Philips 42PF9731D Review | Ambilight 42-inch
The Philips 42PF9731D flat-panel HDTV has three fluorescent backlights on the top and sides of its back cabinet. Place it on or near a white wall, and the colored lights project past the frame around the screen. Ambilight can be set to respond to the onscreen image — turning blue during a wide shot of a blimp in the summer sky over a sporting event, for example, then green when the camera returns to the grassy field. In effect, it extends the screen’s colors toward the edges of your walls and ceiling.
With a pair of HDMI jacks, two component-video inputs, and an assortment of lower-rez connections, the 42PF9731D can handle just about any home theater gear.
The Philips Ambilight 42PF9731D 42-inch LCD HDTV can produce a commendable picture in bright light, although its home theater image falls a bit short of what the best LCDs out there can produce. And though I wasn’t overly impressed by Ambilight, it’s obvious that Philips put a lot of thought and research into it, and I have little doubt that many viewers less critical about home theater image fidelity than I would find the effect more soothing. If you’re looking for an HDTV with that extra flair, it’s hard to imagine anything that will make more of a statement.
Source: sound & vision mag
