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Video: Philips' 3rd gen Aurea 'egg' remote gets put through the paces
What better to complement your new trippy, edge-glowing Philips 3rd gen Aurea HDTV than an egg-shaped remote? Our friends at Engaget Spanish hunted down the controller and walked away impressed at its build construction and design -- but not before capturing numerous pictures and footage, of course. There was some concern with the rigidity of the buttons, but nothing worth squabbling over on this bundled device. Hit up the read link for the full, machine-translated impressions, or affix your gaze on the pics and video below.
Philips Aurea reaches 3rd generation, demands more allowance
Aww, just look at him, Philips' Aurea TV's all growed up and showing off the latest in LED edge-lighting. This third generation set features the same transparent Active Frame now sporting 250 LEDs with a promise of "exact" Ambilight color matching" with what you see on the screen. The result, according to Philips and our own experience with Ambilight over the years, is a more immersive viewing experience -- or maybe the experience is just peculiar, we can never be too sure. The set still features the same, albeit tweaked, motion sensitive remote control and adds Net TV for quick access to content from YouTube, eBay, TomTom and more depending upon your location. As to the display, well, it's still 42-inches by the looks of things, with a Full HD (1920x1080) resolution, 100Hz refresh, and snappy 2-ms response as before. The box itself feature an integrated DVB-T/DVB-C/CI+ HDTV receiver, 5x HDMI 1.3a EasyLink inputs, WiFi, Ethernet, and a DLNA-compliant network link for accessing media off your PC. Coming soon, that's when.
Philips 42PFL9903D Aurea II HDTV reviewed, dubbed pretty amazing
There's no denying that the £2,500 42PFL9903D Aurea II is pricey, but for those with the requisite coin, you're probably wondering if this here set is a sound investment. The critics over at TrustedReviews were able to get one of these freshly released stunners into their labs for testing, and to simplify things, we'll just say they were thoroughly impressed. Not only was the tweaked design swooned over, but the Aurea Light Frame effects were also adored and the overall image performance was equally impressive. Granted, the sheer quantity of your disposable income will determine whether or not the whiz-bang LED effects are worth the premium, but at least to these reviewers, it was.
Philips intros 42PFL9903D Aurea II LCD HDTV
Late in August, we got wind of an elusive Aurea II HDTV that was in development from Philips. Now, we're looking at the official result of that labor. The 42-inch Philips Aurea II (or 42PFL9903D, if you'd prefer) packs a 1080p panel, the latest version of the Perfect Pixel HD engine, a dynamic contrast ratio of 30,000:1 and a wicked fast two-millisecond response time. Reportedly, the main differences between this set and the original Aurea is a thinner frame, more curvaceous corners and an ever-so-slightly updated design. For those with the cash to blow, it'll be available for a stiff £2,499 ($3,967) this month.
Philips' new Essence, FlatTV and Aurea LCD sets
While our primary drool allotment will be directed at Philips' new 8mm LCD concept, Philips also has some new for-realsies LCDs here at IFA potentially worth your time. Leading off the pack is the LED-backlit 42PFL9803 FlatTV (pictured), a 42-inch set with 128 segments of LED for a purported 2,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio. The set runs at 100Hz, has a 17-bit "Color Booster" for a wide gamut, and even does a bit of 2nd gen Ambilight for good measure. Essence (42PES0001) is another 42-inch, 1080p display, but stakes its claim on thinness, measuring 38mm (1.5-inches) deep, and has a single cable running to a connectivity hub which doles out the audio, video and power. 100Hz and wide color gamut are all here. Finally, Philips is doing up a new generation of Aurea sets with new 37-inch and 42-inch 1080p displays, which offer up "Active Frame" transparent frames to reflect the Ambilight surrounding the set. The displays also offer 100Hz, 30,000:1 contrast ratios and 2ms response times. No word on price or availability for any of these, which is starting to sound like the official theme of IFA 2008.%Gallery-30668%
Philips readying ultrathin 42-inch Essence TV for IFA debut?
Let's be honest -- it's been quite awhile since Philips has been seen as a big-shot in the world of HDTVs. Evidently the company is aiming to change all that in just a few weeks, as a fresh rumor puts a stunning new set on display at IFA. Reportedly, the lightweight 42-inch Essence TV will boast a 38-millimeter depth and will be made for wall hanging. Regrettably, that's all the details that have seeped out thus far, but we'll be finding out just how much truth there is to all of this in a fortnight.
Hands-off with the Philips Aurea
Yeah, this thing is pretty hot. Sure, it helps that Philips commissioned its very own art film to showcase the new Aurea Ambilight TV, but we're pretty sure this unit would be just as at home showing of Saturday morning cartoons or lighting up the home shopping channel. You know you want one.%Gallery-6712%
Philips launches Aurea LCDs, with next-gen Ambilight
Right on schedule, Philips has unveiled its new wave of Ambilight-powered television: Aurea. Sure, it's not as sexy when you call it by its 42PFL9900D model number, but the 42-inch 1080p LCD is sure to turn heads either way. Under the hood Philips has 100Hz refresh, "invisible speakers" and even a trio of HDMI inputs. The new Ambilight Spectra tech uses 126 LEDs and shoots light through the "Active Frame" for a more extensive Ambilight experience. The displays will be available next month, but there's still no word on price. Peep the gallery below for some stylized shots of the display by fashion photog Vincent Peters.
Philips to launch Ambilight successor Aurea
Consumer electronics manufacturer Philips will demo their successor to Ambilight -- the ambient lighting technology that generates light effects on the sides of a television -- at European expo IFA on August 30. The new technology, named Aurea, will be featured using a film by director Wong Kar called Seduction by Light. From early photos, the new sets incorporate the lighting directly into the frame, instead of using the previous method of a glass frame around the set.
