Amsterdam, the Netherlands, Sep 08, 2006 - Philips is continuing to help drive the high definition viewing experience in Europe with the introduction in the coming months of more products that will bring HD to stunning life. The latest range of HD-ready FlatTVs, HD set-top boxes for leading European broadcasters and operators, plus Blu-ray Disc products will add up to offering consumers the best possible home entertainment viewing experience.
Philips’ high definition promise starts right at the cutting edge of display technologies. With 90 percent of the latest Philips Flat TV sets able to display content from high definition sources, Philips has developed technologies that guarantee top-notch viewing. Philips Ambilight backlight creates an immersive viewing experience through a revolutionary ambient lighting technology, which matches the color and brightness in the images being displayed on the television’s screen. Pixel Plus 3HD processing technology dramatically improves picture quality for razor-sharp, judder-free images. When watching high definition broadcasts, innovations like these allow for a truly immersive, stunning visual experience, bringing viewers closer to the action than ever before.
Broadcast cooperation
Philips has helped drive the rollout of HD transmissions to European homes via cooperation with top European broadcasters – in both cable and satellite. Philips undertakes extensive interoperability testing in order to ensure that its set-top boxes will work seamlessly with any HD set-up. These tests are currently being finalized and viewers in Germany, France and the Netherlands will soon be enjoying HD content through Philips set-top boxes. Philips is continuing to develop solid relationships with European broadcasters and operators, as well as leading advances in other areas of HD content distribution such as via IPTV, ensuring that the benefits of high definition will become accessible to as many European viewers as possible.
2006 is also seeing the launch of Blu-ray Disc, the next generation storage platform for HD playback of video content. Blu-ray Disc - supported by the broadest number of cross-industry companies including most of the major movie studios and content providers - provides consumers with HD content in unmatched quality. Philips Blu-ray Disc players, writers and media will allow consumers to take advantage of this technological breakthrough, giving them enough storage for up to nine hours of HD content per disc.
Philips has also been very active in educating and promoting awareness of HDTV among consumers. The 2006 FIFA World Cup Germany ™ was an astounding success for showcasing HDTV to the masses, with all 64 matches broadcast in HD. As an official sponsor of the event, Philips Fan Fest sites allowed a staggering 18 million people to enjoy the games on giant Philips screens in all 12 German host cities, showcasing Philips TV technology to the masses.
“For consumers, the foundations for a great HD experience are now firmly in place”, said Lucas Covers, Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, Philips Consumer Electronics. “Our technological innovations in displays and set-top boxes, as well as in the development of the Blu-ray Disc format, are equipping viewers with the latest HD hardware, while our relationships with broadcasters and operators are making sure viewers have access to an increasing amount of HD content. It’s an exciting time for consumers, and Philips is proud to be part of taking television viewing to the next level.”
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