Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)If you don't want to read the whole review: This TV is pretty good for movies and TV, but is unusable for video games.
Postive features :
The image looks very good. It is a 120Hz 1080P TV with anti-judder. It does an excellent job of anti-judder or "digital natural motion" as they call it. It produces good contrast (for an LCD) after calibration, and after some painful calibration color can look OK as well. There are 3 HDMI inputs, composite, component and S-video. There is coaxial audio out (more on this in a moment). I had some friends over and they all agree it looks great.
Missing \ Lacking features:
There is no vga input. There is no digital audio in - other than HDMI. There is no optical audio out. There is no 1:1 signal to display (image is always overscanned). This means there is no way to get all 1080 pixels width on the screen and the image is cropped about 5%. I can maybe understand this to prevent visible edge artifacts with anti-judder turned ON, but please give us an option.
There is only one user preset, and if you change any display setting after selecting a preconfigured preset (game, movie, sports), you overwrite your user preset, so you have to remember or write down your calibration settings.
There are limited configuration options: you cannot set gamma, you cannot control the level of digital natural motion, you cannot turn off dynamic contrast, you cannot set HDMI black level. However, I just found out from Philips that a TV calibration professional will have access to more calibration options.
Negatives:
Lag. Even with "Game" preset, or with 120 hz turned off and virtual surround turned off there is substantial lag. This makes it unusable for most video games. Philips is working on this, so I hope a future firmware update will resolve this issue.
Even though there is lag in games you do not notice it on movies because the audio is re-synched, but this forces me to use the coax audio out to my older receiver ([Device -> TV -> Receiver] instead of [Device -> Receiver -> TV]). The alternative would be to use a receiver with lip sync functions. Philips tells me a receiver with HDMI 1.3 should synch correctly.
If you have to use and older receiver, like me, then be aware Digital audio out is only Dolby Digital. A DTS bitstream passed to the TV is decoded and ouput as Dolby Digital. It is not a huge issue for me and the Dolby Digital still sounds great. Chances are that if you have something that handles the new DTS formats then it will also do audio sync for you anyway.
If there is a firmware update from Philips that addresses these issues I will come back and alter this review (looking forward to that).
Bottom Line:
If you do not intend to play video games then I can recommend this TV.
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Product Description:
With its award-winning technology, superb motion sharpness, and Pixel Plus 3 HD, the Philips 40-Inch 1080p 120 Hz HDTV brings a cinematic experience to your living room. Incredible Surround audio technology immerses you in television and movie soundtracks, and Dolby Digital outputs connect the television to your home theater system. A variety of connection options makes it easy to add additional entertainment devices so you can use this state-of-the-art HDTV to view photos, play music, or as a monitor for your PC.
40-Inch 1080p 120 Hz LCD HDTV
At a Glance:
Full HD LCD display for the best possible picture qualityPixel Plus 3 HD improves natural detail and optimizes contrastFast moving pictures are clear, vibrant, and smoothConnection options for your PC, DVD, Blu-ray player, game console, and USB deviceEnergy efficient and environmentally friendly
Backed by a one-year limited warranty
Full HD LCD display for the best possible picture quality. View larger.
Connection options for your PC, DVD, Blu-ray, game console, and USB device. View larger.Innovative Technology for Smooth Moving Pictures
With a 1920 x 1080p widescreen resolution, the Philips 40-Inch 1080p 120 Hz HDTV offers the ultimate high-definition standard, progressively scanning images to bring you a smooth, flicker-free image. The HDTV features Philips' unique Clear LCD and Digital Natural Motion technology for clear and vibrant moving images. With a 120 Hz rate (120 frames per second) for rapidly moving pictures and a super-fast response time of two milliseconds, this HDTV provides smooth, judder-free images even when there's a lot of action on screen. You'll need this kind of resolution for the latest DVD and Blu-ray releases.
Exceptional Image Quality with Any Input
Because Pixel Plus 3 HD works by improving each and every incoming pixel and matching it to the surrounding pixels, you'll see improved natural detail, vivid colors, and superior contrast with any signal type.
Audio Technology Provides Surround Sound Experience
Equipped with Incredible Surround audio technology, the HDTV uses innovative sound mixing to expand the virtual distance between its two speakers, giving greater depth and width to the audio experience. For additional audio options, a Dolby Digital output is handy for connecting to your home theater system.
Multiple Inputs Cater to All Your Viewing Needs
You can quickly and easily connect to a cable or satellite box, camcorder, game console, Blu-ray disc player, DVD player, PC, and more with the HDTV's multiple inputs. Three HDMI inputs with Philips' EasyLink let you control the connected devices with the same remote control you use with the TV.
Share Photos and Music
A USB connector gives you the option to view photos or listen to music by simply plugging in your storage device and using the handy onscreen content browser.
Energy Efficient Features Reduce Power Consumption
The HDTV's power-saving features include low standby power consumption and high-efficiency materials, which combine to give this television its Energy Star rating.
The Philips 40-Inch 1080p 120 Hz HDTV is backed by a manufacturer's one-year limited warranty.
What's in the Box
Philips 40PFL3705D/F7 40-Inch 1080p 120 Hz LCD HDTV, table top stand, power cord, cable holder, quick start guide, user manual, registration card, remote control, and batteries for the remote control.
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