NB: This review has been updated. See additional note at the end for more details.
This is Philips' replacement for the highly regarded 37PF9830, boasting the same 37-inch 1,920x1,080-pixel high-definition screen, but some spanking new technology and a revamped design. That 1080-line panel makes it the highest resolution screen in the Philips range -- there are more pixels here than on the 42-inch flagship model, the 42PF9831D. Even so, its designers have not made it able to accept a 1080p source (more on the significance of that later).
It's a pricey television by today's standards -- around £2,500 on the high street and £2,000 online -- but recent Philips LCD efforts have been nothing short of stunning.
Design
Thanks to its glossy black finish, this is a fantastic-looking set. Because it doesn't have the full four-sided Ambilight of the 42PF9831D (it's a three-way one instead), Philips has not implemented the large, white background board used on the bigger set. While this can render Ambilight a little less effective -- the board on the 9831 acts as a 'screen' for the coloured light to shine on -- it also keeps the size of the television down. The result is a more compact TV that's prettier and a lot easier to live with.
The build quality is up there with the best, too. The 37PF9731D feels far more solid than similar-sized models from Samsung and Toshiba, and on a par with Sony's fantastically well-made KDL-46X2000.
The screen comes with a glass desktop stand, which swivels, but isn't motorised like the one supplied with Philips' previous 37-inch model. If you prefer, you can buy a floor-stand or wall-mount it.
A set of basic controls are located on the right side panel, while the left features basic composite video, S-Video and analogue stereo inputs as well as two USB ports and a 2-in-1 memory card reader.
Around the back you'll find the interesting stuff: two HDMI inputs; one component video input; two RGB-capable Scarts; a VGA PC input; coaxial digital audio in and outputs; analogue stereo in and outputs; centre channel speaker inputs and an Ethernet connection. The latter allows you to connect the TV to a home network for photo, video and music streaming.
It's a decent set of connections, but aside for the component video and coaxial audio ports, they're all stuck under the screen and can be a little tricky to get to if you've used the desk stand -- it blocks space and only leaves a bit of room. It's a minor issue but it can be annoying if you're plugging and unplugging stuff on a regular basis.
The remote is a nice-looking bit of shiny whiteness, and the controls are all in reasonably logical places -- so it gets a thumbs-up from us.
Features
As we said earlier, this TV will not accept a 1080p signal, despite having a 'Full HD' 1,920x1,080 screen. 1080p sources are few and far between at this moment in time, but Blu-ray and HD DVD will soon be making use of it, along with the Xbox 360 and PS3 at some point in the future, so some will be a tad miffed that Philips has decided not to add support for it on its high-end tellies.
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John Ryder 3 March 2009
Good: I don't like design faults, so nothing
Bad: Products with design faults, then they ask you to pay for their mistake
Comment: I was unlucky enough to have purchased a Philips tv and my advice is buy another make. By the time I noticed the green line at the top of the screen design fault, the guarantee had expired. Naturally I contacted Philips to ask what they were going to do to fix this faulty product I had been sold and to my astonishment they weren't prepared to do anything. I'm afraid Philips are liars, they said that the fault wasn't there from the start (although hundreds of online reviews complaining about the "green line fault" beg to differ). They said I would have to pay £240+ to have an engineer repair it. OK, so I'm paying nearly half the cost of the tv to fix a fault that you didn't fix during production, and what's more you offer firmware to fix it if you are lucky enough to have USB feature, which of course I wasn't. When a company offers firmware to fix a fault, it's because they have made a mistake, so in effect I am being made to pay for their mistake. Looking around on internet review web sites I was quite saddened to find other people like me who had been ripped off by Philips in a similar way. Just out of interest, my friend once bought a Philips dvd recorder that had a design fault which meant it wouldn't let the user leave the menu, rendering it useless. Luckily enough he was able to return it to his local Asda, unlucky for me I had to deal with Philips who show only contempt towards their customers. The reason I mentioned that incident about my friend was because Philips' argument was that all their products are tested and never leave production with any faults, quite a ridiculous claim, and proven to be untrue. Once again I urge you not to buy Philips products to save you any grief which might and probably will occur. Thank you.
W12OLF 15 November 2007
Good: Ambilight
Bad: When there is a lot of dark colours the picture is bad
Comment: After 10 mnts the tv developed a fault. Back and white lines appeared. Had to be returned for repair. report came back with venetian blind effect/horizontal bars. Tv has just been returned and I still can watch it because Philips forgot to return the 4xMounting wheels. Beware of the fault!.
frank eden 16 June 2007
Good: Ambilight and sound
Bad: Lousy picture - dreadful blacks, poor motion pixelation etc
Comment: Bought the TV in Jan, loved the sleek design and the ambilight, but neither of these features make up for the poor picture quality.
Philips boast that this TV has pixel plus 3 and all the latest technology to produce a brilliant pictue, well I also have an old Toshiba wlt 56 37-inch LCD and the picture on that is far better than this. Come on Philips pull your finger out and sort this problem out.
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