If you are someone that keeps a tab on the progress of 3D TVs, then you must have noticed the void created by a big brand of televisions from the 3D pile for sometime now in the market. It has been almost a year since brands like LG, Samsung and Panasonic had first launched their first set of TVs that are full HD 3D compatible. It seems kind of weird for a manufacturer like Philips (a brand well-known for their cutting-edge technology when it comes to the television industry) have just now started venturing into the modern 3D revolution through their flagship model – 40-inch 40PFL8605H 3D TV.
Philips has reasoned its late release that it did not want to launch an immature 3D product, which is a slight indication to the fact that some of the other swift releasers of 3D TVs might have rushed into it. In the following review, let us examine if this is true of just a marketing spin with its 3D Blurays, Sky 3D Broadcasts and 3D Games.
Design:
Slim and sleek as always:
It has just 50mm depth at its thickest point, courtesy, the edge LED system employed. It sports a completely flat fascia that also possesses quite a tasteful, slim and slender black bezel, with further flourishes that is coming as a part of the transparent shroud that sits surrounding the extremities of the TV. Also check out the smart petite protrusion with silvery metallic finish popping from the centre of the floor’s edge containing buttons that are dug-in for manual operation.
In addition to enhancing the design of the TV, the Ambilight has been scientifically proven to make long term television watching a less tiring experience, especially when you are viewing a display that is capable of extreme brightness such as the 40PFL8605H. Philips has also added to the aesthetic flare of the 40PFL8605H 3D Ready LED TV by integrating an Ambilight into its slim architecture. Try telling the set the colour of your walls and watch it reckon the apt Ambilight colour mix to offset. The pools of light from the TV’s sides coloured to match are stunning, and the image content is glowing with startling accuracy.
Remote control:
Actually, the 40PFL8605’s remote control isn’t particularly normal. There is a couple of unusual-s tagged to it; for starters, the metallic finish, the oval shape and last but not least the startling amount of minimal buttons is vastly unusual. Then again, it functions amazingly well to such an extent that it makes one wonder as to why the other remotes literal drown us in a sea of buttons. Well, it would have been really nice if the remote had had a dedicated 3D button that jumps to that option right away where you need to do a manual 3D setting in order for a side by side view of Sky’s 3D content. Then again, isn’t the TV just 2D capable right out of the box?
Connectivity:
As always with Philps televisions, the 40PFL8605H 3D Ready Full HD Internet TV seems to be very well stocked with connectivity options. Four HDMI ports seems to be pretty much enough to convince any digital source list, including the one that comprises a HD digital receiver (why? You will read about it soon). And one final very nifty connection is an SD card slot offering storage for video downloaded from NetTV. If you consider hardwiring your telly to your network old-fashioned, then try the optional USB dongle that fixes the set with Wi-Fi. Also the TV’s USB port can be used to play the whole host of music, videos codecs and photos from USB storage devices streamable from a PC.
User Interface:
However, if you are one of those, we advise that it is worth knowing your ways round these features and revisiting them regularly to ensure you are always getting the best out of the TV.
You will think that it is simply impossible for a TV set that is as packed with features and adjustments as the Philips 40PFL8605H 40-inch Widescreen LED 3D TV in order to get perfect ease of use. It would have been great if Philips had included an optional keyboard in order to make surfing of the Internet less of a hassle. However, considering how much it has got going on, the 40PFL8605H’s onscreen menus are clear and quite well organised. It also has an ace up its sleeve in the form of its remote control.
Features:
We will have no issues with this as long as this brand continues to make the televisions that perform better, look much better and offer more features than most of other TVs out there. You have to also note that the 40PFL8605H 3D TV has been out and about for quite some time, but significantly only in 2 dimensional form. The required 3D features has been included through the latest 3D upgrade gear that included 2 pairs of active shutter 3D glasses that will fit most and a transmitter that connects to the TV. This gear will put you backwards by 250 pounds, which is not really unreasonable when you consider that some of the other brands cost about 100 pounds just for the active shutter 3D glasses alone. But, the bump here is that, it adds to the already pricey 1750 pounds. Only the Cinema 21:9 Platinum models of series standard 9000 and 8000 have 3D built-in as standard and all of these models too require the kit.
No Freeview HD:
We would like to finish off with the ill news first; this Philips 40PFL8605H does not have a Freeview HD tuner has no Freeview HD tuner, which is quite a shocking slip, on an otherwise feature filled telly.
Philips had admitted openly that it had underestimated the importance of Freeview HD while designing the specifications of its 2010 range of TVs. And as a compensation for its error of judgment, it has even condensed the prices of all of the TVs in the range. Whatever the compensation may be, it is still a shame that we will have to talk about the missing of this FreeView HD feature whenever we review each of Philps’s new TV sets. However, elsewhere that is just enough going on when it comes to other features and the 40PFL8605H scores high marks when it comes to other features.
Contrast ratio:
The edge LED lighting system that has been employed in the 40PFL8605H manages to deliver quite an attractive contrast ratio of 500000:1. It achieves this with the aid of a range of contrast processing tools and the dynamic backlight.
Multimedia:
The area where this TV really makes its mark is the multimedia capabilities. The list begins with an Ethernet port via which, you will be able to either get access to the content stored on a DLNA PC or the Philips Net TV online platform. In addition to this, Philips has taken a step ahead than many of its competitors by offering both of these Ethernet options.
Browsing and Internet:
Philips also has an adequately well prepared online content for people who cannot stand a bad input system. But the Opera browser is limited in terms of the codecs it supports, but it works fairly well with most websites in, any case partially, with address input and navigation being handled well taking into consideration that you are just using a normal remote control. Some of the highlights include myalbum.com, YouTube, Picasa, and a range of subscription providers such as Cartoon Network and Box Office 365.
Perfect Pixel HD Engine video processing:
Yet another of the 40PFL8605’s big features is its capability for Perfect Pixel HD Engine video processing. All said and done, the manufacturer has managed to build a strong reputation, though controversial at times, being backed by their sturdy image processing systems – those systems that are potentially ready to blend with Philips’s transition to LED lighting this year and successfully whacking crosstalk; or at least reducing it to tolerable levels, at any rate.
Performance:
Video:
Now, let us move on to the all important performance. As we had mentioned earlier, the crosstalk is perhaps not quite as aggressive as we had witnessed it on some rival sets. It is kind of confusing to review this 40PFL8605 because of the fact that its 3D talents, which is an optional upgrade are inconsistent to serious levels, while its 2D performance is most exemplary.
Especially gorgeous is the outstanding vibrance that the 2D pictures have, as a result of the telly’s contrast range that is huge. We really cannot think of any other cutting-edge LCD/LED TV, which manages to deliver such richer, deeper blacks. Additionally, the telly is capable of producing this black profundity even as it delivers shadow detailing to a decent extent, all of these devoid of driving bright portions of predominantly dark images to undergo nearly too much of a brightness hit that is generally expected of a LCD TV.
Audio Performance:
The audio quality of the 40PFL8605H’s is unusually good for a thin telly, and it is made possible by its pair of excellent rear facing woofers. There is also a little genuine bass ruble that works great when it comes to action movies.
Bulky price tag:
In the current market, 1500 is pushing it a little for a TV sans Freeview HD tuner and where you have to spend another £250 to benefit from its 3D capabilities, particularly when you consider that the 3D capabilities are quite below par.
Warranty:
Philips offers its 40PFL8605H 3D TV one year limited warranty for parts and labour.
Verdict:
The Philips 40PFL8605H is nothing like its predecessors. It has a successful combination of good looks and with intuitiveness. It is surprising to see how such a small number of buttons will actually be able to work and even never feels as though you will be missing something. Performance wise, 2D is great, but again very expensive. You also have to pay extra for the 3D itself. If you do not care about 3D, crosstalk will not bother you much, and in that case, we recommend the 40PFL8605H for you with the safe thought that you have the state of the art LED technology. However, if you are looking at going full on 3D, then the shortcomings of this telly cannot be ignored.
Philips 40PFL8605H 40″ 3D Ready LED TV – Technical Specification Table
| Manufacturer | Philips |
| Model Name | Philips 40PFL8605H 3D TV |
| Model Number | 40PFL8605H |
| Colour | Black |
| Dimensions (W x H x D) | 468 x 636 x 248 mm |
| Weight | 17.5 Kg |
| Display Features | |
| Size | 40 inches |
| Technology | LCD Full HD, edge LED backlight |
| Aspect ratio | Widescreen |
| Resolution | Full-HD 1,920 x 1,080p |
| Swivel (left/right) | 176º (H)/176º (V) |
| Glasses offered | None (check the retailer) |
| 3D glasses type | Active 3D Glasses |
| Picture Features | |
| Dynamic screen contrast | Infinite Black Pro (5,000,000:1 Native) |
| Computer inputs | up to 1920 x 1080 @ 60 Hz |
| Video inputs | up to 1920 x 1080p, 24, 25, 30, 50, 60 Hz |
| 1080 24p Real Movie | Yes |
| Screen enhancement | Anti-Reflection coated screen |
| Peak Luminance ratio | 65 % |
| Response Speed | 1 (BEW) ms |
| Colour processing | 2250 trillion colours 17bit RGB |
| Ambilight Version | 2 sided |
| Ambilight Features | Ambilight Spectra 2, Lounge light mode in stand-by, ‘Sunset’ soft switch off, Wall colour adaptive |
| Dimming Function | Manual and via Light Sensor |
| Ambilight light system | LED-wide colour |
| Special Features | Perfect Pixel HD Engine, Perfect Natural Motion, Perfect Contrast, Perfect Colours, Active Control + Light sensor, 2D/3D noise reduction, 200 Hz Clear LCD, Super Resolution, 3D TV prepared |
| Audio Features | |
| Speaker Type | 2 x 10 watt Speakers |
| Virtual Surround | Invisible Sound |
| Sound Enhancement | Auto Volume Leveller, Dynamic Bass Enhancement, Incredible Surround, Treble and Bass Control, Clear Sound |
| Features | |
| Ease of Installation features | Channel installation wizard, Network installation wizard, Settings assistant wizard, Device connection wizard, Auto detect Philips devices, 2-in-1 Wallmount Stand |
| Ease of Use | On-screen User manual, Touch control buttons, Favourite programme selection, Mozaïc channel grid, One-stop experience button, One-stop Home button |
| Electronic Programme Guide | Now + Next EPG, 8-day Electronic Programme Guide |
| Screen Format Adjustments | Autofill (no black bars), Autozoom (original format, includes 4:3, 14:9, 21:9), Super Zoom, Movie expand 16:9, Widescreen, unscaled (1080p dot by dot) |
| Teletext | 1200-page Hypertext |
| Firmware upgradeable | Firmware auto upgrade wizard, Firmware upgradeable via USB, Online firmware upgrade |
| Multimedia | DLNA media Browser, Net TV services, USB media browser |
| Picture Playback Formats | JPEG |
| Music Playback Formats | MP3, WMA (v2 up to v9.2), AAC |
| Video Playback Formats | Codec support:, H264/MPEG-4 AVC, MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, WMV9/VC1, Containers: AVI, MKV |
| Net TV | Included |
| Input and Output | 1 x USB 2 x RGB Scart 1 x Composite Video Input 1 x Audio Input 3 x ComponentVideo Input 1 x VGA 4 x HDMI Common Interface Slot (CI-CI+), SD-card (Videostore) Headphone out, S/PDIF out (coaxial), Ethernet-LAN RJ-45, 3D TV connector |
| Power | |
| Power Supply | 220 – 240 V, 50/60 Hz |
| Green label | ECO label certified |
| Power consumption | 77 W |
| Power Save features | 0 Watt Power-off switch, Light sensor, Eco mode, Picture mute (for radio), Auto switch-off timer, Eco settings menu |
| Accessories included | Power cord, Quick start guide, Warranty certificate, Remote Control, Batteries for remote control, Legal and safety brochure, Net TV brochure |
| Warranty | One year |
Monday, November 15th, 2010
