Philips Ambilight TV, any way to make the Ambilight lights go off on black screen during scenes?

Hey, yeah that confused me for ages too. The way I found to do this is to visit an existing post, scroll to the bottom of the page and the left blue button should say, "Ask the forum", click that and you can create your own new post.
Oh, thank you very much, will create my post too.

... and also upvote any relevant existing posts on the Philips Forum..

Someone else has also created this: https://tv-sound-monitors.philips.c...es-on-77oled806-unusable-in-its-current-state. Once your post is approved, put the link in this AVF thread, so we can upvote yours too.

Mine is STILL "pending review": https://tv-sound-monitors.philips.c...reen-moments-for-ambilight-follow-video-modes
I upvoted both posts (first have 10 upvotes by now, the second 3 upvotes), and will upvote your once it becomes available.

(Also will post the link to my post when done).
 
Does this beta firmware that fixes the ambilight behaviour not work on the 8x6 series ?

I thought the firmware’s were universal
 
just had another reply from Philips today, mine is 77OLED806/12

Thank you for contacting Philips.

We would like to inform you that your case is being investigated and as soon as we have more information available we will contact you directly with the next steps on a resolve.

Thank you for your patience and cooperation


just gotta wait and see......
 
Does this beta firmware that fixes the ambilight behaviour not work on the 8x6 series ?

I thought the firmware’s were universal
You can check and compare your units FW branch via the TVs product support page, this is the 65OLED936/12, and then in the "Software & Drivers" section click release notes (65OLED936/12) and see if your units "Initial SW" is listed/the same...

HOWEVER... IMHO it's hard enough to get Philips to support legitimate versions of their FW, so I'm not touching anything that doesn't expressly come direct from Philips via a supported channel. Philips do have legitimate "test" users, but they will be under a different warranty/support agreement. If you're not on that, you risk voiding your products warranty.

FYI - I have also seen written confirmation from Philips that they do NOT support FW downgrades, as the standby/power FW can be independent from the main FW and can be different and is not supported by a main FW downgrade, which according to Philips, can leave your TV in a bricked state.

I raise any and all concerns I have with Philips via their Support Portal. It's time consuming and sometime painful, but at least it gets logged. I also forward all my tickets to my retailer, who in this instance are Richer Sounds, who supplied my initial 65OLED935/12 with a free 6 year extended guarantee. Because of which, Philips kindly replaced my faulty 65OLED935/12 with a new 65OLED936/12.
 
Does this beta firmware that fixes the ambilight behaviour not work on the 8x6 series ?

I thought the firmware’s were universal
Yes, 806 and 936 share same FW package file.

If you download official FW from Philips site for 806 and 936 - you will see that not only the FW number is the same, but the files are identical.
 
After asking them to reopen the case, I have just received this response from Philips, case closed:

"After looking into this for you we can conclude this was a deliberate change that has been implemented to avoid field complaints on the other end of the spectrum with Ambilight being fully off or white on black image content hence, this is normal behavior and will not be pursued further on our end."

My response:

"With respect, I disagree entirely. Allow me to share another video with you here: 65OLED936_12_FW_TPM211EA_R.001.001.233.026_Amblight_Black_Screen_Demo.mp4

The out of the box FW: TPM211EA_R.001.001.233.012 that shipped with the TV was as you describe, however, FW: TPM211EA_R.001.001.233.026 has SIGNIFICANTLY brightened the persistent white light level, to the point where the TV is unwatchable with Ambilight enabled.

In the above video I have [Settings > Ambilight > Advanced > Brightness] set to 0 (zero) and as you can see, ALL the [Follow Video] modes (Standard, Natural, Sports, Vivid, Game) are IDENTICAL to [Lounge Light > Custom Colour] (White).

I do not believe this is by design, but is a fault with FW: TPM211EA_R.001.001.233.026. Please reopen the case and continue to investigate until this issue is satisfactorily resolved."
 
Yes, 806 and 936 share same FW package file.

If you download official FW from Philips site for 806 and 936 - you will see that not only the FW number is the same, but the files are identical.

Thanks for confirming this.

So why don’t the users with 8x6 series try this firmware also then, people are saying fixes the Ambilight behaviour ?

I’m fine personally on my 856 I like how the ambilight behaves so ill leave it be, but I understood others don’t like it.
 
Yes, 806 and 936 share same FW package file.

If you download official FW from Philips site for 806 and 936 - you will see that not only the FW number is the same, but the files are identical.
Did you install the TPM211EA_001.002.093.000 firmware you mentioned earlier?

My 77OLED806 today installed TPM211EA_R.001.001.233.026 and to my utter dismay all Ambilight modes now leave the Ambilights on with bright white light during dark scenes, even in the last resort called "Amblight preset: Game". Ambilight is completely useless this way and it has resulted in me turning Amblight off for now.

I have contacted Philips that I want them to either fix this and for now provide me with a way to go back to firmware TPM211EA_R.001.001.233.012 as at least in the FW the "game preset" the amiblights go completely off during dark scenes.

I am a little hesitant to install TPM211EA_001.002.093.000 as I have no way to verify where this FW came from and if things go wrong for whatever reason Philips will most likely take a stance that I have tweaked with my TV in such a way that they will not provide any assistance or worse, void my warranty.
 
Did you install the TPM211EA_001.002.093.000 firmware you mentioned earlier?
Yes, I did (I mentioned in other threads and even shared some photos). And actually I was not the first one here who have installed it and shared photos of the FW version on the TV screen ))

I am a little hesitant to install TPM211EA_001.002.093.000 as I have no way to verify where this FW came from

I've also had some hesitations but I so much disliked permanent white light of the Ambilight after 0.22/0.26 that I could not wait more and installed it. I beleive this FW was received by one of AVForums members from Phiips, but you can check with him for more details.

and if things go wrong for whatever reason Philips will most likely take a stance that I have tweaked with my TV in such a way that they will not provide any assistance or worse, void my warranty.
I agree that it is possible, but on the other hand, most probably it will be possible to upgrade to the next upcoming FW with later release date and higher number (just to be on the safe side in terms of warranty).
 
(Also will post the link to my post when done).
So, I've also created a post on the Philips site ("pending review" yet).

I just can't believe that they have intentionally made this annoying permanent white light in all Ambilight modes, it would mean that they do not care about those who'd selected Philips (and often such selection was due to Ambilight, which became almost unusable since 0.22/026).
 
Yes, I did (I mentioned in other threads and even shared some photos). And actually I was not the first one here who have installed it and shared photos of the FW version on the TV screen ))



I've also had some hesitations but I so much disliked permanent white light of the Ambilight after 0.22/0.26 that I could not wait more and installed it. I beleive this FW was received by one of AVForums members from Phiips, but you can check with him for more details.


I agree that it is possible, but on the other hand, most probably it will be possible to upgrade to the next upcoming FW with later release date and higher number (just to be on the safe side in terms of warranty).
Thanks for the link to the post with photo's. In your photo's the Natural mode still leaves the ambilights somewhat on (which in earlier oled953 models they were completely dark in natural and standard mode as well) but in Game mode they are completely off, and that what was I was using as well on my 806, simply because it's the only mode that turns them off completely during dark scenes. I'd rather have mode natural and standard in their original presets (completely off during dark scenes) but heck, I'd take Game mode in it's previous state over the current "always on" situation any day of the week.

Your other suggestion towards Philips for a "custom" mode with a couple of more tweakable settings the best solution, but I have little faith that Philips will go for this, but very much hope they do so they can cater to ALL of their customers, including the very picky and sensitive ones ;-)

I've e-mailed Philips with the questions about TPM211EA_001.002.093.000, if that FW is available and has been provided by them to ojee99. And if so, if they could provide me with a downloadlink as well. I would rather have a link in an official e-mail from philips than downloading something from a forum (no offense ojee99 but you can't be too sure these days).

Will update here once I get an answer from them.
 
ugh, my TV just updated to this firmware.. Why didn't I turn off auto updates? What a disaster. Had to turn Ambilight off. Terrible. Honestly I'm shocked how bad the ambilight implementation is on these TV's. Before this, I had a dreamscreen and could set it up however I wanted and had perfect color match with my wall and exact brightness level I wanted. With official philips, I can't get the color right and now it feels like a walmart in my living room with these bright lights on. Ugh.
 
Outraged at this.. just discovered the update this morning while wondering why the light was still on. What in fresh hell is this stupidity.

Are Philips saying they have had overwhelming demand for the no light on function of the game mode to be changed to accommodate people who can’t bear to be in the dark? This was the whole reason I bought the tv!!! I would have gone for any other OLED but the 936 had it all, until today. Now I keep the ambilight off as there’s no way to roll back the firmware (another incredible facility of choice you have supplied there Philips).

Has the developer who committed to this change ever have access or seen Ambilight before? Especially those equipped with an OLED screen which has perfect blacks. What was the point of all the hue light strips and bulbs now to pair with the tv if during any dark scene, it looks like a well placed street light has snuck it’s light in.

I could go on, but the point is that whoever left out the choice to keep the LED ambilight off during dark parts of the screen is a moron.
 
@Philips TV PQ, I am starting to despair. I have just had another response from Philips saying:

Regarding this case for the ambilight being on even in game mode on dark scenes, this is considered as normal behavior.

They keep trying to close the case, saying that the issue is resolved.

What's worse is that I have also logged ANOTHER issue (that's FIVE separate issues in total ATM) with them regarding Ambilight+hue, as FW: TPM211EA_R.001.001.233.026 appears to have broken that now too! If your Ambilight+hue is working and you haven't done a [Settings > General > Reinstall TV] or an OBR you might not have seen the issue yet, but essentially the Ambilight+hue configuration is not being stored in the HUE bridge, so the Ambilight+hue TV feature randomly stops working properly or worse, the TV loses all Ambilight+hue configuration and you have set it all up again, only to lose it again, and have to set it all up again, only to lose it...

Now Philips have confused the existing Ambilight always on white light issue, for the Ambilight+hue issue and keep trying to close both cases.
 
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Confirmed today they are still looking into it for me, they had me download log files from the TV and send them to them for review as below. It recorded me in game mode playing assassins creed then I also youtubed some OLED screensavers and demos.

Thank you for contacting Philips.

We understand that your 77OLED806/12 TV is experiencing an issue with the Ambilight and realise the frustration this may cause. Please would you be so kind as to forward to us the logs of the TV whilst using the ambilight style "game" in order for us to investigate further.

How to save TV's logs to a USB memory stick?

Situation
The TV set is presenting some functional issues and in order to resolve them, system logs are to be provided for further investigation.

Checklist

Ensure that:

  1. Empty USB flash drive, formatted in FAT file system is available.
  2. Personal computer with a USB port is available to create a file on the flash drive.
  3. No other USB device is connected to the TV.

Answer

To enable USB logging on the TV set proceed as follows:

  1. Connect the USB flash drive to the computer.
  2. Create 2 new files, named “ TPVisionDebug.cookie ” and “ enable_log2usb ” (without a file extension) in the root directory of this USB drive (do not create any folders).
    (Alternatively, the ready files can be downloaded from the links below and copied to the flash drive)
    https://app.box.com/s/w5wypftilxs73wh4619nyq6sotksr6vd
    https://app.box.com/s/3gh74y5tj017qfaq6j2t74r0ssxzgyri
  3. Disconnect the USB stick from the computer and connect it to the USB port of the TV set.
  4. Logging will start automatically, as soon as the USB flash drive is recognized by the TV.
  5. Done! Do not disconnect the USB drive until the issue in concern happens again.


Note
Make sure that no other USB devices are connected to the TV set while capturing logs on the USB flash drive. Devices like hard disk drives (used for recording purposes or media / apps storage) may interfere, hence it is important to temporarily disconnect them.


How to safely remove the USB drive and share the log file?

When the issue in concern happens again and the log file is ready to be shared with the Philips TV support team, proceed as follows:

  1. Make sure to safely remove the USB device from the TV, by quickly pressing the following keys on the remote control:
“4”, “5”, “6”, “7”, “8”, “9”, “INFO”

(or, if there is no “INFO” button on the remote control: “4”, “5”, “6”, “7”, “8”, “9”, “BACK”).



  1. A message saying “It is now safe to disconnect the USB drive” will appear on the screen.
(The message may appear after a few seconds - if it does not, switch the TV to standby mode for 1 minute before disconnecting the USB drive).



  1. Disconnect the USB flash drive from the TV set.
  2. Connect the USB flash drive to a computer and go to the following folder on the USB flash drive:
  3. Open the “TPVisionDebug” folder.
  4. Check if the files “python27.dll” and/or “WindowsMergeTool.exe” are available in this folder.
  5. Delete these files.
  6. If none of such files is available you can skip this step.




  1. Share the log files with the Philips TV support team (e.g. reply to the email about an existing open case, providing a hyperlink to download the files from a file sharing service, like WeTransfer, OneDrive, DropBox, GoogleDrive, etc.).

Example of files to share (contents may vary depending on the model, please share all newly created files in the root directory or in the highlighted folders, if they exist):



Note
In case of trouble or doubts regarding sharing the logs, contact the Philips TV support team for further advice.
It is recommended to save all contents of the USB flash drive into a file container (e.g. ZIP file) and share the whole archive.


We would like to inform you that in the coming days you may receive a short survey through which you will have the opportunity to evaluate your overall customer service experience, with a maximum score of 10 for the service we have provided with 9 or 10 being the only positive feedback. The survey is quick and easy to fill out and your comments can be of great help in improving our service.

Should you have any other questions or remarks regarding this case, please feel free to contact us by responding to this mail.
 
What I find troubling @Philips TV PQ is:
  1. There appears to ALREADY be a FW update from Philips (TPM211EA_R.001.002.092.000) which resolves this issue, so why does Philips centralised customer service system not know this?
  2. With multiple customers reporting this issue to Philips, why does Philips centralised customer service system not know this?
  3. That Philips do not know how to implement "improvements" that fundamentally change/void their products.
Philips, let me give you an example of how you "improve" a product, without alienating half your customers and voiding your products with a post release to manufacturing (RTM) update, as was my case with the 65OLED935/12 and FW update: TPM191E_R.101.002.098.000.

Take Microsoft Outlook across ALL platforms; Web browser; Windows/macOS client; iOS/Android client and across both consumer (Outlook.com) and SME business (Microsoft 365) customer platforms.
  • Microsoft introduced "Focused" Inbox, which some people will like and some people will not like.
  • If you like said "improvement" you do nothing and the change takes effect.
  • If you do not like said "improvement" you go into the settings of WHATEVER platform you are using and turn off the "improvement".
Not ONLY do Microsoft provide this ON/OFF "improvement" option, but in general they provide clear, written roadmap information to ALL their customer about what changes are coming and when, how to implement changes, how to delay changes and how to disable changes.

Below is evidence of what I mean when I say Philips fundamentally changed/voided their 65OLED935/12 TV product post RTM with FW update: TPM191E_R.101.002.098.000.
 
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After asking them to reopen the case, I have just received this response from Philips, case closed:

"After looking into this for you we can conclude this was a deliberate change that has been implemented to avoid field complaints on the other end of the spectrum with Ambilight being fully off or white on black image content hence, this is normal behavior and will not be pursued further on our end."

My response:

"With respect, I disagree entirely. Allow me to share another video with you here: 65OLED936_12_FW_TPM211EA_R.001.001.233.026_Amblight_Black_Screen_Demo.mp4

The out of the box FW: TPM211EA_R.001.001.233.012 that shipped with the TV was as you describe, however, FW: TPM211EA_R.001.001.233.026 has SIGNIFICANTLY brightened the persistent white light level, to the point where the TV is unwatchable with Ambilight enabled.

In the above video I have [Settings > Ambilight > Advanced > Brightness] set to 0 (zero) and as you can see, ALL the [Follow Video] modes (Standard, Natural, Sports, Vivid, Game) are IDENTICAL to [Lounge Light > Custom Colour] (White).

I do not believe this is by design, but is a fault with FW: TPM211EA_R.001.001.233.026. Please reopen the case and continue to investigate until this issue is satisfactorily resolved."
Just had the same response from them yesterday..unbelievable!!
 
It is not only unbelievable, it sounds like (1) complete inconsistency because other Philips' answers were saying "it is going to be fixed in the next FW release", just for example a couple of them:


Screenshot_001703_ed.png
Screenshot_001704_ed.png

and (2) it looks like a complete stupidity as it destroys whole Ambilight user experience making it unusable in a dark room (particularly with OLEDs).

@Philips TV PQ

Please note that there are lots, lots of complaints regarding white Ambilight light permanently staying on here on AVForums and many other national forums. Please note that real number of Philips users who are suffering from this crazy change is much more because only few of them are opening cases and writing posts on AV and TV forums.

".. this was a deliberate change that has been implemented to avoid field complaints on the other end of the spectrum with Ambilight being fully off or white on black image content.."
This statement is strange because previously user was able to select the behavior at his own preference (whether Ambilight will stay on or off on dark content) by selecting an appropriate mode, but now it is impossible! Why???

Philips, please come to your senses and return Ambilight behaviour as it was in TPM211EA_001.001.233.012 (and destroyed in .022 and .026).
 
The idea that they have changed it because of an outcry of people saying they disliked it in the game option is ridiculous when the other options catered for their preference if they wanted it on. Why remove the option to have black areas of ambilight? Is there likely a technical reason that would damage the ambilight they are not coming clean about?
 
@Philips TV PQ, I have written to my retailer asking for their assistance with this matter.

As my original purchase was the 65OLED935/12, which on arrival out-of-the-box, had an RTM Ambilight behaviour where ALL Follow Video modes would turn off completely, inline with the contrast of the OLED panel, the change or in Philips own words "improvement" implemented in FW: TPM191E_R.101.002.098.000 fundamentally changed this Ambilight behaviour and thus voided the products original RTM specification.

This fundamental Ambilight FW change on the 65OLED935/12 was rolled over to the 65OLED936/12 and was the out-of-the-box behaviour. However, FW: TPM211EA_R.001.001.233.026 has now fundamentally changed the Ambilight Follow Video modes on the 65OLED936/12, thus voiding this products original RTM specification.

I feel that it is wrong that a manufacturer can fundamentally change a products behaviour post RTM and/or post purchase, to the point where it voids the products original RTM design and functionality. I am happy for manufacturers to "improve" their products, but this MUST be done as an addition, not as a replacement for original RTM functionality.

I am currently waiting to hear back from my retailer before contacting UK Trading Standards about both these issues.
 
Is there likely a technical reason that would damage the ambilight they are not coming clean about?
I do not think there can be any reason for turning on permanently white light in Ambilight. Rather looks like thoughtless* (*to be more direct- stupid) decision of somebody in Philips.

BTW, even from the 'eco' point of view turning on permanent white light is not proper step :D

I think Philips have received many complaints regarding it, but seems like it is not sufficient. Maybe we can arrange sort of petition to attract more attention to the matter?

From my side, I see that status of my "case" regarding Ambilight raised on 20.01.2022 changed from "Escalated":
Screenshot_001709_ed.png

to "On hold"
Screenshot_001742.png
 
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I do not think there can be any reason for turning on permanently white light in Ambilight. Rather looks like thoughtless* (*to be more direct- stupid) decision of somebody in Philips.

BTW, even from the 'eco' point of view turning on permanent white light is not proper step :D

I think Philips have received many complaints regarding it, but seems like it is not sufficient. Maybe we can arrange sort of petition to attract more attention to the matter?

From my side, I see that status of my "case" regarding Ambilight raised on 20.01.2022 changed from "Escalated":
View attachment 1644499
to "On hold"
View attachment 1644500
I'm thinking more along the lines of the ambilight going off and on rather than in a constantly on state with this new white all the time stupidity mode.
 
When I purchased my 936 set, I hesitated big time with the Sony A90J and decided to go for the Philips for two reasons : Ambilight and B&W audio. Two months after, my Ambilight is useless because Philips broke it with a firmware update (I keep it off all the time now) and I have to do with a buggy B&W sound bar which is doing random noise every morning while the TV is in standby. This is my first and last Philips TV.
 

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