As with any new TV you're buying, check the feet measurements to make sure it'll fit on your mantel, TV stand or whatever. In this case, the mantel is a hair too shallow. (Rick Broida/Yahoo)
Time for a new TV? I'm sure a bigger screen is on the agenda, but consider these two upgrades as well: interface and image quality. For the former I recommend Roku, with its unrivaled ease of setup and operation. For the latter: OLED, with its eye-popping color and contrast. Now you can have both in the same place: The new Philips 974 Series (model 65OLED974/F7) is a 65-inch OLED TV with built-in Roku — only the second model ever to make that claim and the first that's available at nationwide retail: You can get it from Sam's Club (and only Sam's Club, at least for now — more on that below).
Here's hoping you like that size, though, because for the moment it's the only option. No doubt others will follow, but as of this writing the manufacturer isn't saying when. (Prefer a 55-inch? Check out the Sansui S55VOUG.) The good news is it's also a bargain compared to most 65-inch OLEDs. But what do you sacrifice by choosing a "budget OLED" over more premium models from LG, Samsung and Sony? (Spoiler alert: not much.) Here's my Philips 974 Series TV review.
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VERDICT: Roku and OLED are the best combination since peanut butter and chocolate. The Philips 974 Series brings it to you on a budget, though in only one size — and from only one store.
At this writing, the Philips 974 Series is available only in a 65-inch size and only at Sam's Club. Yes, that means you need a membership in order to buy the TV, but consider this: It costs only $50 (though you can often find it discounted to $25) and comes with various perks, including discounts on gas and free curbside pickup. More important to this discussion, Sam's Club members get a 3-year warranty on the TV. It's normally one year, same as most other TVs from most other stores. I think that benefit alone more than justifies the cost of a membership. (Also, you need it only at the time of purchase; according to a Roku representative, the 3-year warranty is good even if your Sam's Club membership is no longer active.)
Although the TV has a list price of $1,299 — a close match to LG's popular B3 Series in the same size — it currently sells for $999. (Alas, the previous "introductory special" of $900 has expired.) That's an unusually low price for a 65-inch OLED.
Modern TV setup is pretty simple: Take it out of the box, plug it in, follow the onscreen prompts. Philips supplies a nicely detailed quick-start guide that walks you through every step, from putting batteries in the remote to setting up parental controls — something you rarely see in a print guide and which I greatly appreciated. Equally welcome: a note that Roku doesn't charge for support if you need help getting the TV activated, and that you should beware of scams related to this.
There's also a QR code you can scan to get a more detailed user manual, though it merely takes you to Philips' main support page; you have to manually enter the TV's model number to retrieve the manual, which is common but irksome.
With a friend's assistance, I had an easy time unboxing the 47.6-pound TV and attaching its two feet. Like a lot of OLEDs, this one is razor-thin from the top to the middle and then thicker to accommodate things like ports and speakers. (There are four HDMI 2.1 inputs, by the way, including the obligatory eARC/ARC for use with a soundbar or audio receiver.) The TV's feet sit about 41 inches apart but can be left off if you decide to wall-mount it.
I love Roku for how simple it is to set up, from pairing the remote to getting connected to Wi-Fi. You do need to create a Roku account if you don't already have one, so be prepared to devise (and record) another password.
I'll contrast this with the setup procedures for Amazon Fire TV and Google TV, which are also relatively straightforward but inundate you with questions, options, ads for additional services, etc. Roku is without question the fastest and easiest interface when it comes to getting started.
Same goes for the actual user interface, which has changed little over the years and still consists of large, colorful tiles for whatever streaming apps you care to use (Netflix, Hulu, etc.). And those exist alongside an options menu with actual text, not cryptic icons. It's difficult enough to navigate today's TV landscape without having to fight the TV itself. There's no fighting here; Roku remains the simplicity champ.
Partial credit goes to the superbly designed remote, which offers a simple, straightforward button layout that I find easy to navigate by feel. It is not, however, Roku's best remote: If you want backlit buttons, a rechargeable battery and support for hands-free voice commands, you'll need to spring for the Voice Remote Pro (available separately). It adds all that and a lost-remote finder. Pretty good upgrade for just $30, though obviously I wish Philips had opted to include that version with the TV.
You can still use voice commands, by the way, but it's a push-to-talk situation: You need to hold a button on the remote.
I've never seen a bad OLED TV. The underlying technology ("Organic Light-Emitting Diode," for what that's worth) produces unrivaled color vibrancy and black levels, with amazing contrast and viewing angles to boot. Put an OLED side-by-side with, say, a QLED (which is likely to cost hundreds less) and you'll immediately see the difference.
That said, this is a "budget" OLED, so it may lack some of the more advanced tech or fine-tuning tweaks found in LG and Sony models that literally cost twice as much. Indeed, I noticed a bit less "color pop" than I've seen elsewhere, though one could argue that's a good thing: Over-saturated color can actually be a distraction.
For those interested in specs, the 974 Series offers a 120Hz refresh rate and support for AMD FreeSync, a technology Xbox consoles and gaming PCs can leverage for the smoothest possible video. Dolby Vision IQ and HDR10 are on hand as well for the content that supports them, though to my thinking they're just more icing on the OLED cake.
Indeed, in my humble opinion, not much of this matters to the average viewer. If the 974 Series is replacing a non-OLED TV, you'll be blown away by the exceptional color and contrast. Everything I watched looked sharp, smooth, richly detailed, vibrant. And my setup-assisting friend remarked at how great the picture appeared even when he sat off to one side; his older, non-OLED TV had terrible viewing angles in comparison.
However, I did have to make one adjustment to the image settings: motion-smoothing. When it's on, it produces the so-called soap-opera effect, which is horrible and should be avoided at all costs (except when watching sports, in which case it's desirable). Roku Smart Picture, a feature now baked into the Roku OS, is supposed to optimize the image for whatever you're viewing — including dialing back motion-smoothing when appropriate.
Unfortunately, it didn't work as effectively here as on the Roku Pro Series TV I reviewed last year. It's possible that's because the latter includes a special processor devoted to it, allowing for an upgraded version known as Smart Picture Max. All I know is that even with Smart Picture enabled on the 974 Series, I noticed the telltale soap-opera signs: flat, artificial-looking movement. Thankfully, it's easy enough to reduce or disable motion-smoothing; I was just hoping Smart Picture would have handled that for me.
As for sound, the 974 Series incorporates a 2.1-channel audio system (meaning two speakers and a subwoofer) that supports Dolby Atmos. While this combo did a respectable job overall — TV speakers rarely produce any bass to speak of, but there's a nice little thump present here — I could detect no trace of surround sound in Atmos-encoded content. And as is so often the case, I had to crank the volume to hear well in this fairly open living room, resulting in audio that started to get a little harsh.
My advice here remains the same as always: See if you're satisfied with the built-in speakers (they might sound better in a smaller, more enclosed room, for example), then add a soundbar if you're not. For what it's worth, TV audio improved dramatically when I connected the Hisense AX5125H soundbar (our pick for the best soundbar you can buy right now).
There's no question that a 65-inch OLED TV for $999 is a bargain, even if it means signing up for a price-club membership. I'm especially partial to the onboard Roku software that makes setup and operation so easy — and because I've seen even premium TVs develop problems after a year or two, a 3-year warranty is an awfully attractive bonus.
I do wish Philips had more than one size to offer, and more than one store selling the TV. It's likely the former will change before long; not sure about the latter.
Those nitpicks aside, this is a great TV at a great price.