Big On Features Philips PFL8008S

Philips as a company may have executed a tactical retreat from the consumer market, but the Philips brand has been franchised out. In the television market, the Philips name is used by TP Vision, with the PFL8008S/12 55-inch LED TV being a relatively new HDTV offering.

In terms of design, the PFL8008S/12 is somewhat similar to a TV from Samsung. But the panel is not as sleek and the bezel is not as thin on the Philips TV when compared with the Korean manufacturer’s offerings. The stand for the screen is a barebones wire frame which, while functional, could have been implemented so as to be more unobtrusive.

Philips PFL8008S Smart TV

The PFL8008S/12’s unique design feature is the Philips Ambilight. This is a series of LEDs mounted at the back of the panel that can light up white, or copy the colors on the screen in “dynamic” mode. Providing a halo of light around the screen, the effect looks quite good when watching the TV with all the lights turned off.

Users can find a full serving of ports that include HDMI as well as USB for any external peripherals you may have. Being a premium TV the Philips PFL8008S/12 comes with smart TV features. Much like the Samsung Smart Hub, Philips’ smart TV user interface is also broken up into panels that host different features. Though the Philips’ suite may lack some of the options found on other platforms, all the core functionality of an internet-connected, smart TV is present. The PFL8008S/12 also comes with two remotes, one with a track pad, and one with a full keyboard on the back.

The stand of the Philips PFL8008S/12 is a thin wire-frame

Delving into the menu of the Philips TV reveals that visuals are powered by Perfect Pixel HD engine and the specifications state that this product has a 1400Hz Perfect Motion Rate. The usual forms of noise reduction are available. Unfortunately when viewing DVD the image was quite noisy and the noise reduction capabilities of the PFL8008S/12 cannot be considered top-notch.

Switching over to high definition Blu-ray content however does not improve matters for the Philips TV. With Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride, we find the blacks to be insufficiently dark, and with a purple tinge to them. Additionally the skin tones for the actors on Vantage Point lack realism, while the warm tone of the film was not evident. Specifically the red roof tiles of Salamanca looked quite anemic.

The real problem with the performance of the PFL8008S/12 was its terrible rendering of motion. Across DVD to Blu-ray content, we found there to be significant “jaggies” whenever there was movement involved. In some case where the motion was more severe, visible tearing and ghosting was seen. We tried fiddling around with the Perfect Pixel HD settings, but were unable to fix the problem.

Philips PFL8008S Smart TV 55-inch

Compared with the rest of the field of 55-inch premium televisions, the Philips PFL8008S/12 is more affordable with a price-tag of $3,999. For the money you pay you get the just about everything a premium LED TV offers: Large screen size, smart features and internet connectivity; all except for premium performance.