HD PICTURE QUALITY. HD picture quality was very good. It generally did an excellent job displaying the finest detail of HD content though some added edge enhancement processing reduced picture fidelity a bit. Color accuracy was very good, with flesh tones in particular, looking natural. Contrast--the difference between the darkest blacks and brightest whites--was good, so images had depth and dimension, typical of most models we test. Brightness level was only fair, dimmer than most, not the best choice for a brighter room. Black level was generally good, though not as dark as better performers on the darkest scenes. In scenes with subtly shaded light-to-dark areas, such as a sky during sunset, the model did a very good job producing a smooth transition without distinct, coarse bands. There was slight display non-uniformity that created brighter cloudy areas most noticeable on very dark scenes (or in the black bars of a letterboxed movie). We routinely see this issue with LCDs and severity can vary from model to model. The deinterlacing and film mode operations were excellent on HD content; there was little or no trace of jaggies on the edges of objects for video and film-based 1080i video content, such as from cable.
VIEWING ANGLE. This Philips has a wide viewing angle overall, better than that of most TVs. It will provide the same picture quality, with fewer problems than most TVs, for typical viewing conditions -- say, if your family is seated across a long sectional or in chairs off to the sides. The picture did show some dimming from the sides but not to any point we found distracting. With dark scenes this model didn't fare quite as well. When viewed from the sides, the depth of black levels varied depending on the vertical position of the viewer's head. As we moved closer to the screen this limitation became even more apparent, especially if seated on the floor looking upward where black levels brightened significantly.
MOTION BLUR. This Philips TV has only fair motion performance, with significant blurring on our motion tests. This model's "120 PMR" feature had no effect on blur reduction. The visibility of blurring on typical program content is often subtle and may not bother most people, but keen-eyed viewers may detect some loss of texture and detail on scenes with movement.
SCREEN REFLECTIVITY. Though not as mirror-like as on some models, this screen surface is glossy and therefore susceptible to reflections from a nearby lamp or window. It does a good job reducing glare from ambient light and maintains contrast in a brighter room environment.
SOUND QUALITY. This model has fair sound quality with below average performance. It's acceptable for typical programming, but shortcomings become obvious with movie soundtracks and music. Bass was lacking, but treble was nicely detailed, while the overall sound was on the bright side, thin, and closed in. The volume from its speakers was limited -- just adequate for a smaller, quiet listening environment and without obvious distortion. If sound quality matters to you, you might want to add a soundbar or other external speaker system.
EASE OF USE. The dark labeling of the connectors on the TV console is very difficult to read. On first power up there is an on-screen guide that helps you through setting up the TV. Philips' basic remote offers a traditional button keypad with high contrast labeling that remains fairly readable in a dimly lit environment. It provides direct button access to Netflix and Vudu streaming services.
INTERNET FEATURES. INTERNET FEATURES. This TV claims to provide basic Internet functionality with a limited selection of applications via its "Net TV" portal, but some may find its operation faulty. Our attempts to connect the TV to the internet yields an onscreen "failed" message with one of our routers, but passed with another. None of our other tested TVs have exhibited this issue. Despite the "failed" message we were able to access Netflix, but no other services, including YouTube. We also purchased a second sample of this model and got the same result.
CONNECTIONS. This model has two HDMI inputs-- one supports ARC (Audio Return Channel), one "component/composite shared" input (which means you can only use one type or the other at a time). It also has one USB port, an optical digital audio out, a headphone out, an Ethernet port, WiFi wireless networking; DLNA, to access files within your home network. Note: HDMI and other cable connections made to the rear-facing panel will protrude beyond the panel's slim depth.
INCLUDED IN THE BOX. A printed user manual. A quick start guide. A remote control with batteries.
