TV Reviews

Get a Philips 40PFL9704 LCD TV

Over the past year Philips has managed to stand out, some would even say dominate the large screen Tv market. Not an easy feat given the falling prices and advancements in the industry- and yet they continue their success with the 40PFL9704.

This TV is one of Philips' 9000 series LED Pro range of TVs.

I could talk at length about the classy design of this TV, its brushed aluminium frame and three-sided Ambilight system, and its individual character. But these are not the features that make the 40PFL9704 one of the best LCD TVs on the market. That distinction is achieved by the superior quality of its hi-def pictures and the audio experience offered by its built-in speakers.

The Philips LED Pro is a backlight system featuring 224 LED lights arranged in a matrix behind the entire screen, which are switched on and off individually as required.Other manufacturers are using Edge LED systems, where frame mounted lights shine into the panel can have less effect at the middle of the screen. Sharp's recent sub-$1000 LED TVs use a similar LED system; so at $2500, the Philips LED Pro TVS have to offer something special to merit their price tag.

The 40PFL9704 has an abundance of HDMI ports, five yes five, included with a multimedia USB port and a built-in Wi-Fi module! There is a set of component video inputs, two scart inputs, an S-video port, a PC connection, analogue stereo i/o and a headphones socket. But unfortunately no digital audio output (for home cinema etc).

Although the 40PFL9704 supports most major file formats stored on a USB device, media playback is rather restricted; MP4, MPEG, WMV and some AVI video files (but not most DivX movies) play without any issues, as well as the usual MP3, WMA music and JPEG files.

Though primarily for powering the set's Net TV feature, the Wi-Fi module enables the 40PFL9704 to stream music, video and photos from a computer on the home network.The Wi-Fi streaming feature is markedly slow with video files, but works well with Net TV. Included are some applications giving you access to YouTube videos and Ebay, and are operated from the TV's remote control. Browsing Ebay is also slow, and much easier to do on a computer.

Ambilight Spectra 3 is a collection of yet LED lights around the outside of the TV that projects coloured light on to the walls behind, intended to reduce eyestrain. With lights around the sides and top of the rear of the TV. Philips' Perfect Pixel HD engine adds to the full HD quality picture, this is a 200Hz system with Perfect Natural Motion, a combination designed to rid Blu-ray playback of blur and judder. The 40PFL9704's performance with Blu-ray is excellent, great contrast, with dark areas of the image showing as good as plasma. The LED Pro system lives up to its promise and the screen exhibits stunning contrast all over its full area.

Whilst this TV's HD performance is superb, digital TV pictures appear soft, with processing evident across the picture; the 40PFL9704 does performs best work with High Definition.

The 40PFL9704 has a wide viewing angle, meaning it can be watched from anywhere without any loss of colour or contrast.

With its rear subwoofers, the 40PFL9704 sounds almost as good as a Loewe screen. The Bass is somewhat distanced from the overall sound, but dialogue is clear and full. The great performance does not benefit much from a 'surround' mode but it does give more depth and an impression of some rear effects. Although a litle bulky, the 40PFL9704's speakers are a success and easily able to replace a separate home cinema system.

Performance with Blu-ray discs is excellent.
Great stereo sound with good bass.
Versatile - blu-ray and HDTV and digital video.

Cons:

Sometimes the Perfect Natural Motion feature creates flicker.
Not so good with Digital TV.
Sound quality means abulkier unit.

This stylish powerful LCD LED set is good value if it's within your budget.

This is a great LCD LED TV but a plasma at half the price, is a very realistic alternative.

Get a Panasonic VIERA X1 Series Plasma 720p

The Panasonic VIERA X1 Series for 2009 has upped the stakes in image quality for plasma TV's. If you're a fan of big game sports, blockbuster movies or large scale all out war gaming then this is the TV for you!

Fast moving objects, footballs or missiles, stay clear and sharp as they zip across the screen, thanks to Panasonic's 600Hz Sub-field Drive for crisp, focused images. This TV also has a dedicated Game Mode that cuts down on 'time lag', plus connections for a memory card and an iPod.

Panasonic have embraced the home network ethos, creating an all round entertainment system with their X1 Series of HDTV Plasmas.

VIERA X1 Series Plasma 720p features include:

• 720p Resolution
• Contrast Ratio: 30,000:1 Native; Infinite Black Panel
• 720 Lines of Moving Picture Resolution
• 600Hz Sub-field Drive
• VIERA Image Viewer
• VIERA Link
• AR (Anti-Reflective) Filter
• Game Mode
• 3 HDMI Inputs
• 100,000 Hour Panel Life

Get a Mitsubishi LT-52149 52 inch LCD HDTV

The Mitsubishi LT-52149 is widely marketed as an HDTV system that provides an excellent viewing experience, but what many people do not realize is that it also caters to those who are seeking an excellent audio experience as well. 

Due to the built in 16 speaker 5.1 sound system of the LT-52149 viewers get to experience an audio wonder alongside their picture complete with an underlying sounder that runs under the bezel of the LT-52149 to create the full surround sound effect without taking much more room up out of the framework of the set.

Due to the unique placement of the Mitsubishi sound system you do not have to rush out to the store to purchase obtrusive speakers, or even any speakers at all since the LT-52149 has them built. 

Plus, Mitsubishi uses both Dolby Digital and Dolby Pro Logic to help process the audio system which creates a low frequency wavelength that is in turn enhanced by the built in subwoofer or if you choose you can upgrade the woofer by purchasing one yourself and hooking it into the output cable area.

Of course all of the charms of the audio system of the LT-52149 would not be worthwhile if you did not have a top of the line picture to match, which is of course provided as part of the package. 

The LCD model is equipped with four different picture and video modes so that you can properly match the quality of the type of media you are watching with the source for the best picture presentation.  You can even switch from natural mode to gaming mode to differentiate scenes that you may want to look more natural such as live television programs and scientific or action scenes that you may want to see more contrast in.

All of this is provided by for the LT-52149 and with plenty of ways to utilize the set since it has many different connectivity options.  Due to its HDMI interface, the LT-52149 offers four connections that can allow for multi channel feeds, automatic cable recognition, HDTV internet viewing, and of course DVD and VHS players. 

Additionally, the Mitsubishi LT-52149 set has a USB port built into the front of the television so that you can plug in a memory card reader or a thumb drive and use the large screen as a photo viewer.