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Philips 42PFL7432D Review
Philips 42PFL7432D
Philips used to be the leader in audio and video technology but recent product releases from the company are largely unremarkable. Even in the HDTV niche, only a few of Philips recent TVs created some buzz. One such exception is the 42PFL7432D, a 42-inch LCD which got some positive consumer response and encouraging reviews.
Design
The 42PFL7432D has a rather conservative, if not bland, design. The glossy black bezel is not flushed with the screen but instead sits slightly forward, clearly demarcating the frame from the screen area. The speaker grille located at the bottom of the panel is slightly bent backwards, while the smoke-glass base and swiveling post in silver complete the understated look.
The remote shipped with the 42PFL7432D is partially backlit in a cool silver finish. Unlike previous Philips clickers which are difficult to use, this remote contains most buttons one needs, adequately spaced apart for user’s convenience. The clicker lacks an Exit button to escape menus, though. This is worsened by the fact that the menu system is rather confusing, with an overlay that frequently covers a large area, if not the entire screen. Adjustments are quite daunting tasks in this menu setup.
Screen/picture clarity
This Philips LCD isn’t impressive off-the-box, but after calibration, it does perform impressively, except for its black levels. Color accuracy on bright and dark scenes is excellent, with the hues remaining consistent on both conditions. The main issue against the 42PFL7432D is its rather shallow black levels - perhaps caused by the lack of backlight control - that ultimately affects the saturation of colors and shadow details, making images indistinct and less stunning than they should be.
The full 1080p HD resolution TV has no hassles resolving 1080p and 1080i sources, and despite having a low refresh rate, blurring in fast action scenes is barely discernible. This HDTVs also has exceptional uniformity across the screen, besting other LCDs. Off-angle viewing is poor, though, as washed out images are seen just one seat removed from the center point, and above or below it.
Features
The patented Ambilight system is one of the come-ons included by Philips in its HDTVs, and the 2PFL7432D sports a two-channel lighting that simulates the screen hues and show these in the background, for a richer viewing experience.
Moreover, this LCD offers three picture presets, which are nonadjustable and existing settings are erased when one tries to do adjustments. The Settings Assistant tutorial is a nice touch, as well as the adjustable colour temperatures control, but having no backlight control and picture-in-picture mode really annoy us. For connectivity, this TV has three HDMI ports, USB port, RGB-style PC input and a slew of AV input and outputs.
The Philips 42PFL7432D may not be top-notch in performance and style, but it has its own attractions found nowhere else. With performance that is above average and features enough to give bang for the buck, this LCD is definitely worth considering, particularly for new HDTV converts.
<< Click HERE to Read The Latest Philips 42PFL7432D User Reviews >>
Philips LCD HDTV 42″ with Ambilight - We received our item in the time frame that was given to us. Each day we were notified as to how the purchase was proceeding. We were called the day before delivery and delivery arrived the following day within the time we were told. Installation of the TV was simple. We have been enjoying our new TV very much. The ambilight is great as it seem to make TV viewing easy on your eyes. Gaming on the LCD is great and we particularly enjoy the fact that there is no glare on the TV screen. I believe that anyone purchasing this TV would not only be happy with the TV, but also the service we received from Amazon as well as from the people delivering our TV.
From the moment I saw this AmbiLIGHT flat screen TV, about 3 or 4 years ago, I know I wanted to get one. Two months ago I bought one. I couldn’t be more happy with my purchase. The picture quality is great and the sound matched with the home theatre system to go along with it is phenominal. Thank you Philips for creating such an illuminese product. I would recommend this for anyone who loves to watch bright vibrant colors displayed in expension behind the TV.
My husband and I bought this TV a little over 5 months ago and it fantastic. The picture is crisp and clean. No dead pixels. No glare problems. Easy to hang on the wall with a standard wall mount. We didn’t expect anything from the Ambilight feature, but I must admit it makes watching TV easier on your eyes. It can be turned off if you do not like it. There are plenty of inputs for your gaming systems, etc. PS3 games and Blu-ray both look outstanding.
After considerable shopping around for a couple of months, I finally settled in on this TV. What a great choice it was! Setup was simple (as the TV walks you through your preferred color choices and palettes right after it comes on for the first time), user options are easy to use, and the picture is terrific!
I also purchased an HD DVD player and the picture depth and sharpness is outstanding! I have to say the Ambilight is nice, but don’t recommend the Dynamic setting, but there are plenty of other options to choose that makes the image easier on the eyes.
Great tv. My only complaint is that regular TV is extremely fuzzy on it. I can’t wait until each channel is HD!
Ambilight is Amazing! I bought a Philips 42″ Ambilight last month and it has exceeded my expectations. This is a great product, and the Ambilight feature makes the screen size seem larger and eliminates eye strain. The picture is sharp, clear, and has great color. Setup was very easy. I’d recommend this TV to anyone.
I purchased this Phillips 42PFL7432D 42 ” and I am very pleased. I don’t know enough about what it can even do to rate it higher. I found it easy to use and I like the picture and and the ambilight. It has been a pleasure. I have to say I haven’t hooked it up to HD yet and am just using a regular DVD player but I think it looks great. I’m sure when I finally get that together it will be so much more, but currently it is much better than what I had before.
If you are in the market for a new LCD screen TV then the Philips Ambilight might be something worth considering. The TV is a excellent one that compares very favorably to comparably sized LCD screens. Overall setup of the TV is very straight forward and and the image setup process when you turn it on is very helpful.
The Ambilight system is a little bit gimmicky but when used to watch films in the dark is is effective. It does wonders to reduce the eye strain one would receive if you want to watch movies in pitch dark. Color levels of the screen are very good as well, but black levels are not the best. The black levels are improved when watching in a dark setting however as the scree will automatically adjust the brightness appropriately to how dark the room is.
The TV has excellent HDMI support with three inputs but unfortunately does not offer cable card support. Be aware of that. The only other drawback to the set is that the the naming options for your video inputs are stuck to only a set of predefined labels. You cannot label them yourself and if you have multiple devices that are the same, such as two video game systems or something unique such as an Apple TV hooked up you cannot label the inputs as such.
Less than a week after buying this TV in July 2007, it stopped working. The power light would come on briefly and then it would shut off. We returned it to the store and got a replacement.
Fast forward to today, Nov. 23, 2008. The “new” TV did the same thing, after having worked with no problems earlier in the day. Called Philips and they’re covering the repair even though it’s out of warranty, but it’s still a major annoyance for such a big ticket item.
If you are in the market for a new LCD screen TV then the Philips Ambilight might be something worth considering. The TV is a excellent one that compares very favorably to comparably sized LCD screens. Overall setup of the TV is very straight forward and and the image setup process when you turn it on is very helpful.
The Ambilight system is a little bit gimmicky but when used to watch films in the dark is is effective. It does wonders to reduce the eye strain one would receive if you want to watch movies in pitch dark. Color levels of the screen are very good as well, but black levels are not the best. The black levels are improved when watching in a dark setting however as the scree will automatically adjust the brightness appropriately to how dark the room is.
The TV has excellent HDMI support with three inputs but unfortunately does not offer cable card support. Be aware of that. The only other drawback to the set is that the the naming options for your video inputs are stuck to only a set of predefined labels. You cannot label them yourself and if you have multiple devices that are the same, such as two video game systems or something unique such as an Apple TV hooked up you cannot label the inputs as such.
I purchased this Phillips 42PFL7432D 42 ” and I am very pleased. I don’t know enough about what it can even do to rate it higher. I found it easy to use and I like the picture and and the ambilight. It has been a pleasure. I have to say I haven’t hooked it up to HD yet and am just using a regular DVD player but I think it looks great. I’m sure when I finally get that together it will be so much more, but currently it is much better than what I had before
I bought a Philips 42″ Ambilight last month and it has exceeded my expectations. This is a great product, and the Ambilight feature makes the screen size seem larger and eliminates eye strain. The picture is sharp, clear, and has great color. Setup was very easy. I’d recommend this TV to anyone.
This is a great tv. Picture if fantastic and the hd is sharp!! Sound is great. Love it!!
I did quite a bit of research prior to making this purchase and am very pleased with the decision. The picture quality is excellent! I’ve had friends over that also have flat panel TVs and they all say our picture looks better than theirs. I also really like the ambilight feature, it’s not just a gimmick it really helps reduce eye strain when no other lights are on. Ambilight is also dynamic and each side adjusts separately in intensity and color. Plenty of inputs and outputs. I can’t comment on the sound quality because I never use the built in speakers. Only complaint I have which is pretty minor is that after initial power on six or seven seconds before it will accept input selection i.e. changing from HDMI 3 to HDMI 4.