Even with the likes of LG and more recently Sony establishing dedicated 'design' functions to improve the look of their screens, Philips continues to produce uniquely stylish flat panel TV's. The 42PFL9603D comes as part of the Dutch manufacturers 'Design Collection' with the absence of any visible speakers on the front of the 42PFL9603D and a slim rounded frame creating a remarkably svelte like appearance.
Philip's acclaimed 'Ambilight' system appears on the 42PFL9603D as 'Spectra 2' which delivers light from the sides of the LCD screen (via strip lights) to enhance/complement the current scene. With a fully back-lit LED (replacing the previous fluorescent source) light glows through the 'signature clear shroud', actually shinning through left and right areas of the frame independently. This is Ambilight in stereo, the system adjusting to complement the current hues on each particular side of the screen.
Immediately striking with the Philips 42PFL9603D is how natural images appear for a large LCD panel. Resolution, detail and sharpness with Standard Definition (SD) sources for such a large panel are a revelation. We are getting used to an accomplished SD performance from 'Ambilight' TV's from Philips, but the 42PFL9603D is different in that some of the negative aspects associated with the picture processing wizardry, notably exaggerated contrast, are much less pronounced. The picture is not perfect, but when you consider that the on board processing has to translate a low quality (576 lines or so in the case of Freeview) to a Full HD (1920 x 1080) resolution, the results are very impressive.
Read a full review of the Philips 42PFL9603D here
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