Philips 40PUT6400 review: Price
Philips 40PUT6400 review: Design and features
Cosmetics are neat and tidy, with a thin black bezel and wireframe pedestal stand. An illuminated logo pouts from the bottom of the panel; thankfully brightness can be moderated or switched off. Connections include four HDMI inputs, but only one supports HDCP 2.2 copy protection, required for 4K content sources. There are also three USBs, Ethernet, SCART and component, plus a digital optical audio output. Integrated Wi-Fi is dual band, there’s also Wi-Fi Direct. The Android interface here is better managed than we’ve seen from Sony’s Android offerings. The platform’s baffling system settings and interface controls are thankfully buried away in the main Settings menu, resulting in a cleaner, more inclusive, Android user experience. The set supports Google Cast, offering a reasonable level of interaction with compatible mobile apps. Onboard apps include YouTube, Netflix, iPlayer, Dailymotion and some lesser content options. Beyond the BBC, there’s no catch-up provision. You do get, however, a wide selection of casual games. 8GB of local storage is provided, although this can be extended if you really need it. The set has an integrated HEVC decoder, and as a result has a 4K Netflix client. Spotify Connect is also provided. For a relatively budget set, this 6 Series model offers a high level of image control and personalisation – gamma, dynamic control, noise reduction. Most users will elect to stay with the presets, which comprise Personal, Vivid, Natural, Standard, Movie, Photo, plus ISF Day and Night modes. Philips image processing tricks include a UHD iteration of its Pixel Plus image engine, with Philips Natural Motion. The latter is not an aid for sports viewing, as it doesn’t retain subjective clarity in scenes of high movement, but it does combat judder from 24fps sources. Similarly, there’re a large number of audio parameters, including Incredible Sound – billed as a surround mode. There’s also support for additional Bluetooth wireless speakers.
Philips 40PUT6400 review: Media playback and performance
Media playback from USB and across a network is excellent. The TV instantly identifies DLNA sources and will play all popular video formats, including MKV. Audio support covers FLAC, AAC, MP3, WMA and WAV. Picture quality is impressive. The set looks sharp and that UHD panel eliminates any sense of a pixel grit. Backlight uniformity is good. Micro Dimming Pro works with an on-set light sensor to enhance contrast and ensure blacks remain on the right side of dramatic. HD sources also look extremely crisp and cinematic. Colour fidelity could be better – the set displays deep reds as orange. While Freeview HD channels are sharp enough, there’s no doubt Blu-ray and 4K Netflix look better. Marco Polo (Netflix 4K) features an abundance of detail, with lush textures and finely delineated fabrics which convey well on this display. Audio, despite all its parameter control, remains thin. You’ll want to add a sound bar.
