Each new Aurea will be bundled with this pod-style slider that we're only telling you about because it's a bit different than most. When closed, it's reminiscent of a first-gen iPod. When open, it feels like a cellphone aimed at tweens. And that ball at the top? No, that's not a speaker intended for your ear. It's the power button.

So we're gonna need a modder to dig into this thing with some Skype hardware or at least our MP3 collection from 2001—shouldn't be hard, it's basically a 4-hour loop of Lady Marmalade. [Philips]

Lindsay's bedroom walls are a dark chocolate, but she was prepared to paint one wall a paler color (taupe was, I think, the word she used) to mount the Aurea on. Being an old-fashioned girl, I don't have a TV in my bedroom, I prefer to play with my Action Man figures in peace but, after seeing it in the flesh, I could imagine an Aurea going up on the wall there.

The other thing Lindsay said was that she and her boyfriend argued about the Ambilight TV they already had. Whereas she said yes to soft mood color changes and less eye-strain, he was not so keen on it. I guess a lot of coin-flipping goes on in that household.

In this video, Philips Marketing Director Marc Harmsen walks us through their new product while we show plenty of action.

The displays themselves will be 1080p, 100Hz (likely 120Hz when these sets come Stateside), have a 3ms response time, come in 42-inch sizes, and use their Perfect Pixel HD Engine. In addition, there's "four trillion colors" and three HDMI 1.3 inputs. On the audio side, it has 26 speakers embedded inside, in a combination of 24 front mini drivers and 2 subwoofer/mid speaker boxes. As far as contrast and brightness goes, it's a 550cd/m2 display with a true and dynamic contrast ratio of 1200/8000 to one. That's the kind of contrast and brightness LCDs saw a few years ago, but the videophiles do still hold strong to the credo that accuracy of color is more critical than blinding lights. (My hunch says that consumers at BestBuy say differently, opting for the most powerful pictures, generally.) No price yet, but available September in Europe, but only in a 42-inch version.

The ambilight frames in Philips TVs used to use CCFLs behind the bezel; this set uses 126 LEDs inside of the bezel, which is semi-translucent, for a supposedly more seamless glow effect. Seems like a trick, but those who know Ambilight do appreciate its ability to reduce eyestrain and make things like ocean and jungle scenes seem to end far beyond the edges of the panel's 1080p pixel count.

Have these LCDs improved in visual quality? Judging from the specs and history, it is unlikely that it can pace a new Samsung or Sharp, but we'll have to wait for reviews.
The gallery is definitely worth a click-thru if you are interested in Philips, Goddard films, the Aurea or mammary glands. And more on most of those topics to come.

[Philips via Webwire]

To minimize visible speaker components, the Aurea uses 26 tiny drivers as opposed to larger speakers. Offering 1080p resolution with 8000:1 dynamic contrast and increased refresh rates, the 42" 42PFL9900D will cost a pants-dropping $6895 when it's released in September. And while our source for the story calls the image good, it's not the best they've seen.

So yes, you will be paying a premium for glowy LEDs, but that's not news to anyone, right? The Aurea will be on display at IFA later this month, so we'll give you full impressions then.

[tuexperto via technabob]