Philips

Blu-ray had a troubled gestation, with the format war against HD DVD slowing its development, PC-like problems with partially-finished profiles on early models, and buyers understandably reluctant to fork out on a player while the format’s interactive standards were still evolving. Those days should now be past, with HD DVD consigned to history, BD Profile 1 and Profile 1.1 receding memories, and the bliss of Profile 2.0 users disturbed only by the gnashing of teeth and regretful wailing of early adopters.

Yet while it’s now very difficult to find a Blu-ray player which is actively ‘bad’ – the requirements of BD and HD are such that anything that meets spec is pretty much guaranteed to give you acceptable picture and sound performance – there are still plenty of areas where players can differ, including file format support, disc loading times, styling and build, general usability and AVR compatibility. let’s see how they compare...

First published in Home Cinema Choice 175

You can also download the pdf here

Revolutionary advances in TV technology are few and far between. The industry generally favours evolutionary steps – as recently illustrated with LED backlighting and faster refresh rates (up to 200Hz on some LCD TVs). But every so often along comes a product that causes you to step back and think ‘Wow!’

The Philips Cinema 21:9 is just such a game-changer. Could it be the most significant display to be launched since the advent of widescreen? It’s not exactly hard to see what’s different about the Philips Cinema 21:9 (or, to use its more cumbersome designation, the 56PFL9954H). It is, quite simply, staring you in the face… And it’s not three-way Ambilight...

First published in Home Cinema Choice 171

You can also download the pdf here

It’s easy to be cynical about Philips’ Aurea TVs. After all, shouldn’t a TV be more about picture and sound quality than having loads of brightly-coloured flashing lights around its edges? Isn’t the Aurea Light Frame technology merely a marketing trick designed to get the Philips brand more attention at trade shows and appearances on This Morning?  read more »

Philips' Cinema 21:9 is a bold attempt to do something new in home entertainment and HCC has got its hands on one a full three weeks before the UK launch date.

But what's the picture like and is it the right time to unleash such a unique proposition? 'The world’s first truly cinematic TV' shows widescreen movies without black bars, but comes at a credit-crunching £4,500 price.  read more »

The humble 32in LCD TV is evolving. No longer does this screen size represent the purely functional end of the TV market. The latest models sport cutting-edge tech, like integrated hard drive recorders, multimedia connectivity, advanced picture processing and detail-tastic Full HD glass. Consequently, there's never been a better time to buy a new TV and, even if you've already made the leap to 'home thinema', these models will leave you hankering for an upgrade. To help you decide, we've rounded up five of the most exciting new 32in LCDs on the market. But which will be your next-generation flatscreen of choice?

First published in Home Cinema Choice 163

You can also download the pdf here

First reviewed in HCC 162

Rating 4/5

Price: £1,900

First reviewed in HCC 162

Rating 4/5

Price: £600

First reviewed in HCC 160

Rating 4/5

Price: £1,700

This new LCD screen from Ambilight advocate Philips boasts the sort of design flourishes you’d expect from a top-of-the-range HDTV: the 42in screen is surrounded by a narrow gloss black frame and transparent plastic lip; the glass tabletop stand is slightly angled forward to give it a sense of poise; and push the power switch and two LED backlights kick into life, bathing the wall behind the TV in dynamic colours that instantly shift to replicate the tone of whatever’s on screen at the time. So it might surprise you to learn that this is merely a mid-range model in Philips’ new television range – one that’s available for well under £1,000.  read more »

First reviewed in HCC 153

Rating 4/5

Price: £1700

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