Philips' 42-inch 1080p 42PFL5603D LCD TV reviewed

by Darren Murph, posted Jun 2nd 2008 at 9:43AM

You know what they say: if it looks too good to be true, it probably is. Such is the unfortunate case with Philips' 42PFL5603D, which possesses quite a stunning enclosure and an eco-friendly design, but falls short in the areas that matter most. According to a recent CNET review, this 42-incher "consumed less energy than any flat-panel TV" it had ever tested, and keeping with the positives, they found the colors to be accurate and a solid port assortment with 4 HDMI sockets. As you'll see, the cons list is quite a bit longer, as the black levels were noticeably light, darker areas tended toward blue, de-judder processing introduced "artifacts" and the off-angle viewing wasn't exactly up to snuff. In the end, it managed to garner a rather low 6.2 out of 10, and unless you're willing to put Mother Earth above image quality (no pressure or anything), we'd probably suggest looking elsewhere.

Filed under: Reviews, Displays, Philips, LCD

Tags: 42PFL5603D, hdtv, lcd, lcd hdtv, lcd tv, LcdHdtv, LcdTv, philips, review, reviewed

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Highly Ranked

Vic @ Jun 2nd 2008 10:09AM

I'm shocked that you guys actually put a CNET review on here and believing it has credibility. It's just like believing that PCMag ever had credibility.

Neutral

Video Master @ Jun 2nd 2008 3:59PM

Is there actually a decent HD product review site out there? If so let me know. Sometimes Engadget is a joke. Why even post this Phillips LCD - This brand is mostly consumed by Wal-Mart idiots...

Neutral

Andy Sullivan @ Jun 2nd 2008 11:53AM

This is just another example of how the buyer is being duped by the LCD marketing machine. The machine has proven that if you tell them it's good they will buy it because it must be true. Unless you're willing to pay $4,000 for a LCD you will probably end up with this Phillips type of technology. But hey, if everybody thinks it's great then they'll never know any better.

Neutral

Pingmeister @ Jun 2nd 2008 3:30PM

From the article: "The bottom line: Although it has its share of picture-quality problems, the Eco-friendliness of Philips' 42PFL5603D flat-panel LCD will win the day for consumption-conscious shoppers."

Really? I mean, I'm a Prius-driving super-recycler from California but I'm not going with lower picture quality because it uses a bit less electricity...

Neutral

The first video of N+ dev's 'Robotology' Weekly Webcomic Wrapup totally loves America Wolfenstein motion comic serves up action with a side of cheese	Did OpenBitTorrent just become The Pirate Bay 2.0? Dropzone adds tons of drag n' drop functionality to your OS X dock Symantec's Hall says free antivirus is for chumps
Give us your tired, your poor, your best iPhone fireworks pix and videos New MBP offers top display quality, but some beg to differ Get Astraware Solitaire and some free fireworks	The Iraq War was fought for oil -- now we have none of it Earnings highlights: General Mills, Apollo Group, H&R Block, Sealy ... All-American stock #3: Colgate-Palmolive (CL)
Celebrate July 4th with adorable Kodu fireworks Gears of War 2's Title Update 4 now live Metanet: N+ next week's Xbox Live deal	Beijing Automotive bids for Opel; Magna still expected to close deal MotoGP: Downtown Monterey becomes motorcycle heaven Mini Miglia - Slot car version of classic race to benefit Alzheimer's research
Rumor: Windows 7 going gold next week? New video gets "Gratuitous" in its "Space Battles" Trine's developers admit game's pricing made the project "a big mess"	Police Not Searching for Suspects in Steve McNair Shooting Jeff Fisher: 'This Is a Tragic Moment for Anyone Who Knew and Loved Steve' Sahel Kazemi Identified as Second Victim In McNair Tragedy