Digital Trends

Philips Electronics in mid-June held their annual mid-year product review in which they showed off previously launched or upcoming consumer electronics and other products for the 2006 holiday season. Amongst the gaggle of portable media players, micro systems, DVD players, digital photo frames, home theater systems, remote controls and televisions, we’ve picked out what we feel are some of the top Philips products for the remainder of the year.

Streamium Wireless Music Center (WACS4500):

Philips’ newest wireless music center is the WACS4500. Priced at $499 and available in October, the WACS4500 sports an 80GB hard drive and, through the use of up to four wireless adapters, wirelessly streams music throughout the home. The WACS4500 is PlaysForSure compatible and capable of ripping up to 1,500 CDs worth of music directly to its hard drive. It is designed to integrate with existing home stereo equipment and comes with a remote which displays music information on its screen.

Philips WACS4500

Ambilight Full Surround 42” LCD TV (42PF9831D):

Some new technology tricks up Philips’ sleeve in the realm of television include Ambilight, ClearLCD and Pixel Plus 3HD. Ambilight essentially analyses in real time incoming television signals and then projects lighting onto the wall behind the set, surrounding the viewing environment in color which matches what is on the TV. Philips feels this new enhancement (1) offers stress relief on the eyes, (2) eliminates the need for additional lighting while watching TV and (3) draws the viewer into the on-screen action. ClearLCD, meanwhile, reportedly delivers HD picture quality plus a 170-degree viewing angle and motion sharpness, while Pixel Plus 3HD alters pixels of an incoming picture to match surrounding pixels, resulting in reportedly more natural skin tones and lifelike details.

One example of these new TV technologies in action is Philips’ new top of the line 42PF9831D. This 42” LCD, available this month for $3,999, makes use of all three technologies. This is especially true with the Ambilight, of which this television projects on all four sides of the screen onto a built-in canvas to create an art like video viewing experience. In addition to all of this, the 42PF9831D also sports two HDMI ports, USB ports, a seven-on-one media card reader and a CableCard slot.

Philips Ambilight 42PF9831D

Portable Media Center (PMC7230):

Philips’ entry into the not very successful Windows Portable Media Center world is the PMC7230. Priced at $349.99 and available in September, the PMC7230 has a 30GB hard drive which can store up to 15,000 songs, five hours of video or 8,400 digital images. This device, which sports a 3.5” LCD screen, is capable of recording selected video in MPEG-4 format from compatible devices. It is also PlaysForSure compatible, meaning it will work with rented and purchased audio and video content from a variety of online subscription services.

Philips PMC7230 PMC