Hey everyone
Today's choice of review on best lcd tvs...The Philips 42PFL8404 LCD HDTV.
The Philips 42PFL8404 is a stunning piece of kit. It possesses a bezel that is less than one inch thick that pretends to placing all the emphasis on the picture but is really saying look at me....I'm beautiful! We have been so used to thick picture frame designs that it is certainly refreshing to see a minimalistic approach when designing an lcd tv.
So it looks great off, but whats it like when you turn it on?!
Unfortunately, for reasons unbeknown to me but probably as always based on price, the processing system is not the renowned "Perfect Pixel HD system" that has blown away all competition on the 9000 series. Instead we are given the "Pixel Precise HD". Now being able to speak English, I am immediately given the impression that what I am about to see is not going to be as good as the picture with the "Prefect Pixel HD system"...why....because in my world precise is never as good as perfect!!! Maybe something for the marketing bods at Philips to think about next time they are naming their products.
But all joking aside, the "precise" is not as good as the "perfect", it just can not quite deal with motion as its perfect brother! Dont get me wrong, its good, its very good..but its not perfect! The picture is incredibly sharp and detailed but the occasional picture lags and flickers do just enough to spoil the experience and ruin its chance of gaining the tag of best 42 LCD TV!
Now maybe I am being a little harsh when comparing the Philips 42PFL8404 to its more expensive brothers, because they are more expensive. A lot more expensive! The Philips 42PFL8404 was released at £1,100 which is a least half the price of an LCD in the 9000 series.
How about its connections? One word..comprehensive! What ever you need the Philips 42PFL8404 has! 4 HDMI's, 2 RGB Scarts, USB slot that plays virtually all multimedia file formats and even an Ethernet port to access Philips unique full Internet access. The only problem with all this option is they all had to be incorporated into the menu which means unfortunately the menu is a nightmare to navigate and change the specs to your suiting.
So what do I think of the Philips 42PFL8404? Best 42 LCD TV? Not quite....Its impressive....but only in some areas! It looks great, it has tonnes of features and connections and the picture is incredibly detailed. But at £1,100 I cant help feeling there should be something more...there just isn't that star quality that makes it stand out I'm afraid.
My recommendation...save up and buy a 9000 series with the "perfect" processing system!
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