Philips intros thin HDTV, iPod/DVD sound system

Philips introduced a suite of new electronics at the IFA 2008 consumer electronics show headlined by a new extremely thin HDTV thus far known only as the Essence. At less than 1.5 inches thick, the Essence features a 120Hz 42-inch LCD display with a response time of 2 milliseconds. Philips even includes a self-leveling mounting kit with the Essence, which moves the speakers, tuner and video and power connections to a separate hub in order to make the slim size possible.

Users could replace the hub with a home theater system of their own choosing, including Philips’ also newly released CinemaOne compact all-in-one home theater system. The CinemaOne is meant for use in rooms other than the living room, such as bedrooms and offices, however. A single HDMI connection supplies the audio and video signals to a connected TV, and the CinemaOne system itself includes four speakers and an integrated 4-inch subwoofer into the main unit itself.

Media is delivered via the integrated DVD / CD player, with an iPod dock, USB port and 3.5mm stereo jack acting as auxiliary source connections. Despite the lack of a Blu-ray drive, the CinemaOne will upscale standard DVDs to HD resolution. Supported media formats include DiVX, MPEG, WMV, PCM, WMA and MP3 files.

While official pricing or release information has not been announced for either new product, it is expected the CinemaOne will launch in France and Germany before the end of the year, with a UK release slated for January of 2009. [via CrunchGear]

Philips Essence HDTV