TP Vision has unveiled the Philips Design Line TV, a stunning one-off set aimed at anyone looking to make a statement with their home cinema set-up. With a free-standing frame made entirely of glass, it's one of the most unique TVs we've ever seen - and one you'll be able to buy later in the year. We got a sneak peek at the set during a recent visit to TP Vision's Dutch headquarters , so we could bring your our early impressions.
With frosted glass obscuring where the TV panel begins and ends, the Design Line looks like one single sheet of glass from the front when it's powered off. Turn it on and the picture appears to float in mid-air, surrounded by the glow from the AmbiLight LEDs at the back of the set.
Although it can lean against a wall without any mountings, there are mounting brackets included with the set for anyone that would rather play it safe - or has young children running around the house. It can also be wall-mounted, but we think it looks best when stood on the floor.
Based on the same panel and using the same internals as the recently announced Philips PFL8008 TVs, the Design Line model will support active 3D video, use a 1,400 Perfect Motion Rate image refresh rate and the Pixel Precise HD image processing engine.
It will include integrated Wi-Fi, Miracast wireless display, DLNA multimedia streaming, USB hard disk recording and the same Smart TV system as the rest of the 2013 line-up - that means BBC iPlayer, NetFlix and a full web browser, with ITV Player, 4OD and Demand 5 to follow later in the summer.
Three-sided AmbiLight creates a more immersive viewing experience when watching films and sports - the colour-changing LEDs match what's happening on-screen, illuminating your wall with green light when watching football or flashing brightly with gunshots and explosions during action films. It's a brilliant effect that's unique to Philips TVs, and is even more startling here because you can see straight through the glass stand.
As well as coming with a keyboard remote, which has an integrated mouse pointer to make it easier to control the Smart TV features and navigate the web browser, the Design Line will also support the Philips MyRemote app, which lets you control the TV, share multimedia content from your tablet or smartphone and watch live TV in another room.
In order to hide the cables coming out the back of the set, the TV will include a white cable sock - it's a welcome inclusion considering you will be able to see any wires hanging down from the set, but we think it will look even better if you an channel the cables completely out of view.
Launching in May/June, the Design Line will be available in the UK in both 46in and 55in screen sizes for £2,000 and £2,800 respectively. We'll be sure to take a closer look once review units make their way to the Expert Reviews lab.
