Philips, Moth Eye TV

The Philips 46PFL9706 uses a ‘Moth Eye’ filter – based on the non-reflective surface of a moth’s eye – to block as much ambient light as possible. The result? Unbelievable levels of contrast and some of the blackest blacks you’ll see on a flatscreen TV. You can also say goodbye to the daylight reflections that normally plague your Jeremy Kyle viewing.

Philips 46PFL9706 – separate speakers

To reduce the thickness of the screen, Philips has surgically removed the speakers from the chassis and slipped them into the tabletop stand. Cheeky. You connect the two via a small umbilical cord and the sound is pretty good as a result.

Philips 46PFL9706 – gaming

Gamers can take advantage of the nifty dual-view feature. Instead of playing two-player games in irrirating split-screen mode, just hit a button on the 3D glasses and both players can enjoy full-screen action, on the same TV. It works in much the same way as Sony’s PS3 3D Display, and it’s really rather clever.

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Philips 46PFL9706 – apps

The Moth Eye is one of Philips’ smartest TVs to date, and includes apps for movies (Boxoffice 365), catch-up TV (BBC iPlayer), internet radio (TuneIn) and social networking (Facebook, Twitter). You can connect to the web using the TV’s Wi-Fi, but for totally stutter-free streaming you’re best off with Ethernet.

Philips 46PFL9706 – remote

Using the remote as a keyboard proves to be less enjoyable than vaseline on toast. There’s no Flash video support either, which doesn’t exactly help matters. Philips’ remote app looks the part and there’s bags of functionality at your fingertips. It quits a few times, but it’s great when it works.

There’s also a great selection of internet radio stations, many of which are streamed at none-too-shabby bitrates.