Philips 42PFL7603D Review

42in LCD

Picture
Sound
Features
Usability
Value

Excellent budget offering from Philips.

HD Ready:

yes

Resolution:

1920 x 1080

Rating:

92%

Reviewed: 27 August 2008

Design

Illustrating just how much importance manufacturers are now placing on the visual appearance of their TV's, the Philips 42PFL7603D is now part of the Dutch manufacturers 'Design Collection'. The absence of any visible speakers on the front of the 42PFL7603D and a slim rounded frame create a remarkably svelte like appearance.

Adding a finishing touch, 'signature clear shroud', a half inch or so clear plastic protruderence follows the contour of the frame. Actually serving a practical purpose, this plastic rim captures light as part of Philips' Ambilight system.

Features

The latest version of Philip's acclaimed 'Ambilight' system delivers light from the sides of the LCD screen 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, adjusting to complement the current hues on each particular side.

Screen: 42in 16:9

Tuner: Digital

Sound System: Nicam

Resolution: 1920 x 1080

Contrast Ratio: 30,000:1

Other Features: Pixel Plus 3 HD .

Sockets: 4 HDMI (v1.3), 2 SCART (RGB), S-Video, Component Video, Composite Video, PC input, USB.

Pixel Plus 3 HD (rather than Philips' latest Perfect Pixel Engine HD) technology is the picture processing heart of the 42PFL7603D. The technology has been designed primarily to enhance picture sharpness, detail, colours and motion handling with both standard and high definition sources.

With a Full HD (1920 x 1080) resolution, the 42PFL7603D is able to map, pixel for pixel, the highest quality input onto the screen without the need for downscaling. Also on the spec front there are an impressive 4 HDMI(v1.3) inputs, 2 scarts and a surprisingly useful USB port through which you can display your holiday snaps (JPG's) in their full glory, play MP3 soundtracks and present .alb slideshow files.

'HD Natural Motion' technology addresses the juddering effects that are visible with film based picture content. The technology improves on 'Digital Natural Motion' by employing greater amounts of processing power to improve motion fluidity.

The 42PFL7603D features a unique invisible speaker system that has been designed to deliver powerful acoustics through a slim frame. Philips' Invisible Sound System integrates a wOOx subwoofer with two dual-excursion passive radiator drivers to improve low frequency performance while concealing the speakers behind the TV frame.

Performance

Of great concern to those of you who are buying a large TV but still plan to use it as a day to day workhorse is how well it handles a Standard Definition (SD) picture. While not without the odd minor glitch, the 42PFL7603D is one of the more accomplished large flat panel TV's when it comes to handling SD material. The image is always wonderfully sharp, full of detail and even with poorer quality 'Freeview' presents only a minimal amount of video noise.

The 42PFL7603D is generally composed when faced with the task of presenting fast moving action. While very fast motion sequences reveal some motion blur, the effect is minimal. The 42PFL7603D manages to avoid the over processed look, a bug bear of many LCD TV's and its motion handling abilities are actually a revelation for a large LCD TV at this price.

Testament to the current state of flat panel technology, we now expect to see pristine High Definition (HD) pictures from a Full HD (1920 x 1080) screen. What the 42PFL7603D delivers is an HD performance that places it in the leading pack of LCD TV's. Images are not just sharp, detailed and vibrant; they present a level of realism that draws you in to whatever you are watching for a fully immersive experience.

Noticeably Grey areas where there should be blacks are largely a thing of the past on LCD TV's and what we look for are rich deep blacks complemented by subtle graduations across darker scenes. On the whole, the 42PFL7603D delivers a strong performance in this respect. While the likes of Panasonic and Pioneer have taken black level performance to another level, the 42PFL7603D shows a subtlety across darker scenes that few large flat panels can match. Deep rich black levels present an excellent canvass for a rich and vibrant colour palette that avoids falling into the trap of becoming to 'garish'.

In fact, the colour performance of the 42PFL7603D reveals a subtlety that very few, if any screens can match for the price. Tricky skin tones, so often the Achilles heal of budget flat panels are presented with a realism that even some high end panels will struggle to match.

Coming as a pleasant surprise the 42PFL7603D's acoustics are worthy of praise, especially as they are produced from behind the screen. As strong as many a flat panel we have seen with visible speakers, Philips prove that with the right technology there is no need for compromise.

Conclusion

We can't help thinking that some seriously good LCD TV's from Philips have been overlooked in the past. This shouldn't be the case with the 42PFL7603D which presents an all round performance that is hard to beat for the price.


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