HDTV Reviews

I bought the Philips 17pf9936 because the slightly higher spec model (17pf9945) was no longer available. I use it for watching DVDs and as a game console screen (using the HDTV component video input) and as a computer monitor.

Overall, I'm happy with this TV. Picture quality is good, bright, and contrasty. My only complaint is that the backlighting seems strong -- blacks are never really 100% black, but always a little lighter. It's not very noticable, but once you do, it bugs you a bit.

As a computer monitor it is very good -- except I cannot figure out how to get it into WXGA mode (1280x768). Philips web site claimed it was possible, as does the spec sheet on Amazon, but the manual only lists 1024x768 (4:3), 1280x960 (4:3), or 1280x1024 (5:4) (which all work).

Three things keep me from giving it a full five star rating: Not having got it to work in WXGA mode yet, the not-quite-black-blacks, and the quality of the remote control, which feels cheap and is confusing.

This is an excellent LCD Tv with HDTV. Its amazing how many inputs the TV has and all tucked nicely behind the speakers. Has inputs for componet, VGA, s video and FM. Any combination of connections are easliy possible for input and out put. The reamote is very easy to use. I had seen only one pixel defict dot .Its very sleek and goes well on kitchen counter top or for bedroom or bathroom. I connected to Sony HD receiver with directv and pictures are awesome. Awaiting for a model similar to this in little bigger size 23-26 inches in prize range of 1500-2000. I have always been fan of sony and have all my sytems in sony and Bose. However this Tv was an exception and deserves five starts truely

First and foremost; To quote the words of Chandler Bing (of FRIENDS fame), Amazon.com - "You're swell...". Outstanding service, awesome pricing (saved 2 Benjamins), and complimentary delivery upgrades, sets you guys apart from the rest(worlds apart!).

Now to the review of this state-of-the-art LCD TV from Philips. One word can describe this piece of work, GREAT... Here's my positives.

1. Packed to withstand the rigors of traveling over 5,000 miles (From Kentucky to Hawaii) with UPS Ground and Air. Not a scratch.

2. Well written documentation, with 3 manuals and hookup diagrams for 3 different langauges (overkill maybe).

3. Connectivity and hookup - self explanatory (labelled ports and plugins, easy, simple, alot. A monkey can hook this thing up, blind folded, with one arm tied behind its back.

4. Operation - easy, many options on remote.

5. Picture and Sound - Clear ans ambient sound, crisp picture - TV and PC. Widescreen, awesome. Wish I had an HD receiver.

6. Price - Will never buy major electronic purchases from the local businesses again. They mark up everything. Then mark up mark up prices.

In summary, if your looking for a Philips 17PF9936 17" Widescreen Flat Panel HD Ready LCD TV by Philips, buy this Philips 17PF9936 17" Widescreen Flat Panel HD Ready LCD TV by Philips. You will be making a wise purchase. Thank you.

Note: I am not being paid for this endorsement.

neither this model nor any 27" samsung has a DVI port! A transcoder from DVI to componet jack is about $150.00.

I am very satisfied with this buy. The overall value seemed to best. Samsung has been rapidly improving their products especially in this area to make them affordable and high-quality. The TXN2798HF is loaded with all the available features in the Tantus category. CRTs last much longer than plasma screens and currently have one of the best and most accurate color reproduction. The TV was much heavier than I thought, however, so care should be taken with moving and placing the TV. There are plenty of connections though the single S-video input on the side may cause problems to some.

I believe the TV automatically converts 480i video signals to 480p. I found, surprisingly, that image quality was better with progressive scanning on my Panasonic DVD player turned OFF rather than ON. The TV does an excellent job of processing video signals.

I ordered from Amazon despite many reviewers bad experiences with ordering TVs. It is true that you cannot return TVs over 27-inches ONCE you've opened it but you can and should refuse to recieve the TV from the shipper if the box or other evidence shows that it is damaged (this is actually what Amazon recommends doing). The shipping cost did not really bother me as I would have paid nearly the same amount of money for taxes if not ordered online.

I purchased this television primarily to enjoy my DVDs and Xbox in progressive scan mode. It has good features at an affordable price point. I'm not yet ready to invest in a high cost plasma or LCD unit as I believe those technologies will come down significantly in price within the next few years. A CRT based system was the reasonable choice for me.

It is a 4x3 CRT television, but the 16x9 widescreen squeeze works quite well and about equivalent to a 24" widescreen.

The picture is extremely clear at 480p and has the clarity of a computer monitor at 1080i. It does not have the ability to produce 720p, which is the only negative I have for this model. However, all OTA signals I've received and other digital sources, 1080i has always been supported.

I went ahead and bought a Samsung STB (T351) to enjoy "off the air" DTV signals as well. It does require a Set Top Box or some other digital source since it does not have a built in tuner. You can't expect a set in this price range to include this, nor is it really necessary if you are just wanted progressive scan ability.

If you're looking to purchase a CRT based television these days, there is no reason not to purchase an HDTV ready-set. This will extend it's usefulness as we approach the 2006 HDTV roll-out here in the U.S.

I've been very happy with this television and have a new found respect for Samsung. Only wish I had purchased it sooner. The DVDs are so vibrant and much improved in quality. The Xbox is wonderful in 480p.

Also, just to clarify an issue from another reviewer, this does indeed have a DVI-D input on it. It's in the PDF manual and its definitely on the set itself. Be sure to read the PDF link to learn more.

We purchased a Hitachi 50" t.v. from Circuit City and we've had nothing but problems with it. We purchase the 5 yr. extended warranty and on a 5 year old t.v. it's been in the repair shop every year since the 2nd year of ownership this time it's been in for the last 2+ months with no delivery in sight and no satisfaction in sight, nor can we be promised that the problems will be solved on this repair trip. Hitachi will do nothing past 1 year and the warranty people could care less. The Hitachi name no longer holds the credibility it did of years ago. BUYER BEWARE! Best to look into another brand and even an other store to check out their fine print warranties before spending hard earned money.

I went to the store to look around and compare TVs. I thought I was going to purchase a Sony, but when I saw this Hitachi 36UDX10SA 36" TV, I couldn't keep my eyes off it. As I continued to roam the store I always ended up back at the Hitachi. I purchased the last one, took it home and my wife totally loves it!! I thought there was a problem with regular cable shows (non-digital) but I found a setting in the TV that clears the picture and sound. I love this TV. I HIGHLY recommend this TV set.

I purchased my set last year and I have to say it has the best picture of all the TV's in this price range - It was recently stolen and I am in the process of replacing it with the exact same model - I love it that much!

it is a cable for transferring digital signal... in the digital world, the smallest bit of information is either 0 or 1. in terms of electricity, it is like, either 0 volt or 5 volt. So unless the cable is so lousy that the device cannot tell 0 volt from 5 volt, in which case a gold or platinum plated digital cable is not going to do any good. it either works or doesn't work. there is no "in between".

this is similar to DTV or HDTV -- either you get the picture or you don't. If you do, it is going to be prestine. If you don't, then there is no picture at all. Note that in this case, the analog (non-digital) portion of equipment still makes a difference, such as the antenna or the speaker cable that is non-digital.

so a [$$$$$] DVI cable shouldn't make any difference than a [$$] one.

I gave it 5 stars because I don't own it an wanted to be fair,but I do own cabletogo 2m dvi cable and it's a spectacular picture I have on my toshiba 30hf83 30" hdtv which is slightly better than the component I had hooked up earlier.My point is the cabletogo I believe is under $15dls and has a higher data transmission rate which I believe is above 9mbps dual link and the monster above 5mbps,so it's just something to think about,why waste $99dls.

I have a fairly new HDTV system I bought back in January. I have a JVC 56" rear projection HDTV and am getting my HDTV source from Insight Cable through a Motorola HDTV receiver. I experimented with component video connections when I first bought the TV but later tried the Monster Cable DVI400. Wow what a difference! DVI is the ONLY way to hook up HDTV in my opinion. The colors are brighter and pictures are sharper. Like all Monster Cable products this is made of very high quality materials and it looks nice too. I cannot believe some of the notes I have seen on the internet from people that feel the component video connection is better. The quality of the DVI connection is so superior that my cable company has decided to turn off the DVI output on my cable box. They claim the quality is so good that pirates could make copies of movies through the connection! They claim that this is a new FCC law even!

I have had this product for 6 months and it has broken 3 times with the same problem. There is something wrong with the power supply, as out of the blue it simply refuses to power up. To make matters worse, Panasonic does not do their own service (in the NY area, at least) and the 2 different shops I have tried both failed to fix it. Each kept it a few weeks and returned it, only to have the problem re-occur. I also had trouble with picture quality, which one shop denied existed but the other improved. Panasonic hasn't helped me at all, despite contacting their consumer affairs division. When it works, it's a nice TV, but thus far it's been out of service for over 6 weeks in 6 months.

I have had this TV for almost a year now and it continues to work flawlessly. Even though I dont yet get HD signals the set significantly improves the cable signal and blows me away with DVD's. At the current prices you can't afford to buy a regular 4:3 TV. I have a fairly small Media room so the 30" set is just perfect for us...about 10 feet -me to set. I usually set my picture to "Just" or "zoom" and never have a problem with regular TV pictures. It also has many high capacity connectors...I have a cable box, a direct cable connection (so I can use the sets controls), TIVO, DVD, VCR & I route sound thru my Stereo.And all this works from the one remote supplied with the set. I have no negative comments about my set.... I love it.

This TV is simply eye-popping. I wanted an HD set and was convinced early on to go for the widescreen format. Price was a consideration so I initially bought a Samsung 30 inch widescreen (mistake!). Upon getting it home I was really disapointed in the picture (very distorted at the edges) and came back for a different brand. You get what you pay for I guess. Side by side comparisons led me to conclude that while the Sony was a bit sharper, the Panasonic had an overall more vivid picture. I don't have a very large space, so the fact that Panasonic makes a 30 inch (in addition to a 34 inch) but Sony only makes a 34 inch sealed the deal. This set is plenty big for a mid-sized room.

I love the set! Watching Discovery HD channel is utterly mesmerizing--friends can't believe it and watch slack-jawed (I still do too). DVDs (don't settle for less than progressive scan capability with this set) are equally awesome (current favorite to show off the set is "A Bug's Life"--surreal). You will not be dissappointed in this set, but you will forever notice how poor traditional (nonHD) signals are.

The set looks good when turned off too--silver and sleek. Remote is pretty good and the on-screen menu is very intuitive.

My Panasonic PT-51HX40 broke in just over 2 years. It is $500 to fix and the repairman says that the problem with the amplifiers and resisters on Panasonic TVs are common. Why no recall? Avoid big screen panasonics!!!!

This Tv is incredible! I was having an extremely hard time trying to decide whether I should get HDTV ready or just buy it all in one. After debating and shopping for several hours, I had it narrowed down to 2 different tvs. I decided on the 51 inch rather than the 56 inch because the 56 would not fit into the bedroom. I have a pretty killer set up in my bedroom, after spending about an hour rehooking up everything, I turned on the tv and was truly amazed by the picture quality. As I was watching the Fast and the Furious on DVD I was like baffled I felt as if I was there! The component video cables deliver the sharpest picture I have seen! These cables put the S-Video to shame! I mean yah they run like 60 bucks for high quality monster component video cables but are highly reccomended with this tv. I totally give this tv a 5 stars. In short this tv is worth every penny! Im completely happy with the product! This makes my bachelor pad complete with the High Def in the bedroom!!! Thanks to this TV I am LIVING IT UP~!!!!

This Tv is incredible! I was having an extremely hard time trying to decide whether I should get HDTV ready or just buy it all in one. After debating and shopping for several hours, I had it narrowed down to 2 different tvs. I decided on the 51 inch rather than the 56 inch because the 56 would not fit into the bedroom. I have a pretty killer set up in my bedroom, after spending about an hour rehooking up everything, I turned on the tv and was truly amazed by the picture quality. As I was watching the Fast and the Furious on DVD I was like baffled I felt as if I was there! The component video cables deliver the sharpest picture I have seen! These cables put the S-Video to shame! I mean yah they run like [amt] for high quality monster component video cables but are highly reccomended with this tv. I totally give this tv a 5 stars. If you're a single guy and have this tv in your bedroom I mean nothing else would say living it up!

I hooked this TV up to my Clapper and had trouble right away. On my first clap-on, the TV made a small popping noise, then a few seconds later, it came on, but went directly to Lifetime. Now, the TV won't go off (with or without the Clapper) and I can't change the channel. The only solution I've found is to unplug it.

These babies are gonna get cut to half the cost by the end of the year. Save your money and have Santa get you one for Xmas.

This television produces undoubtedly the clearest, sharpest, and most refined picture on the market today. While the 42'' size may seem "small" by today's standards, the superb clarity of the picture cannot be found on any other type or brand of television. This television is not the best choice for video games, because of the risk of phosphor burning after prolonged use. If you are interested in a good "gaming" tv, I would suggest a Sony LCD rear-projection display, which I own and am extremely satisfied with. However, if picture quality is all you're after, look no further than this tv. Hands-down, the greatest!

I have had this tv for about a year now,and can report no problems with it as of yet. I do have to say that I believe the whole widescreen phenomenon to be way ahead of it's time. Cable,satellite,and even hdtv are still broadcast in 4:3 aspect format. To make a square picture fit into a rectangular frame you simply must distort the picture. There is no choice. You can watch the image on 4:3 with this tv,but there are gray bars on the sides. I got used to them,and so can you. Not a big deal. For DVD's you can not do better than this tv. Hooked up to a home theater system,the experience is as good as going to the movies. Fabulous. Make sure you have a progressive scan dvd player,as this tv is progressive scan and the image will be better. I have had one problem however. My cable system broadcasts all of it's movie channels in digital cable. The progressive scan on this tv is not compatible with a digital cable system. You can watch the movies in 4:3,which this tv does let you do. But stretch the screen and you see ghosts,which is a horrible multiple image effect that is unwatchable. If you have digital cable,I would recommend a non hdtv set with no progressive scan. HDTV is a long way away,and there is no reason to pay so much for it now. Otherwise,I do recommend this tv highly. It is my opinion that by the time widescreen and HDTV becomes the norm,which I believe it will,there will be much better tv's available. I won't really want this one anymore. Will you? Probably not. So why buy something now just for the future? I do not recommend hdtv's or widescreen right now. 4:3 projections seem to be disappearing quickly however. If I had it to do over,I would have bought a regular 4:3 projection without all the fancy digital features. I think my cable picture would be better,and I would have paid less. Something to think about.

I've owned the 56H80 for about 6 months. I am now addicted to wide screen :)

Pros: - SUPERB picture with DVD's and HDTV signals, absolutely stunning. - Lack of scan lines is wonderful - Good connection pack on the back - Easy User controls - Good multi control remote (controls DVD, stereo, VCR, DirecTV etc.) - Once adjusted it has excellent color and clarity on DVD or HDTV.

Cons: - several times the TV has made a loud POP, the picture disappeared and sound too. It does come back on immediately but needed to be readjusted again. - DirecTV signal looks HORRIBLE on this TV, you can see crawling around every sharp contrasted edge (even with SVM disconnected). My understanding after reading many other reviewers is this is common with HDTV's not just Toshiba. Consistent consensus is this is due to the signal compression from the DTV source or cable company source. I will, however, be trying Dish Network and different cables soon. - switching Inputs via remote is done by repeatedly pressing the INPUT button till you cycle to the input you want to watch (VCR, DVD, Satellite, etc)- this is minor but annoying, would rather have one touch selection. - TV speakers are terrible for voices. With just the TV speakers I am always straining to hear conversations - highly recommend a center channel speaker at the least.

Would I buy this HDTV again? No..and Yes. As I watch mostly DVD's and not TV I LOVE the picture and when paired with a good surround Sound system it's movie heaven. For the price - I don't think you can get a clearer richer picture in this size. HOWEVER.. Though infrequent, the occasional POP and loss of picture is disturbing. The quality of the DirecTV picture is very bothersome to me but, I am a perfectionist.

This is a brief update to my previous review of the Toshiba 56H80 HDTV.

In my previous review I mentioned that the TV broke after 1 week, and 3 months later, the service folks still hadn't been able to obtain the needed repair parts from Toshiba.

At 4 months the repaired TV was returned to me in perfect working condition. At 5 months it continues to work perfectly.

I continue to recommend this TV over its competitors because of the exceptional picture quality. If you do a side-by-side comparison of HDTVs, one thing to look for is noise in solid-color backgrounds. On Sony WEGAs, I see millions of tiny dots randomly moving around like insects. The Toshiba 56H80 has circuitry that eliminates this visual defect. (The video noise suppression can be disabled for ultimate sharpness from noise-free digital sources.)

It is a cable for transferring digital signal... in the digital world, the smallest bit of information is either 0 or 1. In terms of electricity, it is like, either 0 volt or 5 volt. So unless the cable is so lousy that the device cannot tell 0 volt from 5 volt, in which case a gold or platinum plated digital cable is not going to do any good. It either works or doesn't work. There is no "in between".

This is similar to DTV or HDTV -- either you get the picture or you don't. If you do, it is going to be prestine. If you don't, then there is no picture at all. Note that in this case, the analog (non-digital) portion of equipment still makes a difference, such as the antenna or the speaker cable that is non-digital.

So an extremely expensive DVI cable shouldn't make any difference than an inexpensive one.

I know that most people say that it makes no difference for the picture quality, but I purchased this cable for two separate reasons:

1. With the digital cable box my cable company offers, you would have to switch inputs to go from a high definition channel to an analog channel. This is mildly annoying. The other connection possibility is the DVI interface. This eliminates the need to switch feeds since the cable can send both signals to the TV.

2. By using the DVI connection on the back of the TV, you allow more space for component cable connections. For those of you who have video game systems where you can use the component connection, but didn't have room because of the need for the high definition decoder, now you have free space!

This cable has made everything so much easier! Once again, way to go Monster!!

I just unlocked the beast that is in my living room!
I have a HD Hitachi TV and was happy with a progresive scan DVD player using component-video jacks.
I had read a review of the Samsung DVD-HD931 bought one and have hooked into my TV with the DVI400 cable and WOW.

I now have movie quialty big screen entertainment at home.
This cable is 5 stars.

When connected to my HDTV via the DVI cable (on any resolution, including my TV's native 720p), this unit cannot show distinctions in dark colors. Prime example: In Finding Nemo, when Nemo is first dumped into the aquarium and hides among the plants, the hd841 shows the plants as one featureless, monochromatic, dark-gray mass (with 3 or 4 bright green spots where the light hits them). In contrast, my 4-year-old non-progressive GoVideo DVD player (connected over a plain-old video RCA cable) shows the plants as dark green with darker and ligher streaks, stripes, and other details, with subtle highlights and shadows in the dark parts of the scene.

The same problem is apparent on the THX "optimizer" tests that come on several Disney/Pixar DVDs. The "brightness" test, which is supposed to show a THX logo and drop shadow on a blackish background (surrounded by 8 or 9 boxes in various shades of gray) shows NO detail other than 3 or 4 of the gray boxes. The logo and drop shadow are both completely invisible against the background, as are most of the gray boxes. No amount of adjusting the TV (brightness, contrast, etc.) or the player (note that no black-level adjustment is even available in DVI) had any effect--the detail simply was not there.

In addition, I have concerns with the picture quality in general. While bright scenes looked generally fine, text (such as the "warning" screen at the beginning of DVDs) looks like at came from an old typewriter with a worn-out ribbon. Truly blurry and annoying. Again, a night-and-day difference compared to my old DVD player, and the problem exists regardless of output mode (DVI, component, s-video).

By the way, the black/gray problem was largely solved by using the player's component outputs, but then what's the point of paying extra money for the DVI? The black crush really makes it unacceptable. Unless someone can tell me a fix for this problem, I'll be returning the player for a "regular" DVD/SACD/DVD-Audio unit like the Pioneer 563a or 578a and saving fifty or sixty bucks.

I find this to be an excellent DVD player. I almost waited for the hd-941 for HDMI and the DCDi, but I decided it would be redundant as DCDi is built into my DLP. Also the audio features of HDMI would be useless with the 6 channel DVD audio outputs and the DVI offers equal video.
I'm not sure what artifacts Spencer is talking about in Finding Nemo; But Nemo looks incredible on this machine. There must be something wrong with his DVI input or his color settings. Nemo is over the top in detail and clarity. And animation like Shrek is out of this world.
The upconversion to HDTV 1081i makes movies like Return of the King better then the theatre, you have to see this player to believe it. I recommend going to your local video store to see it for yourself. The Picture is simply mesmerizing and the six channel audio almost makes the purchase worth wild in it self. It adds a whole new dimension the true feel of home theatre sound.
All in all a great player with easy set-up and fabulous options for the price. The only fault is no HDMI and no DCDi but that will be out in the HD-941 if you need it.

I find this to be an excellent DVD player. I almost waited for the hd-941 for HDMI and the DCDi, but I decided it would be redundant as DCDi is built into my DLP. Also the audio features of HDMI would be useless with the 6 channel DVD audio outputs and the DVI offers equal video.
I'm not sure what artifacts Spencer is talking about in Finding Nemo; But Nemo looks incredible on this machine. There must be something wrong with his DVI input or his color settings. Nemo is over the top in detail and clarity. And animation like Shrek is out of this world.
The upconversion to HDTV 1081i makes movies like Return of the King better then the theatre, you have to see this player to believe it. I recommend going to your local video store to see it for yourself. The Picture is simply mesmerizing and the six channel audio almost makes the purchase worth wild in it self. It adds a whole new dimension the true feel of home theatre sound.
All in all a great player with easy set-up and fabulous options for the price. The only fault is no HDMI and no DCDi but that will be out in the HD-941 if you need it.