Philips 55 Class 4k (2160p) Smart Led Tv (55pfl5402/f7) Reviews
As adept moving picture quality is expensive to implement and hard to explain, manufacturers seeking to differentiate between scads of televisions are turning to increasingly esoteric extras like passive or agile 3D, 120Hz/240Hz/480Hz, QWERTY remote controls, and laundry lists of streaming video services. Philips has a new one: Wi-Fi MediaConnect. The feature, available on the PFL5706/F7 serial reviewed here, enables the Television receiver to display whatever's on the screen of a laptop PC that's running special software, without a wired connection between the two.
When it works the organization functions well, simply after our initial "Wow, absurd!" reaction, nosotros found MediaConnect'due south appeal more than express than about of those other extras. Later all, isn't the bespeak of Internet TV to ditch your PC birthday, or at least make its interface more like a DVR and less like a computer? Moreover, there are devices that provide the same role that work amend than MediaConnect, as we'll discuss below. If you lot must take wireless PC projection built in, however, and don't mind this TV's mediocre picture quality, Philips is the merely game in town.
Series information: We performed a hands-on evaluation of the forty-inch Philips 40PFL5706/F7, but this review besides applies to the other screen sizes in the series. All sizes have identical specs and co-ordinate to the manufacturer should provide very like picture quality.
"="" bgcolor="#CCCCCC">Models in serial ( details )
Design
The Philips has rounded corners and a relatively thick bezel around the screen.
"="" bgcolor="#CCCCCC">Design highlights
| Panel depth | four.iii inches | Bezel width | two inches | |
| Unmarried-airplane face | No | Hinge stand | No |
Nobody will fault the PFL5706/F7 for a fashion-forward TV. Its biggest concession to fashion is the rounded shape of the corners and stand up base. The thick bezel is basic sleeky black, the stand doesn't swivel, and the panel itself appears chunky by today's standards--more so than many other non-LED LCDs.
"="" bgcolor="#CCCCCC">Remote command and menus
| Remote size (LxW) | 8.7x1.8 inches | QWERTY keyboard | No | |
| Illuminated keys | No | IR device control | No | |
| Carte du jour detail explanations | No | Onscreen manual | No |
The PFL5760 has a pretty basic remote and menu system. The remote lacks whatever illumination, and while the layout is fine, its buttons are besides like in size and shape, the labels are in tiny print, and Go out and Menu inconveniently occupy the same central. The carte du jour is sparse with minimal icons and no explanatory text, and we often found the transparent settings background made values difficult to read. On the other hand, we liked the Home menu with its big icons for selecting from the major functions and found the overall organisation fairly simple to navigate.
The main menu is as simple every bit it gets.
Features
"="" bgcolor="#CCCCCC">Key TV features "="">Other: Wi-Fi MediaConnect PC screen projection
| Brandish applied science | LCD | LED backlight | N/A | |
| 3D technology | North/A | 3D spectacles included | N/A | |
| Screen stop | Matte | Cyberspace connection | Built-in Wi-Fi | |
| Refresh rate(s) | 120Hz | Dejudder (smooth) processing | Yes | |
| DLNA-compliant | Photo/Music/Video | USB | Photo/Music/Video | |
Philips' chief differentiator for TVs is MediaConnect, discussed higher up, which allows the PFL5706 series to display the contents of a laptop PC screen wirelessly. The entreatment of this feature is pretty limited, still. First off, with numerous streaming-video sources built into the TV (or your Blu-ray role player or other device), using a laptop equally a source seems kludgy and inconvenient. If you demand to, nevertheless, y'all can become the same functionality by wiring any laptop via HDMI or VGA to any Telly, or wirelessly via products similar Veebeam and Intel Wireless Brandish . MediaConnect is for someone who wants to watch Hulu.com or other free Web-only video sources, or display video files stored on a PC, frequently enough to need a built-in wireless approach.
Having installed the MediaConnect software, which is only bachelor for PCs and comes with robust hardware requirements, we found using the characteristic was a mixed bag. When it worked the experience was good: picture show quality was basically identical to what nosotros saw on the PC's screen, audio was in sync, and playback was stable as long as we remained in range. The only event was a two-second delay in the Telly'southward response that--similar to Veebeam--makes performing input-dependent tasks on the big screen well-nigh impossible.
Unfortunately the organization only worked with one of the ii routers we tried, a new Apple Aerodrome Extreme , and failed when used with an older SMC Barricade --our electric current AV lab workhorse that works flawlessly with many other Wi-Fi home theater products. While Philips doesn't provide an official list of recommended routers, a company contact gave us a listing of models his lab has tested and confirmed to be compatible. Others may work fine, but and then again they may not.
Altitude was also a major factor. We couldn't get MediaConnect to piece of work from the next room, nearly xl anxiety away, even though the Idiot box's other streaming services like Netflix worked fine from at that place via Wi-Fi. Philips claims a maximum range of 70 anxiety with no obstructions, and says the closer the PC and TV are to the router, the meliorate. We experienced better stability and range when we connected the TV via Ethernet instead of using the Goggle box's Wi-Fi connexion. See Philips' FAQ for more information.
As with whatever such system, your mileage will vary depending on local weather condition and hardware, and our testing lab is a pretty unforgiving location. Overall, however, we prefer Veebeam or Intel Wireless Display, both of which use defended hardware that doesn't depend on your dwelling network'southward wireless router.
Bated from MediaConnect, and the welcome inclusion of built-in Wi-Fi, the PFL5706 is a fairly standard midrange not-LED LCD TV.
A laptop can 'projection' sites similar Hulu.com, and just about anything else, onto the TV screen.
"="" bgcolor="#CCCCCC">Streaming and apps "="">Other: Blockbuster, Film Fresh, vTuner, CloudTV, Vudu Apps
| Netflix | Yes | YouTube | No | |
| Amazon Instant | No | Hulu Plus | No | |
| Vudu | Yes | Pandora | Aye | |
| Web browser | No | Skype | No | |
| Yes | Yes | |||
Philips' Net Telly service has a skilful pick but all the same lacks quite a few major services that its competitors back up, as shown in the chart above. Still, nosotros're happy it uses the newer Netflix interface, including search.
The principal Internet TV interface for accessing applications and services was relatively sluggish at times. Bankroll out of apps was likewise annoying; many times we had to go out Net Television receiver completely, so re-enter. Streaming quality was fine, although we missed having picture controls for the video services.
Unlike nearly other major Tv set makers, Philips doesn't put an app shop on its TVs, although Vudu Apps is available with items like Twitter and Facebook likewise as numerous others. Vudu'due south interface is clean and easy to navigate, and its apps are generally well-implemented, although most occupy the whole screen, and then you tin't sentinel TV while using them. Standouts include access to numerous full episodes of the PBS staples "Nova" and "Nature" (albeit in painfully low quality), Wikipedia, and a solid selection of podcasts. Nosotros love that the apps brandish star ratings, although we couldn't figure out where they came from, and nosotros wish categories were more specific given the numerous choices. Check out the Vudu Apps site for a full listing of available apps, but know that most of the premium show-based apps (such equally "Dexter" and "True Claret") offer clips and not full episodes.
The CloudTV service is something nosotros haven't seen on other TVs. It's a sort of meta-app that offers a second Facebook app as well as a clock/weather/stocks/scores widget (which once more occupies the whole screen) and a bunch of ad-supported games--none of them widescreen, unfortunately. As well unique to Philips TVs in our feel is Film Fresh, DivX's pay-per-view cloud video rent/buy service with both movies and TV shows. In vTuner's video section you'll notice a bunch of podcasts broken down nicely by genre, many of which populate the main Net Boob tube page likewise. The Television receiver also has vTuner's Net radio app.
The principal Net TV page serves up quite a few streaming options, merely a couple of major ones are missing.
"="" bgcolor="#CCCCCC">Motion picture settings "="">Other: Settings assistant
| Adjustable picture modes | 1 | Fine dejudder control | No | |
| Color temperature presets | 3 | Fine colour temperature control | No | |
| Gamma presets | 0 | Color management arrangement | No | |
The selection here is anemic. Philips doesn't include independent input memories, just a bunch of global presets that utilize to all inputs. The presets can't be separately adjusted, and when you lot do adjust any of the picture parameters and so select some other preset, you'll find that your adjustments have been erased. We were as well peeved at the lack of a dedicated backlight control, something found on almost other LCDs regardless of price. In short, people who like tweaking the picture volition want to choose another HDTV.
Philips' Settings Assistant shows y'all a few images and asks y'all to choose between them. Information technology tin can be used for very basic settings if you don't have much fourth dimension, simply there are better ways to ready your TV by centre .
No picture controls are available with MediaConnect or any of the streaming services we tried, and so when viewing those sources you're stuck with what appears to be the default motion picture--happily there'due south no dejudder on that setting.
Picture show settings are few and far between, with no advanced options.
"="" bgcolor="#CCCCCC">Connectivity
| HDMI inputs | iii back, 1 side | Component video inputs | ane dorsum | |
| Composite video input(southward) | one back | VGA-style PC input(s) | 1 side | |
| USB port | 1 side | Ethernet (LAN) port | Yes |
The Philips PFL5706/F7 isn't missing whatever major connexion types: it has as many HDMI inputs as the best of the competition, and the standard number of analog connections. The downward-facing HDMI jacks were hard to attain, nevertheless, and thicker cables required too much bending.
Not much is missing from the PFL5706/F7's back and side panels.
Performance
Although it'due south adequate for coincidental viewing, the Philips PFL5706/F7 won't impress careful watchers with its prototype quality. The biggest issue is color accuracy, a problem that could have been easily rectified with a meliorate selection of settings or amend default presets--options that many similarly priced LCDs practice include. Its all-time feature is a matte screen, which helps reduce reflections in bright rooms, and its picture uniformity is average.
Philips' Cinema moving-picture show preset came closest to producing an accurate picture, and nosotros couldn't exercise much to accommodate information technology during scale. We disabled Active Control, including the low-cal sensor, tweaked blackness and white levels, dialed downwardly color---and that'south about it. As you can see from the results below, just nigh every color feature could use significant comeback, just that's simply not possible given Philips' sparse controls.
For image quality tests we used "Hereafter" on Blu-ray and compared the Philips with the following TVs. Many are more expensive, and only one is a fellow non-LED, only they're the closest comparison models we had on hand at the time of testing.
"="" bgcolor="#CCCCCC">Comparison models (details)
Blackness level: The PFL5706D delivered the 2d-worst absolute level of black among the TVs in our lineup, as just the Panasonic'southward blackness appeared brighter. We could meet the divergence most clearly in dark scenes like the dark cityscape in affiliate ii, where the shadows of the buildings and the letterbox bars were relatively bright and less realistic.
Shadow detail was fine; in chapter two, areas like the underside of the building (9:28) and the shadowed faces of the guests appeared with nearly every bit much particular as on the LG and Sony, and with significantly more than on the Samsung.
Color accuracy: The Philips was the worst in our lineup in this department, primarily because of its poor color decoding and grayscale. Its decoder emphasized red over green and blue, and as a result skin tones, such as in the confront of Marie in chapter x, appeared ruddy and almost sunburned. Other colors appeared oversaturated as well at times, even though we turned down the color command significantly during calibration.
Meanwhile the set's grayscale also nether-represented greenish, making white areas like the walls of the agency announced besides bluish. We also noticed that shadows and black areas appeared quite bluish, an issue accentuated by the lighter black levels.
Video processing: The Philips didn't fare well in this category either. Unlike the other 120Hz TVs in our lineup, it failed to properly reproduce the cadence of 1080p/24 in our "I Am Legend" test. Instead of a relatively smooth (but not too smooth!) pan over the aircraft carrier, we saw the feature hitching movement of 3:2 pulldown.
Speaking of polish, the two dejudder settings, labeled Minimum and Maximum in the Digital Natural Move carte du jour, delivered the characteristic smooth motility that as always looked artificial to our optics. In either setting we also noticed that artifacts, for example halos (around the secretary's body at 1:29:54) and breakdown of fast-moving objects (the letter that'southward flipped into the bin at 1:36:39), appeared more than frequently than on the other dejudder-equipped sets bated from the LG.
Motion resolution was typical for an 120Hz LCD in either DNM setting. With dejudder disabled, despite the lower move-resolution measurement, we couldn't discern any divergence or extra blurring in program fabric.
Unlike virtually other TVs we've tested, the PFL5706 failed our 1080i deinterlacing test, and then you may meet some modest artifacts in 1080i film-based fabric.
Uniformity: Our PFL5706 review sample was in the middle of the pack here. A couple of brighter areas interrupted its screen during dark scenes, specifically in the upper corners and forth the right side. It all the same outdid the edge-lit Sony and Panasonic in this expanse, only the screens of the Samsung and LG were more uniform in darkness. Vivid-screen uniformity was fine.
From off-angle the Philips' dark areas became washed out and discolored more speedily (at lower angles) than the Samsung, but maintained fidelity better than the others. In night scenes it fared worse than the LG and the Panasonic.
Vivid lighting: Like the matte-screened LN630, EX720, and LG, the matte-screened PFL5706 did a ameliorate chore of reducing glare from reflections than the glossy-screened Panasonic. Information technology likewise preserved contrast (black level) at least also as the other LCDs.
PC: The Philips' image via VGA looked soft, with fuzzy details and some edge enhancement. In the DisplayMate test the TV couldn't resolve the total resolution of 1,920x1,080 pixels, although it did have the signal.
Power consumption: The Philips 40PFL5706/F7 is 1 of the to the lowest degree efficient non-plasma TVs we've tested in the terminal couple of years. It uses more power than many larger non-LED LCDs, and significantly more watts per foursquare inch than smaller ones. Of course it gets trounced in this category by LED models. Note that, as do many TVs, this Philips comes with its ambient calorie-free sensor engaged by default; we disable it, as always, for our readings.
| Exam | Outcome | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Black luminance (0%) | 0.0181 | Boilerplate |
| Avg. gamma | 2.1177 | Skilful |
| Near-black 10/y (v%) | 0.2911/0.2891 | Poor |
| Dark grey x/y (20%) | 0.3172/0.3086 | Poor |
| Bright grayness x/y (lxx%) | 0.3158/0.3145 | Poor |
| Before avg. colour temp. | 6720 | Poor |
| After avg. color temp. | 6428 | Good |
| Red lum. error (de94_L) | 3.6024 | Poor |
| Greenish lum. fault (de94_L) | five.2973 | Poor |
| Blue lum. error (de94_L) | 4.1702 | Poor |
| Cyan hue x/y | 0.2113/0.3187 | Poor |
| Magenta hue ten/y | 0.3407/0.1606 | Poor |
| Xanthous hue x/y | 0.433/0.4793 | Poor |
| 1080p/24 cadence (IAL) | Neglect | Poor |
| 1080i Deinterlacing (film) | Fail | Poor |
| Motion resolution (max) | 600 | Average |
| Motion resolution (dejudder off) | 400 | Poor |
| PC input resolution (VGA) | 1,920x1,080 | Poor |
 Juice box | |||
| Philips 40PFL5706 | Picture show settings | ||
| Default | Calibrated | Ability save | |
| Picture on (watts) | 137.22 | 158.39 | Due north/A |
| Moving-picture show on (watts/sq. inch) | 0.2 | 0.23 | N/A |
| Standby (watts) | 0.063 | 0.063 | N/A |
| Price per year | $thirty.13 | $34.77 | N/A |
| Score (considering size) | Poor | ||
| Score (overall) | Average | ||
Almanac ability consumption toll after calibration
Philips 40PFL5706/F7 CNET review calibration results
(Read more about how nosotros test TVs.)
Source: https://www.cnet.com/reviews/philips-55pfl5706-f7-review/
0 Response to "Philips 55 Class 4k (2160p) Smart Led Tv (55pfl5402/f7) Reviews"
Post a Comment