Is Philips Ambilight worth an extra £250?

[syncrov6]

I'm thinking about replacing my current TV with a 32" LCD. At the moment I've narrowed the choice down to between the Philips 32PFL7404 at £550 or the Philips 32PFL9604 at £800. Both get good reviews with Trusted Reviews giving the cheaper set 8/10 for image and sound, and the more expensive set 9/10. I know there are differences in picture processing but will I tell the difference watching Sky (non HD) and ordinary DVDs? The more expensive TV has web access (which I'll probably not use) and Ambilight which looks cool but is it really worth the extra money?

Edited by syncrov6 on Wednesday 5th May 00:02

[E31Shrew]

Personally I wouldnt bother.

[Bullett]

When I was reviewing my 5.1 set up the demo room had a big ambilight tv. I liked the effect but I'd not pay extra for it. All other things being equal (picture quality/price) then I probably would.

[Maxf]

thats almost 50% extra on a set that price - I wouldnt bother!

[Graham E]

God no!

Ambilight is best described as horribly wk. It does your head in after 1/2 a film, and lights up the non screen bits you shouldn't be looking at anyway.

(just my 2p, I once got chatting to somone from Philips who very much disagreed with my stance. She helped design it. I got my coat).

[headcase]

It makes a amall difference large screen TV that is wallmounted onto a flat neutrally coloured wall, other than that its useless.

[dalos260]

I agree that the answer is NO to the question in the thread title, but as you say there are other differences between the two. The pixel response time is 50% quicker on the nine series and it can also connect to your wireless network to get some internet stuff and steam movies from your pc. I think the bezel looks a lot nicer too.

So is all that worth the extra £250?

[WZC1]

I used to think it was a useless add on but the more we supply the more I like the effect. It is not for everyone but in a great deal of set-ups it looks really good. Regarding the 9604 it is a much better set than the 7 series screen and i would say it is worth it everytime. That said the 9604 is now finished ( although there may be some in the market place) and you might want to wait for the new 9605.

Nick

[PJ S]

Unless there's a very specific reason for only going for a 32" TV, I'd suggest you consider the Panasonic 37" Plasma X20 for £100 less than the non-ambilight price!
Especially if most viewing is SD resolution.

[parapaul]

I've got the 37" ambilight.

Bought it as an ex-display model from Currys for £600 instead of £900 3 years ago. Ambilight was a complete non-issue, but of all the TVs on display at the time, it had (IMO) the best picture of the lot.

Having lived with it for 3 years, I would never suggest paying extra just for the ambilight feature. It's easy on the eyes when watching at night with the room lights off, but otherwise useless.

Still impressed with the picture though, I can't justify changing it yet!