Review of Philips 42PFL9903D Aurea II (purchasing, quality, 1080)
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Philips pioneered the use of Ambilight technology, a system which expels coloured light around all or some of the sides of the TV to match the onscreen colours. The evolution of this technology has led to development of the new Aurea II. Not only does the Aurea II feature full ambilight from all sides, the frame itself now becomes part of the experience. Developers call it the 'active frame' system, where the border of the TV features 150 LEDs which emit the colour of the adjacent screen. It truly is something to behold; watching the Aurea in motion with full colours flowing is a spectacular sight.
That's not to say that this technology is for everyone. Some people will undoubtedly find the Ambilight and 'active frame' distracting to the onscreen image. Personally I find it to be a welcome addition to the TV, creating a peaceful and beautiful surrounding that compliments the screen wonderfully.
Of course the Ambilight and 'active frame' are extras to what is the main point of a TV; the screen. You certainly won't be disappointed by the quality of the image the Aurea II can produce. The 42 inch LCD screen is ample in size and displays full HD 1080p. The colours produced are vibrant and incredibly sharp. It also features 100hz frequency as well as a 2ms response time. This means motion on the screen is handled brilliantly without and blurring or juddering. This can often be an issue with LCD TV's but not in the case of the Aurea II.
Philips have also included their Perfect Pixel HD picture processing engine in the Aurea II. This handles both standard definition and high definition content superbly. I was particularly impressed with how sharp and clear the upscaled standard definition content looked as a result of the Pixel HD engine.
An often overlooked factor when purchasing a high end TV is the inboard speakers. The Aurea II again does not disappoint. The sound quality that the set can produce is even more impressive when you realize that the speakers have had to be hidden within the 'active frame'.
Overall, the Philips Aurea II is a tremendous high end TV. The picture and sound quality are superb, and the unique experience that ambilight and 'active frame' produce cannot be found from any other TV on the market. For me, this makes it worth the investment.
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