Philips 26PF5521D Review |
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Design
Clearly with the 26PF5521D, Philips have not entirely followed the trend towards ultra glossy black frames, but complemented the frame with slim silver speakers either side. We think that the design of the 26PF5521D may generate mixed feelings. We think it has a certain 70's retro chic which we liked, but it won't appeal to everyone. What is not in doubt however, is the rather plasticky feel to the panel which gives away its budget status.
Features
The 26PF5521D forms part of the Philips budget range of LCD TV's but as such has good connectivity. 2 HDMI inputs are supplemented by 2 Scarts, Composite video, Component video and S-video. Its a shame that there is no dedicated PC input although you can attach a PC by using one of the HDMIs. Additionally, there is Freeview tuner support.
Screen size & shape: 26in 16:9 Tuner: Digital Sound system: Stereo Resolution: 1366 x 768 HD Ready: Yes Contrast Ratio: 1600:1 Brightness: 500cd/m2 OTHER FEATURES: Active Control, Digital Crystal Clear Panel, noise reduction, contrast booster. SOCKETS: 2 HDMI, 2 Scart, Component video, Composite video, S-video.
Rather disappointingly, there is no version of Pixel Plus, Philips's picture processing technology which has reached its third incarnation on higher spec LCD models. What the 26PF5521D does have is an 'Active Control' circuit which optimises an incoming picture source to the screens resolution.
At 1600:1 the contrast ratio is pretty good, especially since this is achieved without 'ambilight' technology present on most of the higher spec Philips LCD TV's.
On the acoustic front, the 26PF9731D sports Dolby Virtual pseudo surround sound, which has been designed to work with the twin speakers to produce a more immersive experience on the sound front.
Performance
The most impressive aspect of the 26PF5521D's performance is the quality of black levels it manages to produce. The level of shadow detailing is far and above what you would normally expect for a sub £700 LCD. High Definition (HD) pictures are particularly impressive in this respect, and along with deep blacks comes surprisingly sharp and detailed pictures along with an impressive colour performance. The 26PF9731D produces impressively realistic graduations of colour, especially with the finer and more subtle detailing required to produce realistic skin tones.
Unfortunately, this is about as good as it gets for the 26PF9731D with other aspects of the screens performance giving cause for concern. While HD performance was above average, Standard Definition (SD) displayed a softness which even for a budget model was disappointing. Some find a softer picture preferable to an overly sharp representation of video material, but the picture is so soft that a noticeable amount of detail is lost.
Even more of a concern are the motion handling capabilities of the 26PF9731D, particularly with SD sources. Even with medium paced action scenes there is noticeable motion smearing which eventually seems to dominate anything but the slowest of material. Colours with SD deteriorate alarmingly with more subtle skin tones with HD replaced by a general inconsistency of colour graduation.
Unfortunately, the rather grand sounding Dolby Virtual pseudo surround sound produced nothing more than an average acoustic performance.
Conclusion
The High Definition performance of the 26PF9731D showed great promise, but the deterioration in picture quality on the switch to SD was too great a drop even for a budget LCD.