Philips unveils home, personal audio products, LCD TV

Philips today introduced several new home and personal audio products, also a new line of LCD TVs. Pairing up with RealNetworks, the company’s new Streamium NP1100 relies on the 4.5 million track collection offered by Real’s Rhapsody network, as well as internet radio, and PC music libraries to bring audio to the home environment. The device uses a black and white display to show track information, and has a built-in WiFi receiver to connect with users’ home wireless networks. Philips expects to ship the NP1100 in May for $150.

Accompanying the home player system are the GoGear portable music players ($110 - $200), which will also draw from RealNetworks’ Rhapsody service. Available in eight configurations, which come in 4GB and 8GB sizes, along with different sized screens, two of the variants will also include Bluetooth connectivity. Shipping times of the various models range from today to the second quarter of 2008.

The FlatTV 7000 series ($1700 - $2800) LCDs range from 19- to 52-inches diagonally, and feature a 120Hz refresh rate to improve image quality. Speaker grills are absent from the front of the units, instead opting for rear-firing drivers that use an acrylic flare to bounce the sound forward; in addition, a wOOx subwoofer enhances bass.

HD Digital Natural Motion technology cleans up digital artifacts resident in the video, and some of the models feature LED Ambilight, which adjusts lighting behind the TV to provide better ambient light for viewing. Phillips includes a setup assistant to help with tasks such as screen calibration, while four HDMI inputs are available to connect devices. The FlatTV 7000 series will ship between March and May.