Philips PFL80x8 (2013) Series

Gorgeous design and build quality ; Excellent 2D and good 3D picture quality ; Endless picture flexibility

Complex to calibrate ; Uninspiring online service ; Sluggish smart menus

One final point worth making here is that the 55PFL8008’s Eco picture preset, with its Light Sensor support to help it continually adjust images in relation to your ambient light levels, is unusually good. In fact, if you’re looking to set pictures up...

Stunning picture quality ; Lovely slender design ; Ambilight is effective

It's a fairly complex TV to use ; More online video services would be nice ; The Smart interface is a little basic and sluggish

It’s worth adding here, too, that the huge array of picture adjustments at your disposal has enabled the Philips 46PFL8008S to receive the backing of the Imaging Science Foundation, leading to the appearance of an ISF-approved setting for Ambilight and...

Black levels ; Excellent picture presets ; Double-sided remote ; Subwoofers & sound ; Netflix, Blinkbox & BBC iPlayer

Peak white glare ; No Lovefilm app ; Viewing angle ; Restricted pointer remote ; No MKV streaming

Ambilight impresses once again, while the floating design is incredibly effective. Its double-sided remote makes entering text on a TV at least a possibility, while the sound quality is nothing short of stunning.

Detailed 2D performance ; Real depth to 3D ; Great contrast ; Strong blacks ; Smooth, natural and stable movement

Confusing menus ; Smart TV functionality not as good as competitors

MORE: Philips 2013 TVs

Lovely steel design; excellent picture quality; Ambilight

Needs care with processing setup; sluggish smart interface; not enough mainstream video streaming

Ambilight looks great, super sharp picture, good picture once tweaked via lots of advanced manual controls (and ISF presets), sound to rival anything in its class, 'smarter' than previous generation, thin bezel, attractive stand

Clouding can be prominent, less 'smart' than near competition, menus are slow, among priciest 55-inch in its class, Perfect Natural Motion looks over-smoothed, Ambilight isn't on bottom surface

Even if the Philips 55PFL8008S isn't as "smart" as the competition, the level of customisable picture control is smarter than much else out there that we've seen - and that's where the smart money is. All £2,500 of it.

Ambilight is beautiful ; Great all-round picture ; Sexily slim, brushed-metal design

Not as smart as some ; Menus could be clearer

The Philips trips the light fantastic with its great picture and Ambilight tech

Philips’ Smart TV Premium platform is still close to useless in its current form. It works and acts more like a slow website than actual apps that you know from your smartphones and tablets. A few apps are available now but Netflix, for example, will...