Rating: 
Summary: Fantastic TV
Review: I've had this unit for over 6 months and continue to be pleased by its array of features, quality and price. You'd be hard pressed to find another TV on the market that could compete with this one on picture quality and price.
Rating:
Summary: Save your time and money -- Get this HDTV!!!
Review: If you're in the market to buy a HDTV and don't have a lot of knowledge about the technology or money to spend, the Philips 30PW850H is the answer! I have done a lot of research on the Internet about the different HDTV models out there before purchasing the Philips and, needless to say, it was the best decision I've ever made. My main objective is to get a HDTV to replace my old analog TV and be able to watch DVD movies in widescreen format. The picture is so much sharper now even when I watch a regular programs and, if you have cable that broadcasts programs in High-Definition, it would truly makes you wonder how you could go without a HDTV this long! Real-to-life image is all I can say! And for less than $1,000 (I got mine at Bestbuy for $899) is a steal! In conclusion, if you want to save yourself from a lot of hassle figuring out what HDTV model to get and/or get more bang for your money, do yourself a favor -- Get this HDTV now!
Rating: 
Summary: product decent, but pray you don't need customer service
Review: In an almost identical manner to another reviewer, 6 months after purchase the color went out on all inputs except the hdtv. Customer service (people in India pretending to be in the US by giving you an American name) were totally clueless. After several calls, they refer me to a local authorized repair center. Since it was out of warranty for labor, that meant $200 for me. The part, cost $700 but was covered under warranty. $65 so that I didn't have to haul the set to the repar place. It has taken 3 service visits and 1 month and the set isn't fixed yet. Adecent (not great) set when its working, but this experience will keep me from buying another Philips / Magnavox product again.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent for the money
Review: Just got this television and for under 1K, it does a bang up job. It has an input for you progressive scan DVD player and an input for your 108i HD reviever, plus two more inputs for you VCR and whatever else you might have. The picutre on this thing is awesome!! Even old tapes look good with the line doubling, which lets you pick progressive or interlaced, I find interlaced helps with analog stuff, it takes the jaggies off. Again, for under 1K, an awesome tv.
Rating:
Summary: MY NEW TV
Review: Just payed $799 for this set Philips 30pw850h at Sears matched the price of Best Buys plus 10%.
Very happy with the picture quality,value and all the features in the set. But one problem is the sound I hear a constant ummmming from the speakers on all channels and on all the sound selection features in the set. If anyone can help please write back. Is it the tv speakers?
My cable from the wall to vcr to tv?
My cable co. lines outside?
Rating:
Summary: You get what you pay for, in this case it's a lot!
Review: Like many other reviewers I wanted to research as much as I could before I bought a new TV set, especially online. I found a website that offers refurbished Phillips products at beyond bargain basement prices so I decided to go with them. It was shipped to my door almost 1 year ago and I love the TV so far. It is indeed a heavy piece of equipment but then again, what tube television this large isn't? In fact, like RCA's I shy away from big TV's that are light because I tend to think they are not built well, and when I saw one opened I did not like what I saw. I have not used the HDTV signal yet since I really don't need it that badly but soon I will try the HDTV antenna with an HDTV box. Remember, as other reviewers have said, this is an HDTV "ready" TV so you will need an external HDTV decoder to view HD signals.
With the TV hooked up to my basic cable the picture looks fine, not great, not bad, but that is all because I am viewing an analog signal on basic cable. It will never be that great coming from an analog source but with that said, it is still a quality picture that I have no complaints about so far.
I have my DVD player hooked up with some quality component video cables running into the HD input. My DVD's look excellent but for those of you who are not too familiar with them the aspect ratio can be different. There is anamorphic, which is usually 2.35:1 and then the widescreen, which is 1.85:1. If we do the math you will see that the anamorphic will not fit perfectly in ANY mode, 21.15:9, whereas the widescreen 1.85:1 will fit pretty well on 16:9, 16.65:9. There was one reviewer who complained about the screen chopping it off, well, that is why, so blame it on the movie industry:) The one time where I saw HD quality TV was when I was watching some extra features on Sea Biscuit. All I can say is, WOW! Well I can say some more actually, it was a phenomenal picture especially when you are used to analog cable! One last note on adjustment, you have the ability to adjust the picture up and down when viewing an analog signal in a widescreen format. This way you can have it cut off the top and bottom equally so it really isn't bad to watch 4:3 TV in a widescreen format without much stretching.
Now, about the options of the TV. For the most part I am very happy with the remote and the adjustability of the TV, but there are a few little annoyances. One is the fact that you cannot directly choose which input you want to use. If you are watching TV and want to watch a DVD for example, you must cycle through Input 1, Input 2, and then you will get to the CVI. Then to go back to TV you must cycle through Input 3 and Input 4. I have learned to push the button 3 times in a row so it will go directly to the right input but it is an oversight on their part. The remote works fine and I have yet to find the need to use the buttons on the TV itself so I can't comment on those.
So, in the end I am very happy with my TV. It is a widescreen TV with a great picture at a great price. Just remember, this is an entry level HDTV so it might not have the up-converting, built-in HD box, etc., but what you do get is a great TV at a great price. I would always suggest that people looking to buy this TV should visit some showrooms to see it in action before buying.
Rating:
Summary: Philips 30" or 34"? I went with the 30" and am glad...
Review: Sams Club in Nashville (one of several) had both the 30" (30PW850H) and 34" (34PW850H) side by side! I was going to get the 34" at Sears (close out price: $1,099!). Was the extra 4" diagnal going to be worth the extra $300? After seeing both, the answer is no: I got the 30" and am happy! (At the moment, it looks like both are being closed out. Wal-Mart has the 30" for about $779, and may be cheaper elsewhere.) I will not add any other comments *yet* as I just got the set. I'm not yet happy with the picture, but...
* I'm relying on aerial antenna reception for local stations (bad),
* S-Video for DVD and VCR (acceptable, but grainy)
* Coaxial for Dish Network (quite clear, but with some pixelation). Before I reign in with my final evaluation, I wanted to at least let shoppers know that if you're torn between the two, the 30" is well, well worth the savings! Because it's a wide-screen, the overall difference in size is less vs. say the difference of a 4:3 (standard) TV going from 30" to 34". Only complaints: The manual I rec'd was in Spanish, and the wrong remote was included. This MAY have been a return or refurb, but I can't be sure.
Rating:
Summary: Lots of Bang for the Buck!!
Review: Simply a wonderful TV for it's modest pricetag. Never have I enjoyed watching DVD's as much as now. The speakers on this unit are absolutely amazing! You will notice that this unit comes equipped with several features not even offered on higher priced named brand units like Sony. Because you're not paying for the Sony name, you are getting more for your money and a crystal clear quality TV! I love it and would recommend to anyone. Best of luck.
Rating:
Summary: Greens And Reds
Review: This set has a great picture, using component cables, and a progressive scan DVD player. THE PROBLEM, and I saw a reviewer, Trent Duke, mention this... When using either component input, and especially when watching a black and white movie enhanced for 16:9 TVs, at least on mine, there is a reddish hue running across the top and bottom of the screen, with a larger green hue running across the middle. In color movies, this mostly just shows up on skin, or other light colors.
I've called Phillips, but unlike other reviewers, I spoke to Americans, who were curtious, and tried to be helpful, though the problem is not yet solved. Phillips warranty requires that you have at least 3 different ASC repairmen attempt to fix your TV, before they'll send a replacement. So far, I've been to just one, but he tells me this is more of an assembly line type of thing, that could not be fixed, even if he replaced the tube. The TV works fine on the yellow AV video cord, with no noticeable green or red hues. But for an anal video and audio file like myself, I need to watch movies in the best possible quality. What troubled me, is that the repair, who seemed like knew what he was doing, said that most HDTVs have this kind of problem, and not to be suprised if a replacement TV will have this "missaligned purity problem" even worse.
Rating:
Summary: Great buy, stunning HDTV!
Review: When my old 27" bit the dust, I wanted something that would not be obsolete in 2006..7 whenever we get rid of the analog signal. I figured the HDTV is the way to go. After looking at the SONY and Panasonic (I'm a big fan of Panasonic), I went with this Phillips really because it was not as deep as the others, and it had to go in a rather shallow armoire. Despite the fact I do not have digital cable where I live, the reception is better than average for regular tv. The screen comes to life though when you throw in a DVD, you get to really see what it can do, the sound from the tv is excellent, you can set it to a psuedo-surround sound if you want. Remote is simple to use, and I really like the wide screen format (it has a variety of settings to cope with the standard 3:4 signal). The only drawbacks are that some of the connectors are difficult to access which is further compounded by the fact that the thing weighs a ton. I also prefer the black cases over the "shinny" silver cases common today - movies are better viewed against a black frame. But the shear number of features, crisp picture, and really reasonable price make this set a great buy.
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