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This story was printed from CNET Asia.
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Next-gen Ambilight from Philips' Aurea TV

By Philip Wong, CNET Asia
24/10/2007
URL: http://asia.cnet.com/reviews/home_av/tvs/0,39037594,62033697,00.htm

Most home A/V vendors are saving their hero product for a year-end launch and Philips is no exception. Unveiled in Singapore today was the Dutch company's most advanced and final LCD TV for 2007: The Philips Aurea 42PFL9900. This 42-incher weds all the highly sought-after capabilities of its high-end 9500-series with a new Ambilight Spectra engine. It makes the attractive panel a first of its kind worldwide among its already extensive flat-panel lineup.

A follow-up to its Ambilight ambient lighting, the Spectra is powered by banks of 126 LEDs lined along the full TV screen. With the aid of a newly introduced semi-translucent front bezel dubbed Active Frame, the revised system offers two distinct advantages over its predecessors. For starters, it narrows the gap between the display and enveloping halo, creating an illusion of a natural extension. In addition, this also minimizes bulk by eradicating the need for a dedicated reflective canvas. There is even an option to activate the backlighting when the set is not in use, too.

For the technophiles, the 42PFL9900 has all the usual flairs we can expect from a premium offering. Most notably, a full-HD native resolution, 100Hz Clear LCD frame rate-doubling technology, USB multimedia playback and triple 1080p24-ready HDMI inputs. Unlike the European equivalent, the localized model for Asia is not equipped with an onboard DVB-T digital tuner. According to its spokesperson, the decision was made due to the availability of such broadcasts, though there are plans to roll out TVs with such capability next year.

The Philips Aurea is now available in Singapore at S$7,999. This will followed by subsequent launches in New Zealand, Australia, Hong Kong, China and Dubai with an estimated price of 4,000 euros.

Model name In a nutshell

Notable features:
  • 42-inch LCD panel
  • 1,920 x 1,080-pixel resolution
  • 8,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio
  • 4 trillion colors
  • 3ms response time
  • Onboard JPEG/MP3 playback via USB
  • Perfect Pixel HD video processor
  • 1080p24/50/60 input support
  • Triple HDMI terminals

    Availability: Singapore (now), New Zealand (soon), Australia (soon), Hong Kong (soon), China (soon) and Dubai (soon)
    Price: S$7,999