With the announcement that it is to launch the innovative 42PFL9803H flat panel TV, the Dutch electronics giant Philips once again pushes itself to the forefront of LCD technology.

The 42PFL9803H features LED backlighting which has already been introduced by other manufacturers, but along with the latest incarnation of their 'Ambilight' technology, 'Aurea II' (available on the 42PFL9903D) and a claim that their Perfect Pixel HD engine produces the 'fastest' responding screens on the market, Philips are once again staking a claim to be the world's most innovative flat panel producers.

LCD backlighting technology replaces the conventional bar-style fluorescent backlight with hundreds of Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs); which in the 42PFL9803H's case includes 1,152 LEDs split into 128 segments. This helps to produce a claimed 2,000,000:1 contrast ratio for plasma rivaling black levels along with a more natural color representation.

Philip's acclaimed 'Ambilight' system delivers light from the sides of the LCD screen (via strip lights) to enhance/complement the current scene. With a fully back-lit LED (replacing the previous fluorescent source) light glows through the 'signature clear shroud', actually shinning through left and right areas of the frame independently. Philips describe the latest incarnation of Ambilight, 'Aurea II' by stating that it "accurately identifies dominant on-screen colours and generates precisely matched ambient lighting both via the Active Frame and independently from all four sides of the screen onto a rear wall."

The latest incarnation Philips' picture processing engine, 'Perfect Pixel HD' is capable of processing up to 500 million pixels per second with a world beating two milliseconds response time. The 42PFL9803H will be launched later this month and will retail for around £2300. The 42PFL9903D will also be available this November for around £2500.

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