Philips show off LED backlit 8000, 7000 and 5000 TVs

Philips 7000 series - looking good
Philips 7000 series - looking good

Philips has officially unveiled the rest of its UK range of televisions for 2010, with its LED backlighting featuring not only in flagship 9000 series, but also in the 8000 series as well as the 5000 and 7000 series.

Although announcements about the flagship 9000 series and the second-generation 21:9 television will steal the headlines, Philips' other new ranges certainly should not stay in the shadow.

Philips has put its Spectra 2 Ambilight in the 7,000 and 8000 and the 2010 version of the technology also senses the colour of your wall and adjusts the colour – meaning you don't need to mount your telly on a whitewashed background to get the full experience.

LED by the nose

But it is the LED backlighting that will pick up the headlines – with the 5000, 7000 and 8000 series all having lines of the LEDs positioned along the top and bottom edge of the TV which shine light across the back of the screen where a light-guide will reflects the light forward – maintaining a uniform brightness.

It's not the same level of LED backlighting that big brother the 9000 series has, but nonetheless, it's across the entire range.

All bar the 32 inch version of the Full HD 8000 series will be 3D ready, with a 3D upgrade pack available separately and including the transmitter and two pairs of 3D active glasses.

The 8000 series boasts 200Hx technology and the Philips 2010 Perfect Pixel HD engine, all housed in what Philips term 'a slim and stylish pure glass frame with two sided Ambilight.'

Other notable features are NetTV and WiFi Media Connect with optional Wi-Fi dongle for popular online services and all of your PC media files on your TV, 20W RMS Sound Perfect Natural Motion for ultra smooth Full HD movies and the already-mentioned Ambilight Spectra 2 and LED backlighting.

The 7000 series in Philips' words 'sets the reference point for mid-range TVs, with its powerful Pixel Precise HD processing, Ambilight Spectra 2, advanced sound quality, LED edge lighting and access to NetTV'.

The television also boasts 100Hz technology, PC network link to browse PC and Home network content and 20W RMS Sound.

There is also the lower end 5000 series which will still tote LED backlighting.

Patrick Goss

Patrick Goss is the ex-Editor in Chief of TechRadar. Patrick was a passionate and experienced journalist, and he has been lucky enough to work on some of the finest online properties on the planet, building audiences everywhere and establishing himself at the forefront of digital content.  After a long stint as the boss at TechRadar, Patrick has now moved on to a role with Apple, where he is the Managing Editor for the App Store in the UK.