Philips 40PFL8664H LED LCD TV Review
LED edge lit TVs make the fashion statement in TVs these days. Their success is attributed to the fact that they offer a better quality of images and consume lesser power than conventional televisions. They are more expensive and are usually top of the range models. The Philips 40PFL8664H is the company’s answer to the increasing demand for such televisions. The 40 inch television is packed with a host of features that are considered as ‘high end’. It has Ambilight Spectra 2 ambient lighting technology, Net TV for streaming Web content and multimedia playback as well.
Design:
Ultra Slim!
The 40 inch 40PFL8664H LCD television uses exclusive technology that makes it ultra slim. It has a frame of 2.8 cm enabling it to fit into compact spaces. The thin profile of 3.9 cm gives it a minimalist appearance that goes well with any interior.
Attractive:
It is human tendency to get attracted to things are that are slimmer. The televisions are no exception. The Philips PFL8664 LED LCD TV sports a black stylish bezel with a black narrow panel frame and a transparent finish. The entire television is upheld on a glass stand with a curvaceous V shaped shaft. The Philips logo is embossed on the bottom part of the bezel.
Rather Awkward Controls:
The TV controls present on the right side of the television are non backlit push buttons. There is a USB port present on the left. While these are at the right places, we had issues with the location of the auxiliary AV inputs and headphone jack. They were present at the rear placing them at a rather inconvenient location to use.
Stylish Remote:
The remote is a long candy bar like device with an arched bottom. It has a black matte and glossy finish making it a great counterpart for the television. It has a brushed metal surface and has no multifunctional controls. There is a pretty chrome directional pad available that did look rather odd initially. On the remote are keys such as Home to access the Main menu and Options to access the important AV settings. However, the remote could have been better if there was room for video switching with only a source and TV buttons for toggling external inputs and digital TV channels.
Connectivity:
When it comes to connectivity, Philips scores points as well as loses points here. There are four 24p ready HD inputs and 1080p support for component video. Six PC sockets are present to support high definition sources. The 2 SCART terminals and a component video socket are also available. We would also want an optical version of the coaxial audio output.
Interface:
The Philips 40PFL8664 Full HD LED LCD TV features an activity based menu that is coloured and caters well to people who are new to such interfaces as well as the tech savvy ones. The Interface has options like WatchTV, User Manual, Setup and Browse USB. The Setup has a plethora of basic as well as advanced AV configurations within six picture (Standard, Vivid, Natural, Cinema, Game and Personal) modes. However, we did not find any options to adjust the backlight or white balance. There is a Personal mode as well which allows one to save presets according to their choice by using a wizard.
Features:
100MHz processing:
The Philips 40PFL8664H TV runs on 100MHz processing that makes viewing fast on screen motion pictures even better. The high refresh rate increases the sharpness of motion to more than twice that of the conventional LCD. So, the images of objects in motion such as racing cars are clearer. We put on a football match and the players in motion were far clearer than an ordinary LCD TV. Even those advertising sign boards that are usually blurred were more readable.
Pixel Precise:
The award winning feature of Pixel Precise HD improves picture quality by allowing reproduction for over 4 trillion colours. This combined along with HD motion makes movies sharper and more fluent. While the Pixel Precise HD system does not make SD pictures look as sharp as they do on Pixel Perfect HD TVs, they still manage to hold up pretty well considering its competition in the price range. The motion handling does not remove blur completely but its fluidity and motion sharpness are pretty good.
Ambilight Spectra:
This is a feature that is unique to only Philips televisions. Around the television are present in built LED lights that emit coloured light in sympathy with the colour of the image shown. Since there is a new timing delay present, the light reproduction is more pleasant emphasising the movement. It is capable of automatically adjusting the colour and brightness of the light to create an immersive experience. However, more than relaxing, it seems to be just an aesthetic add.
Net TV:
Net TV is another prime proposition offered on the PFL8664. It allows one to stream Web content and services such as YouTube and Internet radio via the inbuilt Ethernet port. One can navigate throught the web and select whatever wanted with the remote. It has charged marginally ever since the previous model. The television is also capable of playing multimedia files from USB devices and DLNA compatible PCs on a home network.
Performance:
SD content:
The overtly sharpened pictures even on analog TV had to be toned down. The hues were too saturated and that resulted in pinker skin tones. The graininess and mosquito noise were reduced to minimum. When we switched to digital broadcast, image clarity as well as stability increased. DVD movies were reproduced aptly with mostly clear visuals. Even greyscale tracking was well maintained.
HD content:
The 40PFL8664H 1070p Digital TV surpassed our expectations when it comes to HD content. Even subtle details were very sharp and clear during playback of television shows. When we played Pixar’s UP, the model was able to deliver extremely sharp and fluid images. The resolution is flawless except for some slight flickering.
Multimedia Performance:
The 40PFL8664 delivers smooth and stunning graphics. It had time lag issues like the earlier 4PFL9704. We checked out a couple of games both on the PS3 and the Xbox 360 and graphics were prominent on the former. While the JPEG playback and audio streaming were great, the MP3 audio quality was rather mediocre and fast paced music lacked fidelity and rhythm.
Audio:
The speakers being located at the rear deprived the TV of audible stereo. The light bass extension and a decent treble range were able to fill an average room with no sound distortion. So, most users would have no issues with audio here.
Energy Efficient:
The Philips 40PFL8664 is a whopping 40 percent more energy efficient than conventional flat TVs. Thanks to the LED Backlight technology, the model consumes lesser energy as well as lasts longer. Also like CCFL, LED LCD TVs do not use mercury in their manufacture making them more environmental friendly.
Warranty:
There is a warranty of one year on the Philips PFL8664 for its parts and labour.
Verdict:
We absolutely loved the stunning design of the Philips PFL8664. It looked gorgeous and is easily one of the best looking televisions in the market. Its decent connectivity bundled along with a host of features such as NetTV and web browsing are sure to attract a lot of people out there. The Ambilight Spectra was a great aesthetic add and makes viewing even more pleasurable. The performance of the television was above average and will suit to the tastes of most people. If you are looking for a stylish television with a decent performance, this is a must buy.
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Philips 40PFL8664H 40″ LCD TV – Technical Specification Table
| Manufacturer | Philips |
| Model Name | 40PFL8664 |
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 580 x 958 x 39mm |
| Weight | 15kg |
| Aspect Ratio | Widescreen |
| Viewing Angles | 176 degrees H and V |
| Panel Resolution | 1920 x 1080p |
| TV Type | LED edge lit LCD TV |
| Screen enhancement | Anti-Reflection coated screen |
| Brightness | 500 cd/m2 |
| Colour processing | 4 trillion colours (14-bit RGB) |
| Video Input | S Video, VGA, Composite Video and Component Video |
| Contrast Ratio | 50000:1 |
| Response time (typical) | 3 (BEW) ms |
| Audio effects | Incredible Surround |
| Output Power | 10w x 2 |
| Picture Enhancement Features | Pixel precise HD 3/2 – 2/2 motion pull down 3D Combfilter Active Control + Light sensor Digital Noise Reduction Dynamic contrast enhancement Luminance Transient Improver Progressive scan 2D/3D noise reduction 100 Hz LCD1080p 24/25/30 Hz processing 1080p 50/60 Hz processing HD Natural Motion LED backlight Display |
| Ambilight Features | Ambilight Spectra, Lounge light mode |
| Dimming Function | Manual and via Light Sensor |
| Multimedia Applications | Multimedia connections: Ethernet-UTP5, USB Playback Formats: MP3, WMA v2 up to v9.2, Slideshow files (.alb), JPEG Still pictures, MPEG1, MPEG2, MPEG4, AVI, H.264/MPEG-4 AVC, MPEG-Programme-stream PAL, WMV9/VC1 |
| Additional features | IDTV; 100Hz engine; Ambilight Spectra 2; Net TV; DLNA-compatible; onboard MP3, LPCM, WMA, JPEG, MPEG-1/2/4, AVI, H.264, WMV, VC1 playback via USB and Ethernet; EasyLink (HDMI-CEC); 1080p24 input-ready; four HDMI 1.3 terminals |
| Output power (RMS) | 2 x 10 W |
| Sound Enhancement | Auto Volume Leveller, Incredible Surround, Treble and Bass Control |
| Sound System | Nicam Stereo |
| Connectivity | Ext 1 Scart: Audio L/R, CVBS in, RGB Ext 2 Scart: Audio L/R, CVBS in, RGB Ext 3: YPbPr, Audio L/R in Front/Side connections: USB PC network link: DLNA 1.0 certified Other connections: A/V Audio L/R in (value), Analogue audio Left/Right out, S-Video in, Composite video (CVBS) input, HDMI, Headphone out, S/PDIF out (coaxial), Common Interface Plus (CI+) HDMI 1: HDMI v1.3a HDMI 2: HDMI v1.3a HDMI 3: HDMI v1.3a EasyLink (HDMI-CEC): One touch play, Remote control pass-through, System audio control, System standby |
| Mains Power | 220-240V 50/60Hz |
| Power Consumption when Idle | 0.15W |
| Warranty | 1 year |
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