Digital Trends

Philips 17PF9945

April 23rd, 2004 | by Douglas MacLean

Audio Testing

Since the target audience for this model is a den or desktop the intrinsic audio is more important than for a larger, family oriented set. The Philips 17PF9945 comes complete with several enhancements to provide a decent quality of sound.

The Philips 17PF9945 comes with what they call ‘Dolby Virtual' mode. This is actually their name for Dolby Prologic 2, the latest in two-channel surround sound matrix conversion. In this mode mono and two-channel audio sources are processed to provide an emulation of six-channel audio.

No matter what the literature states this is no replacement for true discrete surround sound but when activated it did provide a rich, fairly full sound field. We tested this mode with some true six-channel sources. The matrix that came out of the little on board speakers was a bit light on the lower frequencies as we had expected, but very good for the venues in which this model will most likely be used.

With six-channel sources, the rear effect was diminished quite a bit. There was better performance using DVDs with two channel audio tracks specifically mastered for use with Prologic or Prologic 2. Using some powered computer speakers via the headset jack provided a drastic improvement in the audio quality. Of course, going through any of the several audio out jacks into a small home theater setup gave an excellent performance.

There are three ancillary audio modes available:

• Incredible Sound: widens the perceived sound making it seem wider and fuller.
• Dolby Virtual: Standard Dolby Prologic 2, simulates a full home theater environment.
• Spatial: Similar to Incredible Sound, widens the sound field.

The Spatial mode did not seem to enhance the lower frequencies as well as the Incredible mode. We found it better to use Spatial with older mono films and Incredible mode with stereo audio sources.

The internal radio receiver worked fairly well but, at least in the area we tested it in, was prone to static. You are able to preset channels for the radio in much the same way as you do the television stations. This does work nicely when using the unit as a computer monitor and you'd like to hear a little music while working.

Among the options for modifying the audio characteristics of the Philips 17PF9945 there is a five band equalizer, 120 Hz, 500 Hz, 1200 Hz and 5000 Hz. There is the standard balance control and something they call AVL, automatic volume level. When activated this feature helps to maintain an even volume level. This feature was useful when watching late at night and those overly loud commercials come on. SAP, secondary audio program, is also available.

There are two ways to send the audio signal from the Philips 17PF9945 to another piece of equipment. Fixed provides a preset level to the external device. This permits volume control only from the external device. This is best used when hooking the Philips 17PF9945 up to a home theater setup. Variable allows the volume to be controlled from the Philips 17PF9945. This is a slightly better way to go since you don't have to switch the remote control between devices. You can control volume and channels with the same remote control mode. With both of these modes you can turn off the internal Philips 17PF9945 speakers, using only the externals.