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Philips Essence HDTV Eyes-On: Designed for Hanging, Has Removable Sound System
Posted by Jesus Diaz at 3:59 AM on August 29, 2008
I saw the 42-inch Philips Essence 1080p at their booth today, and there are three things I like about it beyond its minimalist design with 21mm bezel. Very much in fact:
I saw the 42-inch Philips Essence 1080p at their booth today, and there are three things I like about it beyond its minimalist design with 21mm bezel. Very much in fact:
The Good: First, the fact that its back is completely flat, so it can be hung flush on a wall, like a painting. Second, that it includes a single cable to connect to your base unit, which is a nice 13.1-foot long, good enough to make a "no-cables-hanging" installation. And third, that the included 2 x 15W sound bar can be easily detached from the unit, just in case you want to use your own home theatre system (like you should).
The Bad: It still requires you to prepare your wall for installation.
Bottom Line: great image quality, three HDMI 1.3a+ connections, DLNA-enabled, all wrapped into a good design. We don't know if it's going to reach the US yet, but if it does, it's seems like a good one for those who want an almost invisible TV hanging on their wall. [More IFA 2008 Coverage]
Comments (AU Comments · US Comments)
There are currently no AU comments for this post.
bosskev
Posted 4:22 AM 29/8/08
@Elijah86: Yes, same funkiness (odd black border on right side and bottom edge) here on Firefox 3. However, on Safari, it looks fine.
bosskev
Jon B.
Posted 4:06 AM 29/8/08
Removable speakers! Finally! Price please!
Jon B.
Elijah86
Posted 4:03 AM 29/8/08
Anyone else having problems with the videos not sizing right while using FF 3?
Elijah86
Maksimir
Posted 4:48 AM 29/8/08
@Elijah86: FF3 on Vista - video a-OK.
Maksimir
bosskev
Posted 5:25 AM 29/8/08
@ninjamurf: Probably not cost effective to market and warehouse two different models plus an accessory "speaker kit". In reality, the speakers are likely to be so cheaply built that eliminating them wouldn't save much money anyway.
bosskev
Elijah86
Posted 5:23 AM 29/8/08
@bosskev: I dont have a black bar, it just seems that the video is larger than the window its in.. i cat see the bottom slider bar and the big play button over the video is only showing about half of it.
Elijah86
ninjamurf
Posted 5:18 AM 29/8/08
@Jon B.: Unfortunately you still have to pay for them. What about a "cheaper" model with no speakers?!
ninjamurf
stubear
Posted 6:18 AM 29/8/08
"Great image quality." I'm gonna have to see that to believe it. And I'm gonna have to see it side-by-side with, say, Sony or Samsung. For years, Philips has had a really crappy washed-out looking picture compared to the competition. Regardless of the claimed contrast ratio, their pictures have shitty contrast (yes, when "properly adjusted").
Maybe they've got a new thing going for them here, but like I said, I'm gonna have to see it to believe it.
stubear
halfpipetrick
Posted 6:17 AM 29/8/08
"without the soundbar...?" get that guy a clue.
halfpipetrick
Joseph
Posted 6:36 AM 29/8/08
@Elijah86: I swear FF3 on Mac is worse than IE6. It's so bad, I had to uninstall it from of my production machines. I've submitted multiple bugs for FF3; Save pain, go back to FF2.
As far as the screen, is there any price point. This looks really nice with the minimalist design. I don't know if you got the info, but on these TV's could you include price points like you did with the ZX1?
Joseph
Knirfie
Posted 8:37 AM 29/8/08
@Stubear - Indeed, contrast ratio of Philips TV's is lousy, but they do have better sharpness and motionsharpness then the competition. If only they got some decent contrast they would have really nice screens...
And why doesn't this set have ambilight?
Knirfie