Even though this model is a step or two up from a 15-inch model, this 20-inch digital LCD television from Philips speaks directly to the entry-level buyer. With an economy-driven design, the 20PFL4122/10 delivers a very basic LCD television that’s great for the newcomer to LCD technology.

The 20PFL4122/10 gives you a 640 x 480p VGA image in a wide, 178-degree viewing angle. Three available screen format adjustments, including 16:9, 4:3, and 4:3 Expand give added flexibility to this 20-inch digital LCD television.

For added image clarity you’ll enjoy the benefits of behind the screen technologies such as Crystal Clear III, 2d Comb Filter, Blue Stretch, Green Enhancement, Colour Temperature Adjustment, Progressive Scan, and Automatic Skin Tone Adjustment. Ad an anti-reflection coating the screen itself and you get an LCD display that works hard to provide you with the best image it can.

A life expectancy is not given for this model specifically, however the website of a competing manufacturer denotes that modern standards put the lifespan of most models in both the plasma and LCD categories at around 60,000 hours. That comes to just about 360 weeks of continuous use, but that kind of wear is unlikely. If you watch television for four hours per day, seven days a week, a modern digital television set like the 20PFL4122/10 should last for roughly 40 years according to my calculations! There will most definitely be new broadcast and display technologies available for mass consumption before these things stop working, barring some kind of defect and assuming that the competitor’s estimates are correct.

If you’re an audiophile you may want to find a model with a stronger sound package. The two included 3-watt speakers will just get the job done in small to medium sized rooms like the kitchen. Together, NICAM stereo and Incredible Surround sound-enhancement technology cap off the audio side of this model.

If you need a whole lot of connectivity, there may be a better model out there for your needs. This unit comes with a pretty Spartan group of connections, to include one SCART connection, one HDMI connection, a component video connection, a VGA PC AV input, and an S-video connection. That’s not to say that this model is incapable, it just simply doesn’t seek to provide a plethora of connection options like some other models do.