Philips 56PFL9954 (56-inch LCD)

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By Philip Wong, CNET Asia
Aug 4, 2009

The Philips 56PFL9954 a.k.a. Cinema 21:9 is a new class of HDTVs that render films in their cinematic ultra-wide aspect ratio. This eliminates the black letterbox bars commonly occupying the top and bottom screen edges on a regular 16:9-formatted panel. What's more, this 56-incher's onboard Web browser, five HDMI inputs and Ambilight Spectra 3 mood lighting are other key propositions unique only to the Dutch company's offerings. These are just the tip of the iceberg considering the Cinema 21:9's extensive list of features that we'll be checking out.

Design

Some bling for that finishing touch.
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At 105mm-thick, the Cinema 21:9 is not what we would call sleek, though nor is it "fat" for its screen size. Finishing-wise, its panel frame is dressed top down in piano black garnished with streamlined forward-firing speakers and decorative white lighting toward the bottom. There's an aluminum rim around the bezel which also houses the TV's touch controls on the right, while the auxiliary A/V inputs are within easy reach on the left. Supporting its 31.9kg bulk is a sturdy glass pedestal stand with swivel function.

Design and layout

Form factor	All-in-one design; 105mm thin
Finishing	Piano black
TV controls	Right side; non-backlit; touch-sensitive
Auxiliary A/V inputs	Left side; HDMI, USB and legacy A/V
Mounting option	Swivel table stand, manual wall bracket

Use this remote to control over 280 brands of A/V gear.
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The brushed-metal universal remote has a beefy feel and is one of the better clickers in terms of build as well as ergonomics. It can be programmed to operate other devices such as DVD players, settop boxes and home theater systems from over 280 brands using a four-digit code. That said, there're two minor issues. First, there's a slight lag for the otherwise tactile buttons. Then there's the small input button clustered within the number pad, as well as manual toggling which lacks automatic filtering of unused video ports during selection.

Remote control

Form factor	Longish; arched bottom; 224mm long
Finishing	Black, brushed metal
Key backlighting	N.A.
Input switching	Single button, toggling
Multifunctional control	Programmable universal remote

You can also add your own activity such as watching Blu-ray movies.
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Unlike its peers, this Philips utilizes a Home icon-based menu which displays commonly used activities such as Watch TV, User Manual and Setup. The last contains a huge selection of A/V configurations such as edge and motion enhancement, although manual backlighting adjustment is unfortunately omitted. Besides five fixed picture presets, a Personal mode is available. This allows customization with an independent memory bank for each input. For the less tech-savvy, a "settings assistant" will guide the user through basic video configurations via a pictorial-centric Q&A process.

Software menu

User interface	Text-based; non-colored
Video modes	Personal; vivid; standard; cinema; game; energy-saving
Audio modes	N.A.
Advanced settings	Edge enhancement; 200Hz processing