Philips 9100 4K TV with bundled wireless subwoofer promises stunning pictures and serious bass
Philips 9100 comes with a wireless bass booster for films and games that sound as well as look great
As TVs get thinner and thinner, so do the speakers inside them – resulting in weedy, quiet sound. Not so with TP Vision’s latest flagship TV powered by Android, the Philips 9100, as it comes bundled with a wireless subwoofer for a much-needed bass boost.
The wireless subwoofer will come in handy for more than films and games, as the 9100 is among the first TVs to support Spotify Connect. Owners with a Spotify Premium account will be able to browse playlists, choose albums and discover new music on a smartphone or tablet, then play the music through the TV speakers.
The 50w wireless sub, which Philips says is thin enough to be “neatly placed out of sight”, is only one small part of the 9100 TV, which combines all of Philips’ image processing technologies with an Android-powered smart TV system, 4-sided AmbiLight system and minimal Arc stand for truly immersive films and games. The Arc stand, finished in Chrome, lifts the screen off the surface it rests on and creates plenty of space for the down-firing AmbiLight LED to give the impression the set is actually floating on light. If you have Philips Hue lightbulbs, they can be set up as extensions to the AmbiLight system too.
Both the 55in and 65in models have a 4K, 3,840×2,160 resolution panel, backed up by Philips’ Perfect Pixel Ultra HD picture processing engine, Micro Dimming Pro LED backlighting, Perfect Natural Motion image smoothing, Ultra Resolution upscaling and 1,000Hz Perfect Motion Rate refresh technology. Throw in active 3D playback too and it should be able to handle any content you can throw at it.
You’ll have plenty of sources to choose from; the Smart TV system is powered by Android 4.2 Jelly Bean, which includes full access to the Google Play Store for downloading and installing third party apps, streaming services and catch up content. You’ll also get a full Chrome web browser, YouTube client, on-demand Google Play Movies, Google Play Music streaming and Google Now-powered voice search. It should be easy to navigate too, thanks to a choice of control methods including a dedicated smartphone app, gesture controls using the built-in camera, or the Wii-like remote control with pointer control, full QWERTY keyboard and voice control.
Both the 55in and 65in 9100 TVs should be arriving in shops towards the end of the year, although Philips and TP Vision aren’t yet talking pricing. As a flagship LCD TV we’re expecting something in the region of £1,500-2,000, but will have to wait for an officiall announcement.
We’re hoping to see the TV in action later today here at IFA, so will be sure to report on whether the wireless subwoofer can provide the big sound we’d expect to accompany a flagship 4K TV.