Customer Reviews

Philips 47PFL5704D/F7 47-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

O.K., if you're reading this, it's probably only one in a long line of reviews that you'll be researching in your seemingly epic quest for the right LCD T.V. I know your pain. If you have a family like me, you don't drop a cool grand or more on anything unless you're positive that you're getting the most for your money. I am here to lay your fears to rest. The saying goes "I don't know art, but I know what I like." I didn't know anything about this new technology until I started to look for the right LCD. And the manufacturers do not make that task simple. There always seemed to be some compromise for the sake of size or the brand name or the contrast ratio or the 120Hz...(gasp, pant). But I digress, this T.V. blew me away. Philips isn't exactly one of the big names you think of when it comes to HDTV, not like Sony or Samsung. That's what I used to think. This set stood out from the seas of hi-def splattered on the walls of department stores. The picture quality is truly astounding. Not just for this price, for any price. Although 120 Hz isn't exactly my thing, (I think it makes everything look too computer animated), the rest of the features were a God send. For example, I can't stand having too many options for my picture. I never want to mess with the Gamma settings of my T.V., nor do I have the desire to even know what that means. I just want to WATCH my T.V., and I want it to look pretty. So, this T.V. has presets that optimize it for different viewing experiences, ex. movies, games, low power "night" mode, and so on. The simplicity of the beauty on my screen only adds to my love for this product. Have had zero issues with quality or reliability. Haven't had to deal with Philips cust. service, so I can't speak to that end. The sound, with sufficient volume, is more than enough to feel immersed in whatever you're watching. So, if you're finally tired of hunting, comparing, contrasting, compromising, agonizing, side-by-siding, and scrutinizing, rest at ease with this purchase. I haven't regretted it, and I hope you won't either.

Like many of the other consumers, I searched and searched for months for the perfect TV. Catching it on sale also helped me decide on this TV. I have owned my 47PFL5704D for about six months now. The picture quality is great. The 120Hz is great for gaming; which was the original reason I wanted an LCD. In the above reviews, the consumers mention that the picture seems almost animated. This is actually a feature called "Digital Natural Motion," and can be turn on and off through the menu. When it is on, while watching TV it is kind of distracting the way things move. However, when using this feature for games it actually makes things smoother and enhances the experience. Also, another thing I love about this TV is the simplicity. It does not have all the junk that comes with many of the new TVs. So if you are looking for a TV with Apps. or one that is able to be connected to your modem; then this is not the TV for you.

I have had no problems with this TV yet. (Knock on wood!) The only issues that I have with this TV is that there is no PC monitor port, so you need a computer that has a HDMI output or a converter box that will convert the signal from your PC. Also, the only audio output is through a digital coaxial cable,(Glorified RCA cable) so your home theater system needs to have a digital coax input or again you will need a converter for the signal. With that being said, maybe I just need to update my computer and home stereo, then I could say that I have no problems with this TV at all. I hope readers will find this review very helpful.

Having just purchased a model from same Philips series, I concur with a prior positive review 110%. In my quest for the best, I went as far as buying, assembling and then returning 3 other 47" TVs within a 24 hour period. After hours of internet research and staring at countless screens in every major retail store, my eyes told me that the Philips 47PFL6704D is THE BEST 47 inch at any price, including those advertised as 240hz oe LED. It seems the differences between the 47PFL5704D and 6704D are as follows: Thinner bezel (frame around screen) on the 6704, lighter weight (6704 under 54 pounds), higher contrast ratio (50,000 to 1 on 6704). Having owned and gifted too many Sony, Samsung, VIZIO, Hitachi and Toshiba big screen TVs over the past 10 years, I can say without a doubt, this line of Philips is the best available today for ease of use, picture quality, clean design and although Philips is not a household name in the USA, in Europe they have been a top brand for all kinds of household appliances for many decades. In fact, every day I brush my teeth with a Philips Sonicare.

My only complaints with this Philips are that the images appear to be too bright and too realistic at times. I watch most DVD movies using my VIZIO Blu-Ray player because it seems to upconvert regular DVDs to 1080p better than my Samsung and JVC players. Unless I change the Philips TV mode to MOVIE, everything appears closer to live TV instead of a film because the Philips TV does such a great job at delivering razor sharp images with details I'd expect to see only from a 3D Blu-Ray DVD. The TV lacks 2 inputs I expected and found on all my former big screens. It only has 1 coax input for antenna or cable and uses standard left & right RCA connections for mating with a home theatre systems (vs. a single digital jack). On a positive note, my former big screen only had 3 HDMI jacks and this one has 4 so I can hook up my home theatre system, Blu-Ray player, DVD recorder and DVD/VHS recorder as well.

Sound quality also surpasses what i experienced with 6 prior Samsung and Hitachi big screens that had much larger cabinets and speakers. Most home theatre systems (HTS) will still deliver deeper bass and surround sound, but without an HTS you can still enjoy whatever you're watching as this TV mesmerizes you.

Let me start out by saying I'm a perfectionist. Ya know how there are people out there who REALLY know what the hell they're talking about and then there are people who kinda do? Of course we all know that they are the people who don't know crap. Well, without being arrogant, let's just say I know my TV's. I've spent countless hours tracking the best TV's for the best prices and the best picture. The reason I come on so strongly here is because I bought a 40 inch no namer to try and save some money and it was the biggest mistake ever. I then decided that would never happen again. My father always said: "You buy S&%& you own S%^%" How true that is. So I went down and looked at the HDTV's and picked out the best picture on the wall and low and behold it was the Philips. This surprised me because I was expecting to pick out a Samsung. There's no doubt they make a kick ass TV but in the end, I feel like I got the best TV money could practically buy for AT LEAST $200.00 less than a Samsung.

I read the reviews here about the TV having a 3D picture and I kinda blew that off cause I always wonder what kind of people they are and if their reviews are worthy of my trust. But let me say it IS ABSOLUTELY true. I threw on Pirates of the Caribbean and it was amazing the field of depth in the movie and the 3d imagery. It's like looking into the picture as opposed to looking at the picture. There are people here who have said that it's almost TOO real looking and there's some truth to be said about that but nothing you can't fix by clicking over to the "movie" setting and getting that feel you want for the flick.

THEN I was blown away when I saw an HD signal coming into this baby. The DVD I had played wasn't blu ray. Let me just say it's breath taking. The picture on this TV is BY FAR the best thing about it and I would dare say extremely hard to beat. I would buy this TV a thousand times over. The only complaint I have about this TV is the sound. As people said before, the speakers shoot behind the TV supposedly to give it a surround kinda sound but really all it does is muffle it a bit. However, if you look carefully you'll notice there are two other speakers that shoot down from the TV and that kinda helps the clarity, the TV has 4 speakers. I would recommend a surround sound set up for this baby. If you're not into sound too much then don't worry, it's just fine for your average listener. LASTLY, there's no RCA Audio out to run to your audio set up. However there is a head phone out jack that you can use to send the signal out. All you have to do is go to radio shack and get a transfer cable, from headphone to RCA. HOWEVER this does turn off the audio from the speakers on the TV, so be sure that you are aware of this, that you can't send the sound out AND also use the TV speakers at the same time too.

In the end I've had this TV for about a week and it's the most amazing TV ever. EXTREMELY under rated and if you want the best picture, you've found it. I'm glad I did.
Peace!

I bought this TV after much comparing in early 2010. Within a month, I was having sound isssues with the left speaker(not working sometimes, reboot usually cured it). Reversed the stereo leads from my SAT box, still was a left speaker problem. Replaced virtually all of the internal boards and STILL had a problem that the tech couldn't fix. He said he'd never seen it before. Finally got a "reconditioned" replacement which developed the SAME EXACT PROBLEM!!! Finally, Philips replaced with a new model (they don't make this one anymore, and there's a REASON for that!). I preferred the original TV, but I got a fresh 1-year warranty on this one, and there are no problems with it functionally.

I really liked this TV, I just wish it had worked properly. But be warned, they told me that's an older model that is out of production. Maybe you'll be luckier than I was. If not for the audio issues, I'd give it 5 stars.

We purchased this television because it was such a good deal. We unpacked it and hooked it up and the remote control would not communicate with the television. We called support and they tested the remote - it was working fine - the tv had a bad sensor. So we were sent back to the store and it was replaced with a different one. We set that up and were very happy with the product for a year (that is why I gave them 2 stars). Then after that first year very small black horizontal lines started to appear on the screen. At first it was just one - we can live with that. Then 6 months later another appeared. Very annoying but again we can live with that. 2 years into our purchase we had 6+ horizontal lines running across the screen. A new one was appearing daily. Then all of a sudden the screen filled with vertical gray lines covering 80% of the screen. Ugh!! I did google searches and found A LOT of people having the same issue with this television. I contacted support. Sounds like the only remedy is to buy a new television. NOT PHILLIPS this time!! Our other televisions always lasted over 10 years and we would replace them for technology reasons not because of a faulty product. Not happy that such a big purchase did not last very long. So if you want a nice tv for a year then this is good - definitely buy the extended warranty on this though. If you want it to last longer I would suggest a different brand.

Bought the Philips 47 LCD HDTV, and after a little over a year the picture went out and sound continued to stay. Called Philips and they said to call a repair service and that the warranty was only ONE YEAR!!!! WOW!! They must even know how crappy their products are!! How convienient for them..lets set the warranty at ONE YEAR so when it goes out in the 14 months, then it wont be covered!! YAY we got em now!!! Very common problem I see as I continue to research what possibilities could possibly be wrong. Now I am close to finding out that it is probably the panel, and not even worth fixing......NEVER AGAIN PHILIPS, NEVER AGAIN!!!!

I have had the Philips 47" flat screen model number 47PFL7422D/37 for over a year.It looks like this TV is just a later model from the one I have.
I really like this TV. I like the way the remote can choose the different formats for picture size. It is very easy to use and the picture quality is great. My hearing is not great so I can't speek for the sound quality. My neighbor has one also and he loves his too.

Well... I have had mine plugged in for about 4 hours now. Love the picture on it. Its only 120 hz so of course 240hz would be better. But that would cost ya another $400 (more than half of what this tv cost me!) Sound is amazing and by far the best of any flat panel tv I have seen and heard. Lots of ports on it. Lots of options with the picture so you can tweak it the way you want or just set it to auto and let the tv do the work. I passed up a 47 inch lcd 120 hz with internet apps (same price as this one) for this one w/o internet apps and a better response time. I can pick up a external box with the internet apps for $99 and I will be happy! Love the TV and so does the wife.. even the cat is sitting here watching animal planet now! Seriously... you wont be disappointed folks. $675 at walmart when I got it! 12-15-2010.

I bought this tv on black Friday and I was so excited for it. I plugged it in and it didnt have sound... I was really angry until the sound came on about 30 seconds later. I shrugged it off. Later while watching movies or tv the screen would shift to the left about 10 inches leaving only black screen on the right side. Also the sound going in and out kept happening. Notice this is 2 problems. I called philips and they said they would gladly send a technician. They called the next day giving ME a number to call to have the people come fix it. The company was 2 hours away and said they didnt travel this far. So I called philips. Once again the next day they gave me a number to call. That place was 3 hours away. Finally I called again and they said they would call me back the next day. Finally they decided to send me a "new" tv as they called it. I waited for a week and it arrived. I dismounted my broken tv and replaced it with the "new" one. Then I packed up my old tv and shipped it back to philips. I turned my "new" tv on and it had no sound and a black line through the screen as if it were missing a line of pixels. I called philips to find out what the heck was going on. They said they could send me an actually new tv since my REFURBISHED one was not working. I said there was no way I wanted a philips product again because I was 2 for 2 on getting broken ones. There is a theme here of bad service and unreliable products. Needless to say I called them today asking what they were going to do to help me out. Nothing. They could let me file to get my money back from them. I could get no compensation for all my time on the phone and my lugging around of 2 100 pound tvs. BUYER BEWARE.