Philips 42 TA2800

One of the first in the market to manufacture plasma TVs, the term “Flatscreen” can be traced back to the days of the supercool Philips advertisement, the one in which the couple attaches the TV to their ceiling. (Kudos to the interior designer that thought of that!). Philips make almost everything in the electronics domain, and their TVs are one of the more colourful feathers in their crowded cap. The current TV in the spotlight is an LCD TV, the new champion of the display world. (I’m talking about the technology, can’t pin the title on the TV just yet.) Model name 42TA2800, this baby has come up in a market situation filled with turmoil; a situation abuzz with competition amongst various brands—most of which turn out insignificant when it really comes down to it. But can Philips actually stand out? Read on to find out…

Design and features
Sleek and ritzy, this model has a nice sober black frame, one whose external finish is not glossy(Thank God), rather it has a nice and smooth surface. The bottom is angled inwards, while the edges can be termed as rounded, though with a tiny radius. The frame is perched on a slick metallic silver pedestal, thus giving the TV’s appearance that extra dose of ‘ogle steroid’. The Black and silver combination is one match made in heaven, it never goes wrong. Fixing the stand took us a while: 2 screws needed to be attached, though it provides a perfect fit. A tiny ‘on’ switch is flush mounted on the lower left corner; it’s made ubiquitous by a thin sliver border etched around it. No tricks and gimmicks here, this TV shouts just one thing: mature class.

The connections at the back are in a configuration that I personally do not like, they face vertically downwards from a wedge at the back. I prefer them facing sideward, its just easier to connect stuff, that’s all. Nevertheless, ignoring the tantrum, the included connections are adequate to simultaneously connect your gaming console, DVD player, PC, spaceship, whatever you own. For the sake of enumeration we have an S-video and a composite input on the side (ahem!) while an HDMI, S-video and 2 component in the back rack. Also adorning the rack are speaker inputs (for the included external surround speaker) and a D-SUB for PC input.

Short and light, the remote control is a simple one, appearance wise it is not as good as the TV, though the buttons are well designed, well placed and most importantly, not the least bit tacky looking.