ambilight
Screens
9:31AM Nick Broughall | It’s another sad day for consumer tech fans, with Philips announcing that they’re pulling out of the Australian TV market. That means that if you want to get some Ambilight action, you should probably head out to your local Harvey Norman sooner rather than later.
The move isn’t too much of a surprise, following the company’s decision to pull out of North America back in April, as well as Hitachi’s Australian AV death earlier in the year.
Current managed to have a chat with Matt Moran, Philips’ Lifestyle GM, and he told them that the decision was based upon “global direction”. I guess with prices dropping so substantially over the past few years, it’s becoming harder and harder for these “smaller” players to keep up.
All hope is not lost however – at this stage it looks like the move only effects TVs in Australia and New Zealand, so all your other Philips-related gadgetry should still be available when the company ceases TV distribution on December 31 this year.
[Current - Thanks Adam] More »
Another One Bites The Dust – Philips Pulls Out Of Australian TV Market
9:31AM Nick Broughall | It’s another sad day for consumer tech fans, with Philips announcing that they’re pulling out of the Australian TV market. That means that if you want to get some Ambilight action, you should probably head out to your local Harvey Norman sooner rather than later.
The move isn’t too much of a surprise, following the company’s decision to pull out of North America back in April, as well as Hitachi’s Australian AV death earlier in the year.
Current managed to have a chat with Matt Moran, Philips’ Lifestyle GM, and he told them that the decision was based upon “global direction”. I guess with prices dropping so substantially over the past few years, it’s becoming harder and harder for these “smaller” players to keep up.
All hope is not lost however – at this stage it looks like the move only effects TVs in Australia and New Zealand, so all your other Philips-related gadgetry should still be available when the company ceases TV distribution on December 31 this year.
[Current - Thanks Adam] More » 
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Yamaha’s YST001 Home Theatre Speakers Are Home Lighting Units Too
5:44PM Gizmodo US Edition | Yamaha has teamed up with lighting experts Koizumi to create these home theatre speakers with built-in lighting. Each unit has three 25W halogen lamps that are remote control-dimmable down to 20% brightness, designed to reduce the contrast between your TV picture and the wall behind to “ease the burden on your eyes.” So, a kind of one-colour, non-reactive ambilight then, but the effect they produce is pretty subtle and saves you from installing moodlighting. More »
Peripherals
Sensory Lamp Concept Brings Garden to Mousemat
1:31AM Gizmodo US Edition | If you couldn’t escape to experience the Great Outdoors because you were stuck in an office cubicle, or happened to be living through a rain-lashed Summer, then this ambient light mousemat complete with mini-lawn might be a tiny desktop alternative. Sara Rossbach’s concept has a patch of grass curling around your mouse, and lights the pad with a cycle of cheery colours. The good: nurturing the grass might distract you from day-to-day office grind. The bad: no automatic water sprinkles. The worse: more bugs for your computer. [SaraRossbach.com via Elit Alice] More »
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10:33AM Seamus Byrne | Philips newest LCD TV, the Philips Aurea, is a very interesting counterpoint to the technical accomplishment of the Pioneer Kuro Project range. On one hand, Pioneer has delivered a plasma panel that is second to none in what you’re seeing on screen. On the other hand, Philips has delivered a television that fills rooms with its artistic presence. Both are about using light to optimise your screen experience. For me, it is the Aurea that gives goosebumps every time I see it. And on Friday I visited Philips for some one-on-one quality time, and on second viewing (after their initial launch earlier in the week) it still gives me chills.
Read on for a detailed take on the screen, it’s surprising audio, what Wong Kar Wai has to do with all this, plus availability and price. Oh, okay, Philips has pulled in a very limited supply to arrive November (Australia was going to be bumped to next year but the local team has secured a small pre-Christmas release) and it’s $5,999. More »
Philips Aurea is very, very lickable
10:33AM Seamus Byrne | Philips newest LCD TV, the Philips Aurea, is a very interesting counterpoint to the technical accomplishment of the Pioneer Kuro Project range. On one hand, Pioneer has delivered a plasma panel that is second to none in what you’re seeing on screen. On the other hand, Philips has delivered a television that fills rooms with its artistic presence. Both are about using light to optimise your screen experience. For me, it is the Aurea that gives goosebumps every time I see it. And on Friday I visited Philips for some one-on-one quality time, and on second viewing (after their initial launch earlier in the week) it still gives me chills.
Read on for a detailed take on the screen, it’s surprising audio, what Wong Kar Wai has to do with all this, plus availability and price. Oh, okay, Philips has pulled in a very limited supply to arrive November (Australia was going to be bumped to next year but the local team has secured a small pre-Christmas release) and it’s $5,999. More »
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Philips Aurea, the Luxury Ambilight
11:51PM Mark Wilson | Philips has been cranking out LCD Ambilights for a few years, upgrading the line in relative moderation. But their new Aurea televisions are a more aggressive take on ambient television lighting. Fully LED back-lit, the Aureas will actually glow through the case border, creating a dynamic frame effect. More »
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New Philips TVs Ambilight Your Way
5:50AM Seamus Byrne | We recently got a close look at the latest 1080p Ambilight LCD TVs from Philips, the ones that cast colorful glows against the back of your wall in a way that is known to soothe and delight Brian Lam. First introduced at CES, they mostly have “2-channel Ambilight” but one, the premium 42-inch model mentioned below, has full “Ambilight Surround.” If tripping the Ambilight fandango isn’t your idea of a good time, there are other features that might be more interesting to you. The 120Hz refresh rate found on half of the models is intended to beat the 8ms response time. (This effect is achieved using a multitude of differing techniques, and it might take six months or so for us to be sure who has it figured out.) The Perfect Pixel HD technology for sharpness is also key. Make the jump for my thoughts on a side-by-side comparison with a Samsung, a gallery of my Ambilight shots, plus a cute little newcomer called Modea. More »
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