Philips 42PF9631D Review

What the reviewers like:
According to reviews, the 42-inch Philips 42PF9631D is one of the best performing plasma TVs in brightly lit rooms, maintaining good image quality under conditions where most plasma TVs would wash out. Some critics don't like it, but fans of Ambilight say that it reduces eye strain. Black levels are very deep. The Philips TV has an attractive and stylish design, including a frosted glass stand, along with ample connectivity and a good feature set.

What the reviewers don't like:
Reviewers say that the picture quality of the Philips 42PF9631D is not exceptional overall. Issues noted in reviews include false contouring artifacts in dark areas of the image and inaccurate color decoding. In addition, some reviewers find Ambilight distracting. Sound quality from the integrated speakers isn't exceptional, say critics. Unless you need a particularly bright plasma TV, there are better-rated choices.

Philips 42PF9631D review highlights

In general, the Philips 42PF9631D doesn't get the best grades for image quality. However, reviewers say that it has a few other qualities that might make it a good choice for some shoppers. One is that the Philips 42PF9631D plasma TV holds up better in bright light than most other plasma TVs, maintaining vivid and strong colors in conditions where most other plasma TVs will wash out. This model also sports Philips' controversial Ambilight feature, which reviewers either love or hate. The TV has a good complement of other features. If you don't need a particularly bright TV and don't care about Ambilight, a better choice in the same screen size and price range is the Vizio PV42 ($1,000), one of the best budget plasma TVs in reviews.

We found the best reviews for the 42-inch Philips 42PF9631D plasma TV at CNet.com and PC World. CNet.com reports on lots of plasma TVs, subjecting each to a standard battery of tests. It also maintains lists of top scoring sets, so users can see which ones are best. PC World also does a good job testing and reviewing plasma TVs and maintains a list of "Top 5" 42-inch plasma TVs. However, PC World does not review nearly as many TVs as CNet.com and updates its ratings much less often. Consumer Reports includes the Philips 42PF9631D, but editors only devote a sentence or two to this TV. User comments on the Philips 42PF9631D plasma HDTV can be found at Amazon.com and Epinions.

Also see full report: Plasma TV

*In order of credibility (see our Ratings Criteria).

1. CNet.com
Philips 42PF9631D Review
David Katzmaier
Nov. 9, 2006

CNet.com's electronics editors regularly review plasma TVs in well-detailed, single product reports. Plasma TVs are tested and assigned a grade so readers can see at a glance where they rank compared to similar models. The Philips 42PF9631D sits somewhere in the middle of the pack, but the review notes that some users will appreciate the styling and Ambilight feature. A handful of owners posting reviews to CNet give the Philips plasma TV a mixed score overall.

2. PC World
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Philips 42PF9631D Review
Laura Blackwell
Oct. 9, 2006

The Philips 42PF9631D is included on this list of top-rated 42-inch plasma TVs, and a link leads to the full review for the Philips TV. Reviewer Laura Blackwell especially appreciates the way the Philips TV performs in a brightly lit setting, a situation where most plasma TVs don't fare well. PC World's review is better than the coverage at Consumer Reports, where editors don't comment on these factors at all.

3. Consumer Reports
>> Details/Subscribe
Plasma TV Reviews
Editors of Consumer Reports
Feb. 2007

Consumer Reports test plasma TVs regularly, and editors have included the Philips 42PF9631D in its ratings chart. The testing is thorough, but the discussions are very short -- no more than a few sentences at best -- and editors don't comment on performance nuances at all.

4. Amazon.com
Philips 42PF9631D Reviews
Contributors to Amazon.com

There are a handful of user reviews for the Philips 42PF9631D 42-inch plasma TV at Amazon.com. While there really aren't yet enough reviews to form a solid consensus, most seen to like the TV overall, while a couple complain about sound quality.

5. Epinions
Philips 42PF9631D Reviews
Contributors to Epinions

A very small number of owners have posted reviews at Epinions for the Philips 42PF9631D -- not really enough to get a good idea of average owner satisfaction.

Also see full report: Plasma TV

Philips 42PF9631D Review