Each new Aurea will be bundled with this pod-style slider that we’re only telling you about because it’s a bit different than most. When closed, it’s reminiscent of a first-gen iPod. When open, it feels like a mobile phone aimed at tweens. And that ball at the top? No, that’s not a speaker intended for your ear. It’s the power button.

So we’re gonna need a modder to dig into this thing with some Skype hardware or at least our MP3 collection from 2001—shouldn’t be hard, it’s basically a 4-hour loop of Lady Marmalade. [Philips]

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]

The other thing Lindsay said was that she and her boyfriend argued about the Ambilight TV they already had. Whereas she said yes to soft mood color changes and less eye-strain, he was not so keen on it. I guess a lot of coin-flipping goes on in that household.

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.

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.The ambilight frames in Philips TVs used to use CCFLs behind the bezel; this set uses 126 LEDs inside of the bezel, which is semi-translucent, for a supposedly more seamless glow effect. Seems like a trick, but those who know Ambilight do appreciate its ability to reduce eyestrain and make things like ocean and jungle scenes seem to end far beyond the edges of the panel’s 1080p pixel count.

Have these LCDs improved in visual quality? Judging from the specs and history, it is unlikely that it can pace a new Samsung or Sharp, but we’ll have to wait for reviews.
The gallery is definitely worth a click-thru if you are interested in Philips, Goddard films, the Aurea or mammary glands. And more on most of those topics to come.

[Philips via Webwire]