I bought this TV recently from a national chain store on a semi-whim (I'd been wanting a new TV for a little while but wasn't sure if this was the time to buy). Surprised by how few reviews there were, I decided to write this one.
While shopping with my wife, we wandered over to the TV wall just to check out what was available, and I proceeded to wander up and down the wall looking at the TVs. Slowly I narrowed my pool by size (37"-42"), technology (LED LCD), resolution (1080p), and refresh rate (120Hz-240Hz). After all that, I shocking found myself staring at a Philips set (at a great price). The picture was clear, colors were vibrant (probably over-saturated for the sales floor but that's par for the course, I believe), and the bezel was clean and understated. Honestly, I couldn't believe it. I asked my wife which one she liked, and she picked the same one! We decided to purchase this TV and have loved it ever since I set it up.
The performance:price ratio on this TV is unbelievable. I'm the type of person who lives by the "get what you pay for" mantra, and, honestly, the price was the only thing that scared me about this TV. Is the deal too good to be true? Since we bought the TV without researching it first (another past time of mine), I hopped on teh almighty interwebz as soon as we got home. I could only find a couple negative comments, and I will elaborate on them here:
- The remote and TV IR sensor are a little picky. An angry customer commented that you have to point the remote directly at the TV for it to work. This is not entirely true. The sensor is placed in the bottom middle of the bezel while most TVs have them out to the sides these days. He probably had something sitting directly in front of the TV blocking the sensor. I had to move our center channel speaker to the side a little so the remote has a clear path to the senor. Seems to be an average remote experience to me - just something to be aware of.
- Video games lag with the 120Hz processing turned on. I only tried it with the setting at Minimum on my Xbox 360, but the video does noticeably lag (not a lot, but you can see it) at that setting. Solution: Turn it off. It's as simple as that.
- For the short time I had the 120Hz processing turned on, I couldn't decide whether I liked it or not. It seems really cool, but my wife did not like it at all. There seems to be a little judder (like they skip, I guess that's the term) in fast moving objects with the setting on Minimum. We just turned it off and have left it that way. Honestly, after reading about the technology more, I'm not sure the programming for this feature is there yet. I'm a little bit of a purist so I'll just leave the video the way it is recorded and broadcast.
- I've read some complaints about the sound. Well, what do you expect when the speakers are mounted on the back of the TV? I haven't auditioned the built-in sound setup since I have everything running through my home theater system, but I can't imagine the sound would be very good reverberating off of the wall behind it or the entertainment center surrounding it.
Overall, I'm very pleased with this TV (especially since I was able to get it for roughly half of the competitors' price!). Philips may be able to offer this TV at a lower price because they don't do as much sponsoring, advertising, or PR as other brands like Samsung, LG, and Panasonic. This TV sat next to Samsung on the wall, and it outshined the Samsung. The menu experience is very sleek and quick. Not sure if this menu is proprietary to Philips or not, but it's certainly not one of the generic specials I see on all the store/off-brand TVs. The TV menu even has an option to add devices to it by linking a description+icon (video game, DVD, Cable/Satellite, etc.) to an input. My wife LOVES this feature even though we won't use it (AV receiver does all the switching). I even used a USB key to update the firmware on the TV. It was easy and executed flawlessly. Blu ray looks great on this TV, as well. The colors and details really pop. I'm hoping this TV will last my wife and I quite a while :) Philips 40PFL7505D/F7 40-Inch 1080p 120 Hz LED LCD HDTV, Black
Simple review for TV Programing, Video Games and Bluray
Ok, 1st things 1st. Update the TV!
Meaning just get any USB device and drag over the firmware update from the Phillps website and this TV works like a dream. Its very simple so don't let that scare you into not buying this tv. All new tv's have firmware updates now. Its very common.
I can't speak for the tv before the update because I did it right away.
Anyway, on to the review! ^_^
1st TV Programing
I have Direct TV I gotta say movies and shows simply look amazing. The picture is crisp and pops out at you. The newer the tv show your watching the better it will look. HD programing is a must of course. No Lag or jiddering or whatever other reviews say.
Now for Video games. I have a Ps3 and have played it a fair amount already and There's no lag at 1080p 120hz at all. And thats set at maximum I don't know how some reviews say there's a lag maybe thats before the update. But video games look impressive, and again the picture just seems to pop out at you. I play alot of sports and fighting games which of course has alot of action and fast movements and I'm seeing things I never saw before on my old CRT HDTV. There's just so much detail now that the creator's of the games put into it that I can now see, when before you simply didn't pick it up just looking at it.
Now for maybe what alot of you are buying a 120hz tv for.. The Bluray Movies.
I gotta say the picture looks.breathtaking My Dad who's a old timer when it comes to electronics who's been saying a tv is a tv...even said... Wow this was worth it when he saw the Dark Knight IMAX parts on Bluray. It simply looks like there right in the room with you. Like your right in back of them or on the side of them.. or your in the room when there's a explosion.
Also the Speakers Some reviews say there low.. Honestly I don't even have it close to middle on the volume setting and the sound is like everywhere. You get the surround sound and HD sound all in one.
Ive been looking at getting a new HDTV for 6 months, looking at samsungs, Sony's,LG and so on, and this TV simply was the best deal for 120hz.
I bought this tv when it was on sale for $599 and Paid $547 with tax included . At the Target store(15 percent off) (Target Card) and 10 percent off purchase coupon.
So once they put this tv on sale again or if the current price (629 in store) jump on it. Its a perfect tv for those making the jump to LCD-LED technology. The 120hz makes a huge difference so stick with brand that you already know, they haven't been around a long time for nothin ^_^.
Sorry if this is a nothing but positive review for the tv but I'm just calling it like I see it. This tv is the best led your going to get on the market at this size with 120hz. Trust me I looked all over the place :) - 1080p - Hdtv - Led Backlight - 120hz'
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