Philips’ new PFL9603H series is in this manufacturer’s high end.  All of the technology that is supposed to improve display quality is there: 100 Hz, Digital Natural Motion, and Ambilight – numerous functions that we will take the opportunity to look at in more detail below.

As the ''H'' in the name indicates, the 42PFL9603H offers an HD compatible digital tuner.  This works out rather well because it has the latest generation Full HD panel.  Moreover, response time is 2 ms and we were able to verify its fine reactivity in practice.  It is therefore a TV suited for all types of uses.

Design and ergonomics

The 42PFL9603H has a Plexiglas frame which we found rather… ''special''.  We will avoid giving our opinion as tastes can vary.  However, one thing is sure; the type of finish will not leave you indifferent and you either like or dislike it.

On the back, there are no less than 4 HDMI inputs for different sources.  So, a game console, PC, satellite receptor, and other HD players will easily find their place with this TV.

For installation and adjustments, we find the omnipresent menu which is so specific to Philips with the advantages and inconveniences that have accompanied them for years.

In terms of advantages, an installation assistant helps the user to set the display and sound by presenting a choice of different images and music.  He/she can then choose each time what they prefer and the TV automatically determines the user’s preferred settings.  We aren’t huge fans of this menu which, while it does give a flattering result for the beginner, doesn’t really enable a real calibration.

Unfortunately, menus also still have the same defects found in previous generations.  In particular, they cover the image too much and do not enable clearly seeing the modifications you have made.  Moreover, menus disappear too quickly when we stop adjusting the parameter in question.  On the other hand, there are many options and a plethora of image enhancement technologies – the majority of which the deactivation is necessary to obtain the best rendering possible.  On the other  hand, the following functions may be of interest to some:

• A 100 Hz mode combined with Digital Natural Motion to make movements more fluid.  Some users love this filter while others say that it gives movies too much of a ''making of'' or ''TV series’' look.  Either way, it is always possible to activate or deactivate it depending on your tastes.  Note that this filter creates artifacts around objects in fast movement, especially if we push the option to far.  Use with moderation!

• A backlighting function to obtain the deepest blacks when watching movies in a dark room.

• A sensor which adapts the screen’s brightness to that of its surroundings.

• The now classic Ambilight in its Spectra 2 version which lights up the wall behind the TV with shades found on the screen.  For this purpose, there are two rows of diodes found on the back of the 42PFL9603H.  These change color in relation to the sequences in the movie and their intensity can be adjusted with the remote.

The last area in appraising the 42PFL9603H’s ergonomics is the remote.   We now have a new innovative version featuring a dial that is supposed to simplify navigation in menus.  The problem is that it is overly sensitive causing the cursor to move constantly and often skip below or above the menu we were aiming for.  The idea is a good one but in practice there needs to be some improvement.  In the end, we were quite annoyed by the unpredictable behavior of navigation.

Measurements

As we mentioned in the article on the last Philips TV (42PFL5603H) we tested, this manufacturer systematically modifies the gamma curve of images.  This innovation, which appeared in the spring 2008 line, cannot be deactivated and is rather frustrating for those desiring the best display via calibration.  It prevents reproducing the source as it was encoded and certain levels of white or black have been changed.  We were able to verify this problem with measurements that showed an extravagant curve:


Other measurements show black to lack a bit of depth once dynamic contrast is deactivated, topping off at around 0.32 cd/m².  We can always lower this level with the dynamic contrast still deactivated by moving into energy saving mode and by reducing the backlighting, although brightness suffers and we barely surpass 100 cd/m².  Moreover, brightness can be set between 100 and 270 cd/m² in order to adapt to different lighting conditions enabling to obtain a contrast ratio of around 900:1.

Otherwise for viewing angles, note that blacks become violet if we move too far out of the screen’s central axis.  This 42 inch can accommodate roughly 5 viewers from 3 meters without any alteration in the quality of display.

In practice

It was in watching the first few movies that we realized how poor pre-settings were.  Some of the filters activated by default considerably distort images.  This is the case of Active Control which practically modifies all of an image’s original characteristics (contrast, brightness, colors, etc.).  It goes without saying that it was by deactivating all of the filters that we obtained the best image.  Rendering then became excellent with very nice colors.  HD was amazing and SD entirely honest.  With our test DVD, we were slightly below PS3 rescaling but the difference was minimal.

It was especially the automatic gamma correction, which we mention above, that slightly bothered us here.  There is a slight loss of detail in the darker and lighter zones depending on the exposure of the scene displayed.   While the untrained eye will find images flattering to the eye, the expert will see the loss of details which he usually sees in his favorite movies.

Finally, sound without being exceptional is well above average compared to other TVs which usually have a ''tin can-like'' quality.