Flat TV or Not TV

I went to Bali recently to hear the latest in rave music. And to listen to a mini-concert by Ivan Fisher with the Budapest Orchestra. Both were ear-filling, sharp and precise, I could feel almost every percussion sound. I also watched segments of The Fifth Element on the biggest clearest, flattest television screen I have ever seen. A movie trip complete with a bag of popcorn.

No, Bali certainly wasn’t a nature-tripping experience, not this time anyway, for I was there to attend the 4th Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa Media Conference organized by Philips for about a hundred journalists from 15 countries.

Amid the pristine beauty of the Sheraton Nusa Indah Resort at the Nusa Dua Beach, media people were treated to a view of the latest in cutting-edge technology – a wowful of gadgets looking oh so futuristic and so amazing.

Philips’ newest gadgets were showcased in four rooms – one each for TV, audio, personal computers/mobile phones, and video/home theater. Each room offered a peek into future technology, but for this writer who usually relaxes after presswork by watching TV from midnight to early morning, the TV room was the most exciting.

Flat TV or not TV – that was clearly the question on our minds, largely a rhetorical one, as we saw all the latest flat televisions by Philips. Soon all non-flat televisions will be passe and extinct. What is very now is Philips’ latest line of TVs, so chic and sleek with their silver or ivory or lavender cases (read: black TV is out), blending well in today’s modern interiors.

"It is Philips’ aim to make watching television feel much more like a trip to the cinema," so states a Philips catalogue. It didn’t sound like an empty boast as we compared for ourselves the top three or four TV brands in the world with their frames and identifiable logos covered. The set with nary a flicker turned out to be – what else but Philips!

Philips’ 29-inch Matchline Real Flat TV features 100 Hz Digital Scan which makes TV picture as stable as a slide and more relaxing for our eyes. The explanation is simple: "In ordinary TV sets whose screens pulse at 50 Hz per second, a field (half image) is scanned 50 times per second – at a frequency that is detectable by the human eye in the form of a flickering picture.

"The 100 Hz digital image processing technology – a Philips invention – eliminates the visible field flicker for relaxed viewing without eyestrain. The 100 Hz Digital Scan by Philips eliminates line flicker and even the finest detail flicker."

Philips’ Real Flat televisions come in 21", 29", 34", 36" and 42" screens. But there is also the 43" Projection TV with super bright and ultra high contrast screen. It uses the MagnaBrite Lens System to achieve more consistent edge-to-edge brightness and contrast with a dramatically reduced focal length resulting in well-defined large screen images. Matching this is the Virtual Dolby Surround that brings a highly realistic, cinema-style listening experience.

Tony Lim of Singapore, Philips’ country manager in the Philippines, notes that while the small-screen TVs are the most popular in this country, the 29" inch is the top-seller in China. Worldwide, Philips is no. 1 in flat TV, no. 1 in CD-RCRs (portables and boomboxes), and no. 1 in color TV – TV video combination in Europe and Latin America, no. 1 in VCR and set top boxes in Europe, and no. 1 in monitors globally except US and Canada. Frans Van Houten, executive vice president, Philips Consumer Electronics Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa, reports that Philips’ sales in 2000 reached 37.9 billion Euro.

At the Bali conference, Philips proudly revealed the awards it has won the past years. The European Imaging and Sound Association voted Philips’ 42" unit as the "Flat TV System of the Year" for the last two years, noting its "astonishing quality in both sound and picture." Philips’ 42" Flat TV won the "Best Design in Plasma Display" at the 2000 Industrié Forum Design Awards. It was cited for its ergonomic design, advanced performance, selectable frame colors and environmentally friendly production technique.

Philips’ 36" Wide Screen TV was awarded by the leading German audio-visual magazine Video Das Testmagazin as the champion in an extensive product comparison with other leading brands. Philips TV won the most points and merited an "A" grading for its overwhelming performance. The judges noted that Philips’ 100 Hz Digital Natural Motion Technology "reproduces fast movements in a fluent way and eliminates picture imperfections," resulting in a razor-sharp picture.

Philips’ 29" Flat TV likewise won first place in a test conducted in Singapore in August 2000, for its outstanding video experience, again largely due to Philips’ 100 Hz Digital Natural Motion Technology or DNM. The brain behind DNM is a little gadget called the Advanced Falconic Chip, which intelligently computes the motion of objects, using the processing power of 40 PC chips put together.

Speaking of feats, Philips is credited for the following inventions:

• CD technology. And now it lets you record from CD to CD, and allows you to personalize your CDs with the Philips CD Recorder.

• Digital recording at its best with the DVD with recording capability – DVD+RW. The latest will be launched in September. Compatible with other electronics and PC platforms, this can record TV shows and camcorder recordings. Discs recorded on DVD+RW can be played on any DVD player.

• Light frame – A computer monitor with TV quality, giving a brighter and sharper image

• Voice dialing in mobile phones was introduced by Philips in 1997. Voice command is a standard feature by Philips

• Intelligent remote control. Called Pronto, it works on every brand and every infrared product in the world.

"Let’s make things better" is Philips’ motto which it has taken seriously for the past 115 years. This Dutch company, one of the world’s top three consumer electronics companies, is dedicated "to shaping and improving people’s lives around the world via products that derive from the convergence of digital technologies."

Philips is a global leader in color TV, lighting, electronic shavers, color picture tubes for television and monitors, and one-chip TV products. It designs and makes personal communication products including digital and analog cellular and cordless phones and corded phones. It also delivers faxes and business communications solutions for hospitals, hotels and financial institutions. Philips is also active in the broadcasting, Internet and video industry, having partnerships with the world’s biggest entertainment, information and Internet service providers, satellite, terrestrial and interactive cable networks.

With the Netherlands as its homebase, Philips has manufacturing sites in 13 countries, making it Europe’s largest electronics company.

Audiophiles will hear and feel the difference, as we did during the conference, in the 2001 range of Philips mini and micro systems. Thanks to w00x technology – a revolutionary new sound concept invented and patented by Philips.

For video buffs, Philips’ new top-of-the-line DVD-Vide player, the DVD 1010, uses the same state-of-the-art features on Philips’ high-end TV sets, including the Digital Natural Motion and Active Control.

The latter ensures constantly high picture quality, automatically correcting the noise reduction, sharpness, contrast and color enhancement levels. It is capable of handling today’s most advanced digital audio-encoding systems.

At the conference, we noted that Philips is actually a trendsetter when it comes to cell phones. Its latest range of voice –activated cell phones comes in very young designs and colors – with amazing features.

Fisio 315, for the fashion conscious, includes a new flat carousel user interface, emotion icons, vibra-alert, calculator, alarm clock and customizable welcome text. Xenium, winner of Best Overall Mobile Phone in design awards in Hanover, Netherlands and Hong Kong, has web-browsing capabilities, boasting up to 6 hours talk time and 500 hours standby time. It is the ultimate power-packed workhorse.

Azalis is a phone with character and spunk, combining plastic, metal and rubber. Equipped with a WAP browser, it can create or download ringer melodies from the Philips or operation websites, and comes with a built-in organizer and modem for full voice and data communications.

Zenia has the ultimate DECT (Digital Enhanced Cordless Technology), the first to incorporate Voice Dial, Just say the name of the person you’re calling, and you get connected instantly. It also has a built-in answering machine, a 200-entry phonebook, full graphic backlit display, integrated vibra-call function for extra handset and a lightweight personal handset for making long calls. A cordless phone as small and light as a cell phone, that’s Zenia.

Tony Lim, perhaps one of those rare expats in the Philippines who make an effort to learn more about our language and culture, is one Singaporean who knows the Philippine market well enough.

"In the Philippines, 60 percent of the consumers are below 35," Tony explains. "So we are addressing the young market here by way of producing events for them." Last year, Philips attracted young Filipinos via its "Rush X" sports cum music event. This month, it presented the "X-Rage" highlighting extreme games like skateboarding.

What’s next in Philips’ agenda?

Bluetooth, a small radio module that enables all these high-tech wonders to operate with absolutely no wires, has long been in its agenda, being the leader in the wireless value chain. What would dazzle consumers next?

How about digital teletext?

And more intelligent TV, one that follows your wishes by simple commands.

And to think that Philips began by just trying to invent better lightbulbs.