Philips hints at Aurea 3

IFA 2008: As it demonstrates a range of research technologies

29 August 2008 13:14 GMT / By Chris Hall

When asked about future enhancements to the newly launched Aurea 2, Fred Boekhorst, senior vice president of Philips Research, suggested that the Aurea concept could go further.

Whilst declining to supply any specifics, he stated that additional steps could be made into atmosphere creation, bringing the Ambilight concept further into the room for a completely immersive environment. Will this then be the basis for the Aurea 3?

With Philips’ experience in lighting and forays into the sensory environment, such as with their amBX line, it certainly seems possible. Boekhorst touched on the amBX idea, suggesting that the future could see additional streaming content, for example over BD-Live, to again enhance the sensory experience of watching a movie.

The Future Zone of Philips' stand at IFA, in Berlin, Germany, provided a backdrop to demonstrate a range of technologies currently running as development projects with Philips Research.

Whilst Sony made a fanfare of their newly launched ZX-1 and XEL-1 OLED panels, Boekhorst suggested that Philips wouldn’t be applying OLED technology to televisions, in favour of continued enhancements of the LED system. "LED is established technology", Boekhorst stated. On display was Philips thinnest LCD prototype, a 32in screen at only 8mm thick, and weighing in at only 5kg, another contender for the "world’s thinnest" title.

Attracting a lot of attention were the prototype models of Philips' 3D LCD panels, in various sizes, from photo frame up to home cinema, showing the progress made into developing a 3D effect and playing 3D content through a modified Blu-ray player. "3D is an emerging technology", Boekhorst pointed out, suggesting there could be another 20 years of research before 3D TV makes it into the home.

What ever the future holds, Philips are looking to make it a full sensory experience. No word on smellavision just yet, but Philips Research has looked at it...

Full tags

Hardware, Televisions, Philips, IFA2008, 3DTV