Excellent picture, lots of features, lasts 3 yrs.
Written: Aug 07 '02 (Updated May 03 '05)
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Pros: Very sharp picture. Lots of i/o jacks. Full-featured, but easy to use.
Cons: No picture-in-picture (PIP). Mute function isn't ideal. Channels change slowly. Lasts 3 yrs.
The Bottom Line: EXCELLENT picture quality! Plenty of input/output jacks. Stylish silver casing. Tons of features. If PIP or HDTV aren't necessary, this will please! But died year 3, out of warranty.
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| spacefuzz's Full Review: Philips 32" Stereo Color Monitor/Receiver 32RF50S ... |
The first thing you'll notice when this TV is on display next to other brands is the incredibly sharp picture. The flat screen is a real plus, too--minimizing glare and almost giving you a plasma-screen feel (it's THAT sharp). I'm perpetually amazed by the picture. The TV features 2 aux inputs on the back (with S-video and composite options), and 1 aux input on the side for easy access (2nd S-video or video-in and L/R audio-in) and a headphone jack for private listening. The stereo sound is more than adequate from the TV, but I hooked up my small stereo and use the TV speakers as a center channel.
I found many features in addition to those advertised at the store. Although some may not be very useful, here's a short list: 16:9 mode for letterbox/DVD movie viewing, expanded 4:3 mode to stretch letterbox movies full screen, customizable sound and picture settings for each person's preferences, "surf" button to bounce between several favorite channels, automatically uses a PBS signal to set the clock, handy sleep and alarm features, "incredible" surround sound that expands normal stereo separation, surround sound speaker support for rear channels, an auto-volume leveler (AVL) to reduce volume of ads and loud scenes while boosting quiet scenes, and the ability to set the audio-out to vary the volume with the TV volume or make it constant so you can control the volume with your stereo or theater system.
One feature I can't comment on is life expectancy. By the time I know if this TV has lived a good long life, this review will be obsolete!
UPDATE 5/3/2005: Philips TV has now failed. It powers itself off after a few minutes, and refuses to power back on until left unplugged for an extended time. I'm adjusting the "Durability" rating down to a 2. Oh yeah, 90 day warranty. So I'm looking at $100-$200 to take it to a TV repair shop.
Now for the negatives--and they're small in my opinion. For some reason, it takes about 10 seconds to turn on after you hit the power button. Odd. I feel changing channels should be an instantaneous event, but Philips decided on a design that blacks out the screen, waits one second, then displays your new channel. This could be a real annoyance if you're a fast channel-surfer. Finally, if you hook the audio-out to your stereo, the mute button doesn't mute the audio outputs--even if you have the output set for "variable" as described above. So you may have to mute the TV, then mute your stereo system. My workaround is to turn the volume down all the way instead of muting. I've since found this is common with most new TVs, as they expect you to hook up a home theater system and control the sound from there. Finally, it doesn't have Picture-in-Picture (PIP). This is quite surprising for a TV of this size and price range.
My TV viewing doesn't involve much fast surfing, I don't turn the TV on and off much, and the AVL reduces the need for muting frequently. Hence the shortcomings are minor. I require a mid-sized TV with true colors, sharp screen (no grains or lines), viewable from WIDE angles, and won't leave me longing to upgrade in the next 5 years. In this respect, the Philips 32RF50S excels. The ONLY sacrifice I made was the PIP. I hope the "surf" button will eliminate some of that pain. ;-)
Recommended:
No
Amount Paid (US$): 729
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Epinions.com ID:
spacefuzz
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Reviews written: 4
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