Sections
- Page 1 Philips 40PFT6510 Review
- Page 2 Picture Quality Review
- Page 3 Sound and Conclusions Review
Philips 40PFT6510 – 3D Picture Quality
Unfortunately, I was unable to test this part of the 40PFT6510’s performance; testing requires the use of new 3D glasses that are still a couple of weeks away from being ready to ship.
Philips 40PFT6510 – Sound Quality
Given its thin frame and rather lightweight chassis, the 40PFT6510 isn’t as accomplished with its sound as it is with its pictures. It’s limited in the volumes it can reach before the soundstage starts to become harsh and distorted, and a lack of substantial bass can leave treble sounding a little exposed – at least during action scenes.
On the upside, the soundstage offers a decent sense of width and depth, the mid-range is expansive enough not to sound cramped, and detail levels are high enough to bring a Hollywood blockbuster to life.
Other Things to Consider
With its scintillating pictures, manageable screen size and affordable price, the 40PFT6510 has great potential as a gaming monitor.
Therefore, I’m happy to report that it doesn’t undermine this potential with excessive amounts of input lag. Using its Game preset – and turning off some residual processing that the Game mode doesn’t deactivate by default – I recorded an average lag measurement of 33ms.
This is a very respectable figure by TV standards, and shouldn’t lead to the set contributing to any negative performance in games.
Another thing to mention is that on occasion I noticed traces of audio lag when watching the digital tuner – meaning people’s mouths seemed to be moving out of sync with what they were saying. Happily, though, this is easily fixed by switching channels and then switching back again.
Should I buy a Philips 40PFT6510?
If you’re not all that fussed about UHD, or are after an affordable but talented second-room TV, you most certainly should consider the Philips 40PFT6510.
With more and more brands focusing on 4K UHD TVs right now, I’d be surprised if any other 40in Full HD TVs were to appear this year that are as good as this Philips model. And even if a quality rival does appear, it likely won’t be as affordable.
It’s worth adding, too, that while 40in UHD TVs such as the Samsung UE40JU7000 do deliver some degree of extra picture quality, it’s debatable whether it’s enough of a step up to justify their higher cost. Especially when you consider the level of sharpness offered by the 40PFT6510’s pictures by Full HD standards.
Related: Best TVs 2015
Verdict
The Philips 40PFT6510 is an outstanding Full HD TV, offering up superb picture quality and a much-improved Android-driven smart TV system. If this is a precursor to the sort of quality we can expect from Philips’ incoming high-end UHD TVs, then the run up to Christmas is about to get very interesting indeed.
How we test televisions
We test every TV we review thoroughly over an extended period of time. We use industry standard tests to compare features properly. We’ll always tell you what we find. We never, ever, accept money to review a product.
Trusted Score
Score in detail
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Features 8
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Value 9
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Smart TV 8
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Image Quality 9
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Design 9
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Sound Quality 7
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
