Introduction

This flat-panel LCD is more than just a TV: The 37 PFL 8404 H also has Philips' "Ambilight" system, the high-tech equivalent of the TV lamp, as well as various other features that put it ahead of its competitors. Belonging to the upper mid-range, this model offers a great all-round feature set - read here what it can do and what its competitors offer in response.

Picture Technology

Philips traditionally uses LCD screens in TVs of this size (37 inches / 94 centimeters). The display in the 37 PFL 8404 H uses conventional "cold-cathode" tubes as a backlight, and runs at 100 Hertz. This, combined with the motion-prediction technology "HD Natural Motion", should mean objects in the picture remain clear during motion.

As well as accurate edges, the TV also aims to provide a high level of detail in its picture. The system responsible for this ("Pixel Precise HD") will, the Dutch manufacturer promises, tease more detail from a TV or DVD picture. Experts will know that this isn't possible: You cannot reconstruct information that isn't present in the original signal. But we also know that it's easy to trick the human eye.

Televisions.com always recommends a pragmatic approach to these technologies: Purists switch them off - at least if the TV is already displaying HDTV pictures from its tuner (see also the Tuner section) or from a Blu-ray disc, HD camcorder, or digital camera. For the masses of conventional TV pictures (those still broadcast in the usual PAL quality) and DVD movies, however, Pixel Precise HD can bridge the gap between standard resolution and HD.

The display already has to scale the pictures up for its high-definition panel - if there's an opportunity to make the image look crisper at the same time, it can't be a bad thing. But the user should make their decision when sitting on the couch: If, from there, the picture doesn't look too aggressive, leave the technology switched on. If you dislike the results, however, simply deactivate Pixel Precise HD in the menu.

The 37 PFL 8404 comes with a full HD screen - the TV can therefore display all 1,920 x 1,080 pixels that high-definition TV signals can deliver. The TV's screen diagonal will mean the viewer actually won't be able to see the extra detail while sitting at the usual couch distance. But, at the same time, the extra resolution will also do no harm - and those using the TV for video editing or as a large PC monitor will profit from the better fine-detail reproduction. You can find details on the ideal viewing distance and optimal screen size in our "TV Buying Guide".

"Ambilight" TV Lamp:
For the mid-range and above, Philips fits many of its TVs with the high-tech "Ambilight" TV lamp - in the 37 PFL 8404 H this is known as "Spectra 2". The wall behind the TV glows in colors similar to those in the picture - in a travel show, for example, the sea seems to extend beyond the edges of the screen.

Ambilight isn't just some gimmick designed to sell more TVs - based on our experiences with the system, it genuinely makes TV-viewing more fun and relaxing. Of course, Ambilight is powerless to improve the TV's objective picture quality. If the 37 PFL 8404 H isn't against a wall, or the room is bright, or the user just wants to save power, Ambilight can be deactivated in the menu.

Additional Features

With this series, Philips also hopes to appeal to multimedia fans - the 37 PFL 8404 H can access home networks and the World Wide Web, from which it can play back various multimedia files.

First, let's look at the WWW: If you connect the TV to the Internet via a router and broadband connection, it can access content from Philips' online portal. Offers include YouTube videos and clips from local news-broadcasters.

The offers are supposed to be tailored to the nationality of the user, but the user can also choose which country's portal the TV should display - those that want to can view the Spanish start page from their home in Finland. The user can also add to and edit the preset favorites list - if tabloid headlines aren't to your taste, simply remove the offending source from the list.

The only prerequisite for web sites to display on the Philips: The pages must be designed in CE-HTML. This is a variant of the HTML language normally used for the WWW, but optimized for consumer-electronics devices. Various manufacturers use the CE-HTML standard - Panasonic, for example, also uses the language in some of its new TVs. For companies supplying the pages, the effort required is also limited.

There's even more: The TV also has a built-in web browser, which allows you to view conventional Internet sites - that is, sites written in traditional HTML. Televisions.com has already had a chance to experiment with this function: It works well, but the user frequently has to scroll the pages up and down or zoom into a section - despite the full HD resolution, text on conventional web sites is often too small to read at usual viewing distances. Many current web sites use Flash videos, which the TV cannot display - but still, the Philips offers more than other Internet-ready TVs.

Models from other manufacturers simply cannot display conventional web sites - the 37 PFL 8404 H, on the other hand, has no problem accessing your favorite site during an ad break, for example.

Other practical functions:
In the home PC-network, the 37 PFL 8404 H offers heaps of functionality: The TV plays back MP3, PCM, and WMA music files, as well as JPEG digital photos and videos in the MPEG-1, MPEG-2, and MPEG-4 formats. This goes for both AVI clips with DivX content and H.264/AVC.

The Philips can also play back Windows Media Videos (WMV 9 / VC 1) or MPEG program streams. The prerequisite is a PC connected to the home network and running a DLNA server. This sounds more complicated than it actually is: You can simply have a computer in the home office running the latest version of Windows Media Player or the "TwonkyMedia Server" software (which costs about 18 GBP).

The PC will need to have the relevant content stored on its hard disk; the TV will need to be connected to the network via a cable. If this is too awkward for you, multimedia also works without a network: The aforementioned file types can play back directly from a USB stick.

Tuner/Video-processing

The Dutch TV's tuner is fully up-to-date: The TV receives analog cable TV and - where still being broadcast - analog terrestrial TV, as well as DVB-T and DVB-C. It also supports HD for the digital standards.

Important for cable customers in some European markets: The 37 PFL 8404 H already supports the forthcoming CI Plus encryption system - as things currently stand, the TV is therefore equipped to receive the majority of European cable networks. If a pay-TV channel exclusively uses its own encryption system that's not based on CI Plus, the TV will need an additional set-top box in the future too.

Those receiving their TV signals via satellite will also still need a separate receiver. If you want this to receive HDTV, you're looking at a few hundred pounds more. The TV accepts PAL, Secam, and NTSC via its analog video inputs.

Connections

The rear and side-mounted connections panels eloquently document the transition from traditional PAL to HDTV - the TV has connections for the video treasures of the past as well as for the latest technology.

Both Scart sockets on the rear of the 37 PFL 8404 H are RGB-capable. RGB Scart allows you to input pictures from DVD players or conventional digital satellite-TV receivers in the best possible quality. Neither of the Scart sockets supports S-Video - if you're still using an S-VHS recorder (Philips itself also used to make these), Scart will not give you the best picture.

Three HDMI inputs on the back of the unit should cater for users that want to hook the TV up to Blu-ray players, HD satellite receivers, and PCs. The 37 PFL 8404 H also has a VGA socket for connecting to older PCs and laptops, while a set of cinch sockets independently caters for YUV component-video signals. The TV has an analog, stereo-cinch audio output and a further cinch connection for digital sound, while PC audio can input via a stereo mini-jack.

The left side of the TV houses another connections panel. Here, you'll find cinch and Mini-DIN sockets for composite or S-Video signals from digital cameras and camcorders, as well as a mini-jack headphone output. A further HDMI input - for HD camcorders, for example - and the aforementioned USB socket are also found here.

Operation

Televisions.com was already able to get a first impression of this TV's menu and remote control, but we've not had an opportunity to carry out thorough testing.

The menu's structure is clear, with attractive text that's easy to read at normal viewing distances. Although menu pages cover a large proportion of the screen, they shrink when the user selects a function in the menu. This makes it easy to check the effect of various picture settings.

The remote controls supplied with previous Philips generations provided a wheel for navigating through the menus. This reacted so sensitively that the user would often select the wrong option, which could be extremely irritating. The PFL 8404 H's remote control reverts to the classic cursor-cross - this should provide more sure-footed operation. The remote control looks handy, and the important buttons for channel changing and volume are a decent size.

Design / Model Variants and Pricing

The 37 PFL 8404 H only comes in black.

Recommended pricing for the UK:

37 PFL 8404 H (black), 1,000 GBP.

Alternative models: A brief comparison

LG 37 LH 5000, from around 750 GBP.

This rival from Korean giant LG Electronics sells for around 200 GBP less than the Philips. The Far Eastern competitor has some advanced picture technology: The 200-Hertz "TruMotion" technology is supposed to provide accurate moving pictures with clearly defined edges, which are particularly important in sports broadcasts, for example. Only a direct comparison will show whether the higher frequency actually improves the quality.

The built-in tuner is inferior to that of the Philips. It receives digital signals, but only DVB-T - this also in high-definition where such broadcasts exist. Cable TV is only supported with analog signals. Satellite viewers have exactly the same situation with this LH 5000 model as with the 37 PFL 8404 H: You're going nowhere without a separate receiver.

It also can't connect to computer networks. Still, DivX-format videos will play back from USB storage devices - in HD resolution, according to the manufacturer - and the LG's connectivity is otherwise anything but sparse: The four HDMI connections and two Scart sockets should cater even for extensive AV setups.

The 37 LH 5000 will not, however, accept S-Video signals - neither via Scart nor via the side-mounted AV input - so this TV can't relay the best playback-quality from older camcorders. The LG also lacks a headphone socket.

LG 37 LH 7000, from around 700 GBP.

The LH 7000 from LG Electronics offers 100-Hertz technology, putting it level with the Philips 37 PFL 8404 H on paper. With four HDMI inputs, it offers the same number as the Philips and as its siblings in the 5000 series.

The tuner accepts DVB-T and analog TV. Theoretically, the LH 7000 also receives digital cable TV; a lack of CI Plus support, however, means that the TV cannot display private channels using this type of encryption.

The LG 37 LH 7000 plays back videos, photos, and music from USB sticks, but - like the 5000 model - not over a PC network. All important connections appear in sufficient numbers; headphones can only connect by Bluetooth - but this is at least more than the 5000 series can say.

Panasonic TX-L 37 G10, from around 760 GBP.

This Japanese LCD TV offers a screen with 100-Hertz technology and full HD resolution.
The tuner supports all types of digital TV broadcasts, putting it ahead of the Philips, which cannot receive satellite (DVB-S) signals. In many countries, however, Panasonic doesn't advertize the digital cable tuner.

The connectivity on the TX-L 37 G 10 is a tad more practical than that of the Philips 37 PFL 8404 H: One of the two Scart sockets accepts S-Video. But the outlook is very murky when it comes to network and multimedia features: The TV accesses neither PC networks nor the Internet, but does at least display digital photos and AVCHD movies from SD memory cards. The message is obvious: This model is intended for customers that want to use their TV purely to watch TV.

Sony KDL-37 W 5500, 1,050 GBP.

Another strong rival, this 37-inch Sony costs marginally more than the Philips. Like the 37 PFL 8404 H, this 100-Hertz LCD stems from the 2009 model-year. You can tell this from the tuner: The Japanese manufacturer also provides CI Plus support for digital cable. The TV has a tuner for analog TV, digital terrestrial TV (DVB-T), and digital cable TV (DVB-C). Where such broadcasts exist, the Sony also receives high-definition pictures. Like the Philips, this Sony offers no satellite-TV receiver - satellite viewers hoping to bid farewell to their external receivers will have look elsewhere.

The KDL-37 W 5500 cannot display traditional web pages or CE-HTML portals, but the Sony does have other Internet-capabilities: It can access so-called RSS feeds - these are a type of news ticker that many websites provide for free. Sony calls the function "AppliCast" - the chosen feeds appear along the edge of the screen. Televisions.com has already tried out this feature: Using the remote to type in the long addresses ("URLs") for the tickers can be a bit irritating, but once you've set "AppliCast" up, it works like a charm.

So which Internet feature is better? It depends. News junkies might find Sony's AppliCast more exciting. On the assumption, however, that most TV users are looking for relaxation instead of excitement, the Philips web portal is more versatile: There you'll find videos and photos, and those that want to can also access the latest news - even using a web browser to load any site of their choice. In terms of network functions, however, the Dutch and Japanese TVs are equal: If there's a PC running a DLNA server connected to your network, the Sony can play back photos, videos, and music.

The connections panels of the KDL-37 W 5500 and the 37 PFL 8404 H are also very similar: The Sony lacks an S-Video socket for camcorder signals, but otherwise both candidates offer an equally large number of equally practical connections. Sony buyers will, of course, have to make do without an Ambilight.

About our product previews

Experienced experts produce these product preview pages using manufacturers' specifications, along with test data we've produced for other models and subjective assessments of the product's market chances.

We comprehensively research the information we use, but data of this kind quickly becomes out of date as a result of day-to-day variations in the market and the appearance of new products. The information in our own tests is more reliable, especially statements relating to quality or comparisons with other TVs.

Since we cannot test every single device, however, and because we're interested in your opinion, we're grateful to receive any user ratings or user opinions for this TV - especially if you own the model yourself, but also if this preview provided enough information for you to form your own judgment.

Many thanks in advance!

The team behind this product preview:

The following people were involved in producing this article on the Philips 37 PFL 8404 H:

Author(s): Karl-Gerhard Haas
Editor in Chief: Florian Friedrich

Photos: Manufacturers

Last updated: June 2009