A few factors should be considered when you shop for a new TV. There’s size, cost, the panel type and Ambilight. That last attribute is the only one exclusive to a single brand: Philips.
Have you ever tried a Philips Ambilight TV? If not, here’s why we think you should.
Philips unique Ambilight technology makes any kind of content, from movies to football matches and even gaming, more immersive and engaging, drawing you deeper into the on-screen content – even giving you the effect of an even bigger TV. Once you’ve tried Philips Ambilight there’s a very good chance, you’ll never go back to owning a TV without it. So what does it do, exactly?
LEDs built into the back of a Philips Ambilight TV extend films, shows and video games by projecting colour-matched light onto the wall or surface behind the screen. As well as helping to reduce eyestrain, Ambilight makes the TV image appear deeper and richer through a perceived increase in contrast.
It also appears as though the screen content is floating in space, not just stuck in the confines of your TV’s panel. Philips Ambilight is a not-so-little piece of TV tech magic that must be seen to be believed.
What can Philips Ambilight do?
There’s more good news. Philips Ambilight is available in all sorts of TVs, not just high-end ones.
You’ll find Ambilight in everything from affordable 43-inch LCD sets to ultra-desirable OLEDs like the Philips OLED907, and the company’s brand new MiniLED TVs.
It works wonders for movies, but also pairs beautifully with football matches, video games, and even TV soaps — why not? Your room becomes part of the presentation, drawing your eyes in like a tractor beam.
Philips Ambilight can also be used when the TV is not playing shows or movies, reacting to music, or acting as another light source for the room. It can even help you wind down before bed by warming up the colour temperature as it gets late in the day with a sunset-like effect.
There’s even a lava lamp-style animated mode, to add visual interest to any space without having the TV fully turned on. Philips Ambilight doesn’t just enhance TV viewing; it makes your TV more useful in ways you might never guess.
Creating the legend
So, now you know the basic Philips Ambilight concept; but you might not recognise just how far it’s come since it was first introduced in 2004.
Ambilight technology went through a generational change in 2022, one that dramatically improved Philips Ambilight real-world impact and fidelity. What was great is now, well, even better.
Instead of using blocks or “zones” of multi-colour LEDs, this next-gen Ambilight has individually controllable LEDs.
Far greater control means greater accuracy, making Ambilight projection appear to blend seamlessly with the on-screen content all the more convincingly. The movie being played and the room it’s played in appear to merge, letting you get lost in the narrative all the more completely.
Philips Ambilight: A potted history
Getting to this point has involved many stages of iterative improvement.
In the earliest versions of Philips Ambilight, there were light panels on the left and right of the screen, and they would both display whatever was the dominant colour on-screen.
This soon transitioned into Ambilight that could display different colours on the left and right sides. Over the years, Philips added upward-firing LEDs, for “three-sided” Ambilight and zones for greater control of the projected light.
However, the 2022 update represents a huge change in what’s possible with a Philips Ambilight set.
One aspect continues to be true, though; Phillips Ambilight is not a gimmick – it is a feature best experienced first-hand. We’ve hopefully given you a taster of what it’s like to witness Ambilight in action. But before you choose your next TV, make sure to audition a Philips Ambilight TV in person – you’ll be amazed at how effective it is and how boring normal TV feels after.
