Philips aggressively prices upcoming 1080p 63-inch plasma TV
Philips' big plasma TV has a relatively small price tag.
(Credit: Philips)Vizio is making news at CES 2007 with a $3,000 60-inch plasma TV, but Philips has a big-screen plasma model of its own that it's going to price very aggressively at $3,500 (MSRP) when it arrives in stores in June. At 63 inches, the Philips 63PFP7422D is actually bigger and features 1080p resolution, USB connectivity for displaying digital photo slide shows and MP3 playback, and a motorized swiveling stand. That $3,500 is a suggested retail price, so we expect the real price to be even lower, possibly closer to $3,000. Of course, the Vizio will probably be nearer to $2,500 when it's released, but still, with prices for large-screen plasmas coming down quickly, the demise of the rear-projection TV seems more inevitable.
It's worth mentioning that with this set, Philips is also touting a new picture settings set-up wizard that seems pretty promising. You'll be guided through six preferences, including contrast, sharpness, and color saturation. We've been asking for this sort of wizard in sets for a while, so we're eager to see if it's a gimmick or a simple way for people to calibrate their sets right out of the box, without any help from pricey calibrators.
Hunkered down in New York City, Executive Editor David Carnoy covers the gamut of gadgets and writes his Fully Equipped column, which carries the tag line "The electronics you lust for." He's also the author of "Knife Music," a novel. E-mail David. Follow David on Twitter. 
