Jul 05, 2003 10:51 AM
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(Updated Jul 06, 2003 01:50 PM)
Philips has released into the market the low priced 29'' super-flat television with highly advanced features, in the series it calls as Eye-Fi, the 29-PT-2452. Infact, two models in the Eye-Fi series, 2452 and 2460, are identical, but for the fact that the 2460 is augumented with a few more watts of RMS power with a couple of external surround speakers. But if you already have a hi-fi stereo system or a separate home-theatre system to handle the audio part, the 2460's ''home-theatre experience'' becomes redundant, and you can safely put your money on 2452 instead.
The TV is compatible with PAL-B/G, PAL-D/K, PAL-I, PAL-60, SECAM-B/G, SECAM-D/K, NTSC (3.58 to 4.5) transmission systems, and can automatically detect and change over to any amongst these in the ''Auto'' mode. The 29-PT-2452 has silvery, sleek and elegant european looks with a minimalist front panel.
The model is 100% DVD compatible, having been provided with component video, S-video and composite video inputs ; Two A/V channels have been provided for plugging in your VCR/VCD/DVD/gaming devices.
Further, there is a composite as well as S-video out sockets to record programs from the television. You can connect head-phones to this TV. The model has 200 program storage capacity with the standard fare of ''S'' and hyper bands, and is packed with 300 watts PMPO sound out-put according to Philips (RMS is not mentioned).
The highlight of the Eye-Fi series is the Eye-Fi feature, which is hailed as ''revolutionary'' by Philips. Unlike conventional TVs where the viewer has to adjust picture parameters like colour, sharpness, brightness, contrast etc., and at best can store the settings in a personal preference mode (if that is available), the Eye-Fi feature, once turned on, works as the grand-master of orchestra, detecting, deciding, adjusting and controlling every video parameter. Even the other advanced features bundled with the 29-PT-2452, like Digi-Contrast, Digi-Picture, Digi-Colour, Intelligent TV etc., are under the master control of the Eye-Fi circuit.
It is seen that often cable-TV operators do not adequately calibrate the picture settings for respective channels, and without a feature like the Eye-Fi, one may end up struggling with remote to adjust the picture settings from channel to channel!
Digi-Colour is infact the colour temperature adjustment amongst the three modes, warm, normal and cool. Digi-Contrast, when turned on, makes black blacker, and white whiter in the picture, creating a sharper contrast. Similarly, Digi-Picture filters out the noise in the picture. Intelligent TV mode watches over the incoming signal strength, and improves the gain if necessary to the possible extent. Digi-Signal Meter actually measures the incoming the signal strength and displays it on the screen. There are again three custom colour intensity settings (rich, natural, soft) and one personal preference setting to choose from. The end result of all these features is an extremely pleasing picture.
The four colour on-screen display can be altered between english and Hindi. There are the auto-store, manual-store and fine-tune options, a child-lock, a programmable timer (start, stop, and channel change-over), and an option between 4:3 picture, Digi-Zoom In and Digi-Zoom Out.
Games have become a standard fare of many a consumer electronics products, from mobile phones to televisions ; The 29-PT-2452 is provided with four video games, Power Word, Super Race, Power Ludo, and Cricket.
There is the power use feature, the purpose of which did not appeal to me ; Using this feature, you can choose between low, medium and high power consumption (I am yet to meet a person who is worried about the power consumption his TV).
The sound menu boasts of treble, bass and balance controls, an auto-volume leveller, and options like the Digi-Real Audio which creates a pseudo-surround effect, and the Digi-Bass which is a sort of bass-boost. On the top of everything, there are 12 preset equalizer patterns, and one customizable (personal) equalizer pattern to choose from.
Now that I sang praises of the model, the major irritants with 29-PT-2452 are as follows:
The model does not have a self demo mode.
You can not sequentially arrange the 100 or so channels your cable-wallah supplies as per your preference (ala Thomson's 29'' models, where you can even name each channel). Nor can you swap the positions of channels (ala BPL's 29'' models). All you can do, is to arrange any 40 channels you like, under four clusters of 10 each, assigned to the four coloured buttons on the remote, the feature Philips hails as ''Zappa.'' To navigate within a cluster, you have to keep pressing the assigned coloured button again and again.
The remote is a complete mess! Apart from the channel up & down, and sound up & down buttons, there are four more (up, down, right, left) keys to navigate within the on-screen menus (normally these functions are integrated into 4 buttons). The result is that, even after using the TV for one month or so, I still keep pressing wrong buttons for functions though I consider my self quite technology savvy. The buttons for closely related functions (for example the ''menu'' and ''menu exit'' buttons), are located wide apart on the remote. The mute button, which is so important during a telephone call, is not even properly visible, and located awkwardly. The coloured buttons, and the ''Smiley'' and ''Frowny'' buttons add to the clutter on the remote.
The model does not have a blue-back function, though the sound mutes out upon no signal.
The Eye-Fi circuit, when turned on, sometimes reduces the sharpness to lessen the grain in the picture. When this happens to a first timer (this happened to me in Pai International's showroom in Koramangala, Bangalore) watching the 29-PT-2452 next to a Sony Wega 29'' or Onida 29'' Black in a showroom, the immediate impression is that the 29-PT-2452 is incapable of delivering a sharp picture, and lacks corner-clarity (which is indeed a major problem with some super-flats). But the performance becomes superlative once the Eye-Fi is turned off. Perhaps the Eye-Fi algorithm needs slight modification.
Despite all the hooplah, the TV cannot match certain other 29'' models on sound section, for example, the Onida 29'' Black. The 29-PT-2452, or its cousin 2460, do not have a dedicated sub-woofer or super-woofer, and depend upon your home-theatre system to create sound effects.
Unlike some other models, the TV does not have an on-screen telephone number directory, or the memo feature.
But all said and done, Philips Eye-Fi 29-PT-2452 is a terrific value for money, and offers a world-class video experience.
