In this review we look at the Philips 24PFS5231. This is an LCD TV with a 24-inch screen and a bluetooth speaker, suitable for the children’s room, the office, the kitchen or at the campsite.
Philips 24PFS5231 – specifications and connections
The Philips 24PFS5231 is a television that you can easily place in the nursery or in the kitchen or take to for example the campsite. The television has a screen of 24 “(60 cm), a resolution of 1080p – which means you can watch content in full HD – and a built-in bluetooth speaker. The Philips 24PFS5231 also has a large number of connections, including two HDMI ports. The first HDMI port is also equipped with ARC ( audio return channel ) for a home cinema system.
All connections are on the back of the device. At the far right you will find a slot for the Common Interface, in which you can place a decryption module for digital television. There is also a USB port (on which you can insert a hard disk or USB stick full of music for example), a headphone connection, an opening for an optical sound cable and connections for scart, vga and aux cables. Moreover, the TV has a bluetooth speaker in the standard, where you can connect smart devices.
Philips 24PFS5231 – design
The Philips 24PFS5231 looks like a simple LCD TV. There are thin, white edges around the screen. At the bottom of the screen is a large block, where the television leans. In that block is the built-in bluetooth speaker. The television uses this to transmit sound, but you can also connect smart devices, such as smartphones or tablets. There are three buttons available: one for switching on the TV, for switching on the bluetooth connection and for controlling the sound.
The buds are thin and low, but still easily accessible. On the right side is also an LED light that indicates whether the TV has power or not. If you see an orange color, the TV is in standby. Pay attention to this, what we have noticed that the power cable at the back sometimes can get loose when you move the TV too much (although we have to say that we will do this more often than many users). Everything is further white on the hardware: the screen, the speaker and of course the included remote control.
Remote control
Because the TV has a lot of functions, the remote control is also very extensive. You can control the media that you connect via the USB port and, of course, arrange things like the volume. You can also check and change all settings with this. The remote control lies comfortably in the hand and is fortunately not heavy. What is also good to know is that it only needs one AAA battery to function. The buttons on the remote provide sufficient feedback; in addition, the TV reacts quickly to the input.
Philips 24PFS5231 – ease of use
Despite the fact that we do not have to deal with expensive television here, the Philips 24PFS5231 scores well in terms of ease of use. You can easily connect various devices (such as game consoles and other media players) to the television, thanks to the two HDMI ports. The other connections also ensure that you can connect and continue to use older devices with ease. As far as the options relating to connectivity are concerned, we certainly do not have to complain at all – especially not because of this price (around € 299).
You still need to consult the settings. Many options with regard to image and sound are set in a way that (in our view) is not optimal. We spent a number of minutes within the settings and things like the aspect ratio and sound quality adjusted. For example, surround sound is standard, but we find it easier to hear stereo sound from such a smaller speaker. The aspect ratio too was zoomed too far as far as we are concerned. So take the time for that.
Fortunately, that does not take a lot of time, especially because of the user-friendly remote control and the simple but well-structured interface. Navigating through the menus also feels intuitive. From the first moment you know exactly where you have to be or how you have to get somewhere and that is just nice. Sometimes TVs have a lot of possibilities that are far away, but we did not encounter that problem at the Philips 24PFS5231. You also do not have to get used to Android TV or another platform, because that is simply not present on this LCD TV.
Unfortunately, the Philips 24PFS5231 does not have wifi or an opening for an internet cable. That means that you can not do a number of things with the television; after all, it is not a smart TV. So you can not download apps, such as Netflix or YouTube, and stream content from the internet. Nowadays this can be done via a number of other devices (such as the aforementioned media players), but for some people this may be an extra investment.
Philips 24PFS5231 – picture quality
To immediately fall in with the door; looking at the price range where this model is located we are impressed by the image quality. Especially the colors are very dynamic and almost splash off the screen, without being unnatural or exaggerated. We have pulled one of the most colorful games from the collection (Dragon Ball XenoVerse, yes, that series we looked faithful between 2000 and 2003), which immediately proves that. The black display is more than fine, although you can suffer from clouding and halo effects in dark scenes or parts of the screen. However, it does not really stand out and that is positive. There is sufficient gray detail to be observed in dark parts of the screen, which makes the contrast look high.
Unfortunately, the viewing angles are not very big. If you are just too slanted in front of the screen, you notice that immediately: black becomes greyish and the colors lose their dynamics, they become dull. That is not strange – several, cheaper, LCD screens know this problem. What is good to know is the fact that the TV can deal with reflections. The Philips 24PFS5231 has a matte screen, so you do not quickly see yourself. And ultimately that contributes to good image quality.
Static high definition images can show the Philips 24PFS5231 very nice, tight and above all sharp, although we advise you to adjust the sharpness down a bit. However, what is one of the biggest problems with this LCD TV is the ghosting or motion blur. This simply means that you can see an after-effects effect with fast movements or fast moving images. Details in these images lose their sharpness or sometimes even appear vague. That’s not great with games, but even when watching movies or series, the poor processing of these images is something that can interfere. The input lag, on the other hand, is pretty good in Game mode, with about 29ms. This means that games where the response time is of great importance can be played well.
Philips 24PFS5231 – audio quality
The audio quality of the Philips 24PFS5231 is of above-average quality, especially thanks to the bluetooth speaker in the standard. Especially the lower tones are strikingly well reflected. Dialogues can be understood well and you can listen to fine music with them; whether you do that via bluetooth or a USB device. However, when high tones are played back or too much sound is output (high volume), the speaker may transmit a less pleasant sound due to distortion. So do not try to set the sound too hard; it is not a speaker for a party.
Furthermore, the speaker gives a reasonably wide and lively sound field, which benefits both the experience in music and films. All in all, the bluetooth speaker is a welcome addition, which distinguishes the TV from the competition.
Philips 24PFS5231 – conclusion
If you are looking for a television for camping or for example in the nursery or kitchen, the Philips 24PFS5231 is worth considering. The TV offers an impressive package of features by combining a 24-screen with a good-sounding bluetooth speaker. A speaker that can also be used in combination with other devices in the house, such as a smartphone or tablet. This gives the TV access to music streaming services such as Spotify, Apple Music or any other service you use.
Because unfortunately: the Philips 24PFS5231 itself does not have the ability to access the internet. You will therefore have to use Netflix and the like through a media player or game console. In addition, the TV suffers from ghosting (or motion blur), which makes playing fast games not always pleasant. Also watching series or movies can be annoying, because you still get elements from the previous scene, while the new one has already started. But for a price of about 299 euros, the LCD TV offers a complete experience.
Besides the bluetooth connection there are more than enough connections available that you can use. Two hdmi ports, a USB port, analog connections, and so on – it’s all there. Apart from the motion problems and moderate viewing angles, the Philips 24PFS5231 also delivers a pleasant and sharp image quality, and the colors come out well. We still recommend you to go into the settings for the colors, the sound and the aspect ratio. But when everything is set as you want, then it is a nice and cheap television for a second room. In its price range the 24PFS5231 is a very good and complete TV, and we also label it as a recommendation.
