Philips 42PFL3704D 42" LCD TV
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- Aspect Ratio: Widescreen (16:9)
- Display Resolution: 1920 x 1080 pixels
- HDCP Support: With HDCP Support
- Response Time: 6.5 ms
- Broadcast Format Displayed: 1080p (HDTV) 1080i (HDTV) 720p (HDTV) 480p (EDTV) 480i (SDTV)
- Screen Size: 42 inch
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433
Great picture per dollar spent. Simply thrilled.
Pros
great picture, simple and effective menus.
Cons
skimpy remote control, others having quality problems.
Recommended it?
Yes
The Bottom Line:
a lot of TV for the money
While we have had a small LCD TV in our bedroom for a few years, I have resisted the urge to buy a larger one, until now. One of the reasons I waited is because I already had a high definition TV, but the old one was a tube television and must have weighed at least 200 pounds. It was flat out gigantic. On this past Cyber Monday a deal caught my eye that was just good enough to make me pull the trigger. I bought the Philips 42PFL3704D/F7, and so far I have been very glad I did.
Specifications
The Philips 42PFL3704D/F7 has a 42 inch screen (measured diagonally) with a black cabinet. The aspect ratio is 16:9 and the dynamic contrast ratio is 29000:1 (apparently the bigger the spread here the better). There are ample inputs, with three HDMI. They list two as being in the back and one on the side. In reality, the back and the side are quite close to each other. So close that I would say there is really no practical difference. There is also a single component input, a coaxial cable input, and composite and s-video inputs. The television measures 40.39" x 26.54" x 3.48" without the stand, and 40.39" x 28.54" x 9.92" with the stand. The Philips 42PFL3704D/F7 weighs 46.52 lbs. without the stand and 49.6 lbs. with the stand.
Features
Personally the feature I am most concerned with is the picture, but I can go through a few here in the interest of writing a thorough review. You have several sound features including a 5-band Equalizer, "Virtual Surround Sound" Sound Enhancement, and a Dolby Digital (AC-3), Stereo, SAP Sound System. I have used the sound just as it was set up out of the box. The Philips 42PFL3704D/F7 has child lock, parental control, and a sleep timer. The television comes with a remote and has the interesting feature of being to play MP3's and MPEG still pictures thorough the USB input.
My Take
Only having had the TV for a few weeks, I cannot speak much to durability. However, I am very happy with its performance so far. The picture is really quite good. I have stopped trying to always own the latest and greatest television technology. It just moves too quickly and I don't want to bankrupt keeping up. I saw the Philips 42PFL3704D/F7 in the store when comparing and asked my wife which picture she thought was best. She picked this one, and to my delight it was also the cheapest. However, I held off on the purchase at that moment (unable to get it home in the car we were in) and then saw the same model on sale at Newegg on Cyber Monday. I purchased right away. As far as picture, I am very happy. HD channels and Blue rays look just brilliant. Even my wife, who is apt to say things like "I don't see the difference" or "that look so fake" about HD has commented that the picture is really nice, and makes a big difference. I consider that the ultimate endorsement on picture.
Beyond the picture I am less impressed, though satisfied. The sound seems perfectly adequate although we do have problems watching movies. We have to turn the volume quite loud to hear the dialogue and then are blown away by the music or action sounds. To be fair, this may not be the TV's fault. The menus are simple and easy to use. Changing input is fast and easy. When I put a blue ray or DVD in the television will change the input automatically. The remote is pretty lackluster. Small, with few functions, and no programmability. You have to point the remote pretty directly to get good results. So far that has been my biggest complaint.
I have seen some reviews on the Philips 42PFL3704D/F7 that worry me. Many appear to have had problems out of the box and others seem to be developing problems relatively quickly. I personally have had no problems so far, and hopefully will continue that way.
Value
I feel that the Philips 42PFL3704D/F7 scores very well on value. I bought it from Newegg on cyber Monday for $594.99 and I did not have to pay tax or shipping. Given the price relative to other TV's I have seen and the picture quality I think this is a tremendous value. Keep an eye out to see if a lot of reviews are popping up with problems, but barring that I could not score the Philips 42PFL3704D/F7 more highly. Again, I haven't had any problems yet.
Conclusion
So far I haven't had a single problem with my Philips 42PFL3704D/F7. As long as it continues this way, I will continue to be thrilled. I think I got a great TV for the money. The picture quality is quite good and the rest of it is serviceable. I recommend the Philips 42PFL3704D/F7 with one warning. Just check out what other reviews are saying and make sure I am not one of the lucky few who isn't having problems.
Specifications
The Philips 42PFL3704D/F7 has a 42 inch screen (measured diagonally) with a black cabinet. The aspect ratio is 16:9 and the dynamic contrast ratio is 29000:1 (apparently the bigger the spread here the better). There are ample inputs, with three HDMI. They list two as being in the back and one on the side. In reality, the back and the side are quite close to each other. So close that I would say there is really no practical difference. There is also a single component input, a coaxial cable input, and composite and s-video inputs. The television measures 40.39" x 26.54" x 3.48" without the stand, and 40.39" x 28.54" x 9.92" with the stand. The Philips 42PFL3704D/F7 weighs 46.52 lbs. without the stand and 49.6 lbs. with the stand.
Features
Personally the feature I am most concerned with is the picture, but I can go through a few here in the interest of writing a thorough review. You have several sound features including a 5-band Equalizer, "Virtual Surround Sound" Sound Enhancement, and a Dolby Digital (AC-3), Stereo, SAP Sound System. I have used the sound just as it was set up out of the box. The Philips 42PFL3704D/F7 has child lock, parental control, and a sleep timer. The television comes with a remote and has the interesting feature of being to play MP3's and MPEG still pictures thorough the USB input.
My Take
Only having had the TV for a few weeks, I cannot speak much to durability. However, I am very happy with its performance so far. The picture is really quite good. I have stopped trying to always own the latest and greatest television technology. It just moves too quickly and I don't want to bankrupt keeping up. I saw the Philips 42PFL3704D/F7 in the store when comparing and asked my wife which picture she thought was best. She picked this one, and to my delight it was also the cheapest. However, I held off on the purchase at that moment (unable to get it home in the car we were in) and then saw the same model on sale at Newegg on Cyber Monday. I purchased right away. As far as picture, I am very happy. HD channels and Blue rays look just brilliant. Even my wife, who is apt to say things like "I don't see the difference" or "that look so fake" about HD has commented that the picture is really nice, and makes a big difference. I consider that the ultimate endorsement on picture.
Beyond the picture I am less impressed, though satisfied. The sound seems perfectly adequate although we do have problems watching movies. We have to turn the volume quite loud to hear the dialogue and then are blown away by the music or action sounds. To be fair, this may not be the TV's fault. The menus are simple and easy to use. Changing input is fast and easy. When I put a blue ray or DVD in the television will change the input automatically. The remote is pretty lackluster. Small, with few functions, and no programmability. You have to point the remote pretty directly to get good results. So far that has been my biggest complaint.
I have seen some reviews on the Philips 42PFL3704D/F7 that worry me. Many appear to have had problems out of the box and others seem to be developing problems relatively quickly. I personally have had no problems so far, and hopefully will continue that way.
Value
I feel that the Philips 42PFL3704D/F7 scores very well on value. I bought it from Newegg on cyber Monday for $594.99 and I did not have to pay tax or shipping. Given the price relative to other TV's I have seen and the picture quality I think this is a tremendous value. Keep an eye out to see if a lot of reviews are popping up with problems, but barring that I could not score the Philips 42PFL3704D/F7 more highly. Again, I haven't had any problems yet.
Conclusion
So far I haven't had a single problem with my Philips 42PFL3704D/F7. As long as it continues this way, I will continue to be thrilled. I think I got a great TV for the money. The picture quality is quite good and the rest of it is serviceable. I recommend the Philips 42PFL3704D/F7 with one warning. Just check out what other reviews are saying and make sure I am not one of the lucky few who isn't having problems.
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