Philips reinvents television viewing with the launch of Aurea at IFA 2007

Philips is to redefine the home entertainment experience with the launch at IFA 2007 as the centerpiece of Philips' 2007 consumer electronics lineup, a totally unique television - Aurea.

The Aurea experience is like stepping through a window into a different world, as scenes radiate an aura of light and color beyond the frame. The result creates an immersive, ambient viewing experience.

Aurea builds on Philips' 11-year leadership in flat television technology and represents the next generation of Philips Ambilight FlatTV. It applies the latest advances in Philips TV technology - including a new, LED-based Ambilight system, discreet speakers and the Perfect Pixel HD Engine picture quality platform - into an ultra-modern, minimalist design.

Aurea, which goes on sale in Europe next month, will be supported by an innovative marketing campaign, under the theme Seduction By Light. The campaign will feature exclusive images taken by top Vogue fashion photographer Vincent Peters, and the dresses used in the Aurea imagery are designed by Alber Elbaz of Lanvin.

A key milestone moment in the campaign will be the world premiere at IFA of "There is only one Sun", a short film made exclusively for Philips by acclaimed director Wong Kar Wei, the jury president of the 2006 Cannes Film Festival. Inspired by the concept of seduction by light, the short film will be shown exclusively on Aurea televisions where light and color will be brought to life in an unparalleled, highly visual and immersive fashion.

Starring Amelie Daure, an up-and-coming French actress who has starred in various French films including Les Tremblements Lointains, the film is about love, seduction, light and color; it follows the story of a secret agent, who has been given the mission to find a man, mysteriously known as 'Light'. Her search for this elusive 'Light' ends up with her falling in love with him. In fact she falls in love the first moment she sets eyes on him on the Aurea screen. His probable betrayal forces her to eliminate him, but his memory lives on for her, glowing forever on the Aurea.

"The launch of Aurea here at IFA today represents a major step forward in consumer electronics," says Rudy Provoost, Executive Vice-President, Royal Philips Electronics and Chief Executive Officer, Philips Consumer Electronics. "Product launches at past IFAs have been about simply presenting the next new technology. With Aurea, we are introducing a new consumer experience - one which brings together emotion, desire, technology, unique design and a profound application of consumer lifestyle thinking."

Next generation Ambilight:

• Taking Philips Ambilight technology to the next level, Aurea comprises a revolutionary Active Frame, breaking the conventions of television viewing by closely enveloping the picture with an ever changing glow of light that perfectly matches the colors on the screen, extending the picture with a soft, soothing halo
• Active Frame creates a vibrant experience surrounding the screen and immersing viewers deeply into the viewing and entertainment experience
• Aurea uses LED lighting technology to illuminate a full spectrum of colors
• The sleek remote control offers three dedicated light keys for effortless control the Aurea effect (amount of brightness/immersion), switching the levels from off to relaxed to dynamic

Aurea lighting system:

• The construction of the Aurea light system is one of a kind and a technological innovation in that it uses light to expend the picture beyond its 42-inch screen
• Aurea's light sources consist of Power LEDs (each one LED triplet RGB) which are mounted on a metal sub-carrier structure for efficient cooling
• The light of each LED is divided in two streams - one directed into the diffuser box towards the front where it emits light through the active frame and the second stream deflects light toward the back diffuser casting a soft glow of light on the wall for a completely immersive experience

Visually captivating:

• Aurea is exclusively available in a 42-inch model and features a full High Definition, LCD panel to display images in cinematic, life-like quality
• Provides viewers with a 1080p viewing experience with more than 6.2 million RGB pixels
• For additional image enhancement and processing, Aurea uses Philips proprietary Perfect Pixel HD Engine ensuring superb image quality
• Aurea operates Philips 100 Hz Clear LCD with 3ms response time for an enhanced viewing experience removing blurry images in real time
• HD - Natural Motion analyzes the incoming signal and improves it to remove motion jutter, ensuring sharp, fluid movements

Invisible surround sound experience:

• Aurea features an invisible sound system that blends seamlessly with the design of the iconic FlatTV
• Delivering a best-in-class sound performance, the invisible speaker system, which is fully integrated into the rim of the Aurea, uses 2 arrays of 12 invisible firing front drivers and, 2 subwoofer/mid speaker boxes in the bottom of the TV combined for 26 speakers

Connecting the future of entertainment:

• Offering 3 HDMI connections, Aurea is capable of connecting multiple digital HD devices
• For further convenience, Aurea features USB connectivity, 2 Scart connections and YPbPr

A revolutionary design for any environment:

• Aurea is contemporary technology and design, with a sense of timelessness to suit any décor
• Aurea not only represents the future in visual entertainment, but is an iconic design piece that will change the way consumers view home entertainment devices
• When switched off, Aurea is a naturally elegant addition to the home environment with its clean, white geometric casing

Source: Philips