedly value the manufacturer’s efforts, as a game running at 4K120Hz with HDR achieves a latency of just 5 ms—virtually imperceptible, even in online gaming. Additionally, the game mode with Dolby Vision deserves praise, delivering a comparable response time of 13 ms. In this regard, the Philips OLED 809 earns top marks.

The latency time of the LG C4 is exceptionally low across all scenarios, making it a standout choice for even the most dedicated gamers. At demanding settings of 4K 120 Hz with HDR, the input lag is an astonishingly low 5 ms, ensuring an incredibly responsive gaming experience. Notably, this low latency remains consistent even when Dolby Vision HDR is enabled—a feature that competitors often struggle to maintain without increasing delay.

This consistency and performance firmly position the LG C4 as a top-tier option for gamers seeking high-quality visuals and minimal lag. It undoubtedly earns the highest rating and strong recommendation for gaming enthusiasts.

As in gaming, the Philips OLED 809 delivers excellent performance, but its capabilities falter with everyday text work. Despite its impressively low latency, the issue lies in its lack of chroma 4:4:4 support, leading to noticeable font blurriness regardless of the refresh rate. While this is not a problem during gaming, it can significantly affect text work by making fonts less readable and more straining to the eyes.

When paired with a PC, the LG C4 delivers excellent performance, largely due to its impressively low latency of 13.5 ms, ensuring a near-instantaneous response between the mouse, eye, and screen. This makes it an ideal choice for tasks requiring precision and speed.

One of the most crucial aspects of using a TV as a monitor is text readability, and in this regard, the LG C4 excels. The text appears sharp and clear, although enabling the passthrough option in the settings is necessary to optimise font sharpness.

The RWBG pixel layout is another advantage, as it does not significantly affect the clarity of fonts or letters—a notable improvement compared to Samsung's QD-OLED panels. Whether using Windows or macOS, the LG C4 ensures a smooth and satisfying user experience for work or general PC use.

An advantage of OLED panels is their excellent performance at sharp viewing angles, with no noticeable drop in contrast or color saturation. However, a characteristic feature of panels produced by LG Display, which are not used in top models, is the appearance of a teal or cyan tint when viewed from a wide angle.

One of the undeniable strengths of OLED panels is their exceptional performance for group viewing, allowing for consistent image quality from a range of viewing angles. The LG C4 upholds excellent contrast, colour saturation, and fidelity, ensuring a satisfying experience for viewers in different seating positions.

While it lacks the enhancements provided by MLA (Micro-Lens Array) technology, the C4 still delivers impressive results that most owners are likely to find highly satisfactory. However, at sharper angles, a slight greenish tint can sometimes be observed. This is a known characteristic of LG’s WRGB panels without micro-lens technology and, unfortunately, is an inherent limitation that cannot be mitigated.

For many years, the efficiency of OLED TVs during the day has been a topic of debate, with many still believing these screens aren't suitable for daylight use. While that may have been true for older models, current technology has advanced significantly. Today, there are no major objections to recommending an OLED TV for daytime use. Despite the glossy panel, which might seem like a drawback, the real-world results speak for themselves. One aspect to consider is contrast which remains higher during daytime use, unlike QD-OLED panels or OLEDs with MLA technology. This is due to the absence of excited quantum dots and micro-lenses.

The maximum brightness of the LG C4 in SDR content reaches 367 nits, which is an impressive result for an OLED television and ensures comfortable viewing, even during the day. Two notable aspects enhance the experience. First, the glossy coating on the panel effectively contains light reflections, preventing them from spreading across the screen and disrupting the image.

Secondly, the brightness of the screen at 100% white fill measures approximately 220 nits, a significant improvement over earlier OLED models, which often struggled to achieve even half this level. This enhancement provides an excellent viewing experience, particularly for bright and vibrant content such as winter sports broadcasts.

Before we dive into the software that controls the TV, it’s important to highlight one of the standout features of Philips OLED 809 is the multicoloured Ambilight. This unique system, positioned on the back of the device, adjusts its colours according to what's happening on the screen, enhancing immersion and overall viewing experience.

The Philips OLED 809 runs on the Google TV system, which is a significant advantage over some of the manufacturer's other models that use the proprietary TitanOS, a more closed system with fewer available apps. With Google TV, users can install virtually any application, from the store or via APK files directly from online repositories.

Additionally, Google TV offers convenient control options, such as easy integration with keyboards and touchpads for smoother typing and navigation. Voice commands can also be issued using the remote, with quick and accurate interpretation by the system.

In summary, Google TV is one of the most popular systems available today. Powered by a robust CPU, it operates smoothly and stably, without freezes or stutters. For those who want to make the most of their TV’s capabilities, Google TV offers the openness and versatility needed to enhance the overall experience.

LG has used its well-established proprietary WebOS system, a staple in its televisions for many years. This system provides access to virtually all major applications, with only a few notable exceptions, such as CDA or KODI. Additionally, the modern web browser and the remote control with a built-in mouse make streaming services easily accessible, even when specific apps are unavailable. One of WebOS's standout features is its ability to operate using a cursor that appears when the remote control is moved, offering great convenience when entering queries or passwords.

WebOS also includes screen mirroring, AirPlay, and Bluetooth headphone connectivity. For users with hearing impairments, it’s worth noting that WebOS allows the simultaneous use of headphones and the TV speaker, providing added flexibility. For sports fans, the system has a handy alert feature that notifies users of an upcoming match, ensuring they never miss a game.

Another highlight is the home panel, which enables users to control all smart devices connected to their home network. For example, a completed washing cycle will trigger a notification in the upper right corner of the screen.

In conclusion, while WebOS may not be as widely known or feature-rich as Android TV, it offers stable, fast performance and supports the majority of functions that users need. It is a solid and reliable option for those seeking a simple, effective, and user-friendly operating system for their television.

The default media player on the Philips OLED 809 is of a high standard but has shortcomings. It excels in playing a wide variety of video files, with the exception of two less commonly used formats. A key advantage is the inclusion of options to confirm playback for various subtitle formats. The TV handles images of any resolution effortlessly, making it a great choice for browsing family albums or studio photos. In terms of supported photo and audio formats, the performance is satisfactory, with only a few outdated or rare formats being unsupported. However, this isn't a significant issue, as users can easily download an app from the store to handle those formats.

The default file player on the LG C4 handles various photo resolutions without issue, making it a reliable option for viewing images. It supports nearly all popular video formats, including Dolby Vision, ensuring compatibility with high-quality content. However, the television does not support H.266 VVC codec, which is relatively rare at this stage, so this limitation is not a significant drawback.

A notable omission is the lack of support for subtitles in the .txt format, which could be inconvenient for users who prefer using text-based subtitle files. In terms of photo formats, the C4 supports only three: JPEG, PNG, and HEIC (the latter being particularly useful for Apple phone users). While this is somewhat limited, it covers the most common formats for everyday use.

The TV excels in audio file compatibility, with no issues playing a wide range of audio formats, ensuring seamless music and sound playback without any compatibility warnings.

At the outset, it's important to note that sound quality is always subjective. In our opinion, the audio system in the Philips OLED 809 is of high quality. The bass is well-defined without overpowering the mid and high tones. From another perspective, considering the price range of this TV, most users will likely have an additional audio system. In this context, the television will not disappoint, as it supports nearly all major standards, including Dolby Atmos and, notably, DTS-HD Master Audio.

The LG C4 audio system is well-tuned, providing strong bass and balanced mid and high tones. It stands out as one of the better-sounding televisions in its price range. However, most buyers will likely already have a dedicated audio setup. The presence of DTS-HD Master Audio and Dolby Atmos codecs enhances the overall experience, offering high-quality sound for those who rely on the TV's built-in speakers.

Philips OLED809/819 vs LG OLED C4

Advantages

Disadvantages

Our verdict

TV appearance

Where to buy

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