As usual, 4K TV models appear on the official Philips website with some delay. This is what happened with the 2020 Philips 7 Series. A couple of lines PUS7805 and PUS7505 have already been designated as new this year. We would like to consider one of them. This time, let’s talk about Philips PUS7505 TVs, which are the initial models of this company.
These TVs have basic functions without the bells and whistles, although they are equipped with the powerful P5 picture processor. Besides, the competitive price gives a definite plus. The PUS7505 series from Philips has exciting features for this price range, such as Dolby Vision and HDR 10+ compatibility. Consider the Philips 50PUS7505 4K UHD LED Smart TV review as a 2020 Philips 7 Series.
Philips PUS7505 review
Let’s make a reservation right away that there are differences depending on the diagonal size of the PUS7505 series. A similar Philips PUS7555 series can be found in various markets. The difference lies in the color of the decoration. So the Philips PUS7505 TV models are supplied in a black case, and Philips PUS7555 or Philips PUS7535 in silver. This is where the difference ends.
Design
The PUS7505 series of TVs are made in a design that is very attractive for the lowest price range. The screen frame looks very elegant, both in black and in silver versions. The TV support consists of two feet located closer to the edges of the screen.
For 58 and 70 inch versions, the feet can be positioned closer to the center of the chassis if the horizontal surface is too small. The PUS7505 version has a black bezel and stand feet. Choosing the option that works best for you is a matter of taste, although visually the silver TV is more attractive and less dusty.
The screen has a semi-matte filter that blurs glare very well and makes them non-annoying if the TV is in a well-lit room. The included remote is the same as last year’s models, but slightly facelifted. It is very lightweight and easy to use. The remote has Netflix and Rakuten TV keys (in select markets) for direct access to these apps.
Picture
With regard to the picture quality assessments offered by the new Philips PUS7505 and PUS7555 TVs, it is recommended to make the initial settings to get the best result. These models have many settings to improve the picture, and the factory settings are often not quite perfect.
Let’s try to set our calibrations. The first option is for standard content such as “antenna” TV, Blu-Ray or DVD. The second option is for HDR content. Then you can get the most out of your 50PUS7505 and see the best picture possible.
Setting up the Philips PUS7505 image in SDR
Picture style: cinema or individual.
Color: 60.
Backlight contrast: 95 (set lower if viewing in a dark room).
Improvement: 3.
Brightness: 50.
Expert Mode Settings:
Color Enhancement: Disabled (if enabled, colors are mixed).
Color palette: warm.
White point alignment: Red-WP: 127, Green-WP: 115, Blue-WP: 110.
Contrast mode: off.
Dynamic Contrast: Off
Video contrast: 95 (set lower when viewing in a dark room).
Range: 1.
Ultra Resolution: On.
Noise Reduction: Medium (set to minimum if 4K SDR).
MPEG Distortion Reduction: Medium (set to minimum if 4K SDR).
Motion processing: individually.
Natural movement: average.
Philips PUS7505 image setup for HDR
Picture Style: Cinema HDR or Personal HDR.
Color: 55.
Backlight contrast: 100.
Improvement: 5.
Brightness: 50.
Expert Mode Settings:
Color Enhancement: Disabled (if enabled, colors are mixed).
Color palette: warm.
White point alignment: Red-WP: 127, Green-WP: 115, Blue-WP: 110.
Contrast mode: off.
HDR Plus: Maximum (set to medium when viewing in a dark room).
Video contrast: 100.
Range: 1.
Ultra resolution: On.
Reduction of MPEG distortion: minimal.
Motion processing: individually.
Natural movement: minimal.
Black level
The 50-inch 50PUS7505 / 60 version of the 7505 is equipped with a VA (MVA) panel. These panels have a very good contrast ratio. This type of matrix is used in 58 and 70 inch versions.
The Philips 43PUS7505 and Philips 65PUS7505 models have IPS matrices. This means that in these versions, on the one hand, the black level will be worse, and on the other hand, the viewing angles will be much better. The backlight used in TVs is direct LED and uses a Micro Dimming system to control the lighting of each scene using software.
So for the 50-inch version – the black level is really good and the dark parts of the image are completely black on the screen. When viewed in the dark, the PUS7505 can be seen to display contrasting images well with excellent uniformity across the screen.
Brightness
The Philips PUS7505 / 60 series TVs are compatible with Dolby Vision, HDR 10+, HDR 10 and HLG. The maximum peak brightness is around 350 nits. For an entry-level TV that’s pretty good, but not for HDR.
Its HDR performance seems to be significantly better than its other competitors in this range. Models in this series retain detail well in bright areas without flash, clipping or white compression. Definitely, Dolby Vision compatibility is a plus, which isn’t very common in this price range. When DV content appears, the TV displays a notification on the screen.
Chromaticity
The color gamut reproduced by the Philips PUS7505 series is slightly limited. The panel has 8-bit + FRC color depth and does not have a wide color gamut. In some sources you can find information about “honest” 10-bit color depth.
But in support of Philips, we could not clearly explain what the real color depth is, citing the lack of this information. The models do not cover 90% of the DCI-P3 color gamut recommended for modern HDR TVs.
There is a certain loss of light areas in the image, especially blue colors, due to which they lose saturation. For best results, it is recommended to stick to the color adjustment.
Definition
The PUS7505 / 60 series comes with the P5 image processor, which is renowned for good processing to display crisp images with a good level of detail. Note that last year’s Philips PUS6754 series featured a Pixel Precise UHD processor.
In 2020, it became noticeable in the TV content (antenna input) the generation of small noise. Therefore, you need to activate the noise canceling function to reduce it. The good news is that this does not result in loss of sharpness. The sharpness is high regardless of the source, and the viewing of broadcasts in HD and 4K resolution is in good quality.
Dynamics
The refresh rate of the panel in the PUS7505 series is 60Hz. In dynamic scenes, some noise is generated around objects. The image is somewhat blurry. For purists who reject frame interpolation, this model has no choice but to activate it to improve motion.
The best quality will be observed in “personal” mode – in “Natural Motion” select “Medium” in HD content and “Minimum” in HDR. This will soften the image, but without creating an over-the-top soap opera effect .
Game Mode
The PUS7505 series isn’t the best gaming TV on the market today. Input latency is a reasonable 20ms. To achieve this, you need to enable Game Mode, which disables certain features to reduce latency.
With acceptable HDR performance, this is a “normal” TV for gaming in this format. But advanced features like HDMI 2.1 or VRR are missing. They can be found in higher end models, including ALLM (Automatic Low Latency Mode), which allows you to automatically set the ideal latency setting when you connect a game console or PC.
Sound
As expected, the sound in the 50PUS7505 / 60 leaves a lot to be desired, but there is still a plus. If we talk about the base price range, the soundtrack outperforms other competitors Samsung and LG.
There is a mode that is very interesting – this is the AI mode. This mode automatically adjusts the sound according to the content being played. Of course, there are several modes to choose from, including News Mode, Movie Mode, Music Mode, Game Mode, and Custom Mode. In the latter case, more adjustments can be made, such as alignment across frequency bands.
The Philips PUS7505 series has a feature that might be interesting and not found on all models. When connecting headphones, it is possible to adjust the volume yourself. This is useful if someone is listening to the TV through the TV’s built-in speakers and another person with hearing impairments is using headphones. This way, you can adjust the volume of your headphones without affecting the volume of your TV.
Smart TV
This point is one of the least liked in Philips 7505 TVs. The Saphi operating system, which is already used in previous models, is frankly limited. There are too few applications to access. Most of the applications are of no interest.
At least there is access to the main ones: YouTube, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video. A web browser is included as standard, and a wireless keyboard and mouse can be connected for easy navigation.
The processor that powers the Saphi operating system is dual-core. The models come with 2GB of RAM and 4GB of storage, although with the installation of the operating system itself the memory becomes slightly less. More than enough to install apps and games anyway.
Interfaces
The 50PUS7505 has three HDMI ports, two USB ports, optical audio out, antenna connectors, and an Ethernet port for various connections. Three HDMI 2.0 ports and one USB 3.0 (side) port. The rest of the ports are standard and do not differ from last year’s models of this level.
Conclusion
Our opinion about the Philips 50PUS7505 model is rather positive, considering that we are talking about the entry-level line. Undoubtedly, this is one of the 2020 TV series worth considering in this price range.
The main advantages are very good contrast ratio with deep blacks. Highlights compatibility with two dynamic HDR formats such as Dolby Vision and HDR 10+ for the ultimate viewing experience.
The P5 image processor provides good sharpness and detail, and also displays content properly at lower resolutions. The weakest point of this TV is undoubtedly its operating system, which is quite limited compared to other competing models.
If you are an avid user of various applications, then it is worth considering the Philips PUS8505 line that comes with Android TV, or add Fire TV or Smart Box to have many more applications and games on your TV screen.