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Philips 37PF9631D Review |
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Reviewed: 14 March 2007
Notes
The Philips 37PF9631D differs from its older brother the 37PF9731D in that it has a screen resolution of 1366 x 768 rather than the full HD 1080p resolution of 1920x1080. In addition the 37PF9631D sports Pixel Plus 2 HD processing rather than Pixel Plus 3.
Design
LCD manufacturers are cottoning on to the fact that consumers pay attention to a heavy duty durable finish. Philips is one of those manufacturers, and combined with a chic and stylish appearance, the 37PF9631D lends a real touch of class to any living room.
Features
Pixel Plus 2 HD processing is possibly the single most important feature of the Philips 37PF9631D. Its not the latest picture processing technology the company has to offer, but it has a proven track record in other Philips LCDs.
Screen size & shape: 37in 16:9 Tuner: Digital Sound system: Stereo Resolution: 1366 x 768 HD Ready: Yes Contrast Ratio: 7000:1 Brightness: 550cd/m2 OTHER FEATURES: Pixel Plus 2 HD picture processing, Digital Natural Motion Colour enhancenent. SOCKETS: 2 HDMI input, 2 scarts (1 RGB), composite video input, S-video input, PC input, CAM slot, Digital Audio Output.
The 37PF9631D sports the Philips Digital Natural Motion engine for smoothing the appearance of moving images, which presents the viewer with a series of split-screen options to help you choose your preferred audio and image settings.
Not everyone who has experienced this technology likes it, but there is the option of turning it off.
In terms of connectivity, the 37PF9631D has 2 HDMI, 2 Scarts (1 RGB). There is a digital tuner and a CAM slot for subscription TV. Everything else you expect is there, but unfortunately there is no VGA.
Performance
Overall the picture quality of the Philips 37PF9631D is excellent. Black levels are what we normally look at first on an LCD, and here they are reasonably free of greyness. It is the delivery of colour however where the 37PF9631D excels. Colours are rich and subtle, and the 37PF9631D does not suffer from an overdose in this respect with no sense that you are being overwhelmed.
It may all be down to personal taste, but we did find that the 37PF9631D came with an incredibly high brightness setting which we had to turn down a notch or two to get the best from the screen.
It's the subtlety with which the 37PF9631D delivers its colour spectrum which gives this panel an edge over the competition. Standard Definition (SD) as well as High Definition looks superb on this screen, which is in no small part down to Pixel Plus 2 HD.
Pictures are extremely sharp and detailed whatever the picture source, and the screen superior SD handling capabilities alone could alone make the 37PF9631D a serious buying proposition for some. The only slight criticism is that is does tend to exaggerate any MPEG noise present, and dark pictures do sometimes lack some shadow detailing.
By LCD standards, the 37PF9631D handles motion sequences in a class leading fashion. There are hardly any issues with common problems such as smearing or blurring, and the quality of this aspect of the screens performance was evident in very fast motion sequences.
A crisp and powerful acoustic capability is another plus for the 37PF9631D, and it never struggles even with the demands of louder scenes.
Conclusion
Its a shame that the Philips 37PF9631D falls below some of its rivals when it comes to darker scenes. In all other respects it can hold its own, and given that it is such a good SD performer this panel is still a serious contender. Should you go for the 37PF9731D? well it depends on where your source pictures originate from. If you are planning to buy a PS3 (a 1080p source) or play a lot of High Definition 1080p DVDs then yes, otherwise save yourself a good £300/400.
