Philips 42PFL8404H

A new series that appeared in 2009, the 8000s lies between the 7000s and the 9000s at the top end of  the Philips range This 42PFL8404H more than holds its own.

The kit

With a rotating base, 4 HDMI sockets, a DLNA compatible Ethernet connection and a USB socket, you might think that this TV would be at home in the 9000 series. In fact, there are only a few small differences to justify this separate series. The remote for example is in plastic and metal with a finish that isn't as handsome as the one in the 9000 series.


It also just has Ambilight Spectra 2, with only two bars of diodes as against three for the top end models.

Apart from that the 42PFL8404H is well equipped and will more than satisfy many of you.

Image quality

With readings around average for TVs, the PFL8404H doesn't stand out but doesn't reveal any real weak points.

As usual, Philips has not included different settings for backlighting on this model. The brightness sensor adapts the backlighting continuously according to the brightness of the room. So in a very bright room, brightness can go as high as 400 cd/m². A real lighthouse! You can disactivate the sensor to get fixed brightness.

In our tests, black levels reached 0.18 cd/m² and  whites 141 cd/m² for a contrast of 763:1. Although, for once with a Philips, the blacks are quite deep, whites lack brightness and limit the contrast. Why not settle this issue once and for all by allowing manual settings for backlighting, even if you just put it in a menu that is only accessible to experts?

The SD image is nice but suffers from the slight lack of contrast that we noted in our readings. Upscaling the image to fit the HD panel reduces sharpness but this is pretty much tin line with most manufacturers.

The HD image is very nice but slightly blurry if you don't activate the advanced definition filter in "Pixel Precise HD". You also have to activate HDNM (HD Natural Motion) to get perfectly fluid films. Unfortunately even at its lowest setting, this filter does create aftifacts around fast-moving objects. You don't see them all the time but you do notice them intermittently. 100 Hz mode considerably limits ghosting which is very slightly visible, above all on the horizontal plane. Only those most used to looking for this sort of detail will notice it however. As usual with Philips, angles of vision are excellent.

PC mode is well managed with no obvious faults. You simply have to make sure you disactivate the special filters such as HDNM, so mouse movements aren't delayed. The delay between generation of the image on the PC and display on the panel is around 47 ms, which is pretty respectable.

Sound quality

Again a constant with Philips: sound is above average for TVs and makes for good film viewing. Of course it isn't anywhere near what you get with a Home Cinema kit but it is one of the best for TVs.

Energy consumption

The 42PFL8404H hardly uses any power when in standby. However it goes up to 202 W at default settings. This drops to 126 W when put at our test settings.