Customer Reviews

Philips 30PF9946D 30-Inch Widescreen HDTV-Ready Flat-Panel LCD TV

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I campared this TV's specs and look to others. This was the best 30" LCD for the price out there. The picture is bright and clean. The controls are intuitive. Plenty of inputs for all of your toys.

In August, my girlfriend and I purchased this 30". The tv since that date has dealt with the screen periodically blacking out, while the sound stays on -- it also has a cut on the screen from the inside of the glass (over .25" in length), obviously from the manufacturer.

Phillips, for the past four months, first sent us to an incompetent repair center to fix the blacking out issue. Their first attempt at fixing it did not work - but since Phillips could not find another repair service in a 50 mile radius to fix the problem (all other reps noted that Phillips will not reimburse for full travel and working time), they asked us to send it back to this rep -- their comments were that if it was not fixable by this time, we are viable for a replacement unit.

The service center attempted to fix it the second time (incidentally, this service repair center 'lost' our brand new flat screen tv for 2 days), but the problem persisted. Phillips refused to send a replacement, or issue a refund (after over two weeks of discussion), and offered a new, 3rd repair center that was more competent and now services san francisco.

This 3rd rep came out to preview the system, noticed the issues, and said they would return to pick up the TV unit for repair. However, in a week they called to tell me that Phillips will not support our warranty anymore, since it's past 90 days.

I contacted Phillips, spoke again to their Consumers Relations department, who noted this time that they do not issue refunds or replacements for any of their products, regardless if it is shipped faulty. They noted that the blacking out is repairable under warranty, but the Screen cut is not covered under any warranty -- regardless if it comes faulty from the manufacturer, it cannot be replaced other than by our expense. They have noted that the 3rd Repair service should be calling me, as they have authorized fixing the blacked out part of the screen. This final issue alone took one month, and 6 phone calls.

For 4 months I've had to deal with Phillips -- and I have been cordial, lenient, and understanding. I've agreed to 2 repairs, the second knowing that they were poor service reps. I've been on the phone with them over 20 times, with mixed information... and it's still not fixed.

After thoroughly researching all LCD TV monitors in the 20-30" range and after after some disappointment with an LG monitor, I couldn't be happier with the Philips 30". The picture is clean and bright with far less pixelation than other monitors in its class. The settings controls are easy to navigate too. My only gripe is that when you buy a $1900 TV, the sticker on the speaker panel shouldn't leave nasty adhesive residue when you remove it...I'm still working at getting that stuff off! I would highly recommend this model to anyone looking to buy a 20-30" LCD TV monitor.

I bought this TV in philips outlet for 750$. Used it for less than month now. But beware of long waits on philips customer service.
Pros
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1. Cheap, inexpensive, TV for bedrooms or kitchen.
2. Picture quality seemed ok with HD , so far.
3. Look and Feel of the TV is good.

Cons
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1. Only one HD-Analog connection (Component to VGA)
* Beware of this, though the TV has component input, its not HD Capable unlike all other TVs. Philips gave a special Component to VGA cord, which can be used for regular dvd player progressive scan(480p).
2. Only one HD-Digital connection (HDMI)
3. Though the TV says 16:9, I can only see 15:9 in wide screen format.
4. Black levels are not as dark, it may be scenario with all LCD TVs. Plasmas has dark black levels.
5. Poor and long waiting on customer service. I think philips should consider outsourcing customer service, instead of torturing customers with long waits.
6. Very badly packaged, so open the package cautiously.

i was so looking forward to the arrival of this item when my money was refunded and I was informed it was not coming. Boo hoo! Nothing would make me happier to be notified that something similar was in stock for a comprable price and being able to have first crack at purchasing it.

We bought this TV about 2.5 years ago, and were mostly satisfied with it. Its performance with dark programs (where there is lots of black on the screen) is really lacking, but other than that, it wasn't bad. However, less than a month ago, and after only 2.5 years of owning it, the display died completely. The repair was going to cost about the same as a new TV. Of course, it only has a 1 year warranty, and several tv salespeople we talked to when searching for a replacement were not at all surprised that this particular model had such a short life. I do NOT recommend this TV unless you don't have a problem buying a new TV every couple of years.

Incidentally, we replaced it with a Sony Bravia, and it is just WORLDS better. There is absolutely no comparison. Colors are more vivid, definition is better, and no noticeable pixelation with dark colors like with the Philips. The Philips looks nice, and it was great for us, because we have it on our mantel (mounting on our fireplace chimney would cost upwards of $600, so finding an LCD set with a narrow base was paramount for us...and this Philips model has it), but the Sony fits too. Other than the extra thousand dollar expense, I'm actually kind of glad this set died, because now we have a much better HDTV viewing experience.

This is a great TV, image quality is great.
Only problem is that it has a single analog HD input, and it is shaped as a VGA connector. So you need to use the included adapter to plug in HD Component video. This means that if you want to use your component inputs, you can not use VGA at the same time.

If you have more than one HD (or even ED a.k.a 480p inputs) you need an external switcher. See that your home theater system can handle this, if not, the Pelican switchers are very cheap and very good.

Really, who was the master mind behind the sticker on the speakers? Finally got it safely off with "De-Solv-It," found at the local kroger's. Love the TV, keep hounding my husband to let me use it for my pc monitor!

The screen was amazing, so clear in HD, and progressive scan dvd. Then we noticed a blue line going from top to bottom on the right side of the screen. Looks like I will be returning it. I will exchange it, and hope the next one performs better since it looked so good.