Philips' Eco TV: Its Last Hurrah?

This new energy-efficient HDTV makes a good second set. Too bad Philips Electronics is getting out of the LCD TV business in the U.S.

by Cliff Edwards

Editor's Rating:

The Good: Energy-sipping set, good color reproduction

The Bad: Black levels suffer; poor off-angle viewing; cheap remote

The Bottom Line: Eco-friendly, midsize set, but black levels show clear choice between performance and going "green"

Reader Reviews

Sitting in front of Royal Philips Electronics' (PHG) 42PFL5603D/27 "Eco TV," I'm lamenting the fact that this may be the Dutch company's best achievement in high-def television for quite some time.

Though the Eco TV may be its most innovative product to date, the maker of the sixth-most popular LCD TV decided earlier this year to turn over its LCD TV operation, which is losing money, to Japanese manufacturer Funai (6839.T), beginning in September.

As the name implies, the 42-inch Eco TV is designed for people seeking products for their home that are energy-sipping and relatively environmentally friendly. The set, which sports a native resolution of 1080 progressive, comes in recycled packaging and is touted as lead-free. It also includes technology that senses the ambient room lighting and adjusts its light engine, called the backlight, to the appropriate power level.

Since television sets and other consumer electronics consume power even when turned off (the units technically are in standby mode so they can power up quickly), Philips' engineers also worked to cap standby power at less than 0.15 watt—just a fraction of the energy a common lightbulb consumes. And for the seriously eco-friendly crowd, there's even a power-saving mode to limit the peak light output in any situation.

When Black Is Blue

Those nifty features come at a price, however. Because of the light-sensing features, black levels—already an issue with many LCD TVs—suffer in this model. Even with adjustment and energy-saving features turned off, they tend to look more inky blue. And the picture can looked washed out when viewed from angles away from the center.

In terms of overall design, Philips opts for the understated. It's a welcome change, in my opinion, from the gimmicky Ambilight sets that exude multihued lighting from both sides of the unit. Instead, a clear, rounded strip of plastic borders the Eco TV's black frame, which measures about 41.2 in. wide by 28 in. tall by 10.3 in. deep. Built-in speakers are hidden and aim downward, but the sound is just passable, not great. Unfortunately, there is no digital audio output to connect the set to a multichannel audio receiver.

I'm going to be generous and chalk up the remote, which is included, to Philips' hope of furthering the theme of environmental friendliness. Made of black plastic, it's smaller than most and far uglier. With no backlighting, or luminous buttons, it's also more likely to get lost in a dark room.