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Philips' New Roku TV Sets a Mood With Its Iconic Ambilight Feature

The Philips 4K LED TV projects light on the wall behind it, and is a Sam's Club exclusive.

Headshot of Ty Pendlebury
Headshot of Ty Pendlebury
Ty Pendlebury Editor
TV and home video editor Ty Pendlebury joined CNET Australia in 2006, and moved to New York City to be a part of CNET in 2011. He tests, reviews and writes about the latest TVs and audio equipment. When he's not playing Call of Duty he's eating whatever cuisine he can get his hands on. He has a cat named after one of the best TVs ever made.
Expertise Ty has worked for radio, print, and online publications, and has been writing about home entertainment since 2004. He is an avid record collector and streaming music enthusiast. Credentials
  • Ty was nominated for Best New Journalist at the Australian IT Journalism awards, but he has only ever won one thing. As a youth, he was awarded a free session for the photography studio at a local supermarket.
Ty Pendlebury
philips-roku-ambilight
Philips

Philips' latest Roku TV models, starting at $229, feature the company's signature Ambilight technology, which projects light on the wall behind them.

The Ambilight Roku Smart TV range includes four models: 43-inch ($229), 50-inch ($259), 55-inch ($329) and 65-inch ($389). 

The Roku TVs use LED lighting built into the back to project colors matching the on-screen visuals. This is supposed to reduce eyestrain and increase immersion. It's a popular concept that's since been adopted by products such as the Govee TV Backlight, which uses LED strips and a camera.

See the Ambilight Roku TVs at Sam's Club

The Philips LED TVs feature a 4K UHD resolution with HDR10 support, and include four HDMI ports (with eARC) and 802.11ac Wi-Fi. They include the Roku operating system, the Roku Channel, Howdy, Backdrops and hundreds of apps. The remote is not mentioned, but it's likely to be a variation on the Voice Remote.

Earlier this year, Philips debuted another collaboration with the streaming giant, the first Roku TV with an OLED screen, though it wasn't an Ambilight model. Philips' first Ambilight TVs were released around 20 years ago.

The Philips Roku TV featuring Ambilight TV is a Sam's Club exclusive, and according to the website, it will be available on Oct. 9.Â