Philips has entered its hat into the 4K TV ring with its new 9000 series Ambilight UHD TVs. Unveiled this week at IFA in Berlin, the TVs will be available in both 84-inch and 65-inch models and will offer three-sided Ambilight backgrounds to light up your living room, while their 3840×2160 pixel screens light up your retinas.
Arriving unfashionably late to the 4K party, Philips is hoping to make some waves with the help of its vivid Ambilight display systems, which correspond with the colors on the screen via an array of LEDs lining the side and top panels of the TVs. If Ambilight sounds vaguely familiar, that’s because it’s been around since 2004. The system has made several evolutions since then, but has never really caught on in the mainstream — much like the rest of Philips’ TV lineup as of late.
Aside from Ambilight, the TVs are also 3D-capable and include Philips’ Smart TV platform, which will support the company’s brand new Cloud TV, and Cloud Explorer services. Pricing for the TVs has been listed at €15,000 (about $19,800) for the 84-inch 84PFL9708, and €5,000 (about $6,600) for the 65-inch 65PFL9708, which puts them in a tough position thanks to recent price reductions from 4K industry leaders Samsung and Sony.
While the new 9000 series is Philips’ first dip into the 4K HDTV waters, the TVs may just be the company’s last chance to make an impact with its Ambilight system, so it should be interesting to see what kind of reception the gleaming panels get in the coming days.
The TVs are currently available only in Russia and the UK. No word yet on when/if they will arrive in the U.S.
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