Philips Brilliance 248CLH Review

The Philips Brilliance 248CLH is a budget-friendly 24-inch monitor that offers a balance of affordability and reliable performance. With its Full HD resolution and IPS panel technology, this monitor aims to provide clear visuals and wide viewing angles. In this comprehensive review, we will explore the features, performance, and overall suitability of the Philips Brilliance 248CLH for those seeking a cost-effective monitor without compromising on quality.

Introduction

The Philips Brilliance 248CLH features a 24-inch display with a Full HD resolution of 1920×1080 pixels. While it may not offer the highest pixel density, it still delivers clear and detailed visuals suitable for everyday tasks, multimedia consumption, and light productivity work. The monitor utilizes IPS panel technology, which ensures consistent colors and wide viewing angles, allowing you to view the screen comfortably from various positions.

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Presentation Of The Screen

The latest range from the Dutch manufacturer Philips, the aptly named Moda bets on… fashion. So far, so good. Unpacking the box, we discover a 23.6-inch screen to be precise, with a matte TN panel displaying a resolution of 1,920 x 1,080 pixels (ratio 16: 9). In short, classic, but the thinness of the panel is surprising: only 3.4 cm!

This particularity was made possible thanks to the use of LED backlighting that is less bulky than neon. We note from the outset that the design of the monitor has indeed been well cared for: black lacquered outline of the screen, white plastic back (reminiscent of the old iMacs), aesthetically cut aluminum foot, and invisible touch keys on the front. Beautiful… but messy!

In terms of connectivity, this Philips monitor has two HDMI sockets (HDCP compatible) and one VGA. A headphone output is aligned next to the video inputs, as well as the power plug which is external here. The use of a transformer separate from the screen also explains the finesse of the product. Note the presence of a row of perforations at the top of the screen, to let the heat out of the monitor.

As for specs, the Brilliance 248CLH boasts a 2ms response time, 300 cd/m² luminance, and 1,000:1 contrast ratio (which would climb to 20,000,000:1 with the SmartContrast, Philips dynamic processing). At this stage, we begin the test phase by heating the screen for a good two hours and sticking the probe on the screen, previously cleaned by us (thank you Philips for the gift…).

Great disappointment from the first series of tests, since the measurements restore a default contrast ratio of only 339.9: 1! If the white point is very bright (258.3 cd / m², it is less than announced but sufficient), the black point at 0.76 cd / m² is anything but black. We are well below the average rates for this screen range. Pushing it all the way in, the ratio drops to 262.8:1 (the white point at 354.8 cd/m², black point at 1.35 cd/m²). After calibration, the rate sinks further to 208.5: 1 (the white point at 137.6 cd/m², black point at 0.66 cd/m²).

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Ergonomics

Nothing exceptional here either, since the 248CLH is satisfied with a foot that is certainly pretty, but rigid as desired. The screen tilts on -10 to 20° and that’s it! No rotation system in the base of the stand, no height adjustment or even less pivoting of the panel… A concern since the viewing angles are particularly narrow, even for a TN screen. Moreover, a slick design is good, but this concern for appearances has forced Philips to ignore the cable guide at the back of the foot. Once the power cord and HDMI cable dangle, the monitor loses some of its charms…

The OSD has also benefited from the makeover of the Moda range. It’s better, that said it does not change the ergonomics of the menus, generally good at Philips. Seven tabs in the program, two of which are particularly important: the one called “Image” and the other “Color”.

The first gives access to the essential settings on the one hand (brightness, contrast, gamma) and to in-house image processing on the other (“Smart Color”, “SmartTxt”, “Intelligent Response” and “Intelligent Contrast”). The second allows you to choose the color temperature of the display (several values ​​in Kelvin or sRGB) or to manually dose the three colorimetric components.

The manipulations from the touch controls run without any particular problem, except for the very first contact (the keys being off, you sometimes have to fumble to make them light up). Note the presence of three shortcuts, to the “Smart Image”, presets (text, office, photo, film, etc.), to change video input and to activate or deactivate overdrive.

Energy consumption

Attention very commendable, Philips now focuses a lot on the energy issue. No “Smart Sensor” here but an LED backlight that we are assured of low consumption. What does our diligent power meter say? The Brilliance 248CLH is indeed energy efficient.

At its maximum, it pumps out 24.4 watts, more or less what a calibrated classic 24-inch consumes. By default, we only go down to 23 watts: it represents a little gain for the simple reason that by default, the brightness is set to maximum… Once the screen has been calibrated, consumption drops to 14.3 watts. In smart image eco mode, we even reach 12.9 watts. It’s excellent! Remains on standby, where this Philips oscillates between 0.1 and 0.3 watts (the white light above the touch keys flashes) and the totally off status were 0,

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What About Colorimetry

What is the Brilliance 248CLH worth in this area? Even if we know that a TN panel is not intended to support serious photographic retouching, we must recognize that this monitor is relatively faithful as a base. Our LaCie Blue Eye Pro probe indeed returns an average Delta E of 1.7 by default, with a peak of 3.4 in dark gray. Admittedly, the basic color temperature is too warm (more than the required 6,500 K) and the brightness is far too violent. But the gamma falls right on 2.2.

After calibration, the average Delta E drops to 0.9, with a peak of 2.1 in the blue this time: that’s very good. We take a measurement with the Smart Image mode set to photo to see what the probe says, and there, the visual shock is immediately confirmed with an average Delta E of 4.9 and a peak of 10.3!

We won’t even talk about the sickening addition of sharpness… In short, a photo mode is to be avoided for photography. But a screen that remains usable for an approach to amateur photography: it is indeed better to have a screen with good colors and bad viewing angles than the reverse.

A relatively fair colorimetry by default, but unfortunately a fairly passable homogeneity. Once the screen is calibrated, the average luminance deviation reaches 13.1% in relation to the center, with a peak at 21% (upper left edge). It’s not really visible, but we have the intuition that there is still a small imbalance in the distribution of brightness. On the colorimetric side, the average Delta E deviation from the center is 33% on average, with a peak at 66%. This is important in absolute terms, but not very significant in practice, with all these average Delta E values ​​remaining below the 1.5 bar.

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What About Moving images?

Philips announces a response time of 5 ms (gray to gray) which can drop to 2 ms with the “Intelligent Response” overdrive activated. What does it look like on our test scene? Well, the results are pretty bad. Whatever the setting, you never manage to get a perfectly sharp image! It will be necessary to be satisfied with an “almost net”. Without overdrive, our camera only captured 0.3 out of 10 images that were nearly clear and 2.2 out of 10 images with slight ghosting. The remaining images, 7.5 out of 10, are evenly divided between doubled logo and tripled logo! 75% of bad results are more than mediocre…

By activating the overdrive, the screen improves but remains very slow for a so-called 2 ms. We go to 1.4 images out of 10 almost clear and 2.9 out of 10 with a slight ghost. There are still 5.7 images out of 10, again shared equally between doubled and tripled logos. Having only 43% of satisfactory images, of which only 14% are almost clear (but not quite), condemns any possibility of a video game outlet… And it’s not the “Game” Smart Image mode that changes anything thing…

Watching movies also suffers from this low responsiveness. But also the very average contrast of the panel (and narrow viewing angles). Fortunately, the dynamic contrast works rather well and significantly increases the demarcation between black and white.

The same is not true for the SmartKolor function, translated here into “Smart Color”: it completely distorts the colorimetry, by excessively saturating the image. See what it looks like below at Casino Royale.

The SmartImage “Cinema” mode also enhances sharpness, but less than in “Photo” or “Game”. Overall, these treatments are rather disappointing. And the screen is hardly suitable for watching films: from time to time it will be fine, but moviegoers will avoid the Brilliance 248CLH.

Conclusion

The Brilliance 248CLH is intended to be a jack-of-all-trades screen, it tends rather be good for nothing. Not bad, but too slow for gaming, not contrasty enough or fast enough for movies, not ergonomic enough for office automation. For photos, the presence of a TN panel with narrow viewing angles and average homogeneity will scare away the experts. On the other hand, the correct basic colorimetry will suit occasional photographers. In short, emerging from its very successful design and its honorable energy balance, the Brilliance 248CLH is ultimately a fairly ordinary monitor. At 250 € we clearly find it better, even if less aesthetic.

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are some frequently asked questions about the Philips Brilliance 248CLH monitor, along with their answers:

Q: Does the Philips Brilliance 248CLH have built-in speakers?

A: No, the 248CLH does not have built-in speakers. For audio, you will need to connect external speakers or use headphones.

Q: Does the monitor support VESA mounting?

A: No, the Philips Brilliance 248CLH does not support VESA mounting. It is designed to be used with the included stand.

Q: Is the monitor suitable for gaming?

A: The Philips Brilliance 248CLH is not specifically designed for gaming. While it can handle casual gaming, it may not provide the best experience for highly demanding games or competitive gaming due to its limited refresh rate and response time.

Q: Can I adjust the color settings of the monitor?

A: Yes, the 248CLH provides various color settings and presets, allowing you to adjust the color temperature, contrast, and saturation to suit your preferences or specific tasks.

Q: Does the monitor have an energy-saving mode?

A: Yes, the Philips Brilliance 248CLH includes an energy-saving mode that helps reduce power consumption when the monitor is not in use.

Q: Does the monitor have an anti-glare coating?

A: Yes, the 248CLH features an anti-glare coating, which helps reduce reflections and glare, making it easier to view the screen in various lighting conditions.