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Usability
The 48PFT5509 isn't the most intuitive TV to use. Its remote isn't bad, but its on-screen menus are a little longwinded for such a relatively basic set. The menu structure follows the approach found on Philips' higher-end TVs, where it's quite handy to have their huge feature lists broken down into so many submenus. With the 48PFT5509, though, the submenu use seems excessive and a barrier to feature 'exploration'.
Another issue is that, presumably because of a lack of processing power in this budget set, the 48PFT5509's menus run rather slowly, causing a sometimes frustrating lag between your remote control selections and what happens in the menus.
On the upside, the 48PFT5509 doesn't provide as many setting options for its video processing as you get with higher-end models, which actually makes it much easier for you to match its pictures to your tastes.
Sound quality
Here again the 48PFT5509 bucks the budget TV trend – and the expected limitations of its super-slim design – by sounding very respectable.
The key to its success is the power and clarity of its mid-range, as this enables the TV to deliver both treble details at one end of the audio spectrum and some really decent bass rumbles at the other without either sounding forced, harsh, dislocated or dominant.
Impressively for such an aggressively priced TV, the 48PFT5509 carries a woofer speaker on its rear, and it's this that enables it to produce such strong bass levels while also taking enough pressure off the mid-range to allow it to remain clear even when the going gets tough.
While trebles don't sound harsh, it would have been nice if there was a little more treble detail around. And there's no doubt that there are a few more expensive TVs out there with much more audio power and punch to their name. But for its money the 48PFT5509's sonics are more than fine.
Value
The 48PFT5509 is a no-brainer where value is concerned. It would look startlingly cheap for a 48-inch TV even if it wasn't any good. So by the time you've factored in its strong picture and sound you've a pretty spectacular bargain – even if its smart TV features could be better.
