Philips 60PP9601 60 in. TV
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- Aspect Ratio: 4:3
- Weight: 252 lb.
- Screen Size: 60 inch
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60PP9601+DVDO iScan is the best
Pros
Very high resolution, HD-ready, 4:3 with 16:9 squeeze
Cons
Mediocre line doubler, weak light output, no discrete input codes(?)
Recommended it?
Yes
The Bottom Line:
The 60PP9601 + DVDO iScan Pro just may be the high definition set to get right now for under $7000.
I thoroughly researched this beast, and compared it side-by-side in my home with a Sony 53HS10. The 53HS10 lost and got sent back. I love the 60PP9601, but to shine it really needs a DVDO iScan Pro (or other top notch line doubler with 3:2 pulldown.)
In my opinion, 4:3 sets that can squeeze their rasters down to a 16:9 area make the most sense. You'll still be watching 4:3 on satellite and regular TV for years to come. If you watch a lot of 4:3 on a 16:9 RPTV, you risk burn-in, whereas burn-in isn't usually a problem on a 4:3 RPTV that squeezes down to 16:9. A Philips 16:9 55PP9701 is identical in every way to a 4:3 60PP9601 that has had the top and bottom of the screen chopped off, leaving a 16:9 55" middle portion. Oh, and the 55PP9701 costs $800 more and has a mere 36" 4:3 image compared to 60" for the 60PP9601. Do you really want to pay $800 more for less? Currently, the only HD-ready 4:3 RPTV's that can do the 16:9 squeeze on 480i, 480p, and 1080i input are the Philips 60PP9601 and the Sony 53HS10 and 61HS10 (and their XBR RPTV relatives.)
The 60PP9601 has much higher resolution than the Pioneer Elites and top-end Mitsubishis, which in turn have much higher resolution than the Sony HS10's, which in turn have much higher resolution than most of the cheaper sets and direct view sets. For 1920x1080i HDTV, which CBS is currently broadcasting in the U.S., the 60PP9601 should provide the highest visible resolution of any set for even double the price at this time (early 2001.)
I was not thrilled with the 60PP9601's internal Genesis line doubler, slightly preferring Sony's DRC for satellite and interlaced DVD. The 60PP9601's colors were also washed out. Both these problems were solved by adding a DVDO iScan Pro line doubler. On film-based material, the resulting picture is better than any current RPTV alone. In case you're wondering, just like without the DVDO, with the DVDO you do get a full 4:3 image on the 60PP9601, and you can toggle the 16:9 squeeze on (or off) in a user menu on the 60PP9601, providing 33% extra resolution for "enhanced for widescreen" (anamorphic) DVD's and doing HDTV in its full glory. You can use the DVDO on either the HD component input or the SVGA/RGB input. You can turn on or off the 16:9 squeeze on both of those inputs and the two interlaced component inputs as well.
The Philips sets look awful in showrooms. That's because their convergences usually are not set up, and they don't put out as much light as the torch modes of the Sonys or Toshibas or Mitsubishis or Hitachis. However, the Philips sets are easy to converge (try it yourself in the showroom), and if you can control the lighting in your room, like with drapes, the 60PP9601's picture can be set to have good contrast. Even if you bought one of the other vendor's sets, you'd have to turn down the contrast and brightness to avoid toasting your set within a year and to have a more accurate picture, so you would still have to control the room lighting. And again, the DVDO allowed me to pump up the colors to where they are very strong but still balanced according to Video Essentials.
One cool and rare feature of the Philips sets is that they accept VGA/SVGA input, at 640x480p and 800x600p. One user reports being able to use 1072x600p on a slightly different Philips set. So, with just a straight 15-pin VGA cable, you can connect your PC to your Philips HD-ready TV, turning your regular DVD-equipped PC into an instant HTPC (Home Theater Personal Computer.) Your PC DVD player will be progressive, of course, and the picture is stunning. In addition to 600p, the Philips will accept 480i, 480p, 540p (probably), and 1080i, but not 720p.
The inputs are a bit more flexible on the Philips '9601 and '9701 compared to competitors like the Sony HS10. On the Philips, you have one HD component input, one HD SVGA input, two interlaced component inputs, and then the usual two antenna inputs and various S-video and composite inputs, a total of 7 distinct input lines. One component and S-video input is available on the front for camcorder buffs, and it has a monitor output, which works for progressive inputs as well as regular interlaced inputs.
This advantage in input flexiblity is somewhat mitigated by the fact that programming a universal remote to select an input on the Philips TV is difficult. Philips sets, even the pricey 64PH9905, lack discrete codes for input selection, and I think the 60PP9601 is no exception. The DVDO again comes to the rescue! The DVDO does automatic input switching, so you just need to switch on whatever device you want to watch and leave the Philips set on the HD input that the DVDO is connected to.
For more information, see the thread "Philips 60PP9601 vs. Sony 61HS10" at
http://www.hometheaterforum.com/uub/Forum24/HTML/005128.html
In my opinion, 4:3 sets that can squeeze their rasters down to a 16:9 area make the most sense. You'll still be watching 4:3 on satellite and regular TV for years to come. If you watch a lot of 4:3 on a 16:9 RPTV, you risk burn-in, whereas burn-in isn't usually a problem on a 4:3 RPTV that squeezes down to 16:9. A Philips 16:9 55PP9701 is identical in every way to a 4:3 60PP9601 that has had the top and bottom of the screen chopped off, leaving a 16:9 55" middle portion. Oh, and the 55PP9701 costs $800 more and has a mere 36" 4:3 image compared to 60" for the 60PP9601. Do you really want to pay $800 more for less? Currently, the only HD-ready 4:3 RPTV's that can do the 16:9 squeeze on 480i, 480p, and 1080i input are the Philips 60PP9601 and the Sony 53HS10 and 61HS10 (and their XBR RPTV relatives.)
The 60PP9601 has much higher resolution than the Pioneer Elites and top-end Mitsubishis, which in turn have much higher resolution than the Sony HS10's, which in turn have much higher resolution than most of the cheaper sets and direct view sets. For 1920x1080i HDTV, which CBS is currently broadcasting in the U.S., the 60PP9601 should provide the highest visible resolution of any set for even double the price at this time (early 2001.)
I was not thrilled with the 60PP9601's internal Genesis line doubler, slightly preferring Sony's DRC for satellite and interlaced DVD. The 60PP9601's colors were also washed out. Both these problems were solved by adding a DVDO iScan Pro line doubler. On film-based material, the resulting picture is better than any current RPTV alone. In case you're wondering, just like without the DVDO, with the DVDO you do get a full 4:3 image on the 60PP9601, and you can toggle the 16:9 squeeze on (or off) in a user menu on the 60PP9601, providing 33% extra resolution for "enhanced for widescreen" (anamorphic) DVD's and doing HDTV in its full glory. You can use the DVDO on either the HD component input or the SVGA/RGB input. You can turn on or off the 16:9 squeeze on both of those inputs and the two interlaced component inputs as well.
The Philips sets look awful in showrooms. That's because their convergences usually are not set up, and they don't put out as much light as the torch modes of the Sonys or Toshibas or Mitsubishis or Hitachis. However, the Philips sets are easy to converge (try it yourself in the showroom), and if you can control the lighting in your room, like with drapes, the 60PP9601's picture can be set to have good contrast. Even if you bought one of the other vendor's sets, you'd have to turn down the contrast and brightness to avoid toasting your set within a year and to have a more accurate picture, so you would still have to control the room lighting. And again, the DVDO allowed me to pump up the colors to where they are very strong but still balanced according to Video Essentials.
One cool and rare feature of the Philips sets is that they accept VGA/SVGA input, at 640x480p and 800x600p. One user reports being able to use 1072x600p on a slightly different Philips set. So, with just a straight 15-pin VGA cable, you can connect your PC to your Philips HD-ready TV, turning your regular DVD-equipped PC into an instant HTPC (Home Theater Personal Computer.) Your PC DVD player will be progressive, of course, and the picture is stunning. In addition to 600p, the Philips will accept 480i, 480p, 540p (probably), and 1080i, but not 720p.
The inputs are a bit more flexible on the Philips '9601 and '9701 compared to competitors like the Sony HS10. On the Philips, you have one HD component input, one HD SVGA input, two interlaced component inputs, and then the usual two antenna inputs and various S-video and composite inputs, a total of 7 distinct input lines. One component and S-video input is available on the front for camcorder buffs, and it has a monitor output, which works for progressive inputs as well as regular interlaced inputs.
This advantage in input flexiblity is somewhat mitigated by the fact that programming a universal remote to select an input on the Philips TV is difficult. Philips sets, even the pricey 64PH9905, lack discrete codes for input selection, and I think the 60PP9601 is no exception. The DVDO again comes to the rescue! The DVDO does automatic input switching, so you just need to switch on whatever device you want to watch and leave the Philips set on the HD input that the DVDO is connected to.
For more information, see the thread "Philips 60PP9601 vs. Sony 61HS10" at
http://www.hometheaterforum.com/uub/Forum24/HTML/005128.html
