Philips, Funai Launch New Eco LCD Lines and BD Players
Sleek designs and new features in Philips for 2009
January 10, 2009 By Grant ClauserThis was a first for Philips, no CES show floor exhibit. Instead, the company, post the acquisition by Funai of its TV business, held private viewings in a ballroom at the nearby Renaissance Hotel.
There the company showed off three upcoming lines of LCD TVs, most boasting Philips’ trademark EcoTV logo, as well as two new Bl-ray players and a Blu-ray home theater system. Nowhere in the new lineup will you find either plasma or Ambilight--the a feature that characterized Philips flat panel Tvs for several years.
The flagship line of TVs is the 7000 series are marked by improved styling, notably a much thinner bezel (45-percent thinner than last year). A distinct acrylic flare around the exterior is a deep smoke gray. Picture quality features include 120Hz processing, 2ms response time and the company’s Picture Perfect HD processing. The 7000 series will begin with a 32-inch model at $899 and range up to a 47-inch model for $2,299.
The next tier of TVs is the 5000 series followed by entry-level 3000 series which includes 19-, 22-, 37-, 42-, 47-, and 52-inch models. The 47- and 52-inch models are Philips designs while the smaller models are Funai designs.
The EcoTVs (5000 and 7000 series) are designed with a proprietary dimming technology that is designed to lower the LCD panel backlight to reduce power consumption without compromising the picture quality. A built-in light sensor automatically measures the viewing room's ambient lighting and adjusts the television's backlight for power efficiency.
In Blu-ray, there are two new stand-alone players, both BD-live-enabled. The BDP5010, will ship with an SD card slot for BD Live features, but no on-board memory. It will go for $249. The BDP7310 will include 1 GB of memory plus a card slot for extra memory. It also includes 7.1 analog audio outputs and decoding of all major HD audio formats. It will go for $299. A Blu-ray home theater system, the HTS5100B, includes a BD player/receiver plus five satellites and a subwoofer for $599.
Also shown was a 42-inch Magnavox LCD TV with a built-in Blu-ray players. That product, the 42MD459B will be profile 1.1 only. It’s expected to be available this year for under $1,400.
