Home > Consumer Reviews > Philips 42PFL7432D 42-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV with Ambilight

Less than a week after buying this TV in July 2007, it stopped working. The power light would come on briefly and then it would shut off. We returned it to the store and got a replacement.

Fast forward to today, Nov. 23, 2008. The "new" TV did the same thing, after having worked with no problems earlier in the day. Called Philips and they're covering the repair even though it's out of warranty, but it's still a major annoyance for such a big ticket item.

If you are in the market for a new LCD screen TV then the Philips Ambilight might be something worth considering. The TV is a excellent one that compares very favorably to comparably sized LCD screens. Overall setup of the TV is very straight forward and and the image setup process when you turn it on is very helpful.

The Ambilight system is a little bit gimmicky but when used to watch films in the dark is is effective. It does wonders to reduce the eye strain one would receive if you want to watch movies in pitch dark. Color levels of the screen are very good as well, but black levels are not the best. The black levels are improved when watching in a dark setting however as the scree will automatically adjust the brightness appropriately to how dark the room is.

The TV has excellent HDMI support with three inputs but unfortunately does not offer cable card support. Be aware of that. The only other drawback to the set is that the the naming options for your video inputs are stuck to only a set of predefined labels. You cannot label them yourself and if you have multiple devices that are the same, such as two video game systems or something unique such as an Apple TV hooked up you cannot label the inputs as such.

I purchased this Phillips 42PFL7432D 42 " and I am very pleased. I don't know enough about what it can even do to rate it higher. I found it easy to use and I like the picture and and the ambilight. It has been a pleasure. I have to say I haven't hooked it up to HD yet and am just using a regular DVD player but I think it looks great. I'm sure when I finally get that together it will be so much more, but currently it is much better than what I had before

I bought a Philips 42" Ambilight last month and it has exceeded my expectations. This is a great product, and the Ambilight feature makes the screen size seem larger and eliminates eye strain. The picture is sharp, clear, and has great color. Setup was very easy. I'd recommend this TV to anyone.

This is a great tv. Picture if fantastic and the hd is sharp!! Sound is great. Love it!!