Philips 17PF8946 17-Inch LCD Flat Panel HDTV-Ready TV
Here is an elegant looking LCD TV that also provides a great audio visual experience with a wide screen high definition panel, Virtual Dolby Surround and unique slim speakers.
Philips 17PF8946 17-inch HDTV-ready flat-panel LCD TV is more than just great looks. The perfect size for a small space, the 3.1-inch-thick display provides an excellent audio/visual experience with features like Crystal Clear III, Active Control, Virtual Dolby Surround, and unique flat speakers. It even has a built-in FM radio tuner so you can listen to all your favorite radio channels, and up to 40 station presets make sure you tune in fast. The high-definition (HD tuner not included), 1,280 x 768 WXGA LCD panel uses the latest panel technology, such as Philips' proprietary Crystal Clear package of innovations featuring a 3D digital comb filter (eliminates dot crawl and color bleeding, enhancing fine detail, cleaning up image outlines, and removing most extraneous colors), Dynamic Contrast for deep blacks and pure whites, and green and blue color enhancement. The high 400:1 contrast ratio gives you better subtle color details and the ability to see the picture in bright light conditions, and the 25-millisecond response time means it's capable of handling fast-moving action without image blur or lag. Active Control delivers the best picture setting, any time, from any source. The incoming signal is automatically analyzed and key picture settings, like sharpness, color, and contrast, are adjusted. The 16:9 widescreen aspect ratio is the best for viewing HDTV and DVDs so you can have a more realistic cinema experience, but the TV has zoom modes for viewing 4:3 analog broadcast TV and pan-and-scan-formatted video. Built-in flat speakers (4 watts per channel) sit on either side of the active-matrix TFT LCD, giving you full stereo sound without needing to connect to an external speaker system. Virtual Dolby Surround sound support simulates cinema surround sound effects without the need for rear speakers. Philips' Smart Listening auto volume leveling eliminates drastic volume spikes while changing channels or when channels go to a commercial break. Other features include fantastic 176-degree horizontal and vertical viewing angles, 100 preset channels, Autostore for easy tuning, Auto Picture (five modes give you picture settings for different types of programming), Auto Sound (four modes to tailor the TV sound to enhance what you're watching), multilanguage onscreen display, sleep timer, integrated NTSC tuner and RF jack for terrestrial reception, ergonomic remote control, and an antireflective screen. Want to do more than just watch TV? The 17PF8946 has an FM antenna connector for getting better reception, a rear composite input, and a component input that helps minimize digital and line-scan artifacts during DVD playback. And, because the TV is progressive scan, it can take advantage of the more filmlike images produced by progressive-scan DVD players. It has a VGA input too, which receives the signal from your PC so you can use it as a TV and a PC monitor. A set of side jacks has a composite A/V input with S-video, a mini headphone jack, and an audio in for using the TV's speakers with your PC. What's in the Box
17-inch HD-ready LCD TV, stand, remote control, 2 AA batteries, user's manual.
Philips 17PF8946 17-Inch LCD Flat Panel HDTV-Ready TV Accessories
 Peerless Articulating Wall Mount For Up To 22" Display - Vesa 75/100MM
Philips 17PF8946 17-Inch LCD Flat Panel HDTV-Ready TV Reviews
Took it to a repair shop and said it would cost appx $200 to repair. After we have had this TV at about a year and a half, it developed a 2 inch wide transparent green stripe that runs from top to bottom (vertically). Buyer beware. I can buy a new TV for that and obviously at that point it is out of warranty.
I purchased this television to put in a cabinet in the kitchen of my home. The only small problem is that the controls are on the top of the set and I sometimes activate them when I am trying to put the television away. I have it mounted on a roll out shelf and I purchased a mount so the television can be folded up for storage. I am very pleased with the color, sound and quality of the unit.
I tested all the available settings through the console's dashboard. You would have to acquire the HDVGA cable - go with Monster; the Microsoft cable results in the oft-cited "washed out effect". Connect a pleasing $50 set of speakers (Creative Labs makes those), and enjoy your HD games in widescreen - your 4:3 games and DVD programs are accomodated as well. The stars are there because the website forces it. The picture was the same: a screenful of distortion (the sound was fine). The sound on this TV impressed me.
For regular television, the picture quality is only moderately good. I appreciated the range of adjustable settings, and although the picture is generally very sharp, the colors generally didn't seem very well defined or realistic. I have always had a mixed impression of American-market Philips products, and this unit will just be logged away with the others. It is not as good as you can get with even a $50 set of desktop speakers, but it is deep enough and loud enough that you wouldn't necessarily need any addition to enjoy what you're watching - something that surprised me, considering what we're told to expect from flat panel TVs. Enter the Viewsonic 20" widescreen LCD, model VX2025WM.
The XBOX 360 dashboard automatically adjusts its display options to accomodate your screen. I had to return it to Amazon (which is prefectly courteous and professional with such matters) twice: the first set had a nonfunctioning headphone jack (no sound through headphones or any speaker I attached to it), and the replacement set would not display the HD output from my console. I purchased the Philips 17" LCD Flat Panel HDTV-Ready TV for two reasons: to connect it to my XBOX 360 for High Definition gaming, and because the price was right. The same held true for gaming through the AV components. Had I not purchased it primarily as a monitor for my XBOX 360, I may even have been tempted to keep it and be spared the nuisance of returns.
I intended not to star this review, because my encounter with the above two defects in this product was probably singular (although they occured on two different units). You can attain HD-pedigree resolutions on an LCD monitor. The picture is excellent, and it is Big. If you are primarily interested in HD gaming, and DVD viewing through your console or computer, and perhaps replacing your existing monitor while you're at it - and your immediate plans do not include installing HD Television in your home - the Viewsonic 20" Widescreen LCD, model VX2025WM is what you should get, and Amazon has it. Watching DVDs was definitely the best aspect of my experience with this product (both iterations thereof).
I have read of faulty HDAV cables being shipped with XBOX 360 consoles, so I wanted to make sure: I tested three separate consoles, and 3 separate HDAV cables.you almost certainly would do better with the Viewsonic 20.1" widescreen LCD, model VX2025WM.
However, only one handles true high definition sources, a standard 15-pin VGA input which accepts either (1) the in-the-box included cable which has the VGA connector on one end and the three component video jacks (standard color-coded RCA type) at the other end, or (2) a cable with VGA connectors at both ends (not included) for hookup to a PC. The picture quality with HDTV or DVD-Progessive Scan sources is excellent. You can't beat the low price on this 17" LCD TV. All in all a great bargain. Generous variety of video inputs. Built-in stereo speakers and FM tuner are handy features, but sound quality is mediocre, so recommend using with home theater audio system for your audio. For more than one high-definition source you'll need a switchbox (I bought one from an electronics store to connect my satellite HDTV and DVD-Proscan player), or a VGA splitter (for two PC's).
The speakers also don't work with the computer. There are only a few drawbacks to the set which I hate to mention because I'm using it primarily as a monitor when it was really intended to be used as a TV. That being said, I'm pleased with the Philips Flat Panel HDTV I purchased with the intent of using it as a computer monitor/TV to sit on a fragile desk in my bedroom. Maybe they do with a PC but I had to have a VGA to DVI adapter cable to connect the Mac Mini to the Philips Flat Panel TV. I still give the Philips 17PF8964 17" model five stars because I was able to connect a progressive scan DVD player to it without reading the instructions.
I have watched a total of three movies on it. The VGA to DVI adapter cable was also inexpensive and easy to find. The Philips is definitely user friendly.
The sound and picture quality were impressive especially considering I haven't made any adjustments to the factory settings. Plus, the sound and picture quality easily surpass that of the "nice" TV bought for the living room years ago. The screen is prone to etching when images, such as the Menu bar on a desktop, remain static for long periods of time.
The set is also very light compared to CRT monitors and TVs with 17" screens. In fact, I've only had to make a few decisions after being prompted by menus that automatically appear on the screen. I'm the type of person who is usually comfortable with electronic equipment that is on the verge of obsolescence.
As for the quality of the HDTV component, it'll be at least 5 years before I decide to use the feature. And the instruction sheet allowed me to focus on only those few diagrams that pertained to my particular compatibility issue.
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