Philips 42PFL3704D/F7I did not buy this TV because I read reviews or studied the features. I bought it because Target had it on sale mid-June 2009 for around $750, when the only thing you can touch for that price is a Visio. I really wanted the VGA port feature (which this does not have), but couldn’t find a TV equipped with one for under $1000. Since my PC DVI->HDMI adapter doesn’t provide audio, I can *see* the computer, but must use different speakers. However, this is a “computer geek” problem that most people won’t care about. I just want to watch Netflix on-demand, ok? 
– NOTE — I have since discovered (by reading the manual LOL) that audio inputs on the back coordinate with HDMI and allow me to plug in the computer while using HDMI1 only. I got a 1/8″ to RCA male adapter and I’m happy now! Computer on TV!! WITH AUDIO!!
Enough fluff… here’s my review:
Picture: VERY nice. This TV is replacing the Toshiba Regza 42″. My Regza had 15000:1 contrast… this one floors me with the 30000:1. It really is impressive how black is black and the colors POP. I only have an upsampling DVD, so I can’t comment on anything beyond digital cable and DVD, which both look GREAT from 8-10 feet away
Sound: Very nice. This TV is louder than my last. Will I ever go beyond 50% volume? No. But my Toshiba would require the volume at about level 55 for some movies. This Philips typically doesn’t go above 35. AND… this has an auto-volume feature that allows a very basic compressor/limiter to level your volume. When commercials come on… I kid you not, they are not NEARLY as annoyingly loud. I really like this feature. To clarify for the non-audio geeks, you conceivably can leave your volume in the same spot when the loud commercials come on, or when a movie suddenly has a dramatic moment. This feature levels out the audio. As a former recording-studio engineer, I find this a bit impure… but the benefits outweigh the audio purity gained by turning this feature off. Auto-volume is a GO!
Other features: Not many. This is a very basic TV… but is that a bad thing? I really never used the 15 different preset picture quality controls on my Toshiba. This TV has some presets and some color customs. I can play with the aspect ratio and some other stuff… but I really just plugged it in and left it as-is. I tried to find any practical features that really *did* anything and the audio is all I found. I say this as a positive, though. I really like the simplicity of this TV.
Ports: My Toshiba had 4 HDMI, this has 3. I think I’ll cope, especially since my computer doesn’t have audio via HDMI and is bound to become unplugged and placed elsewhere in the house. It has a USB port that claims to display pictures. I plugged in a few USB drives I have sitting around and it didn’t do anything. This is a feature that most people won’t really care about, me included. The manual describes certain compatability… either with number of characters or FAT / NTFS or some little fussy restriction. I personally believe that TVs shouldn’t try to do computer functions and should just display a great picture. I believe this one does.
OVERALL:
I really can’t get over how well the black tones look on this TV. I feel this was WAY more than a bargain-basement TV. I would not hesitate to buy this TV, provided the features match your needs. I have mine hanging on a TV stand so I can’t speak for the included stand (it’s still in the box), but I like the way it looks. The screen is dull-coat and not overly glossy. The bezel is obnoxiously glossy, but your eyes seem to forget it when the TV comes on. And just to reiterate… I LOVE the auto-volume leveling feature.
Reviewed by : Kev, July 18, 2009
