Customer Reviews

Philips 42PF7320A 42-Inch Widescreen Plasma HDTV

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(28)

 

 

Bought this tv for $2400 compared to a panasonic hd for $3600 at the time. looked at circuit city to see how they compared but signal was not good in store. other philips models at best buy looked pretty good so i decided to give it a try. Was going to get the pany ED model for $2000 but when i saw the philips for 400 more could not pass it up.

got it home and wow!!! discovery HD had a coral reef show that will knock your socks off . Wife even said this was best thing we ever bought. great color plenty bright plenty of inputs even USB slide shows of jpgs' and plays mp3's off of thumb drive.
speakers even sound good enough for every day use but no fancy surround modes. TV even looks good on regular cable and stretches pics to fill screen automatically if you want.


was kind of scared to get the phillips as most reviews on net go for pioneer or panasonic but for the price you will be happy.

some sites show this tv as black frame with silver speakers but mine came in all silver.

I bought this TV a month ago at Circuit City for $1799. I am extremly pleased with it so far. The picture quality is excellent for DVD with progressive scan and the picture quality for standard def TV is also pretty good. I have hooked it up to HDTV via DISH Network Satellite and the picture quality is amazing. Discovery Channel simply blows you away. NBA games on TNTHD are also great. I compared it side by side with other makes in the store like Panasonic, Sharp, Samsung etc. I did not find any big difference in picture quality. Then again in the stores the big problem is they don't adjust the picture on all the sets for optimum picture. As a result the best TV may look really bad. The price difference in any case was not worth it for me. I was looking for something good but inexpensive for the bedroom. I have the TV wall mounted in my bedroom and it looks great. So far I am very pleased with it.

A couple of things to note:
1. Volume Control Bar: Many people have complained in their reviews here that it does not display a volume control bar. This is actually a setting. Your TV is configured for minimal screen information. If you change this setting you will see the volume control bar. You will also see a channel indicator at the top left corner. When the TV is set to minimal screen info mode the channel indicator disappears and so also the volume control bar.

2. Built-in Speakers: Again a lot of people have complained that the built in speakers are bad. I don't think I agree with this. The speakers are decent. Although I have hooked up my TV with a home theater system, majority of the time when I am watching regular TV I just use the built in speakers and they work just fine. I have not observed any vibration or any distortion at higher volumes. I only use the home theater when I am watching movies or DVDs.

3. Auto-formatting of picture: Again I have found that this works just fine. Sometimes it takes a couple of secs to determine the optimal format before resizing the picture. You can always change the format if you don't like what you see. I set it to "Auto-Format" majority of the time and it works just fine.

TV has a lot of inputs including 2 HDMI inputs which are best for HDTV viewing, component video for progressive scan DVD, S-Video as well as standard composite video inputs. Also has USB port for connecting external devices like a USB drive or digital camera to view images on the TV. I have not tried this yet. The other feature I have not tried is the PIP (Picture in Picture). I have to admit the manual is very basic. Then again there was a DVD or CD that came with the TV and I haven't checked that out yet. May be it has advanced setup instructions.

Setup was breezy. No hassles. Had it up and running in minutes using the included table stand till I had it wall-mounted.

Overall an excellent buy. You get more than what you pay for.

Not the top of the line like Pioneer or Panasonic, but this is a really solid plasma HDTV. The Pioneer or Panasonic can cost $700 - $1000 more, so I don't think you can justify the added expense. The picture quality on this is really good. I have a couple HD channels, but still mostly digital cable and analog. The picture look sharp.

This TV is simply great for the price. I had done research before buying this TV and concluded to three brands before buying it. They were Panasonic, Phillips and Samsung. I was also comparing 50 inch plasma as well. After reading reviews, checking models in CC and other stores, based on the price and picture quality Phillips was the winner. I would still say if you have more money go for Panasonic because they have better colors than Phillips but not as worth of $800 extra. Plus once you put HD using component cables or HDMI, it is just mind blowing. I would like to comment on one of the review here which says picture is grainy from near and it is not looking good. I think that's true out of the box on first day because you are not using HD cable box and even component hookups. When I took out the TV of the box and hooked up with the cable directly, picture was really mediocre and I was really disappointed. Next day when I got the HD Cable box and hooked up with component cables then I got to see the actual pic quality and it is really amazing.

Sometime even if you have a component hookup make sure that you are watching the TV through that connection and not other as other simple cable connection will not have as good pic as component or HDMI. You can press AV+ button on the remote and it will tell you which connection you are using. I was actually using plain cable for a while before I realized that I need to change the source to component using AV+ button. Another point is, you might have to adjust brightness, contrast, and others to get the best quality as out of the box settings are not that good.

Another point to note, If you are using cable box make sure you have 4:3 setting is set to 480i or 480p and not to `stretched'. This will change the quality of your digital and analog channel otherwise they will look horrible. You can do this by turning off the cable box and press menu from the cable box remote. You can also verify that your HD is set to 1080i on the same screen.

Other plus point is it has plenty of connections. I have watched DVD through this TV and pic is really great. I use the `automatic' setting on the menu for picture size as it automatically fits the screen where it is 4:3 this would help to reduce any burn in issues.

In overall it requires some tweaking and make sure you play with this for couple of weeks because then only you will get the all the settings right. In the end it has great pic quality and under 2k you can not beat this unit.

I think this is a fantastic plasma for the money (Amazon has it listed at $1899 at the time of this review). I have had this TV for about 3 weeks now, and I have few complaints. I usually suffer major bouts of buyer's remorse after a purchase like this, but not this time!

my thoughts:
1. I think the picture is fantastic. Maybe I am just not enough of a videophile to appreciate the difference between this picture and competing brands or technologies, but head down to your local Best Buy or Costco if you need to see for yourself. What i can tell you is that the picture blows away my old 32 inch analog. HDTV is amazingly clear, and looks beautiful on this set.

2. the set itself is georgeous. i waited this long to buy an HDTV because i wanted a plasma i could afford...again, some of the competing technologies may be cheaper or better or whatever, but for pure form factor, the flat panel is impossible to beat.

3. i think the internal speakers are a plus. a home theater system is certainly a great complement for this (or any) TV, but it's also nice to keep it simple when watching a basic program like the news - you don't have to worry about multiple remotes and turning on multiple machines. Just flip on the TV and your ready to go.

4. this TV is well prepared for the future. most HDTV plasmas at this price point don't have the HDTV tuner built in and don't include any HDMI inputs. This set not only has the tuner built in, but includes 2 HDMI inputs, plus the cable card slot, plus all the other component and S-video and audio inputs/outputs.

make sure you connect it to your video source via component or HDMI cables...it really does make a difference!

I bought this plasma TV on Dec 21, 2005. I am an electrical engineer with over 40 years of experience in industrial and consumer electronic equipment. I find that this TV set has a beautiful image rendition. Colors are superb and has a lot of automatic image tuning features. But, on the other hand, it also suffers from a series of design flaws that I think only an experienced techincal person can stand. For starters the closed captions circuit becomes "disconnected" from the channel you are viewing and the only way of getting them back is by turning the set off and on again. Once they are working it will not bother you again until you turn the set off for the night. The next time you use the set you may again need to do the "off/on" routine. Also, although less frequent, you will get a picture without sound. Again the "off/on" routine will save the day. This affect all inputs. Technically speaking this is due to the TV set "control software" (which is user-upgradable) not being able to "soft-connect" all the required circuits (C.C., sound, OSD, etc..) correctly. Turning the set off and on will "reboot" this software. So, because I know what is going on and because some day Philips might fix all of this thru a software upgrade, I have decided to co-exist peacefully with it.

THIS IS AN UPDATE - SEPT 2008. So far this set have required four visits from the Sears serviceman. First, the plasma screen driver for the upper half failed. Repaired under the service contract. Second, when changing A/V inputs it took about 90 seconds for the change to be completed. Again repaired under the service contract.Third, Now the screen lower half driver failed. Again repaired under the service contract. Fourth, the screen failed altogether. Sears replaced all the insides of the set (including the screen itself) except for the A/V board. The strange thing is that all this happened in a SIX MONTH period. In conclusion and trying to be non-technical, this TV set is pure trash. Apparently it burns itself to death due to a poor ventilation design. Right now is working, probably because I removed the rear cover and left the electronics exposed. A friend of mine who bought one too (because I recommended it at the beginning, I regret to say) throw it in the trash because it blew the screen too and he didn't had a service contract. It was 25 month old and he only used it for an average of 2 hours a day because he travels a lot.

We have had this TV for less than 2 weeks, but must say we are very happy with its performance. Quality of picture is quite good, especially for a large screen. Sound is also good for attached speakers. The provided stand is adequate, but I would feel better if the base was metal instead of plastic. The instructions are OK -- typical for most recently marketed electronics. I did have to call the support line to resolve a DVD hook-up problem and received excellent, courteous help. No question that Philips is trying to provide a product of value and proper customer service after the sale.

I have had the same expereince as Joe of Houston and T Amin of NYC. I bought the TV middle of Dec and stopped working after 2 weeks. Stays on for 5 minutes.

Philips could not locate a support center, then cannot find the part and customer service is pathetic, no supervisor, do not do anything. Then they sent the wrong part, then they refused to do anything about it. The TV is not a phone to return to the store easily. Customer support is indifferent and threatens to make your life difficult if you complain. THere is no way to complain against some of the rude representatives.

It is still not fixed. That is $2000+ of not working stuff.

I bought this tv at sam's club and I have to say it was difficult to part with that much money for a television set when I had 3 perfectly good working sets at home...it didn't really look all that large in the store since it was sitting in viewing sight of 50" and 60" sets...I stressed the whole way home wondering if this was really worth the money...

but...BUT...when we got it home and set it up...WOW!!! Not only did it look huge but the picture was AWESOME...lots of inputs for anything you could possibly hook up (except no computer hook ups) almost completely idiot proof...unfortunately the manual stinks, it tells you the very basics but not nearly enough and it fails to mention what all the cables in the box are even for, thank goodness for philips 1800 number, customer service is easily accessible and very helpful and I didn't even have a hard time reaching a real person...the sound is doable but rumbles a little when playing loud sounds like roaring engines or explosions...is fully adjustable with slide bar features similar to an equalizer...and I don't know if you all are familiar with this type of feature or not but I have no clue if 1K should be raised or lowered?!? just go with the surround sound and then you won't have to worry about it...the picture looks a little warped on the automatic mode...which fills the screen for you completely...but I was at the store the other day and the more expensive models seem to do it to, so I think it's typical for this type of tv...if you're thinking about spending the money even if you're considering a top level model like a panasonic, this is definetely worth pausing at and considering...in the store...when this model is side by side with more expensive models you may tell a minute clarity difference, but sitting in your media room, family room, etc...the difference won't even be noticeable and the quality is definetely better than average...plus you'll save close to a thousand dollars with this model...go ahead buy it, you can always return it, and it won't even be that much of a hassle since this 42" tv weighs less than the flat screen 27" in my son's room, plus you can hang it on the wall!! how cool is that?!?! Oh, by the way the kit to hang it on the wall is NOT included plus it costs almost 100 dollars.

I'm on Amazon searching for a new plasma tv and happened across the customer reviews for this set. I wish I had read them before purchasing the boat anchor that is hanging above my fireplace. All of the positive remarks mentioned in the other reviews are true...excellent picture, excellent features for the price. However, DO NOT purchase this set without buying the extended warrantee, and even then beware. Philips service is awful! They contract out warrantee service to "Joe's TV Repair" and you get a repair person that cannot even turn it on, if he shows up. I'm on my second set, the first was delivered and worked perfectly... for three hours and then the sound went out totally. I bought it at Sears and they sent out a "tech" that basically took off the back cover and looked around, put the cover back on and called the office to exchange the set. The replacement set worked fine, with the exception of a rattle occasionally fom the speakers, for six months. Now it's belly up and a tech is supposed to come out tomorrow to repair it, but I'm not at all confident. Reading the other reviews about parts availability convinced me to just cut my losses and buy a higher quality device. If he can fix it tomorrow, great, I can put this set in my sons room. Think twice about purchasing this product, unless you have unlimited patience and unlimted money it will probably be a mistake.