Design
The Cineos 42PFL9632D is a contender for the crown in a 42PFL7532D lookalike contest -- at least when viewed from the front. Both models sport a 42-inch screen surrounded by a five centimetre glossy black frame, with a black speaker panel sitting inconspicuously beneath the display. The 42PFL9632D comes with a solidly-built swivel stand, which rotates 20 degrees each side.
Turn the unit around and the differences between the two models become apparent, starting with an Ambilight panel on each side of the 42PFL9632D. The HDMI port count has been raised from two to a future-proof three, but for some odd reason there are still two SCART ports.
Those who fancy the odd quick hook-up are catered for with a line of ports on the side of the screen, including composite audio/video, S-Video and a USB socket. A flatmate-friendly headphone port rounds out the list, but you'd want to be using a long cable to avoid an attack of square eyes.
Features
The 42PFL9632D has a 1920 by 1080p resolution, meaning Blu-ray, HD DVD and HD television signals can be displayed at the highest possible resolution.
Ambilight -- Philips' back-lighting system which projects soft light beyond the frame in accordance with the colours appearing on-screen -- has moved beyond gimmick status and become an integral feature of the television line-up. If you've been put off by the disco lighting effects seen in previous models, it's worth having another look at the 42PFL9632D's version of Ambilight, which allows you to trip the light fantastic in Relaxed, Moderate and Dynamic modes.
There are two features dedicated to reducing judder: the 100Hz Clear LCD with three-millisecond response time, and Philips' HD Natural Motion invention, which focuses on reducing the shakes usually found in high-def content.
Performance
As with other models in the Philips range, set-up is a very straightforward process, with guides and wizards holding your hand through the whole thing. Many calibration steps involve visual comparisons that display an image and ask you to specify which side of the split screen looks more appealing. It's like sitting for an eye test, but without that intimidating optometry contraption in front of your face. There are also split-screen demo modes for 100Hz, Ambilight and Perfect Pixel, which allow you to see the difference each mode makes before committing to a change in settings.
Philips' HD Natural Motion feature takes some getting used to. Designed to reduce juddering in high-def pictures, it can make movement in movies look unnatural. When we viewed Fantastic Four on Blu-ray, sweeping camera pans seemed almost too smooth. It's something we would grow accustomed to, but the first-time experience is a little surreal. During fast motion scenes, a faint trail on the lighter colours was occasionally detectable.
Whites were especially luminous on the 42PFL9632D, the glowing effect further enhanced when Ambilight was activated. Blacks, however, tended to become muddy, and scenes with shadows suffered from loss of detail. We may have become harsher judges in the wake of Pioneer's phenomenal PDP-508XDA, but the difference is significant.
Sound was more solid than we expected from the recessed speakers, but naturally the dual 8W speakers don't do justice to next-gen DVD audio. If you'll be sticking to TV broadcasts the in-builts will suffice, but movie aficionados will likely want to plug in a home theatre system for the full effect.
As befits its Cineos name, the 42PFL9632D is best suited to those with a penchant for drawing the curtains and firing up the home cinema to settle in for a night of next-gen DVD viewing. Activating Ambilight lends a sense of drama and occasion to the proceedings, removing you from your lounge room and making it easier to believe that Jessica Alba is an astronaut with a burgeoning side career in genetics research.
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techno girl
20/09/2008, 06:18 PM
rating
8/10
Had mine for three months now. had a few glitches in the beginning but hopefully all fixed now.
Pros: Great clear picture
love the 100htz
Blue ray from my ps3 is crystal clear
didnt notice any problems with blacks or trailing very happy with my buy and sad philips are leaving the tv game..
Cons: Just the few days where channel ten and ABC wouldnt work kept on pixeling out. but philips fixed it. was very frustrating at the time though!
Takes a while to turn on
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mick_spitta
25/05/2008, 09:10 AM
rating
8/10
comes with wall brackets and stand. have added in a scart to composite adapter, so there is x2 composite inputs now that are switchable in/out.
Did a software upgrade from Philips web page using the usb stick to program it. was easy to do. new software fixed some of the problems above. -quicker start up time now.
picked up the tv for $2699 as of 24-5-2008
Pros: easy to use out of box
finds digital hd and analogue tv stations, get to keep channel 31
good picture quality
Cons: no computer inputs. have to use hdmi to dvi adapter..
only composite digital audio out, didn't have optical digital audio out.
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Stuart from OZ
11/05/2008, 12:46 AM
rating
9/10
I to agree with Jeff Walker exactly (see his review futher down). Nearly bought a Sony until we spotted this unit hiding in a corner. Beautiful cabinet and top quality glass and steel swivel stand. Comes with a machined aluminium wall bracket as well. I thought the Ambi-Light was a gimmick and was just going to switch it off untill we got it home. Now we wouldn't be without it. It reduces eye strain in a dark room and makes the screen seem bigger. With every one going for the big name units I think Phillips is just off the radar and people don't give them a second thought but if Phillips is willing to give their screens a 3 year warranty then I belive that shows their confidence in a quality product. If it hadn't been for the excellent reviews on Cnet we may not have bought it either as no one seemed to know much about them. I asked around (as you do) and most people were saying to go with Sony or Panasonic or Samsung and no one seemed to have any idea about Phillips TV's. We paid $2530 in April 2008 which at the time was an excellent price. Don't forget to factor in extra warranty and a wall mount if required when compairing prices. Also considered a particular Panasonic plasma untill I read the reviews on Cnet. Out of ten reviews 4 said that theirs had broken down. We are really happy with this TV.
You will be to if you buy one.
Pros: Value for money. 3 year Phillips warranty. Wall bracket included. Ambi light. Split screen set up is wonderful and setup overall is simple. Sound quality is good when just using the units speakers. Colors are very good. OSD is well set out. Remote is well set out & easy to use.
Cons: Takes a while to switch on from cold as we turn everything off at the power points. Still get some pixalation with busy, fast moving objects such as a flock of birds taking off.
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meeha01
02/04/2008, 09:50 AM
rating
10/10
My son has just put a wii remote through mine, but i'm going to replace it with the same again, i'm so impressed with it
Pros: SD looks almost as good as HD
Cons: none at all
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Leroy_Loggins
27/03/2008, 05:38 PM
rating
7/10
CINEMA YES, GAMING NO.
This is a very very good panel for normal broadcast or home theatre use. Colours are fantastic and motion filters work great. Integrated tuner is nice and fast. Lots of HDTV lag, gamers beware!
Pros: -Ambilight works really well, eases eye strain while in the dark. Try it and see.
-Swivel stand is solid and moves easily
-Picture filters do a real makeover even to standard broadcasts.
-Best looking LCD in this price bracket.
Cons: -Terrible for gaming. The picture-filters introduce about 200ms of HDTV lag which makes gaming feel sloppy, unresponsive, and im afraid its a total deal-breaker for any interactive purposes.
-No VGA
-2 x SCART connections = legacy, limited use, why have two?
-1 x Component, only 1! and it uses a 3.5mm stereo input rather than RCA, which means a quick run to the shops for a converter.
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Leroy_Loggins
27/03/2008, 05:38 PM
rating
7/10
CINEMA YES, GAMING NO.
This is a very very good panel for normal broadcast or home theatre use. Colours are fantastic and motion filters work great. Integrated tuner is nice and fast. Lots of HDTV lag, gamers beware!
Pros: -Ambilight works really well, eases eye strain while in the dark. Try it and see.
-Swivel stand is solid and moves easily
-Picture filters do a real makeover even to standard broadcasts.
-Best looking LCD in this price bracket.
Cons: -Terrible for gaming. The picture-filters introduce about 200ms of HDTV lag which makes gaming feel sloppy, unresponsive, and im afraid its a total deal-breaker for any interactive purposes.
-No VGA
-2 x SCART connections = legacy, limited use, why have two?
-1 x Component, only 1! and it uses a 3.5mm stereo input rather than RCA, which means a quick run to the shops for a converter.
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Ferg
07/02/2008, 11:38 AM
rating
7/10
I agree with jeff walker as i was convinced i wanted a Sony. When price and warranty are compared the Phillips definietly wins. Has anyone else noticed fluctuating sound levels on any single channel? For me it's channel 2 in Melb Metro - the sound fades and recovers...? Go figure??
Pros: Ambilight and ease of set-up. Nice simple frame - the Sony frame is ugly and that's what put us off.
Cons: My partner agrees that she too can hear fluctuating sound levels on channel 2 in Melb Metro (only that channel) - the sound fades slightly and recovers...? Has anyone else noticed this? For movies it doesn;t matter cos we use 5.1ch
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boo
13/01/2008, 09:48 AM
rating
9/10
perfect tv
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good
11/01/2008, 07:33 PM
rating
10/10
its awessome it looks cool and i love the ambilight!
Pros: its got a clear picture with good skin tones and blacks are great
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Tom Hauser
20/12/2007, 07:18 PM
rating
9/10
Great TV. Motion handling way above Sony XBR. Great skin tones (14 bit colours) and very good upscaling of SD broadcasts and DVD's. Blacks are very good once you turn down brightness and get out of the useless dynamic showroom settings,which seem to be the norm for all TV's
Cons: Picture a little cold and can't add enough red despite maximum adjustment
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