Philips’ new 9704 range is the first to feature LED Pro technology; a LED backlight technology with local dimming improving picture quality with deeper black – while consuming up to 50% less power than conventional LCD TVs. 
FlatpanelsHD will soon publish a Philips 9704H review. Subscribe to our newsletter to receive an e-mail when the review is online.
 
Philips new 9704H series features Perfect Pixel HD engine and 200Hz clear LCD technology. Additionally, three sided Ambilight provides an immersive experience and the inclusion of Philips’ NetTV feature brings open access to the internet.
 
Available in two screen sizes – 40” and 46” – the qualities of the new range have already received international recognition with the 46PFL9704 winning European LCD TV 2009-2010 from EISA. 
 

Philips 9704

LED Pro with deeper blacks
LED Pro technology uses an array of LEDs to the light the screen. The LEDs are split into segments, each of which can be independently dimmed or brightened – or even turned off completely – the result is that truly black sections can now be shown directly next to fully lit segments, massively increasing contrast performance
 
Philips has increased the number of LED segments to 224, representing an increase of 75% compared to the previous generation of the technology. Each segment now lights a smaller section of the screen, allowing the backlight to more accurately match the onscreen content and provide more actuate dimming within the image. 
 
The LED technology is also more energy efficient requiring around 50% less power than conventional LCD TVs.
 

Philips 9704

Other picture systems
 The 9704 series has a specified response time of 1 ms (BEW equivalent), thanks to 200Hz Clear LCD technology.
 
The 2009 version of the Perfect Pixel HD has also been incorporated in Philips 9704H and the engine processes five hundred million pixels per second.
 
The Perfect Natural Motion system ensures judder-free and sharp images.


Philips 9704
 
The 9704 range of TVs also boast Ambilight Spectra 3, which projects lights independently from both sides and the top edge of the TV on to the rear wall. The result is a “much more immersive viewing experience, a reduction in eye strain and the additional impact from the movie extending beyond the boundaries of the set” according to Philips
 
Sound to match
The 9704 sets feature a 2x15W output into four speakers – including two high efficiency dome tweeters integrated into the front of the set and two mid-bass drivers mounted in large volume speaker boxes on the rear.
 

Philips NetTV
The 9704 series also features Philips NetTV which enables quick and easy access to localised services as well as access to the internet at large; wirelessly through the set’s inbuilt networking technology. Access is easy without the need for extra set-top boxes, subscriptions or to turn on a PC and is controlled by the TV’s remote control. 
 
With five HDMI 1.3a EasyLink sockets, the sets will accept all HD sources while ensuring simple connectivity between all HDMI devices. 
 

Philips 9704

The 9704 TVs also feature DNLA certified Wi-Fi and wired network connections to provide easy access to all videos, pictures and music stored on network devices throughout the home. 
 
The 40PFL9704,46PFL9704 and 52PFL9704 will be launched in December with an estimated selling price of ÂŁ1799 and ÂŁ2499 for 40" and 46" respectively. We do not know the price of the 52-inch yet. 
Look out for FlatpanelsHDs review of Philips 9704 soon. Subscribe to our newsletter to receive an e-mail when the review is online.