Philips 42PFL9803 LCD HDTV Expert Reviews

With its 42PFL9803 LCD, Philips further hones a first-generation technology. Instead of a panel illuminated from behind like in most LCDs, the 9803 uses an array of more than 1,000 LEDs behind the panel to illuminate the picture. The result is a ...

Styling ; sound quality

Picture isn't as good as it could be ; needs quite a bit of tweaking to get good results

We like the 42PFL903 a great deal. The styling alone makes us want to own one, and with the LED backlight, Ambilight and excellent picture processing modes it should be a real winner. For us, the price is too high for a TV that doesn't match the ...

A bit of Lux-ury?

Unusual silver design, deep blacks, lively and blur-free images, detail, Ambilight lightshow

Must be set-up carefully, erratic click wheel on remote control

The finest LCD TV around? The 42PFL9803H's use of LED lights behind the screen bring a cinematic brilliance as good as any plasma

Philips' flagship 'Lux' is one of the most expensive 42in TVs on the market. Luckily, it's also one of the most capable

Exceptional contrast and black levels. Punchy colours. Slick design. Powerful sound. Extensive socket fit

The remote control is a bit of a clunker. Some motion issues on occasion. Far from cheap

A great high-contrast, deep black picture - one the best among LCD TVs - but it comes at a very steep price.

This is a great TV, make no mistake. Ambilight is impressive, but it's the addition if the LED backlighting array that really makes this set stand out. Sure, the 42PFL9803 has its quirks - the remote and the difficulting of going beyong the default ...

However, right from the start the 42PFL9803H seems hell bent on justifying its price. It looks really lovely, for instance, thanks to a seriously slender silver bezel and distinctive transparent outer 'shroud'. Plus it's fearsomely well connected, ...

Outstanding picture quality, gorgeous design, excellent connectivity and massive feature count

Complicated to use if you want to keep pictures are their best, expensive for a 42in TV

We like the 42PFL903 a great deal. The styling alone makes us want to own one, and with the LED backlight, Ambilight and excellent picture-processing modes it should be a real winner. For us, the price is too high for a TV that doesn't match the ...

Deep blacks ; judder-free motion ; quality brushed-metal finish ; fine styling ; good sound quality

Picture isn't as good as it could be ; needs quite a bit of tweaking to get good results

. Review ratings on similar products may differ due to differences in regional market trends and competing product lineups

The 42PFL9803H is Philips' first LCD TV to use LED backlighting and boy do we like it!

Exclusive: Forget the price - LCD has a

Lovely design / Ground-breaking picture quality / Terrific colours / Excellent connections and features / Much wider viewing angle than most

Not exactly cheap / Perfect Pixel settings need regular tweaks for optimum picture quality

There are 128 individually controllable LED segments, and those in dark parts of the picture can be switched off completely while those in bright parts of the picture are left running at full brightness. That's just not possible with the fluorescent ...

The new 42PFL9803 with Perfect Pixel HD Engine solves two of the most critical challenges in current LCD TV technology: black level and motion blur. Thanks to its genius LED backlight, featuring 2D Dimming control over 128 individual areas, the ...

Equipped with spanking new LED backlighting technology, the Philips is able to simultaneously deliver bottomless blacks in some parts of the screen and searing bright whites in others. It also comes packed with motion- and detail-enhancing processing ...

While the LED tech delivers excellent black levels, it also seems to result in some smearing during fast motion, which is particularly noticeable during games - and the last thing we want when we're pwning some annoying Ameircan kid's behind is judder ...