6 out of 6 people found this review helpful.
good looks, mediocre performance
Date of Review: Dec 6, 2005
The Bottom Line: Tube issues aside, I found the buzzing sound too annoying and would be hesitant to recommend it.
I purchased this TV based on the favorable reviews and a decent sale. Unfortunately, I found it to have a couple serious flaws and decided to return it.
THE GOOD: It does have a very pleasing appearance - clean lines. The picture color, sharpness and contrast are all good, and it has adjustable color temperature for additional fine tuning. Sound quality is good with ample power.
THE BAD: It had a serious flaw in the tube geometry and orientation. It looked as if the tube was set into the cabinet skewed. Additionally, horizontal lines at the top and bottom of the picture were also skewed/distorted - easy to see if your watching a program with a crawling ticker (like CNN). Unfortunately, most stores have these things set up to play a looped program that is designed to minimize such flaws (action/nature). Lastly, there was a constant and loud buzzing sound from the tube gun that could be distinctly heard, even with the volume at "near normal" levels. Most TVs make some noise, but I have never heard one this loud. It's hard to see how the engineers at Phillips could have missed this.
The skewed tube may have been a random quality issue, however, I have read other reviewers who have mentioned the buzzing sound, so it's probably a design issue with all the sets. That said, this TV is not a total write-off if you can get past the buzzing and get one with a good tube. I personally found it too annoying.
