A Big Screen that Won't Bust the Wallet, a Review of the 42" Philips LCD HDTV 42PFL3603D/F7

Philips has long been a household name when it comes to consumer electronics. A little behind the ball when it comes to flat panel display technology they have quickly become competitive with their low priced LCD screens. By utilizing the improving technology they've been able to start providing high quality displays at aggressive prices all the while backing their product up with their high standard of customer service. Its great deals on products like Philips 42" 42PFL3603D/F7 that are allowing the average consumer to enjoy a big screen flat panel LCD in their home. I've taken the opportunity to get hands on with one of these Philips HDTV's and I'll tell you just how well it performs.

Picture: 4/5

Styling: 5/5

Value: 5/5

Overall: 5/5

Product Overview:

The bezel on the Philips LCD HDTV 42PFL3603D/F7 is simple yet elegant with a glossy black frame. This television will easily fit in to just about any decorating scheme, and most will be happy with its outward appearance. The glossy black stand is adjustable and wide. It provides excellent footing for this 42 inch screen however I did find it to be a bit deep. The display itself is a bit larger than average with it measuring in at just over 3 and a half inches at its widest.

The picture produced on this Philips is a full HD 1080p. I was able to observe this displays full potential by streaming a bluray movie via HDMI from my Playstation 3 and was impressed. Watching high definition sports yielded only hints of motion blur and it would be unlikely to bother most casual viewers. As with most LCD screens I found that its matte finish screen provided a great defense against glare. I found that for the money this LCD HDTV has some of the deepest blacks I've seen. It boasts a contrast ratio of 29,000:1. The viewing angle was also quite good which is important if have a wide living room with lots of seating. If you're going to use this television to mainly watch not HD content then beware, it handles standard definition programming poorly.

The connectivity is average for it's class. It has HDMI and a host of other A/V inputs. I had no trouble hooking up everything I needed to on this display.

Product Value:

Priced aggressively at less than $800 at some retailers it is hard to turn this Philips 42" 42PFL3603D/F7 LCD HDTV down. For the money most consumers would be pleased with the performance and user friendliness of this HDTV.