Back in the day, when TVs weren’t skinny and weighed as much as an elephant, some people complained that the 50Hz refresh rate of PAL televisions wasn’t high enough and it made their heads ache. A solution was proposed whereby the heads of those who complained would be removed, the whining $*?!s. This wasn’t especially popular, so boffins came up …

The Philips stand at IFA 2006 was dominated by Ambilight in all its various sizes and guises. As seen in two-channel mode on the Philips 32PF9830 and in full surround on the Philips 42PF9831D, Ambilight provides coloured backlighting that automatically adjusts to match the picture on your screen. Philips expects to have sold over 1 million Ambilight sets worldwide by the end …

There are several things you can count on when you attend a big German trade show like IFA 2006. By lunchtime, you’ll feel like you’ve walked around the world at least once. You probably won’t get any lunch, and if you do, it’ll be a big chunk of meat, with a miniscule bread roll wrapped round it like an edible …