Philips 37PF9830 > Reviews (2)

I'm the type of person who can watch a film in a cinema and think it was fantastic, then I get it on DVD and watch it in my own home and turn it off halfway through because it just doesn't feel the same. . . Not anymore. I've spent a long time saving up for a TV with sharp picture and great sound. I've replaced my living room TV (Just in time I might add) and it looks fantastic, I feel it belongs in an alarmed glass case. . .

I brought it recently but have been breaking it in before I decided to review it. I didnt want to risk raving about it and then it burn out on me or call me nasty names.
I got it for 2650 from dixons.

In store I would look at TV's and think to myself they are all the same! I just couldn't decide. Until I came across a TV which was amazing - but I just couldn't afford it! HA HA so just as I thought the TV I wanted wasn't in my price range, along came Philips! The image on screen (which happened to be a humming bird I think) just looked to real as in I could reach out and touch it. The picture quality was and is outstanding. Obviously the picture isnt anywhere near as perfect as the plasma TV's. But for the price and being an LCD, its pretty darn good!

Heres some of the features which can be found on some various sites:

Remote Control
VIRTUAL DOLBY DIGITAL
Parental Lock
Weight 28KG
Height (excluding Stand) 68CM
Headphone Socket
Screen Size (inches)37In
Wall Mountable
Viewing angle 176 degrees
Fastext
Width (excluding stand) 1130mm
Depth (excluding stand) 98mm
Auto Install
Stand included
Picture Quality 2073600 pixels
3 Scarts
Pixel plus 2 HD for improved detail
USB & Memory Card slot

I don't have this on a wall as I'm planning to move into a smaller house being I travel a lot - so sorry guys and girls, cant comment on that, maybe sometime in the future though.

It comes well packet and isn't bad to set up. It does have an auto install feature with auto channel naming but I wasn't to worried about that as I have sky and that's just a case of the scart lead so no problems there.

The TV itself is very stylish; I can see it going in any room setup. I am using the included stand which is also quite nice but I think that could have been designed to go with the TV a bit better. Having the stand only join in the middle of the TV makes me a bit nervous as I always think it could fall over, but I assure you its very stable.

As I said further up, the picture quality is amazing, it's a bit of an upgrade from my 29inch old TV. I watch Lord of the rings on it on one of the first night and was amazed at the difference. I felt like my home was a private cinema with an easy access kitchen.

The picture quality does fade out as you rotate round the screen. I personally have my couch right in front of the TV, but if you do move round it turns into an expensive light, although I have experienced this with almost all LCD TV's. Not to worry though, if you need to you can simply have the Stand rotate for you!

I am not a personal fan of teletext, but have quickly tried it out and when it says fast text, it does mean it.

But as I say - not a fan so don't hold me to that.

It has a very basic menu but easy to control. Not really much to talk about there,

The sound is also crisp. It's very clear and can go to quite a high volume without any problems. I do use an old Panasonic surround sound system though and I am happy working it with that.

The remote is nice, I am quite fussy about remotes at it's the one thing that you have to be in contact with in order to control the product it's for. Especially if you have to flick through 100 channels to find something good on! It does fit nicely in your hand and is easy to use. I don't feel like it will break with one drop and looks to be ready for a frustrated finger attack when I can't find anything on!

The TV gets fairly hot after a bit of use but can be expected, nothing that worries me.

Disadvantages

No front AV sockets which is a pain for when I want to plug a video camera in to it.
It has no auto install
No sleep timer
Stand can do with improvement - doesnt suit TV

Over all I don't think I could have picked a better TV. It did cost a little more than my intended budget of 2100, but its worth it! I've brought some luxuries I've always wanted over the past 6 months and now I have to face the empty wallet. Now I can start reviewing the smaller things in life like food and drink! 

This is certainly not at the top of the price range for LCD TV's, but it acts like it. I recommend you get yourself to any large electrics store to check it out. It doesn't mean you have to get it there, but you better be sure what you're buying for 2500+

Any questions - drop me a line!

Happy Hunting!