All the trimmings
Internet connectivity is supported too, presented through Philips' NetTV front end. There's the obligatory DLNA connectivity, and a USB port for hooking up local content storage and supports formats like AVI and MKV which aren't part of the DLNA spec.
Stylish remote
This TV uses the same oval remote as before. I wasn’t keen before but this time it’s grown on me. A dedicated Channel up and down rocker wouldn’t go amiss but perhaps it’s an acknowledgement that you’re just as likely to be changing channel on a Sky, Freeview or Virgin remote so you’ll only need to change the source on the TV remote, and that’s catered for by the Home button on the Philips oval.
Tuning a Philips TV isn’t complicated but to make the most of the picture it’s capable of, it’s worth the homework. The combination of sophisticated image processing technologies available mean that if you’re not careful, the super-sharp picture can look too rough and edgy to be comfortable.
Considering the power and capabilities of the set, it’s a a real surprise there’s no Freeview HD tuner on board. Given how much Philips is expecting you to pay for the 46PFL9705H, that's a genuine let-down. And, as ever with flatscreens, the sound is never the stand-out part of the experience. Here, though, it’s certainly nothing to complain about.
Verdict
So what do you want from a TV? Great image quality? Check. Decent sound? Check. Effective 3D, even if you do have to wear those pesky glasses? Check. Philips has managed to deliver on all counts, and that’s before you get to the additional features like online connectivity and Ambilight. What’s more, this TV, though not exactly a bargain, is competitively priced. But if only Philips had included a Freeview HD tuner. ®
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COMMENTS
Ambilight
That's a distraction I could do without. The only way that could irritate me more is if it came with a pair of curtains and a cross-dressing ice-cream attendant shouting "Albatross!".
"But if only Philips had included a Freeview HD tuner"
That kills it stone dead right there for a lot of people - especially at £2100 a pop. There is some controversy about picture quality on Freeview HD, but it's going to look a lot better than SD on a TV this size, so the omission seems perverse. However, when did Philips behave any differently?
Composite not an issue
OMG! I would have to go out and pay 90p for a SCART -> RCA connector.
THOSE BASTARDS!
How dare they remove an outdated connection type, even if the picture quality it produces is complete shite, and every device that uses it that was ever shipped in this country comes with a SCART adapter.
They should knock at least £500 off the cost of the unit!
3D TV doesn't work
I've tested a few sets in stores and the elephant in the room that no one seems willing to admit to is that there is a very small sweet spot for 3D TV. For a screen this size, you need to sit around 2m away from it - no more and no less. Sit too far away and your brain interprets scale incorrectly. I watched a demo of some stage dancers on a 46" Samsung set and when you were 2m from the screen the effect was very good but as you pulled back to normal domestic viewing distances, the performers appeared to shrink in stature so the looked like puppets.
The reason 3D in a cinema works at all is because the screen is so large but even in the cinema if you sit too close or too far away the effect is ghastly and gives you a terrible headache. I saw Up in 3D and sat dead centre in the cinema and the effec was very convincing, but for Avatar I was stuck up close and left of the screen and it drove me nuts and ruined the film. Watching it at home on my 100" HD projector from BD is a much better experience. 3D? No thanks, I'll pass.
