By Matthew Henry

SYDNEY: Philips has officially launched the flagship 42-inch 1080p Aurea LCD TV first shown earlier this month at the annual IFA show in Berlin, which will retail in Australia for $5,999.

Featuring the most arresting version of Philips’ patented Ambilight technology to date, the Aurea will be arriving in the second half of the November.

The Aurea system sees hundreds of coloured LED lights embedded within the translucent white TV bezel, which adapt to the colours displayed on the screen to present a multi-coloured lighting effect coming out of the TV and projecting onto the wall behind the set.

Although stock of the range has been hard to secure for Philips Australia, the company today confirmed it has secured a sizeable shipment for the local market.

Philips will also launch a new range of standard 1080p models with piano black bezels and Ambilight 2, which adds a halo of light behind the screen through rear-mounted lighting panels.

“In addition to adding total immersion to the viewing experience, the new Philips Ambilight flat TVs are also more energy efficient than the previous range, made possible by the innovative LED light source,” said Philips product marketing manager, Muir Keir.

“By being full HD ready, these TVs ensure consumers can experience HD content in 1080p resolution through a variety of sources including HDTV broadcasts such as the Rugby World Cup, gaming consoles, Blu-ray Disc players and media centre PCs.”

The new models see the introduction of the Pixel Perfect HD Engine image processor, which Philips says has 10 times the power of its predecessor and is capable of handling 248 million pixels per second.

Pixel Perfect HD is designed to manage the massive amount of extra information in a full HD 1080p signal, enhancing it for a shaper detail and smoother motion.

Philips will also introduce two new 32-inch LCDs with XGA resolution and a full HD 52-inch LCD (RRP $6,999) next month.

The company no longer supplies plasma to the Australian market and will focus on LCd technology, which it invests in globally in terms of panel manufacturing.

All new LCDs will be sold through Philips’ usual channels including Harvey Norman, Domayne and Bing Lee, however, distribution the flagship Aurea series will be more tighly controlled as the sets will need specialist merchandising.

Philips will launch the range at a Sydney event for its dealers this evening.