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Video: Philips' 3rd gen Aurea 'egg' remote gets put through the paces

by Ross Miller Sep 4th 2009 @ 11:51AM

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.

Continue reading Video: Philips' 3rd gen Aurea 'egg' remote gets put through the paces

Philips gets stylish with BDP9500 and BDP7500 Blu-ray players

by Darren Murph Sep 4th 2009 @ 5:53AM

Philips has definitely shifted most of its consumer electronics efforts into continents not named North America, but given that IFA's taking place in Berlin, it makes sense to see so much new kit flowing from the company. The latest wares to make their debut on the show floor is the BDP9500 and BDP7500 Blu-ray players, both of which handle 7.1 audio with poise and offer up 1080p video playback for those with BD libraries. The flagship 9500 also includes a Qdeo video processor and a sleek aluminum shell, not to mention Burr-Brown analog-to-digital converters and DVD upscaling for those other movies. There's no mention of pricing and availability just yet, but with the holiday shopping season just around the bend, we'd guess the folks at Philips are working hard to get these out on the double [Warning: PDF read link]

Philips debuts Soundbar with Blu-ray, Home Theaters galore

by Joseph L. Flatley Sep 3rd 2009 @ 12:51PM

If there's one thing we've always maintained here at Engadget, it's that "HD people are good people." Hell, we have a whole website devoted to HD, home entertainment, and the whole "HD lifestyle," only because you warm our hearts so much. And the folks at Philips are obviously on the same tip -- as proven not only by all the wonderful products of theirs that grace these pages regularly, but by all the surround sound gear they've schlepped to IFA this year, including: a new SoundBar with Ambisound, featuring a Blu-ray disc player, optional iPod dock, 7.1 surround sound, and DoubleBASS. Available in black (HTS8160B) or white (HTS8161B). Just the thing for those of you who think that a single speaker could somehow replace seven (plus one) in the surround sound stakes. Also on hand for the less credulous, the company is unveiling a number of home theater systems with the now-mandatory Blu-ray playback, including: three separate 5.1 surround affairs for folks with on varying budgets, and a two speaker / one sub combo for those of you who want to try out "Dolby Virtual Speaker" technology after all. If all this appeals to you, you have two options -- check out the PR (after the break) or hit the read link to sift through a wild'n'wooly PDF.

Continue reading Philips debuts Soundbar with Blu-ray, Home Theaters galore

Philips launches Wireless HDTV Link, gives airborne HDMI a fightin' chance

by Joseph L. Flatley Sep 3rd 2009 @ 12:32PM

Still reeling over the death of FlyWire this summer? So were we, until we saw this beauty pop up in Berlin. Philips Wireless HDTV Link promises to set your TV free from the tyranny of cables with an HDMI transmitter / receiver pair that'll let you place all those A/V components of yours a whopping 20 meters from your set. The base station has two HDMI connections, two component connections and boasts transmission of full 1080i and 1080p / 30 HD video. Coming soon (hopefully) this bad boy is retailing for €599.99 (about $850). [Warning: PDF read link]

Philips Aurea reaches 3rd generation, demands more allowance

by Thomas Ricker Sep 3rd 2009 @ 8:34AM

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 56-inch 21:9 3D TV's future is so bright we had to wear shades

by Thomas Ricker Sep 3rd 2009 @ 7:30AM


If you haven't noticed, 3D is going to be big in 2010. Not at Philips though, at least not yet. Instead of charging in to the market like Sony, Philips is willing to hedge its bets and wait on consumer demand. Consumers, of course, are waiting for content. And hey, maybe everybody's wrong and quad-HD will be the next big thing to drive TV sales. Regardless, Philips wants everyone to know that its technology is ready when you are so its got a 3D prototype Blu-ray player and stunning 3D version of its 56-inch Cinema 21:9 TV here at IFA in Berlin. While the idea of watching movies in 3D sounds like a novelty, the idea of gaming in 3D is downright compelling -- awkward passive polarized glasses be damned!

Philips "fastest" BDP7300 Blu-ray player launches this month in the UK

by Richard Lawler Jun 19th 2009 @ 3:41PM


Leave it to Philips to make these kinds of claims now that its hardware isn't coming over to the U.S., but apparently its still yet-to-launch BDP7300 Blu-ray player is the fastest loading one yet. No word on exactly how fast that is, but several UK sites are reporting the claim for this hardware, scheduled to hit shelves sometime later this month. What we do know is included is all the usual features like BD-Live, Dolby TrueHD and DTS MA, DivX and AVC HD playback, but until someone lays down £249 and grabs a stopwatch, just how fast it is will be a matter of contention.

Philips announces US availability for 2009 home entertainment line (with hands-on!)

by Darren Murph May 6th 2009 @ 7:11PM

Philips may be dodging the North American sector with its flashiest of products, but it's still showing the Yanks in attendance a little love on the home entertainment front. Today in a meeting in NYC, the outfit revealed US pricing and availability for its entire 2009 family, most of which was quietly introduced in January. Starting things off are the 6000 and 7000 Series of HDTVs, which just so happen to pick right up where the previous models left off in 2008. The 6000 Series will arrive in 32-, 42- and 47-inch flavors for $799, $1,399 and $1,699, respectively, while the 7000 Series goes 42-, 47- and 52-inch for $1,499, $1,799 and $2,299, also respectively.

While checking these very sets out, we noticed that the factory settings left the colors a bit blown out and overly sharp -- though, this practice is far too common in HDTV companies anyway. Nothing like wowing those Best Buy shoppers at first, only to sear their retinas at home, right? All kidding aside, the panels looked superb, and the A-B comparison mode made tweaking the settings a breeze. Hop on past the break for the rest of the details, and give our gallery a glance for a closer look at the whole lot.

Gallery: Hands-on with Philips' new home theater lineup

Continue reading Philips announces US availability for 2009 home entertainment line (with hands-on!)

Philips 56-inch Cinema 21:9 ultra widescreen LCD hands on

by Richard Lawler Apr 30th 2009 @ 7:38PM


We've had more than a few vantage points of the Cinema 21:9 ultra widescreen HDTV from Philips over the last few months but Tweakers.net finally got one loose from the world of concept photographs and trade show demos for some real seat time. Translation isn't necessary to ogle at the Transformers Blu-ray playing with no bars, but looking beyond the pictures revealed appreciation for this LCD's quick refresh rate and relatively low power requirements. Luckily, we won't have to figure out how to get the 153cm x 26cm x 87cm box it ships in home, what with the lack of a U.S. release and all.

[Thanks, Wilbert]

Gallery: Philips gives Cinema 21:9 HDTV a price and release date

Philips Prestigo SRT9320 color touchscreen remote ready for preorders, shipping someday

by Richard Lawler Apr 23rd 2009 @ 10:12PM


Just a bit closer to filling the hole in our lives where a $199 remote should be, the Philips Prestigo SRT9320 universal remote popped up for preorders on Amazon this month, regrettably the ship date is no more specific than "1 or 2 months," but unlike some things, we'll at least have the choice to buy this one. In case you've forgotten, it packs a 2.8-inch color touchscreen and can handle up to 20 devices, programmed directly on the remote itself or learned via IR.

[Thanks, Ron]

Philips "Carousel" short shows what you're missing without Cinema 21:9 and Ambilight

by Richard Lawler Apr 16th 2009 @ 1:12PM


We'll definitely be missing Philips UltraWidescreen 21:9 display with no U.S. release in the plans, but buyers world wide who need a bit of a convincer to drop the €4,000 need only check out the new Cinema "interactive movie." The 2+ minute feature takes you through a fictional movie setup with director, FX supervisor and director of photography chiming in on the importance of cinema widescreen. The interactive bit comes into play as the viewer can switch between 16:9 and turn Ambilight on and off on a simulated screen playing the flick. Cinema 21:9 launches this month in France, Germany, The Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, and Russia, the trailer is embedded after the break (live demo video is here), check it out and let us know if you're ready to come out of pocket for this 2560x1080p beast.

Gallery: Philips gives Cinema 21:9 HDTV a price and release date

Continue reading Philips "Carousel" short shows what you're missing without Cinema 21:9 and Ambilight

Tough economic times cause Philips to axe a dimension, get by with just two

by Tim Stevens Apr 15th 2009 @ 9:46AM

Tough economic times cause Philips to axe a dimension, get by with just two
Many people are giving up many things to get by in this dire recession, things like vacations, new cars, and highly expensive though well deserved plastic surgery procedures to finally deliver the pectoral definition that nature and daily push-ups won't. Sacrifices all, but perhaps none as big as that made by Philips, which is getting rid of an entire dimensional plane and going strictly 2D. Last year the company talked up display after display after display with glasses-free 3D tech, but now they, along with the company's entire 3D Solutions division, are all being scrapped in favor of more immediately profitable endeavors. So, who wants to buy a vibrating jacket?

USPTO issues final rejection of Funai's patent, VIZIO celebrates

by Darren Murph Mar 15th 2009 @ 8:31PM


One has to wonder: is this cat fight finally nearing the end? Shortly after VIZIO hit Funai with an antitrust and unfair lawsuit (not to mention pleading with the FCC to expedite the hand slapping), said outfit has just announced the "final rejection" of all claims in Funai's controversial patent. As the story goes, the United States Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO) has "issued a second rejection of all claims in Funai Electric Co.'s United States Patent No. 6,115,074," leading Rob L. Brinkman, VIZIO's VP Operations and Administration, to say the following: "Based on this final rejection by the USPTO, we believe that Funai's '074 patent will ultimately be deemed invalid." We've seen no reaction from Funai thus far, but it seems like sneaking away to the nearest corner may actually be best considering the circumstances.

Poll: Were you / are you planning to buy a plasma?

by Darren Murph Feb 28th 2009 @ 12:00PM


As the plasma world continues to crumble, we're stopping to ponder how this is affecting current, prospective and future customers. For any of you that were this close to pulling the trigger on a new plasma, has this week's news shaken your confidence in the technology? Are you still planning to buy one? Might you buy an LCD or projector now? Feel free to elaborate on how the mass exodus from PDP has changed (or not) your perceptions.

Were you / are you planning to buy a plasma?

VIZIO looks to FCC to slap Funai's hand

by Darren Murph Feb 24th 2009 @ 9:43PM


Whoa, Nelly. Looks like we've got ourselves an old fashioned paper fight going on here. Just days after VIZIO filed an antitrust lawsuit against Funai, the former company has now taken things a step further by requesting that the FCC require Funai to "comply with patent licensing conditions imposed by the FCC when it adopted the digital television standards for the United States." Additionally, VIZIO has asked the entity to "order Funai to cease its unreasonable and discriminatory patent enforcement policies while the FCC considers a pending petition for declaratory ruling." There's no word on whether the FCC is open to oblige, but you can rest assured that there are more than a few bitter-beer faces clogging up corner offices at Funai Electronics.




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