Philips 7304 reviews/experiences

Well hopefully one day Philips management will get a fresh new team with some right direction thinking :D By the way try testing phone over router wifi rather than mesh discs ;)

Hopefully 2020 series will have better specs, but I hardly believe in that ;(
Doubt it lol
 
Well I'm 49 now, taking said glass of wine to bed and sulk about being old and having a TV with terrible network capabilities lol
Hope you enjoying your birthday ;)
I have done some tests on mine tv using analiti iperf3 server and results are little mixed:

[ ID] Interval Transfer Bandwidth
[ 4] 0.00-1.01 sec 8.12 MBytes 67.3 Mbits/sec
[ 4] 1.01-2.00 sec 9.50 MBytes 80.5 Mbits/sec
[ 4] 2.00-3.00 sec 9.38 MBytes 78.5 Mbits/sec
[ 4] 3.00-4.01 sec 9.00 MBytes 74.8 Mbits/sec
[ 4] 4.01-5.01 sec 9.00 MBytes 75.6 Mbits/sec
[ 4] 5.01-6.00 sec 9.25 MBytes 78.5 Mbits/sec
[ 4] 6.00-7.00 sec 9.00 MBytes 75.5 Mbits/sec
[ 4] 7.00-8.00 sec 9.38 MBytes 78.6 Mbits/sec
[ 4] 8.00-9.00 sec 9.62 MBytes 80.7 Mbits/sec
[ 4] 9.00-10.01 sec 9.12 MBytes 76.2 Mbits/sec
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
[ ID] Interval Transfer Bandwidth
[ 4] 0.00-10.01 sec 91.4 MBytes 76.6 Mbits/sec sender
[ 4] 0.00-10.01 sec 91.2 MBytes 76.4 Mbits/sec receiver

[ 4] 0.00-1.01 sec 9.75 MBytes 81.3 Mbits/sec
[ 4] 1.01-2.00 sec 9.25 MBytes 77.9 Mbits/sec
[ 4] 2.00-3.00 sec 9.75 MBytes 81.9 Mbits/sec
[ 4] 3.00-4.00 sec 8.62 MBytes 72.4 Mbits/sec
[ 4] 4.00-5.00 sec 8.00 MBytes 67.1 Mbits/sec
[ 4] 5.00-6.01 sec 9.62 MBytes 80.4 Mbits/sec
[ 4] 6.01-7.01 sec 6.12 MBytes 51.4 Mbits/sec
[ 4] 7.01-8.00 sec 9.50 MBytes 80.1 Mbits/sec
[ 4] 8.00-9.00 sec 9.38 MBytes 78.7 Mbits/sec
[ 4] 9.00-10.01 sec 9.50 MBytes 79.3 Mbits/sec
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
[ ID] Interval Transfer Bandwidth
[ 4] 0.00-10.01 sec 89.5 MBytes 75.0 Mbits/sec sender
[ 4] 0.00-10.01 sec 89.5 MBytes 75.0 Mbits/sec receiver

I have no mesh system just router which is downstairs, tv has around -70dbm with 260Mbits rate and as you can see hardly get 80Mbits on transfer. So if tv is not close to router, cable is best option really :D
 
Hope you enjoying your birthday ;)
I have done some tests on mine tv using analiti iperf3 server and results are little mixed:





I have no mesh system just router which is downstairs, tv has around -70dbm with 260Mbits rate and as you can see hardly get 80Mbits on transfer. So if tv is not close to router, cable is best option really :D
Meh OK.. boring thx to the covid mess lol
That's probably what I'm going to stick with although wasn't much difference, with wired LAN it will be more reliable than WiFi..
 
One golden rule when you buy tv - get yourself portable ssd and upload all high quality sample videos. Test with them videos before making purchase :) Considering OLED philips models based on same hardware I would expect same issues there with video lags etc... tv boxes like yours with coreElec uses hardware just for running os and playing your video, where on philips its all shared with other processes.
Like I said I have mi box s which is nearly identical spec, but philips tv just no where near it, mi box flies over these videos with no lag, but this tv just bug on bug all over places ;)
Yeah im done with Philips after this one 😂...i will get a LG Oled or wait for some microLED panels to be launched. Samsung is developing some mayor new tech on their qled panels...so in 5 years period...new Samsung telly. Yeah your box and mine box are basicaly the same, same SoC Amlogic.
Thinking on buying the newer Amlogic 922 box for its support for 4k 60fps video playback eventualy.
This mediatek crap on Philips is so bad ....i wonder if Sony with Mediatek SoC has the same problems..just thinking out loud. And too think that i will unplug my box after philips android tv..yeah..sorry..not gonna happen. As you said..bug on bug
 
My 58PUS7304 is being collected by Costco on Friday. I really wanted to like the TV and have spent ages calibrating it but without much success. The picture is still a little dull for my liking. I will buy a OLED probably the LGB9. I really wanted to like the TV as I liked ambilight but pq is pretty poor. I compared the picture through my Virgin Media STB a V6 box which broadcasts in 4k on BT Sport and watched the German football over the weekend but pq was pretty poor.

I'll go back to my 40 inch Samsung LED TV and will keep it until there is a deal on an OLED I want.

If you are new to this thread I would recommend not buying the Philips 7 series.
 
Yeah im done with Philips after this one 😂...i will get a LG Oled or wait for some microLED panels to be launched. Samsung is developing some mayor new tech on their qled panels...so in 5 years period...new Samsung telly. Yeah your box and mine box are basicaly the same, same SoC Amlogic.
Thinking on buying the newer Amlogic 922 box for its support for 4k 60fps video playback eventualy.
This mediatek crap on Philips is so bad ....i wonder if Sony with Mediatek SoC has the same problems..just thinking out loud. And too think that i will unplug my box after philips android tv..yeah..sorry..not gonna happen. As you said..bug on bug
I was watching some reviews on 922, seems to be promising cpu/gpu. But actual cost of those boxes based on that hardware is quite high yet. Not low enough not to think about nvidia shield pro which would be my preference due to warranted support and development also 4k certified.
 
Updating the NVM to version 0.61 on my 50pus7304 didn't affect the HDR image. I thought for a moment that the HDR image on my PS4 was better with better contrast and colours but after switching back to a SDR input the HDR image on the PS4 was washed out again. I had to change the settings again for a more punchy image. Very strange? Is it possible that the NVM file is corrupt or not good?
 
Out of interest which picture style are you using when you switch back and forth between SDR and HDR video output formats via same HDMI input?

And in the case of the selected Picture Style are you making user adjustments that are lost back to factory values each time you switch? (I believe this is what Manual implies will happen for everything except Personal saved picture Style for SDR, HDR and Dolby Vision)

Customise a Style

Any picture setting you adjust, like Colour or Contrast, is stored in the currently selected Picture Style. It allows you to customise each style. Only the style Personal can save its settings for each source in the Sources menu.
 
I was watching some reviews on 922, seems to be promising cpu/gpu. But actual cost of those boxes based on that hardware is quite high yet. Not low enough not to think about nvidia shield pro which would be my preference due to warranted support and development also 4k certified.
yes Nvidia is a safe buy. im thinking of upgrading in december-ish date so prices will go down by then. maybe Shield will be on sale till then, Amlogic will drop prices for shure, at the moment they are realy high for this type of SoC that you got right for shure
 
Out of interest which picture style are you using when you switch back and forth between SDR and HDR video output formats via same HDMI input?

And in the case of the selected Picture Style are you making user adjustments that are lost back to factory values each time you switch? (I believe this is what Manual implies will happen for everything except Personal saved picture Style for SDR, HDR and Dolby Vision)

Customise a Style

Any picture setting you adjust, like Colour or Contrast, is stored in the currently selected Picture Style. It allows you to customise each style. Only the style Personal can save its settings for each source in the Sources menu.

With SDR I use the picture style 'movies' for every SDR source except the PS4.

When switching to Dolby Vision I use Dolby Vision bright, for HDR content I use HDR movies and for HDR gaming I use HDR game.

I have a weird problem with the NVM update, I tried to update for the second time now... When the updated is installed I changed my settings AGAIN until I was satisfied with the picture. After applying the update the HDR image send by my PS4 is pretty good and I was very surprised with the popping colours (colour setting 52) and better contrast. BUT... when I put my PS4 and TV into standby mode for the night the HDR image was washed out again when I started the same game on my PS4 (CoD) today. I had to put the colours above the 70 range to get some popping HDR colour on my TV...

What is wrong with this TV? It looks like the TV is forgetting the NVM update every time...?? After the update better HDR, after standby mode or switching to SDR the HDR was washed out again!?
 
With SDR I use the picture style 'movies' for every SDR source except the PS4.

When switching to Dolby Vision I use Dolby Vision bright, for HDR content I use HDR movies and for HDR gaming I use HDR game.

I have a weird problem with the NVM update, I tried to update for the second time now... When the updated is installed I changed my settings AGAIN until I was satisfied with the picture. After applying the update the HDR image send by my PS4 is pretty good and I was very surprised with the popping colours (colour setting 52) and better contrast. BUT... when I put my PS4 and TV into standby mode for the night the HDR image was washed out again when I started the same game on my PS4 (CoD) today. I had to put the colours above the 70 range to get some popping HDR colour on my TV...

What is wrong with this TV? It looks like the TV is forgetting the NVM update every time...?? After the update better HDR, after standby mode or switching to SDR the HDR was washed out again!?
Does it revert back to the previous NVM or does it show the updated NVM but not implement it.Sounds like the updated NVM is not being saved?
 
As mentioned in Philips user guide any changes made to Picture Styles other than "Personal" may/will be lost between uses, returning to factory values. (i.e. When you are switching between varied SDR, HRD and Dolby Sources for a given input and probably between placing TV into standby and back on again)

So possibly try adjusting provided HDMI Input HDR settings "Personal" Picture Style to similar values as you like when adjusting HDR Movie and/or HDR Game Picture Style. (Unfortunately you will not be able to save both under a particular Personal setting) Hopefully this is not bad advice, as I personally am currently only adjusting Personal Picture style for varied SDR sources and as far as I am aware this has remained constantly at my personally adjusted settings between Philips Firmware updates.

All other Picture Style settings for SDR and all Picture Style settings for HDR and Dolby Vision at the moment I am living with what’s provided by Philips until such time as needs make it worthwhile to adjust. See spreadsheet image I included in this thread for values I gathered for settings I could access with valid video sources I have available to me.
 
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Does it revert back to the previous NVM or does it show the updated NVM but not implement it.Sounds like the updated NVM is not being saved?

The NVM version stays at version 0.61, all of my settings are being saved but still the HDR image looks a lot worse after the display is turned off (standby mode) and on again...

Should I try a different NVM version for updating?
 
The NVM version stays at version 0.61, all of my settings are being saved but still the HDR image looks a lot worse after the display is turned off (standby mode) and on again...

Should I try a different NVM version for updating?
Version 0.61 is the latest version I believe. After updating to 0.61 did you do a factory reinstall?Just checking.
 
Version 0.61 is the latest version I believe. After updating to 0.61 did you do a factory reinstall?Just checking.

That I didn't! Do you think that's really necessary because all of the image settings are set to default after the NVM update...
 
That I didn't! Do you think that's really necessary because all of the image settings are set to default after the NVM update...
All I know is if you update the firmware and DONT follow up with the factory install it doesn't complete properly.Even though when I checked latest firmware status when the freeview hd was updated to freeview play,it did not show until after I did factory reinstall.This is the updating process that Philip's say you must carry out for some reason.Before doing so make a note of all the settings you are happy with so you can reenter them if they default to factory settings.Download a blank spreadsheet from MikeKL to keep a record.
 
All I know is if you update the firmware and DONT follow up with the factory install it doesn't complete properly.Even though when I checked latest firmware status when the freeview hd was updated to freeview play,it did not show until after I did factory reinstall.This is the updating process that Philip's say you must carry out for some reason.Before doing so make a note of all the settings you are happy with so you can reenter them if they default to factory settings.Download a blank spreadsheet from MikeKL to keep a record.

I have saved my settings in Samsung Notes ;)... I will perform a factory reset let's hope this helps...
 
well i have played with Plex server and player. HDR plays well on Plex ( no stuttering/lag), picture quality it is what it is...still didnt find optimal HDR settings but here is a pic of bandwith speed if someone finds it interesting...and yes i have a gigabit local network. Server runs on my Ryzen 5 3600 pc. So im thinking that i will migrate all my 4k content to pc to use with plex. CoreELEC with Samba will do for HD content. Plex is a way to go for ne for 4k. Better pic quality compared to Kodi.
cheers
 

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well i have played with Plex server and player. HDR plays well on Plex ( no stuttering/lag), picture quality it is what it is...still didnt find optimal HDR settings but here is a pic of bandwith speed if someone finds it interesting...and yes i have a gigabit local network. Server runs on my Ryzen 5 3600 pc. So im thinking that i will migrate all my 4k content to pc to use with plex. CoreELEC with Samba will do for HD content. Plex is a way to go for ne for 4k. Better pic quality compared to Kodi.
cheers
Same result as me, and that's as fast as the network adapters in the TV will allow it to go no matter what network you have.. I did loads of tests the other night...
 
I have a strange Problem! My TV Philips-7304 turns on by itself sometimes, and the very strange thing is, sometimes when i wake up my android smartphone, my tv wake up too!!^^
And i observed that the power led in off/sleep state blinking sometimes.
And the third thing is, my tv is connected to my pc and windows making very often the device unplug/plug sound when the tv is in sleep/off mode.
Have i a faulty tv or have someone the same experience?
I have the latest FW and after the last FW update i did a factory reset.
 
I have a strange Problem! My TV Philips-7304 turns on by itself sometimes, and the very strange thing is, sometimes when i wake up my android smartphone, my tv wake up too!!^^
And i observed that the power led in off/sleep state blinking sometimes.
And the third thing is, my tv is connected to my pc and windows making very often the device unplug/plug sound when the tv is in sleep/off mode.
Have i a faulty tv or have someone the same experience?
I have the latest FW and after the last FW update i did a factory reset.

Its lost soul can't decide which channel to watch :D Anyway I would first try to isolate influence from other sources like mobile and pc. I did notice that tv when goes to sleep does not actually switch off! Screen goes to off, but I can see sometimes at night that my external ssd is blinking with data activity every so often, also vpn shows live connection which leads me to think that android still running with some processes. So I think chromecast runs in background and your phone is connected to it so with waking phone it wakes tv too.
PC is different story. I would disconnect pc first for few nights to see whats going on. And then ensure phone is disconnected from tv. ;)
 
I have a strange Problem! My TV Philips-7304 turns on by itself sometimes, and the very strange thing is, sometimes when i wake up my android smartphone, my tv wake up too!!^^
And i observed that the power led in off/sleep state blinking sometimes.
And the third thing is, my tv is connected to my pc and windows making very often the device unplug/plug sound when the tv is in sleep/off mode.
Have i a faulty tv or have someone the same experience?
I have the latest FW and after the last FW update i did a factory reset.
Both your issues sound like they relate to TV's underlying wake-up settings. Are following options currently set to On as examples. (Direct extract from user manual)


Switch On with Wi-Fi (WoWLAN)
Settings > Wireless and Networks > Wired or WiFi > Switch On with Wi-Fi (WoWLAN). You can switch this TV on from your smartphone or tablet if the TV is in Standby. The setting Switch On with Wi-Fi (WoWLAN) must be switched on.

Switch on with Chromecast
Settings > Wireless and Networks > Wired or WiFi > Switch on with Chromecst. Set it On to allow this TV to be switched on from a Chromecast app on your mobile device. Power consumption of the TV in standby status will be higher when switched this on. The Wi-Fi (WoWLAN) setting should be turned on firstly before you can change the setting of Switch on with Chromecast.

Regarding your PC connection, when you have PC connected via HDMI; PC's typically increase audio options upon HDMI connection to output sound via PC or via HDMI and TV speakers when TV is switched on so... (HDMI is intelligent between devices and HDMI connections where a Switch on/off of one item can switch on/off other item and switch HDMI sources being watched etc.)

Currently not completely sure what detailed level of control options PUS7304 TV includes for each HDMI connection with this area a real minefield relating to older/newer HDMI handshake capabilities between connected devices via HDMI cable type used etc. (Even when taking trouble to download and carefully read through Philips manual, real need to read sections more than once when having any partcular issue)

Note: By design TV is always on, unless we physically disconnect power lead on TV or switch off at mains connection etc.
 
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