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.
If you can’t afford a Philips Aurea, can’t buy a Living Colours lamp yet and you need some mood light for that “special evening,” then slot this 20 minute DVD into your player and your TV will glow in a whole spectrum of colours. If you like things red and hot, or cool and blue, then you can pause on a particular frame, or just leave it on repeat for a slow psychedelic effect. From Japan’s Kyouei Design, the disc is region-free and US$19. In other words: a complete rip-off. [Designboom via Technabob]
Philips’ Aurea TV has been all over IFA, but what does its target market (Hey Lay-deez?) think about it. Well, while Jesus got a hunger for its form, Lindsay, Philips’ PR person, and I had a discussion about where we would put it if we had one. And the verdict? In our bedrooms. More »
newVideoPlayer("Aurea_gawker.flv", 475, 376);
We were surprised at just how well Philips new Aurea (Europe only for now though probably US next year) looks in video. One part beautiful, one part hideous, it’s an innovative product that will be perfect for a specific chunk of the market with the decor to support it (seriously, picture it next to a cement goose and twig wreath). But I think that the glowing itself works quite well. And if the frame is turned off, you quickly panic, wondering what evil force has cursed your viewing experience.
In this video, Philips Marketing Director Marc Harmsen walks us through their new product while we show plenty of action. More »
Philips’ official unveiling of their new Aurea line pulled out all the stops. From dancing to models to a new, very colorful/melodramatic short by filmmaker Wong Kar Wai—it was big. Here are the specs:
The displays themselves will be 1080p, 100Hz (likely 120Hz when these sets come Stateside), have a 3ms response time, come in 42-inch sizes, and use their Perfect Pixel HD Engine. In addition, there’s “four trillion colors” and three HDMI 1.3 inputs. On the audio side, it has 26 speakers embedded inside, in a combination of 24 front mini drivers and 2 subwoofer/mid speaker boxes. As far as contrast and brightness goes, it’s a 550cd/m2 display with a true and dynamic contrast ratio of 1200/8000 to one. That’s the kind of contrast and brightness LCDs saw a few years ago, but the videophiles do still hold strong to the credo that accuracy of color is more critical than blinding lights. (My hunch says that consumers at BestBuy say differently, opting for the most powerful pictures, generally.) No price yet, but available September in Europe, but only in a 42-inch version. More »
I’ve already been bollocked by someone for not having hawt chicks fondling the Samsung Printers that we showed off earlier. So, BigNaz2K, is this lay-dee from Philips’ Aurea campaign, photographed by Vincent Peters, good enough for you? There’s another after the jump. More »
