Philips trumpets 5000 / 7000 / Eco series HDTVs

It's right around the midway point between last CES and the one to come, and for Philips, that means it's time to dump a few new HDTVs onto the unsuspecting public. Announced today from atop a New York City hotel, the outfit got official with its 5000, 7000 and Eco series of LCD HDTVs. The 5000 FlatTV lineup includes 32- ($799), 42- ($1,799), 47- ($2,099) and 52-inch ($2,899) flavors, all of which are bathed in glossy black and feature HDMI 1.3a inputs. The Eco sets tout "several power-saving features such as a proprietary dimming technology" and arrive in 42-, 47- and 52-inch sizes ($1,099 to $2,299). Lastly, the 7000 Series ($1,699 to $2,699) -- or Ultimate TVs, as Philips likes to say -- offers up 120Hz ClearLCD / Perfect Pixel HD technology, an "invisible" speaker system and four HDMI-CEC connectors. For what it's worth, Philips is also re-introducing its Profile 1.1-compliant BDP7200 Blu-ray player, which has already been reviewed and brushed aside in anticipation of fresher Profile 2.0 decks.

[Mujeeb @ Jun 17th 2008 3:11PM]

Oh look.. now they make TVs that look like the iPhone, too. I can't wait until my monitor, my refrigerator, and my toilet look like one too.

[Ito @ Jun 17th 2008 3:26PM]

Does being black and shiny, having a screen, and looking good mean it looks like an iphone?

[izimbra @ Jun 17th 2008 10:44PM]

I'm curious whether Ito really doesn't recognize the iPhone design cues. If one has ever studied design, they are absolutely screaming. I don't really think that's a bad thing, but it's fascinating to me that some people don't recognize the design influence behind objects such as this, even where the influence is as high-profile as the iPhone.

[tyler @ Jun 17th 2008 3:22PM]

Oh right.. it's black and has rounded corners.. so it looks like an iPhone.

I hope they don't make pool tables with black felt that have rounded corners otherwise they would look like an iP-- oh wait..

Idiot.

[James @ Jun 17th 2008 3:46PM]

I got an ambilight 50" plasma a couple years ago, and it's starting to go out on me already, so the tech guy said I can get a new tv. I've been waiting for the 7000 series to hit Best Buy for 3 months. Looks sick. And yes, the beveled edges and gloss are in, which from a design standpoint, the iPhone wasn't the first to adopt. I can see why people like to compare though, because of the massive success of the iPhone. Oh, and iPhone is such a silly name. iSword, now I could get into a phone with that name.

[FordGTGuy @ Jun 17th 2008 3:59PM]

I'm all for saving the environment but why pay that when I can get a 42" 1080p Plasma for $1,200 on Newegg.......

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16889187081

[bot @ Jun 17th 2008 6:16PM]

Cause plasmas can burn in, are alot heavier, and using more energy means you're paying more on your bill?

[Iridium @ Jun 17th 2008 6:30PM]

Uh the link you posted for the review is for the 5000 series not the 7000 series.

The 7000 series hasn't been reviewed and has a completely different panel and image processor from the 5000 series. It also has ambilight.

The 5000 series is a disapointment but you can buy a 42" for $1200 or less all day long.

[mike @ Jun 17th 2008 8:46PM]

Interesting Design. I wonder if Jonny Ive will get one of these for his living room.

[The Weakonomist @ Jun 17th 2008 8:52PM]

My name is Philip and can't help but buy their stuff. I'll be in the market for a 42-47 incher in the next few months, this looks good to me.

[jess @ Jun 17th 2008 10:01PM]

I'll be looking for a new TV (actually, my first TV purchase) in the next few months as well, and hey, I'm all about saving energy! Plus, with my corporate discount, definitely will be looking into the Eco and 7000 series...

Anyway, iPhone has a fairly simple design so it's easy for products to end up looking similar. (I'm not a huge apple fan or anything although I do own an iShuffle.)

[tekdroid @ Jun 18th 2008 1:40AM]

Don't you just love it when some of the most hazardous devices made get labelled 'eco-friendly' simply because they use an ambient light sensor to control the dimming of the display.

Lead-free components and flame-retardant materials are also industry standards now, but don't you just love this Eco-bandwagon jumping!

Look ma, I'm saving the world!
*buys new Philips set*

[Margaret @ Jul 22nd 2008 11:22AM]

What I don't love are opinions formed without any research on the topic. What's the point of companies investing in the development of products with an eye towards being friendlier to the environment if yahoos such as this guy just blow it off and dismiss it as a gimick.

According to this link...
http://www.triplepundit.com/pages/eco-tv-is-greener-than-philips-002994.php
..."The set is RoHS compliant, meaning it is virtually free of the six major heavy metals including lead, mercury and cadmium that are a danger to your health and the environment. It also uses less energy by dimming in response to ambient light and using a mere 0.15W on standby. The packaging and manuals use recycled material for a nice touch."

[Klaas @ Jun 18th 2008 7:28AM]

So how much energy do these consume? Or did they just stick on the ' eco' label to sell more, without actually improving energy consumption.