Only a year ago, an LCD larger than 32in was considered to be cutting-edge and so consequently had a price to match. Philips' new 42in LCD, the 42PF9986, however, retails at just £1,000 more than its plasma equivalent.
The set also sports Philips' celebrated Pixel Plus 2 and Ambilight technologies. The former consists of a package of image processing tweaks, the most prominent of which boosts detail. Ambilight, meanwhile, comprises a pair of luminous strips that run along the rear of the television. These are programmed to respond as the onscreen image changes, in order to boost the perceived contrast and make the viewing experience easier on the eye.
More easy on the eye, however, is the stunning design of the set. Surrounding the screen is a delightful combination of concentric glass, matt black and brush silver frames, which give it a rather unique touch of class. Both the screen and the remote have been designed with a keen eye on user friendliness. You're given a choice by Philips to specify a wall mount or a stand when you buy the television; our test sample came with the stand, which tilts and is easily attached to the unit.
The 42PF9986's connectivity is a tad underwhelming. While the screen sports a native 1,366 x 768 resolution panel, it lacks component inputs, so any progressive scan signals will have to be input via DVI. This is annoying, as the American version does feature component inputs and DVI-enabled DVD players are much more expensive. Otherwise, the set comes with three Scarts (of which two are RGB capable).
The Philips definitely has it where it counts with a picture that is particularly impressive with top-quality material. Pixel Plus 2 is certainly in the premier league of picture processing technology, working wonders with a Freeview feed and sensibly toning down the enhancements when using an all-digital connection.
Results with the set's internal analogue tuner can be a touch messy, so we'd recommend connecting this set to an external Freeview receiver in order to enjoy terrestrial television to the full. Go digital and you'll benefit from superior contrast and greatly reduced picture noise, with the screen suffering from few of the bugbears traditionally associated with LCD's handling of broadcast material.
