Philips' new LCD TVs - low standby power, high resolution

Consumer electronics royalty Philips has joined the Olympics fray with a slew of new LCD televisions and is using concerns over the environment to eke out an advantage. The company’s rather axiomatically named ‘FlatTV’ range of, er, flat TVs, will only suck up 0.15 watts of power when left on standby – about half that used by competitors’ models, it claims.

Philips emphasises that its new sets are all made in Europe, with the entry-level 5000 series incorporating an XGA 81 cm (32 inch) model and a 106 cm (42 inch) full HD model. The step-up 7000 series offers ‘invisible sound’ (is there another kind?) and comprises a 81 cm (32 inch), 106 cm (42 inch), and 119 cm (47 inch) model; the latter two both being full HD 1080p. The 7000 models also use HDMI 1.3a, four HDMI inputs and, best of all, a rapid 3ms response rate.

Rounding off the new range, the full HD 9000 series TVs come with a bunch of technology Philips modestly describes as ‘Perfect’, starting at $3,299 for the 42 inch model, $3,999 for the 47 inch and $5,299 for the 52 (134 cm) incher, due in September.