At first glance, it's easy to be taken aback by the Ambilight system in Philips TVs, with its LED lights projecting colors onto the wall behind the TV, colors that vary to match the main colors displayed on the TV. Smart, you think. Curious. But a gadget?
Then you realize the overall effect it creates. It gives the impression that the TV is floating, somehow elevated against these background colors. When the TV is mounted on the wall, this effect is doubly reinforced.
But there is more. With Ambilights on, the blacks on the screen appear deeper than when they are off. The contrast between blacks and colors seems to be reinforced in some way.
And in fact it is not a gimmick; the Ambilight system actually improves the perceived quality of the image on the screen by providing a backlight against which it is viewed. For nearly two decades, Philips has developed Ambilight into a sophisticated, fully immersive experience, radiating intelligent colored light from two, three or four sides of the TV, extending the viewing experience far beyond the TV itself.
The best sport; immersive game
The new modes have also increased Ambilight's versatility. The fundamental mode is "follow the video", using colors that amplify and complement the content on the screen, with smooth movements on the screen that appear to push outwards with the intelligent Ambilight. It works with any medium and the effect can be changed with different modes, such as "Vivid" for intense action movies or "Comfort" mode for more cerebral viewing.
The effect with sports can be particularly immersive, expanding the playing field and moving outward with the brightness of Ambilight, immersing you in the action on screen. At the same time, the room lighting provided by Ambilight allows you to turn off other lights that might otherwise reflect off your TV screen and further reduce perceived picture quality.
Philips Ambilight displays also feature a dedicated gaming mode that extends the colors of the sky, landscapes and gaming environments beyond the TV space, lighting up the speaker wall and reflecting across the room for the best viewing experience. immersive game.
music and more
While for movies, sports, and games, Ambilights will follow the on-screen color scheme, there are other ways to play around with your Ambilight experience.
A multitude of 'audio follow' modes will take their input from the audio spectrum of music streamed through your Philips TV: settings like Lumina, Colora, Rhythm and Party vibrate or pump the lights to serve up your favorite tunes and create a listen completely new. Live.
Or create a light environment of your choice. A selection of 'Follow Colour' modes provide rich palettes of reds, blues or greens, as well as cooler or warmer whites that are more neutral. You can take full control with the Philips app to select the colors of your choice from the app's rainbow of options.
Two additional modes will delight those who have an Ambilight TV in the bedroom. As you settle in for sleep, you can call 'Ambisleep', which turns off the screen itself, but lets Ambilights simulate a fading sunset with your choice of duration, initial brightness and color palette, accompanied by a choice of relaxing sounds of nature.
The "Sunrise Alarm" reverses the process, with the screen and Ambilights gradually rising to an artificial sunrise at a time of your choosing, with your choice of music and volume level, and finally a slow transition from the screen to the weather forecast for today. Up to five independent alarms can be programmed.
And in a final expansion, Philips offers an optional Ambilight + hue kit that connects an Ambilight TV to the wider world of Philips 'hue' smart lighting. By connecting the hue globes and informing the TV of its position in the room, the Ambilight effect can be extended to the entire room, even beyond.
the best tvs
It's not just the Ambilight that has progressed since those early years: Philips TV technologies continue to dominate the world, with its top-of-the-line models winning awards and earning rave reviews from experts.
In addition to high-performance LED-LCD models, Philips offers Ambilight behind the latest 4K OLED displays. Imagine the stark blacks and sparkling colors of OLED further enhanced with Ambilight's perceived contrast enhancement and with a Bowers & Wilkins on-board audio system as a sound bonus.
It is true that you have to see and experience Ambilight to truly appreciate it. Fortunately, Philips Ambilight TVs are available from Harvey Norman, as well as through Amazon AU. Full details of the TVs can be found on the Philips website.