Philips PFL74x4 (2009) Series

93% of the reviews on Amazon.co.uk give this product a positive rating.

Gorgeous design., Accurate 24p reproduction., Crisp motion depiction

Weak contrast., Awkward channel navigation

The 42 PFL 7404 is a great all-round TV with a sleek design. It scores further plus points for its passable video processing, decent colours, and relatively powerful sound. On the other hand, the Philips’ low contrast ratio means it has no place in the...

Especially as elsewhere it has some quite nice specifications up its sleeve. It has a Full HD resolution, despite its size and cost, and it claims a contrast ratio of 80,000:1 that ranks as one of the highest we’ve seen on such an affordable 32in TV....

Pictures ; Ease of use ; Connections

Some picture processing artefacts ; No Ambilight

Philips' high-end TVs are some of the most feature-packed on the market, boasting more high-powered processing than NASA mission control. But if the recession has forced you to set your sights a little lower, it doesn't necessarily mean you have to...

Outstanding image quality ; Reams of fine tuning

No Ambilight ; Limited viewing angle

Despite being pared down, by Philips standards, the 42PFL7404 is still a terrific if rather labour intensive television

Brilliantly detailed and sharp pictures from all sources ; punchy yet controlled colours ; very good motion

Could go blacker

The 47PFL7404 has most of the ability of Philips’ most expensive sets, with a far lower price tag – what’s not to like?

Easy to use ; No blur ; Good contrast ; Lots of detail ; Cinematic realism

Flickers using frame insertion

Not quite reference-standard, but this versatile and dependable LCD TV with 100Hz is still very good

Looks, feels and is specified like a premium product ; tremendous facility with motion ; great colour balance ; half-decent sound

Almost wilfully time-consuming to set up ; not the last word in outright black detail

A really fine effort from Philips – premium price or no, it’s well worth it

Excellent colours, deep black shades, no blur, good value

Some flicker when using HD Natural Motion

If you want the finest 32-incher around, head for Philips’ feature packed 32PFL9604. If you’re happy with second best – and a saving of at least £300 - the 32PFL7404 makes for an excellent all-rounder that’s a more polished performer than most.

Brilliant colours, exceptional sharpness, crisp standard def upscaling, nice looks, good price

Standard definition pictures can look slightly noisy, limited viewing angle, a little labour intensive to use, no Freeview HD