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Philips 42" 1080p LCD TV (42PFL7432D/37)

931K views 7K replies 614 participants last post by  Fam Money 
#1 ·
Item 1:

Here's a list of known problem from this TV set: Thanks Bob & others.


*Standy whine (should be fixed on any new sets being shipped...free service call to fix on older units. See item 2)

*Delay with IR after startup (should be fixed on any new sets being shipped...service call to fix on older units)

*Issues running three HDMI devices at once (parts available and this also should be fixed with new units shipping...service call to fix on older units. See item 5)

*Some flashlights, banding and clouding on some early units.

*Some reports of red crush and color problems, but not many complaints

*Some compatibility issues with certain computer graphics cards

*Some issues using certain satellite and cable boxes (always turns out to be a problem with the box, not the TV)

*Units bricking when using TWC and the internal turner in Texas (firmware 51.12.1 fixed this and upgrades should be on all new units shipping)

*Unit will not switch back to QAM tuner when shut down on any other input (work around is channel up...no current fix available)

*Loss of hand-entered channel information (fixed by any software upgrade above 39.x)

*Poor SD signal quality after 39.x upgrade (Fixed with 59.x upgrade)

*No sound on analog sources using QAM tuner and 59.22 firmware (59.29 fixes and will be available soon...use 51.x in the meantime)

*color-shift problem with Dynamic Contrast turned on


Item 2:

A solution to the standby whine has been found. Those of you affected might want to take a look at this post from Dave


Item 3:

Thanks to edgary, we now have all the firmware files available for download right on the first post. Well, here it is. Make sure you thank edgary.



Q531U-0.39.11.0 (only upon request)

Q531U-0.51.12.0

Q531U-0.51.12.1

Q531U-0.59.15.0

Q531U-0.64.14.011


Item 4:

Everyone should go put in your TV calibration setting on this database and check out the calibration thread.
Philips TV Calibration Thread
Philips TV Calibration settings database


Item 5:

Here's the SCC reference number for the 3-hdmi problem.

SCC_65585





Currently I have a HP 42" plasma (4260N), I'm really disappointed at it's lack of HDMI input, it's resolution, it's brightness and it's overall experience. Love the looks tho. I'm still within the 30 days return policy from BB.

I saw this Philip 42" 1080p LCD that's to die for What do you guys think? have any of you have experience with this tv? I think amblight is such a cool idea, not a must have feature, but cool.
 
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#4 ·
I tried to post this the other day, but used BB in the title and it got removed. This is a brand new set, store clerk said it was just put out last week. It looks awesome.


Does anyone have it yet?


I'm curious to hear thoughts too.


It was a great price as well, on sale this week!
 
#7 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by wormbaby /forum/post/0


Currently I have a HP 42" plasma (4260N), I'm really disappointed at it's lack of HDMI input, it's resolution, it's brightness and it's overall experience. Love the looks tho. I'm still within the 30 days return policy from BB.

I saw this Philip 42" 1080p LCD that's to die for What do you guys think? have any of you have experience with this tv? I think amblight is such a cool idea, not a must have feature, but cool.

If you think the HP's PQ sucks, you should return it as a matter of principle.


Did you see the Philips on display or on paper (incl. the web)? If it's the former case, how does it compare to the competition like Sharp, Sony ...?
 
#8 ·
I did see it in person. It's right next to a sharp 1080p lcd, and a samsung 1080p lcd. The sharp is no where near the PQ of the philip and samsung. I would say the PQ is on par with the Samsung (4095DX). The philip might be a little sharper but the color seems a little better on the samsung. That might all change after messing with the menu. But I'm really impress with the Philip.
 
#10 ·
Wow! Just saw this Philips 1080p model at the BB by my work...looks incredible. They had it positioned next to the 2006 Sharp & diagonal to the 2007 Sharp and one over from the new Samsung (which is NOT 40" diagonal by the way! I was measuring cabinets & just happened measure the Sammy's LCD screen seeing how it looked a little small and guess what...its' a barely over 39"??? Cutting costs in Korea apparently).


The Sharp models didn't compare at all in PQ to the Philips 1080p model. They are dull, color over driven and parden the pun...not very "sharp". I liked their cabinet, but the picture was a definate "no".


The Sony 39" (measured that one too!) is still last years and it's a Samsung panel anyway (S-LCD) so why pay more for the samething. I read somewhere (maybe here) that Samsung and Sony both use Trident video processing...is there any real engineering left out there or just marketing companies.


The new PQ on the Samsung seems soft. Initially the bright picture got my attention, but after looking at it I started to notice the flaws. With their new "mirror" panel, they get more light output, but to me they lose a ton of detail. The light output washes everything out. Also their skin tones are still just as red as last years 4095/96. The power & input buttons are cool...too bad most everybody uses a remote to operate their TV set, wasted a few bucks there.


During my BB visit, some type of engineer guy showed up with some kind of HD box and connected to the Sharp, Philips & Samsung models I was looking at. Apparently he was testing for 1080p compatibility. I asked what he did & he said he was an engineer for one of the local TV stations.


This box he used was called a Taraken(sp?). It had HD content on it and the ability to output 1080p via HDMI and Component at 24hz, 30hz and 60hz. It was really interesting to see how these TV sets responded. I made notes to share:


Samsung (4066) HDMI


1080p/60 - yes

1080p/30 - no

1080p/24 - yes (though I was not able to get their Bluray player to work on their sets @ 24hz on the end cap display or over at CC using a 1080p DLP set?)


Samsung (4066) Component Video


1080p/60 - yes

1080p/30 - no

1080p/24 - no


Sharp (62u/82u) HDMI


1080p/60 - yes

1080p/30 - no

1080p/24 - no


Sharp (62u/82u) Component Video


1080p/60 - yes (42,46") no (52")

1080p/30 - no

1080p/24 - no


Philips (7432) HDMI


1080p/60 - yes

1080p/30 - yes

1080p/24 - yes


Philips (7432) Component Video


1080p/60 - yes

1080p/30 - yes

1080p/24 - yes


I asked the guy why he was testing 1080p/30hz. Other than some serious PC usage, why would you use it? He said that TV stations are considering this frequency for 1080p broadcasting since it would be half the size of 1080p/60 and all that the TV would need to do is a simple 3:2 pull down to display the picture. He said that seeing the Philips accept & display the 1080p/30hz was a huge surprise. He said that the Philips 1080p TV was definately future proofed for HD broadcast...on both HDMI & Component.



I haven't bought one yet, but this new Philips has my attention. I really liked knowing all that connectivity is compatible with the full range of 1080p signals. However, I am going to wait to see if there are any problems with this new model...and then it might be time to upgrade. Plus...I know we can't take price here but the new Philips is a "whole bunch" cheaper than the new Samsung, new Sharp and especilly last years Sony.
 
#11 ·
Well I took the plunge tonight at BB and purchased this tv. I just set it up and have been tweaking it for about 2 hours. I will say that I am EXTREMELY impressed with this set so far! I was very worried (still am to a certain extent) about the brand Philips. I know they make some decent stuff but usually they are behind everyone else when it comes to keeping up. No clouds, no backlight leakage, and very good black levels that even beat out my Sony 40V2500 that I just sold (because of clouds). I went to see the tv today after work and it was basically down to this and the new LG 42" 1080p. The Samsung's look cheap and have the same problems as the Sony sets (clouds, light leakage, etc). I was not impressed with any other brand and really didn't want to jump in the plasma realm. The only weird thing that has happened so far is with the PS3. When I was playing Resistance and decided to end the game, I went back to the start up menu. During this process the input lost the signal (screen went blue stating this) and then returned to the PS3 startup menu about 1 second later. My xbox elite doesn't do it so I assume it's just a slight handshake issue with the PS3. It doesn't seem to have any issues in the game though so it's no big deal. There are a ton of options to tweak on this set including a really cool auto tuner at the beginning when you first power on the tv. So I guess in short I am pretty happy so far. I am going to fine tune it in the coming days. I will say that as long as the set holds up, this was a steal for what I payed. I know we can't discuss prices on this forum but here is a tip. Buy it at BB online and pick it up at the store. I saved a nice chunk of change by doing this
.
 
#12 ·
So how does the ambilight work for ya? Do you like it? Can it be easily turned off during the day for example. When I first saw Phillps advertising this a while ago I thought it looked kinda dumb. But I have been reading about it tonight and now I am starting to like the idea. It is supposed to be beter for your eyes as well as improving the appearance of the picture on screen. It might be neat in the dark for movies, especially because this one is supposed to be LED lit capable of a wide range of colors and adaptive for the content on screen.


I actually made a special trip to BB tonight to see this TV. Obviously you couldn't really get an idea of the ambilight effect in the well lit store. The picture looked pretty good I guess, but you really can't tell much with the in store displays. The were displaying HD, but it was a bad signal and kept cutting out and didn't look great when it was "in." It was around a bunch of 720P plasmas and I thought it was among the best looking. I tried to look at the off axis viewing and it wasn't bad I didn't think. However, compared to the plasmas surrounding it, it definately didn't hold as true as those seemed to.


@ YOTR, what made you chose this over the new LG 1080 set. I was also looking at that at CC tonight. Also pretty impressed. It certainly held its own sandwiched between new samsungs and sharp 62Us. I wonder if LG.Phillips LCD is like Samsung/Sony where they are basically the same panels with different guts.
 
#14 ·
Sorry I keep bombarding this thread, but I have been looking for info about this TV all night and there just isn't much out there. I saw that it has 1080p support over componet which is good. Can any one that owns one tell me if there is a 1:1 pixel mapping or equiviliant option.


Also I am assuming the backlight is only covering the traditional 72% of NTSC . I could never see anywhere it said that it does more and that is usually something that will advertise. Also noticed the new LG LB5D series don't have the enhanced backlight spectrum either. Seems like everyone here is agreed the that the pic is fine without it?
 
#15 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by BIGJOHNB20 /forum/post/0


Sorry I keep bombarding this thread, but I have been looking for info about this TV all night and there just isn't much out there. I saw that it has 1080p support over componet which is good. Can any one that owns one tell me if there is a 1:1 pixel mapping or equiviliant option.

Yes, 1:1 pixel mapping is "High Resolution" mode in the menu. Got this reply from "PhilipsTV" in another thread.
 
#16 ·
Hey AK, can I ask what other thread you are talking about.


So I have a few more questions that I think only owners are going to be able to answer for me. YOTR I am lookng your direction. So, curious if this set has a dynamic backlight. Also, does it have any sort of manual backlight adjustment. Finally, are you able to save picture settings independent for each input. How are the picture adjustments overall. easy to use, enough options? That really is all for now. Thanks everyone for your help.
 
#17 ·
Wow, my thread got popular all of a sudden. But Yeah, I have been messing with my philips all yesterday. I like it so much more. The picture is crystal clear. The only feature that I wish the Philips has is Optical audio out. I know it has coaxial but I like optical more, since I don't have any coax cable. Nothing more to say that YOTR and in training didn't cover.


BIGJOHNB20: Ambilight can be turned off with one press of a button, very easy. It's really cool. I tested it with the intro of Monster, inc. Lots of color and it really sets the mood. I check out the speed of the transition with a music visuallzation through my PC. The speed is not instant, but pretty damn close. Love the feature.
 
#19 ·
I have different setting for different port. It seems that my upconverting dvd player have a really low brightness and contrast, so after using the THX optimizer (I know there's better but I haven't receive my good one yet) my setting is 83 on both. But on my xbox 360 I have it set to 70 brightness and 37 for contrast.
 
#22 ·
im glad theres a thread going on about this tv. i pulled the trigger in this one yesterday. went to best buy to look for a 37 lcd. they didnt have any
only 32 and and 42. i was looking to get a samsung lcd 32 for then an lg caught my eye. it was a 42 lg 720p lcd for but right next to it was this tv. it looked realy good and the plus was it was only 200 more. at the store. so i said what the heck. its only 200 more for a 1080p so i bought it. went to the counter and cashier rang up my purchase. turns out that they didnt have this tv in stock and they will need to order it and have it deliver to their store on weds. i wasnt in a hurry cause this tv is just going to be a bedroom tv anyways so what the heck. so i get home check online cause i realy didnt know anything about this tv. turns out this tv just came out recently so i printed that and went back to best buy. best buy did a price adjustment and got the tv. hehe. so far from what ive read this tv is amazing. so ill have to see when i get it.
 
#23 ·
Yes, each input have it own saved setting.


SD is not too hot. It isn't bad, but the HP plasma that I returned is better in that regard. I was going to upgrade to HD DVR from Dishnetwork soon, so hopefully it will be better for the SD channels.


Does this tv have like a panarama view for 4:3 content? Automatic is the one that do it but it like to zoom in once in a while. and it look even worst when it zoomed in.
 
#24 ·
So as a general rule, analog SD will not look great on a 1080p LCD. That doesn't surprise me that is is not so hot, but how do you think it compares to other sets out there. The TV can only do so much with the signal is gets, but some video processors are just better than others. Do you think the Pixel Plus HD is on the upper end of the processors?
 
#26 ·
I am interested in this unit too. Here is the link to the Philips spec sheet since I didn't see it posted here:

http://www.p4c.philips.com/na4/4/42...37b_pss_aen.pdf


I saw the unit at BB yesterday and it looked as good as others. Natural looking colors and off angle viewing looked like it didn't wash out. Tough to tell in the store though. Can an owner please comment on the off angle viewing? How far can you go out to the sides before it washes the picture out?


Also, anyone check out the USB side connector yet? Curious about how it does playing JPEG pics through a thumb drive? Can it handle large size pictures (say 8 megapixel) and scroll though them at a decent clip?


HDMI ver. 1.3 connectors are not mentioned on the spec sheet so I am guessing it doesn't have them. Wish it did as that would certainly make it much more future proof.
 
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