Greg Tarr On Jan 28 2013 - 1:00am

P&F Unveils Philips Connected TV Lineup At CES

LAS VEGAS – P&F USA traveled to International CES to introduce its latest LCD TV lineup, which this year takes smart-TV connectivity to the next level.

The company introduced five Philips-branded TV model series for 2013, with screen sizes ranging from 22 to 55 inches, and options for both non-connected sets and those incorporating P&F’s NetTV Cloud TV service.

Model series include the 3908, 4508, 4708, 4908 and 5907. Also this year, Philips will transition more entry models to direct LED backlighting, but will continue to have a few CCFL-backlit SKUs to provide strategic price points.

Among the new services on P&F’s connected sets for 2013 is Portico, which is a free service portal from Net2TV that provides access to several new channels of programming, including WSJ Live from The Wall Street Journal, Popular Science, Discovery’s Revision and Chow.com.

Portico is found on the Philips NetTV home screen and presents a number of free streaming service options, including the Chow.com channel providing cooking tips, recipes and stories about people in the world of food. Portico Hollywood is a channel providing gossip and celebrity news.

The WSJ Live channel from The Wall Street Journal features the latest technology news updated several times per day. Also offered is Discovery’s Revision and Popular Science, a Bonnier magazine that provides video features on science and technology.

The top-of-the-line Philips 5907 TV series includes the 42-, 46-, 50- and 55-inch screen sizes. All will have 240Hz refresh rates, Pixel Precise HD video processing, LED edge lighting, and low-profile bezel designs allowing for an average trim thickness of about 12mm. Pricing and availability dates will be announced later.

The 5907-series models offer expanded Media Connect capability with built-in Wi-Fi and four HDMI inputs.

The 4908 series offers models in the 29-, 32-, 39- and 40-inch screen sizes. Models will ship in the January, February and March at prices to be announced.

Key features for the series include 120Hz refresh rates, Philips Pixel Plus HD video-processing circuitry, Media Connect with built-in Wi-Fi and three HDMI inputs.

The 4708 series will feature the 39- and 40- inch screen sizes, which are both scheduled to ship in February at prices to be announced. Key features include 60Hz refresh rates, Digital Crystal Clear video processing, and three HDMI ports. The sets will not include connectivity or smart-connectivity functions.

The 4508-series models slated to ship this month include the 24- and 32-inch screen sizes, both with Digital Crystal Clear processing, no smart-TV connectivity and 60Hz refresh rates.

The 3908-series models will ship in February and include the 50-inch screen size with Media Connect and Wi-Fi, 120Hz refresh rate, Pixel Plus HD video processing and three HDMI inputs.

For the first time, P&F introduced a line of Philips-branded DLP-based pico projectors, including the Philips PicoPix 2480 ($449 suggested retail). The model includes LED lighting with 100 ANSI lumens of brightness, five hours of battery life per charge, and a tripod screw socket.

Other PicoPix models include the 2055 with 50 lumens of brightness, and the 2330 and the 2340 with 40 lumens of output.

In Blu-ray Disc players, P&F is offering three Philips-branded models, including the 2000 ($88 suggested retail), the 2105 ($99), and 2185 ($129) adding 3D capability.