HDTV Guide
HDTV Screens
HDTV DVD
HDTV Technology
Philips 37PF9731D Review |
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||
Design
The 37PF9731D looks fantastic, with a series of glossy black inlaid frames that really set this panel apart from the competition looks wise. Without the 'ambilight' background board of its older brother the 42PF9831D also feels a lot more compact. With a build quality that only the top end Sony's can rival, the 37PF9731D is sure to attract admiring glances from friends and neighbours alike.
Features
The picture processing heart of the 37PF9731D is 'Pixel Plus 3 HD' which has been designed primarily to enhance picture sharpness with Standard Definition (SD) sources and improve natural detail and colour performance. Previous incarnations of this technology have been criticised for introducing too much digital noise so it will be interesting to see how version 3 will perform.
Screen size & shape: 37in 16:9 Tuner: Digital Sound system: Stereo Resolution: 1920x1080 HD Ready: Yes Contrast Ratio: 4500:1 Brightness: 550cd/m2 OTHER FEATURES: Pixel Plus 3 HD picture processing, Ambilight, Clear LCD picture processing. SOCKETS: 2 HDMI, 2 Scart, component video, PC input, ethernet.
The picture processing wizardry doesn't stop there however. Clear LCD has been designed to improve black levels and motion handling, two traditional LCD weaknesses.
The Philips 37PF9731D also sports the companies acclaimed 'Ambilight' technology. Ambilight works by emitting coloured ambient light along the sides of the panel which is reflected on to the wall behind the TV.
This 'ambient' light is determined by what is on the TV at any given time and Philips claim the effect is less eye strain with improved colour, detail and contrast.
Slightly disappointing though, is that although the 37PF9731D is 'Full HD' (1920 x 1080 resolution) it cannot accept the highest quality input, 1080p. Whether this actually makes a difference to overall viewing performance is debateable, with a growing consensus that Full HD only really makes a difference on larger (40in +) screens.
It would have been nice to have had this 'future proofing' feature included however, especially as Sony's (1080p capable) PS3 is now out and the increasing availability of 1080p Blu-ray DVD's.
Connectivity on the Philips 37PF9731D is good rather than outstanding with 2 HDMI, 2 Scarts, component video and PC input. Interestingly, the 37PF9731D sports an Ethernet connection, which would allow you, amongst other things to stream photos, music, video to the screen from your PC.
Performance
Without doubt, the outstanding feature of the 37PF9731D's performance is the quality of its black levels, which are truly outstanding. The impressive array of technological wizardry comes together on the 37PF9731D to produce black levels from SD sources which come close to CRT.
The depth and subtlety of colour also impresses. Demanding scenes full of colour graduations are handled extremely well, with an almost complete absence of banding (the blocky transition from colour to colour) evident on some screens.
High Definition (HD) looks incredible on the 37PF9731D, and certainly one of the best LCD's we have seen in this respect. Sharpness, detail and colour vibrancy have to be seen to be believed, although the colour range does not quite match that of top end Sony's with their Wide Colour Gamut system. Although Pixel Plus 3 HD produces Standard Definition pictures which some find unnaturally sharp, the latest incarnation of the technology is a vast improvement over previous versions, with an almost complete absence of video noise.
Less impressive is the Full HD (1920 x 1080) spec, from which we can see no tangible benefits, and seems to be an unnecessary technological step for this 37in screen.
Conclusion
The Philips 37PF9731D is a superb all round performer, and there is very little to criticise. Shadow detail could be a little better, and the colour range is not the widest. These are minor criticisms however, and the 37PF9731D is easily part of the leading pack of 37in LCD TV's.
