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Philips Picture-Perfect Widescreen Digital Televisions Unveiled
Philips Expands Digital TV Line With Seven New Models
The combination of cutting-edge technology, features and innovation has taken television watching to new levels and Philips Consumer Electronics continues to be a driving force this progress. At this yearís CES, Philips showcased new digital widescreen television sets in a variety of types and sizes to meet the preferences of an array of consumers from standard TV watchers to home theater enthusiasts. ""As a worldwide leader in widescreen technology, Philips Consumer Electronics is proud to offer an extensive range of widescreen digital television products,"" said Mike Leese, Vice President, General Manager, Super Large Display TV, Philips Consumer Electronics. ""As consumers learn more about the new television possibilities, they realize what a striking difference the widescreen format makes, and how amazing digital television is. We are committed to providing consumers with these new options, along with the flexibility and convenience they need to build long-lasting home theatres."" The Expansion Of Digital Offerings Adding even more variety to its line of digital televisions, Philips introduces five new widescreen HD-ready televisions this fall. With three direct view models and two rear projection models, consumers have an array of digital television choices in a widescreen format that offers a more realistic home cinema experience than ever before. All of the HD-ready sets are compromised of a high definition display that can support the 1080i high definition format when connected to a digital set-top box. As a result, they are an investment for consumers into the digital future because they can receive and display digital signals. The two widescreen HD-ready rear projection televisions, the 55-inch (55PP9701) and the 60-inch (60PP9701), offer a cinema-like experience with a sharp picture, excellent sound and a multitude of features than enhance the home cinema experience. Priced at $5,000 and $5,500 respectively, the video displays feature a dynamic picture and a powerful 4 speaker set with 2 X 20-watt amplifiers. The sets also contain four widescreen format conversion modes. Automatic phosphor aging compensation (APAC) is also included to ensure easy playback of both widescreen and standard programming. In addition, side and rear connection panel add convenience for connecting peripheral home theatre technology including DVD-Video, digital set top boxes and audio equipment. For those consumers who desire a conventional 4:3 aspect ratio, Philips also has introduced the 60PP9601 HD-ready rear projection set, priced at $4,200. The new direct view digital widescreen televisions, the 34-inch (34PW9815) and the 30-inch (30PW9815), feature a Real Flat picture tube and an undistorted, crisp, reflection-free picture when received any type or quality of source. The products build upon this outstanding viewing experience with progressive scan line doubling, 3D surround sound and digital zoom with a cursor movable zoom window. Conventional features on these direct view models include active control with ambient light sensor, providing continuous picture analysis, and an intuitive Navitrack Graphic User Interface allowing easy set control through ""most used"" features and ""daily menus."" The 34""set is priced at $4,000 and the 30-inch will sell for $3,000. The Newest In High Definition In addition to a new version of its dynamic widescreen 64-inch rear projection HDTV, Philips also offers a new 34-inch integrated direct view HDTV (34PH9915) for $5000. With state-of-the art audio and video features such as Real Flat picture tube technology, progressive scan line doubling, Gemstar Guide Plus+ô and built-in DolbyÆ Digital decoding, Philips newest widescreen direct view HDTV offers the ultimate digital TV experience in a smaller-size set that fits nicely into any living room environment. The new Philips 64-inch HDTV is available in select retail stores nationwide for a suggested retail price of $9,990. About Philips Royal Philips Electronics of Netherlands is one of the worldís biggest electronics companies and Europeís largest, with sales of US$ 33.9 billion in 1998. It is a global leader in color television sets, lighting, electrical shavers, color picture tubes for televisions and monitors, and one-chip TV products. Its 230,700 employees in more than 60 countries are active in the areas of lighting, consumer electronics, domestic appliances, components, semiconductors, medical systems, business electronics, and IT services (Origin). Philips is quoted on the NYSE, London, Frankfurt, Amsterdam and other stock exchanges.