Philip’s Launches it’s 9704 LCD LED TV in the UK
Philips has announced the 40PFL9704 and 46PFL9704 LED Backlit LCD TVs for release in the UK. Here are the full details.
London, England – Philips’ new 9704 range is the first to feature LED Pro technology, creating a new reference for picture quality through sensational black levels, brilliant whites and an incredible contrast level of 5,000,000:1 – while consuming up to 50% less power than conventional LCD TVs.
The new sets deliver fantastic colour and motion reproduction thanks to the inclusion of Philips’ award winning Perfect Pixel HD engine and 200Hz clear LCD technology. Additionally, three sided Ambilight provides a truly immersive experience and the inclusion of Philips’ NetTV feature brings open access to the internet.
Available in two screen sizes – 40” and 46” – the qualities of the new range have already received international recognition with the 46PFL9704 winning European LCD TV 2009-2010 from the European Imaging & Sound Association (EISA).
Good contrast, black levels and brilliant whites are all essential elements to reproducing great picture quality from any TV. However, conventional LCD TVs struggle to recreate very dark scenes and can create images that are ‘washed out’.
LED Pro technology uses an array of LEDs to the light the screen. The LEDs are split into segments, each of which can be independently dimmed or brightened – or even turned off completely – the result is that truly black sections can now be shown directly next to fully lit segments, massively increasing contrast performance
Philips has increased the number of LED segments to 224, representing an increase of 75% compared to the previous generation of the technology. Each segment now lights a smaller section of the screen, allowing the backlight to more accurately match the onscreen content and provide more actuate dimming within the image.
Further improvements are delivered by the adoption of a new panel with an increase in contrast ratio of 2.5 times over the previous model and the use of a DBEF (Dual Brightness Enhancement Films) sheet to recycle light ‘lost’ within the set.
The result from combining these new technologies is an incredible dynamic contrast ratio of 5,000,000:1 and a truly immersive viewing experience featuring the brightest most brilliant whites and the deepest, darkest but detailed black levels.
However, the 2D direct dimming light output made possible by LED technology not only provides the best picture quality it is also proves to be more energy efficient requiring around 50% less power than conventional LCD TVs – a feat partly responsible for the sets receiving an eco-label certification.
Other key technologies required for a reference quality performance
The 9704 series has the fastest response time of any LCD TV at just 1ms (BEW equivalent), thanks to 200Hz Clear LCD technology which works in parallel with Philips’ award winning Perfect Natural Motion system to ensure on-screen action is reproduced both with unrivalled smoothness and without artefacts such as ‘halos’.
The 200Hz Clear LCD system also creates extreme motion sharpness for clear and vibrant images even with the fastest on-screen action – banishing the motion blur problem common with most other LCD TVs.
The 2009 version of the Perfect Pixel HD engine processes five hundred million pixels per second to deliver unrivalled sharpness and detail. Each pixel of the incoming signal is enhanced to better match surrounding pixels to deliver a more natural and life-like picture.
In addition, 3D and 2D noise reduction are now available on all sources, rather than just RF, to ensure that all pictures are delivered noise free.
Philips’ Perfect Colour feature offers the most advanced colour processing for both existing and new sources thanks to the powerful 17-bit Colour Booster technology. Perfect Colour produces a mesmerizing 2,250 trillion colours, creating brilliant life-like images with natural skin and white tones.
The Perfect Natural Motion system ensures judder-free and razor sharp images – particularly critical for 1080p/24 source material. Perfect Natural Motion estimates motion changes in the picture to correct juddering movements, in both broadcast and recorded movie material (e.g. DVD and Blu-ray discs). The result is smoother pictures with excellent sharpness, surpassing even the motion performance found in the cinema.
The 9704 range of TVs also boast Ambilight Spectra 3, which projects lights independently from both sides and the top edge of the TV on to the rear wall. The result is a much more immersive viewing experience, a reduction in eye strain and the additional impact from the movie extending beyond the boundaries of the set.
Sound to match
Any great performance also needs great sound to complete the picture. The 9704 sets feature a 2x15W output into four speakers – including two high efficiency dome tweeters integrated into the front of the set and two mid-bass drivers mounted in large volume speaker boxes on the rear. The result is a detailed, clear, deep and warm sound radiated over a wide area.
The 9704 series also features Philips NetTV which enables quick and easy access to localised services as well as access to the internet at large; wirelessly through the set’s inbuilt networking technology. Access is easy without the need for extra set-top boxes, subscriptions or to turn on a PC and is controlled by the TV’s remote control.
Despite the high feature level, setup remains easy thanks to the inclusion of a smart installation and set-up menu system. And with five HDMI 1.3a EasyLink sockets, the sets will accept all HD sources while ensuring simple connectivity between all HDMI devices.
The 9704 TVs also feature DNLA certified Wi-Fi and wired network connections to provide easy access to all videos, pictures and music stored on network devices throughout the home.
The 40PFL9704 and 46PFL9704 will be launched in December with an estimated selling price of £1799 and £2499 respectively.
