Philips unveils its entire 2009 TV range

Philips 42PFL9604

All sets have Philips' Pixel Plus HD technology with 50Hz refresh rates, a 5 millisecond response time, and 6.2 million pixels per second. They're also Philips' most power-efficient sets to date.

7000 series

Next up is the 7000 series of TVs, which follow the 'more picture, less frame' concept, and have very thin bezels as a result. Sizes again range from 32-52in, and all sets are Full HD and feature four HDMI inputs.

They also use Philips' Pixel Precise HD with HD Natural Motion, which gives them a 100Hz refresh rate, 3ms response time, 250 million pixels per second and a claimed contrast ratio of 80,000:1.

8000 series

The slim and thin trend continues here, but now Ambilight's thrown into the bargain, too. Philips has made improvements to the Ambilight spectra to make the light that's output from the sides closer match the onscreen action.

These 32-47in screens have the same Pixel Precise HD technology as the 7000 series, but they also add an Ethernet connection for streaming digital content from your PC and accessing Net TV.

This last feature is a free web-browser that's accessible from a click of a dedicated button on the remote. It has a number of web pages on its front screen that have been optimised for display on a TV, like TomTom, ebay and YouTube, but it's also able to access the wider web.

9604 series

The top of the 2009 range is actually split in three, starting with the 32 and 37in 9604s. These have a charcoal-grey, aluminium bezel, and are just 20mm deep at their slimmest point.

Philips's new Perfect Pixel HD Engine and 100Hz Clear LCD panels feature here, giving the sets a 2ms response time and claimed contrast ratio of 80,000:1.

There's also Ambilight Spectra 2 technology, built-in wi-fi for easier Net TV access, and no less than five HDMI sockets.

9664 series

The 9664s are available in the 42 and 47in sizes and have all of the features of the 9604 series, but with the addition of a 200Hz Clear LCD. This results in an 'unbeatable' response time of 1ms.

9700 series

The final TVs in the over-arching 9000 series are the 40, 46 and 52in 9700 sets. These have all the features of the 9664s, but also add LED LUX backlighting to create a staggering claimed contrast ratio of 5,000,000:1.

Cinema 21:9

Finally, Philips gave us another look at the Cinema 21:9, which now has Ambilight. You can click here to read more on our first look at this extraordinary 56in 2560x1080, ultra-widescreen display, but needless to say, it's a very dramatic displayer of Blu-ray.

Philips has revealed that it will cost 4000 Euros when it launches in mainland Europe, supposedly in April. We'll bring you the UK price as soon as it's confirmed, and a review as soon as Philips lets us borrow one.

For details of the rest of the Philips 2009 home cinema and hi-fi range, click here.