Philips' 42-, 47-, and 52-inch Ambilight LCDs go 1080p, 120Hz, LED backlighting

Has it really been 10 years since the first Ambilight television? Does anyone care? After all, the press release was issued back in January at CES and missed by nearly everyone, including us. Well, Philips certainly cares and aims to celebrate by dishing out a triplet of Ambilight LCDs ranging size from 42-, 47-, and 52-inches. As you'd expect, they've got all the sweetest buzzwords covered: 1080p, 120Hz, LED backlighting. They also feature Philips' Perfect Pixel HD processing engine, plenty of HDMI inputs (3x on the 52-incher) and of course, Philips' Ambilight glow for a more immersive experience with reduced eye strain -- or so says Philips. Priced at $2,999 for the Ambilight Full Surround (independent lighting on all four sides) 42-inch 42PFL9832D (pictured) or $2,799 for the 47-inch 47PFL9732D and $3,599 for the big 52-inch 52PFL7432D with Ambilight 2 for that left and right glow. All are expected to roll Stateside as early as June.

[Via Electronic House]

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[Blueace @ May 24th 2007 6:33AM]

Does it have HDMI 1.3?

[Say Wha...? @ May 24th 2007 8:10AM]

For $200 cheaper, I'll take the 47" over the 42" or am I reading something wrong?

[RiK @ May 24th 2007 8:43AM]

Do we really care about ambient light on a TV. Seems like it would be more of a distraction in the dark.

[irev210 @ May 24th 2007 9:00AM]

RiK, I thought ambilight was dumb also. I got a great deal on a set with ambilight, and figured I'd just leave the ambilight off.

Turns out that the best feature about the TV is ambilight.


Philips has me 100% sold on their large TV's now because of this. I cant wait till this newer model comes out. I will ditch my old unit and upgrade to this one.

[Rick Lyon @ May 24th 2007 8:59AM]

$3K for a 42"!?!? hahaha

[Sam K @ May 24th 2007 9:09AM]

All the specs on the 1080p models look good but what about the contrast ratio? I know there's no standard measurement but Philips should have stated it in the press release.

[Aaron @ May 24th 2007 9:10AM]

I bought a 50" plasma with Ambilight about 2 years ago (and paid way too much). At the time, I thought I would just turn the Ambilight off when I watched movies in a dark 7.1 media room. Surprise, surprise. I really like it. It is not a distraction and I would say it is actually easier to watch and improves movie watching.

Now, the quality of the picture is something else entirely. I would say that Phillips PQ has been second tier, at best. Interesting given that the glass in the plasma (and mostly every other part) had Samsung's name all over it when the repair people came to replace the recalled Ambilight tubes and opened the case. Hopefully these new LCDs will get a bump in PQ too.

[Tim Rand @ May 24th 2007 9:10AM]

I too thought the Ambilight was a dumb feature. But REALLY, I like it. Whether you watch TV with the lights out at night or with room lights on, it really enhances the picture in a way that is unobtrusive and much more realistic than I expected.

[Rob @ May 24th 2007 9:20AM]

I think abilight makes total sense in my mind. If the ambient colors match the screen, rather than being distracting, it seems like it would make you feel more engulfed in the program.

[tekdroid @ May 24th 2007 9:33AM]

the perfect TV for Disco Stu.

[POiNTER @ May 24th 2007 10:26AM]

Many of those informations are wrong or no actual.

[G. Snyder @ May 24th 2007 10:43AM]

Ambient light is good for contrast - unfortunately Phillips might be relying on it to distract from the fact that its sets are not as good from a picture quality standpoint as the competitors. I will take a good picture before gimmicks.

[POiNTER @ May 24th 2007 11:37AM]

G.Snyder: Sorry but thats a totaly bullshit... Philips has one of the best picture quality. 37PF9731D has still EISA award for High End LCD TV (2006/2007). End the new CINEOS with Perfect Pixel HD engine has beatifull picture quality. (I saw it)

[beanspants @ May 24th 2007 11:17AM]

there's a button on the remote to turn off the ambilight, so i seriously doubt it G Snyder.

[G. Snyder @ May 24th 2007 12:15PM]

You are missing the point. This is Phillip's claim to fame right now. Their TVs do not perform as well as the competition in terms of picture quality. I hope that helps you understand.

[G. Snyder @ May 24th 2007 12:16PM]

Yet in nearly every magazine review they lag behind the others. Odd, huh....

[muddipanda @ May 24th 2007 1:22PM]

I have to agree with G Snyder. As an owner of a Philips set with Ambilight 3, I think it is a useful and even cool feature. However the picture quality of the digital processing really sucks. The rendering of many moving images looks really bad. My Pioneer plasma kicks its butt in just about every visual aspect.

[[e-mail] @ May 24th 2007 6:18PM]

Those of you who don't like the PHILIPS display with or without Ambilight must be on crack? The picture is stellar. The 5 year old versions of their Plasma still perform great too. As for Ambilight - ANYBODY that I show it to is floored. Don't just look at it in the TV section of Best Buy. Go to a store with a viewing room. Ambilight is definitely worth the money but the PHILIPS products & LG (who they've had a long time relationship) are both top notch.

[nikster @ May 25th 2007 12:35AM]

Why all these discussions about image quality? Do you guys never get out? All you have to do is walk into the nearest electronics retailer of your choice and open your eyes.

Then you'd see that Samsung and LG currently make the LCD TVs with the best picture quality at a reasonable price, Sony too except for double the price, and most others look sad and washed out next to these. Philips especially.

This can change every time a new model comes out of course since LCD technology seems to improve at Moore's law's speeds. But if you are interested, there is no better way to compare than with your own two eyes.

[the8thstar @ Jul 29th 2007 2:38PM]

Just for the record, in most stores, the signals getting to the TVs are through antenna (RF). In other words, what you'll see in the worst possible quality. Composite would be better, then S-video, then component, then HDMI of course. It's easy to say that Samsung screens look beautiful when they are connected to a BD player through an HDMI connection!

Don't let the store fool you on the merchandise!!!

[tony @ May 25th 2007 2:24PM]

I have to say, Ambilight is AWESOME!!! I have had my Philips TV with Ambilight for about a year and a half now, and while the picture is not as good as some of the newer Panasonic TV's and definitely not as good as the Pioneer (which totally kicks butt), it is pretty good. However, it's the Ambilight that makes all the difference. I don't use ANY other lights in the room and there is no eye strain whatsoever. It also provides depth to the picture and richness to the color. When the time comes to upgrade, I will definitely buy another Philips because now that I've used Ambilight and know what it adds to the viewing experience I would never go back to watching TV without it. It's just that good! And for those who are bashing the idea but have never seen it in person, in a real-life situation (not in the store), then you don't know what you're talking about and you shouldn't trash something unless you know what you're talking about.