Philips, Funai Launch New Eco LCD Lines and BD Players
Sleek designs and new features in Philips for 2009
January 10, 2009 By Grant ClauserThe flagship line of TVs is the 7000 series are marked by improved styling, notably a much thinner bezel (45-percent thinner than last year). A distinct acrylic flare around the exterior is a deep smoke gray. Picture quality features include 120Hz processing, 2ms response time and the company’s Picture Perfect HD processing. The 7000 series will begin with a 32-inch model at $899 and range up to a 47-inch model for $2,299.
The next tier of TVs is the 5000 series followed by entry-level 3000 series which includes 19-, 22-, 37-, 42-, 47-, and 52-inch models. The 47- and 52-inch models are Philips designs while the smaller models are Funai designs.
The EcoTVs (5000 and 7000 series) are designed with a proprietary dimming technology that is designed to lower the LCD panel backlight to reduce power consumption without compromising the picture quality. A built-in light sensor automatically measures the viewing room's ambient lighting and adjusts the television's backlight for power efficiency.
In Blu-ray, there are two new stand-alone players, both BD-live-enabled. The BDP5010, will ship with an SD card slot for BD Live features, but no on-board memory. It will go for $249. The BDP7310 will include 1 GB of memory plus a card slot for extra memory. It also includes 7.1 analog audio outputs and decoding of all major HD audio formats. It will go for $299. A Blu-ray home theater system, the HTS5100B, includes a BD player/receiver plus five satellites and a subwoofer for $599.
Also shown was a 42-inch Magnavox LCD TV with a built-in Blu-ray players. That product, the 42MD459B will be profile 1.1 only. It’s expected to be available this year for under $1,400.
