The 2013 Philips DesignLine puts a new slant on HDTV

When it comes to HDTV placement, you’ve generally faced with two options – a stand for sitting the TV in an entertainment unit or on a table, or a wall mount. With its 2013 Philips DesignLine, TP Vision is offering a third option – simply leaning the TV against a wall. When it comes to a modern minimalist look, the new Philips DesignLine takes the cake, with no visible frame or stand, it looks like nothing more than a square sheet of glass.

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The Philips DesignLine TV comes from TP Vision, an Amsterdam-based joint venture between TPV Technology and Royal Philips Electronics that was established in April 2012 to develop, manufacture and market Philips branded TVs in Europe, Russia, the Middle East, Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay and selected countries in Asia-Pacific.

Coming in 46- and 55-inch screen sizes, the Philips DesignLine series sees an LCD display sitting behind the front glass sheet. The TV itself features a 1400 Hz Perfect Motion Rate and active 3D technology for Full HD 3D. It is powered by a dual-core processor powering Philips’ Perfect Pixel HD engine and boasts Micro Dimming and Local Contrast, suggesting LED backlighting.

The TVs also pack Smart TV capabilities, with built-in Wi-Fi and a remote control with pointing capability and built-in keyboard. The Wi-Fi also allows wireless streaming to and from notebooks, tablets and smartphones using the Philips MyRemote app, Wi-Fi Miracast and SimplyShare. They can also be upgraded to allow broadcast content to be streamed from a master TV to a secondary TV in the house. Philips’ Ambilight 3-sided XL is also on board, projecting colored light matching the onscreen content onto the wall above and to either side of the TV.

But it’s the unconventional styling of the TV that is likely to draw attention – even when the TV is off. Below the black of the lifeless screen, the glass is covered in a gradient black finish that changes from opaque black to transparent where the glass meets the floor.

Our only reservations are the lack of any discernible rubber stops or something similar on the bottom edge of the glass, so users may want to invest in some kind of grip – or carve a groove in the floor – to stop it sliding forward. And although the backward slant of the TV is only slight, we’d guess the viewing angle of the TV might also take some getting used to and has the potential to attract reflections from overhead lighting.

The 2013 Philips DesignLine TVs will be available in Europe and Russia in the second quarter of 2013 at an as yet undisclosed price.

A video news release can be viewed below.

Source: TP Vision