The Philips 32PF9630 Is An Exceptional Set
Obviously we put the Philips 32PF9630 through our latency test, and the results were good.
Here again, we expected better, but the performance was quite acceptable for video. A little more speed in the intermediate tones would have been nice.
Video Quality
We were blown away. We tried the Philips 32PF9630 with different sources, and the results were always the same. The set has exceptional video quality. First of all, the viewing angles are very wide. Then, the colours are incredibly rich, bearing out what our tests had showed. But there was one unknown: video noise. And with all the filters disabled, you have to admit that the panel is noisy. But the Philips' technology works wonders, and enabling the filters literally transfigured the picture. Once adjusted, the noise level was extremely low.
Interpolation
The set did a good job of scaling low-definition sources. DVD and video-game images were free of jaggedness and still sharp. But we couldn't resist connecting our Xbox 360 to see how it would look in HD, and the result was amazing. The image was very clear with relatively little jaggedness. In short, the display quality of the Philips 32PF9630 is excellent regardless of the original size of the content.
PC Mode
Using a small form factor PC will make things more pleasant for hard-core gamers. The panel is fast enough and the quality of the image at low brightness will let you get very close to the screen. The scaling is also better, but for once the difference between the two methods (internal scaler and software scaler) was slim.
Sound Quality
When we took the set out of the box, we were very sceptical about the thickness of the speakers. Surely they wouldn't be able to provide meaty bass response, we thought. And while it's true that the sound did emphasize the highs a bit, the bass was definitely there. Adjusting the equalizer to optimize things will give you sound that's excellent for an LCD TV set.
Conclusion
This TV stole our hearts away. The 32PF9630 reassured us about Philips's ability to build TV sets. Up to now the Philips LCD TVs we'd tested were only average. But this one is really exceptional. If you want a good picture, you're a movie buff and you can afford it, don't hesitate to grab this one.
