Philips 37PF9731

THE CASING

This is a very pretty 37" model with a glossy black finish at a relatively compact size. This makes it easier to fit into a modest sized living room where screens of this size can become cumbersome. The build quality is uniformly good as the unit feels extremely solid when setting up.

It comes with a swivelling glass desktop stand that suits its looks perfectly, though it begs for an expensive glass TV case too. Alternatively wall mounting or a separate floor stand are both options.

There is little to say about the glossy remote although it is well designed with none of the confusing button layouts that have plagued several high-end televisions of late with their over-abundance of features.

PICTURE QUALITY

As with all recent high-end Philips flatpanels the picture quality is nothing short of outstanding. This is largely due to the Pixel Plus 3 and Clear LCD technologies which mean even your upscaled standard definition sources will look nicer than on many other HDTVs. The Pixel Plus 3 feature in particular is key in avoiding the jaggies that tend to plague broadcast television on HD sets. Digital Natural Motion technology also seems to avoid jarring jumps even in videogames. The colour depth is fantastic too, with particularly impressive black levels that could almost compete with a CRT!

CONNECTIONS

The manual reels of a list of connections like a dream. No matter how many devices you have, you're likely to be more than adequately covered here. As well as the component input you'll also find 2 HMDI inputs for adequate futureproofing. These HD inputs are accompanied by 2 RGB-capable SCARTs and a VGA input for a PC. Soundwise there are coaxial digital in and outputs, analogue stereo in and outputs and a centre channel speaker inputs. And that's just the back.

The left side panel includes easily accessible S-Video and analogue stereo inputs as well as two USB ports and a 2-in-1 memory card reader. These latter connections, combined with an ethernet port on the back, make this a multimedia centre for playing audio and video from other devices as well as browsing photo albums. The features when it comes to video playback through such sources is somewhat limited however, so this should be considered a bonus feature rather than a key selling point. Video aspect ration, for example, is not adjustable.

The only downside to this smorgasbord of multimedia connections is actually accessing them. The underside rear-mounted connections can be fiddly to reach with the stand attached, particularly if you find yourself regularly switching cables. However with so many inputs on offer, it's unlikely that you will need to. An external switching box is always a possible alternative should the need arise.

THREE-WAY AMBILIGHT

The killer feature of Philips high-end LCD screens, and one they've really banked on, is Ambilight. It really needs to be experienced to be properly understood. Essentially the TV has backlights which project against the wall behind it. These lights slowly vary in colour and brightness in relation to the image on the screen. The end result is that the ambient lighting in the room reflects what is on the screen. The intention s twofold. By matching the intensity this aims to avoid eyestrain, particularly when watching in a dark room. The second goal is immersion by lighting your environment to match that which you are watching.

It sounds like a gimmick and many unfairly treat it as such. The bottom line is simply that it works and works well: those who regularly spend several hours in a single stretch watching movies or playing videogames (particularly late at night) really ought to check this out.

THE MISSING 1080p

It is disappointing to note that despite its superb 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution (higher even than Philips' flagship 42" model) the decision was made not to support 1080p signals. For the less technically minded there are currently two common HD 720p (720 lines, progressive scan) and 1080i (1080 lines, interlaced). 1080p will gradually arrive in the future as the best of both worlds, but this TV will not support that format. Yet although at 37" this is a big screen, you'll still be hard pressed to detect any visual difference between 1080i an 1080p.

Although not common now, 1080p will be supported in the future by Blu-ray and HD-DVD players, as well as the Xbox 360 and PS3. As a result the decision is a disappointing one for such a high price flatpanel TV, but it's far from fatal.

PRICE

It's an expensive model, there is no doubt about that. In stores you are looking at over £2000, and a little under online. Yet the quality is nothing short of stunning and if you are looking for a truly top-end model this is a stellar example.

1:1 MAPPING WARNING

I have heard from several sources about a glitch with 1:1 mapping that can be experienced with sources like Sky HD. This can lead to a single green line appearing at the edge of the screen which cannot be removed without slightly distorting the image (rendering 1:1 mapping useless, obviously). I do not have Sky HD and have not experienced this myself so cannot comment on it, but it is worth looking in to if you intend to buy this.
UPDATE: This has now apparently been fixed by a firmware upgrade, downloadable from the Philips website, and then installed via the TV's USB port.

Thanks for reading & rating!
PriyanPhoenix
www.meewella.com