Expert review of three Philips 42-inch LCD TVs

As one of the most popular sizes in the market, 42-inch LCD TVs are attracting more and more attention. As a representative of TV brands, Philips has produced a number of 42-inch LCD TVs. This laboratory has evaluated three products of Philips 2800 series, 7 series and 9 series to provide reference and reference for consumers.

Philips 42TA2800

Appearance: This product adopts a full black body design with a silver-white base, giving people a simple and generous feeling. The 42TA2800 audio system adopts a narrow frame and horizontal speaker design, which adds a lot of fashionable colors to it. It is worth mentioning that the edge treatment of this model is very good, with clear edges and corners, and the bright paint treatment in some places is very textured.
Control and sound quality: The buttons of the 42TA2800 are located on the top of the body. There are three buttons for menu, volume selection and channel selection. Although there are few, it is relatively convenient to operate and can basically complete all instructions. For easy use, the TV power button is located in the lower right corner of the TV, which is very eye-catching. And its operation menu also inherits the simple and clear characteristics of Philips, which is very smooth.
In terms of audio, the Philips 42TA2800 TV uses a virtual surround stereo system, which can effectively enhance the stereo effect and bring users a cinema-level audio experience.
Interface: Philips 42TA2800 is very comprehensive. It has two sets of AV input, two sets of components, two sets of S terminals, one set of VGA input, one set of PC audio input, and is also equipped with a set of HDMI high-definition digital interface, which can basically meet the audio and video entertainment needs of consumers. For easy connection, its interface is located at the back and side of the fuselage.
Picture quality: Philips 42TA2800 LCD TV uses a high-definition LCD WXGA liquid crystal panel, with a resolution of 1366×768, a brightness of 500nits, a contrast ratio of 1000:1, a response time of 8ms and a viewing angle of 176 degrees, which belongs to the current mainstream level. The unique digital crystal color technology makes the color edge clean and neat, and the layering is prominent.
Overall review: The appearance of the 42TA2800 model is quite satisfactory. It has digital crystal color technology, which is particularly outstanding in color expression. The picture is real and natural, with rich layers, and the overall performance is very good. It is a very practical TV product.
In the grayscale test, this model has good color processing, and the transition between its colors is relatively smooth.
It has performed well in this grayscale test. As can be seen from the picture, only the color in the upper left corner is blurred.
From this color map, we can see that the 42TA2800 has strong expression of green and blue, and good color transparency.
In the tailing test, the reading of this model is 8.5 grids, and its anti-tailing ability is not very outstanding.
When playing static pictures, the picture of this model is very soft, and the brightness is moderate, which does not irritate the eyes and gives people a very gentle feeling. When playing dynamic pictures
, there is still a little tailing phenomenon, but the advantages in resolution and color make up for this flaw.

Philips 42PFL7422

Appearance: Philips 42PFL7422 breaks the all-black body design of previous TV sets. Its black screen with silver edging is very layered. This TV gives people a different feeling from others. Because the combination of black and silver is very jumpy, it gives people a lively and light feeling. The audio of this model continues the design of narrow frame plus horizontal speaker, with a silver-white glass base, which is fashionable and generous.
Control and sound quality: Unlike 42TA2800, the buttons of 42PFL7422 are located on the right side of the body, with a total of four buttons: power, menu, volume selection and channel selection. Philips fully considers the convenience of consumers' operation after the TV is wall-mounted, so in comparison, the design of 42PFL7422 is more user-friendly. The menu of this model continues the style of the 2800 series, which allows users to easily get started.
In terms of audio, Philips 42PFL7422 uses ultra-wide stereo surround sound. With electronic phase shift technology, it mixes the sound from the left and right sides, thereby extending the virtual distance between the two speakers. This wider propagation space greatly increases the stereo effect and produces a more natural sound dimension, and the sound effect is quite excellent.
Interface: Philips 42PFL7422 is equipped with a very rich interface, which is also the most in line with today's mainstream configuration. It has a set of VGA inputs, two sets of component terminals, two sets of S terminals, and two sets of AV terminals. What's more valuable is that it is equipped with two sets of HDMI terminals, which can facilitate the user's needs to connect multiple devices at the same time.
Picture quality: Philips 42PFL7422 uses a full HD resolution LCD panel with a physical resolution of 1920×1080, a brightness of 500cd/m2 and a contrast ratio of 3000:1. At the same time, Philips' core picture quality processing technology, point-by-point HD technology 1080P mode processes and displays various input signals, optimizes each pixel point by point, and brings rich details, true colors, and a sharp contrast picture. It is worth mentioning that this model has an intelligent dynamic backlight function, which enhances the contrast of the picture, makes the details in the dark clearer, and brings a clear picture.
Overall review: Philips 42PFL7422 has made a breakthrough in appearance and is more fashionable. What is commendable is that it improves the color reproduction of the picture while ensuring the clarity of the picture, making it more realistic and vivid. In addition, the more humanized design also shows Philips' people-oriented design concept. This is a cost-effective entry-level full HD (1920×1080) LCD TV.
Due to the application of point-by-point HD technology, Philips 42PFL7422 still performs well in the grayscale test, and the transition between colors is very smooth.
This model performed well in this grayscale test. As can be seen from the figure, only four squares in the upper left corner are relatively blurred.
From this color map, we can see that Philips 42PFL7422 is much more expressive than 42TA2800. It is not only colorful and bright, but also very uniform.
In the tailing test, the reading of 42PFL7422 is 8 grids, and its anti-tailing ability has been significantly improved, which is also a good result in the LCD TV range.
When playing static images, this model not only performs well in clarity, but also in color, which is much more vivid and brighter than 42TA2800.
When playing dynamic images, the contrast is significantly improved, and the colors are more realistic. The 42PFL7422 performs well in motion images.

Philips 42PFL9532

Appearance: Philips 42PFL9532 is presented with a new black high-gloss frame, showing its aristocratic atmosphere; the slim narrow edge design makes the whole TV look smart and fashionable. It is particularly worth mentioning that it adopts a high-end glass base design, and the left and right angles can be adjusted as needed, which is very fashionable and more user-friendly. The biggest highlight of this model is its Ambilight function. There is an LED background light on the back of the TV, which can change according to the color of the picture, giving users more visual impact.
Control and sound quality: Philips 42PFL9532 is basically the same as 42PFL7422 in terms of button settings, with a total of four buttons: power, menu, volume selection and channel selection. Next to the button is the Ambilight LED light, which includes four-speed control. The background LED light on the back can change the color according to the picture, and users can also manually set their favorite backlight. In addition, perhaps in line with the revolutionary progress of the 9 series, the menu of this model has also been changed, but the general structure has not changed, and users can still use it easily.
In terms of sound quality, Philips 42PFL9532 uses virtual Dolby Digital technology. Dolby Laboratories is second to none in the field of audio, and its developed Dolby Digital technology is the dominant standard for 5.1-channel surround sound. 42PFL9532 enhances the bass effect on the basis of virtual Dolby Digital, truly bringing an immersive surround sound effect.
Interface: We can see that the compatibility of Philips 42PFL9532/93 is very strong. Its interface is divided into two parts: one part is on the back of the fuselage, including AV terminals and component terminals, and the lower part is the digital terminal HDMI terminal. There are three groups of them, which is the current mainstream configuration. There is a group of AV terminals on the right side of the back of the fuselage, and a group of USB terminals can browse USB-supported plug-and-play devices to browse digital photos and listen to MP3.
Picture quality: Philips 42PFL9532 is equipped with Philips' patented RuiTeng core. Based on point-by-point high definition, it adopts instantaneous response 100Hz and high-definition digital natural motion technology to provide solutions for tailing and vibration, and can present smooth 1080P high-definition motion pictures. 42PFL9532 has a physical resolution of 1920×1080, a contrast ratio of 1200:1, a brightness of 550cd/m2, a fast response time of 3ms, and a horizontal/vertical viewing angle of 176 degrees.
Overall review: Philips 42PFL9532 is an excellent product in terms of picture quality, control and compatibility, especially in the processing of motion pictures. It not only has 100Hz/120Hz frequency doubling technology to reduce motion tailing, but also has high-definition digital natural motion that can eliminate DVD screen vibration, and the motion picture is smooth and natural. Its innovative ambilight design not only provides consumers with more entertainment enjoyment, but also innovates the TV manufacturing concept. It is worth looking forward to in 2008.
In the grayscale test, the color processing of this model is very appropriate, and the color changes from light to dark very smoothly, which is impeccable.
42PFL9532 performed very well in this grayscale test, and its data is similar to that of 42PFL7422.
This model is particularly outstanding in red, green and blue colors, and the colors can transition evenly, which is satisfactory.
In the tailing test, the reading of 42PFL9532 is 7.5 grids, and the Ruiteng core has a good effect on anti-tailing.
In static pictures, the color of animal skin is very layered, and the overall color reproduction of the picture is very good, with outstanding red.
When playing DVDs, the Ruiteng core eliminates the picture tremor caused by format conversion, and the dynamic picture is very smooth and natural.

Experts on choosing a high-definition TV

Liu Quanen, senior engineer of the Third Research Institute of China Electronics Technology Group

As a flat-panel TV for watching the Olympic HD broadcast, it must meet the national HD standard, that is, the TV product must reach a minimum of 720 lines. At present, flat-panel TVs that meet the HD standard have become the mainstream in the market, and there are also many models that reach the 1080p full HD resolution, but there are not many TV products that really pass the full HD standard. Consumers should see the technical parameters of the selected model to ensure that the machine has reached the HD standard.
Secondly, it is to watch the color of the TV, which includes color saturation, color reproduction, etc. And some specific indicators still need to be carefully checked by consumers, such as contrast and brightness. Color and resolution are the main factors in purchasing HD LCD TVs. At present, many manufacturers are also developing some improvements around the circuit, such as improving the refresh rate and anti-tailing technology. Many store staff have exaggerated publicity, hoping that consumers can carefully compare the image color before purchasing, and the key is to rely on their own eyes.

Hu Peng, engineer at China Electronics Standardization Institute

To buy a high-definition LCD TV, the first thing to look at is the resolution. Resolution is the primary technical parameter of LCD TV. It refers to how many pixels there are on the full screen. For the same size screen, the higher the resolution, the more pixels there are, and the more delicate the screen display is.
Secondly, it is color. At present, the calculation methods of various manufacturers at home and abroad are very different, so the calculated numbers are also very different. Therefore, you must actually choose an electrical appliance store that plays digital streams, because the clarity and color number of digital streams are very high, so it is convenient to compare color and clarity.
Third, look at the display effect of sports pictures. If you want to watch sports events, the display effect of sports pictures is more important. At present, many manufacturers are doing research and development in this area, mainly to increase the picture of ordinary LCD TVs to 100Hz or 120Hz, etc. For example, Philips's Ruiteng core has an instantaneous response of 100Hz technology.
Fourth, look at the interface. The interface reflects the compatibility of a TV. As a high-definition TV, it must have a digital interface, such as HDMI interface, DVI interface, etc. Generally, a good TV has multiple digital interfaces for use.
Fifth, backlight. First of all, the backlight should be designed separately from the LCD screen. The biggest enemy of the LCD screen is heat. Many manufacturers integrate the backlight and the screen together. One reason is to reduce costs. Another reason is that the LCD screen has poor light transmittance. Supplementary light sources, however, catalyze the aging of the LCD screen and shorten its lifespan.
Sixth, manufacturers will develop some of their own unique functions to attract consumers. For example, time adjustment, colorful streaming functions, etc. This requires consumers to purchase according to their own needs.