A review by stavroshamster on Philips 14 PT 1556 July 4th, 2004
Author's product rating:
Picture Playback
Good
Sound Quality
Good
Ease of Use
Very Easy
Range of Features
Average
Value for Money
Good
Advantages:
Nice design, good value, teletext, perfect for a small room
Disadvantages:
mono, not stereo
Recommend to potential buyers:
yes
Full review
I received the Philips 14PT 1556 for my birthday a couple of years ago, so I don’t know exactly how much my parents paid for it, but I believe you can pick one up for about £100.
The TV itself has a 14 inch CRT colour screen, weighs 9kg, has mono sound output, an infrared remote control, and a one year warranty. This has proved more than adequate for the use in my bedroom, although because of the lack of stereo and small size I wouldn’t recommend using it as the primary TV in the house.
The TV is modelled in metallic anthracite, has a modern curved design, with large functional buttons on the front. It can be tuned either automatically or manually using the supplied remote control or the buttons on the TV itself. The menu system on the TV is clear and easy to use – even without reading the instructions. Brightness, colour, contrast and sharpness can all be adjusted in the menu, along with the tuning. The remote control also features “smart” buttons which can be used to adjust the sound to ‘voice’, ‘music’, and ‘theatre’ modes, and the picture to ‘rich’, ‘natural’, ‘soft’, ‘multimedia’ and ‘personal’ modes depending on your preference and what you are watching. The TV also features a sleep timer with the option to turn the TV off after 15, 30, 45, 60, 90, 120, 180 or 240 minutes. There is also compatibility with AV devices such as games consoles and video/dvd players.
As far as inputs go there is the coaxial aerial socket at the back, alongside a SCART socket, with video and audio composite connections at the front of the TV. So, there is no problem in using the TV with auxiliary devices such as consoles, or even a TV-out graphics card on a computer. The TV also has a headphones socket at the front.
Other useful features include Teletext, and a carrying handle moulded into the TV casing – which is useful if the TV gets moved about a lot like it does with me from student house to parents.
I have had no problems with the TV – despite its heavy use and continued relocation from house to house. Stereo might have been nice – but the sound quality is good enough in mono really , for my needs.
Overall, I have been impressed with the TV which I think is reasonably good value for money. If you are looking for a standard small TV to sit on your desk in your room, without too many fancy features, then this could well be a good buy for you.
This product has not yet been reviewed. 
