Mirror, mirror on the wall...it's time for Coro Street

By PETER GRIFFIN

The first thing you see when you unwrap the Philips mirror TV is yourself.

That's because it's not just a flat screen TV, it's also a mirror - hence the name.

We've all seen cop movies in which detectives watch through mirrored glass while an interviewer tries to prise a confession from the suspect.

The mirror TV uses the same concept - a sheet of mirrored two-way glass that becomes transparent when light is shone through it.

Behind the mirrored glass is an LCD screen, which when turned on emits enough light to eliminate the mirror effect.

Philips says the lamination it uses allows almost all the light emitted by the LCD to pass through the mirror, so the mirroring doesn't lead to a degraded picture.

Behind the mirror is a WXGA 1280 by 768 resolution LCD panel with a contrast ratio of 400:1. Built in is a TV tuner card, two speakers, an aerial input and a stereo FM radio.

Other RCA, RGB and S-Video connection ports allow a DVD player, computer, Xbox or Playstation to be plugged in.

The mirror TV's screen quality is great. The colours are vibrant, and a 16:9 aspect ratio gives cinematic widescreen quality.

I turned off all the lights and put on the DVD version of my favourite war movie The Thin Red Line, one of the most naturally colourful movies of recent time. It made superb viewing.

I also wired my home audio system into the speaker connections for good surround sound.

In a light room I had expected some reflection to interfere with the picture. But even when watched from an angle, the reflective mirror is completely overcome by the LCD's image.

Everything is controlled with the remote control.

The screen comes with a rustic-looking frame that can be changed to suit individual tastes. Only the Philips logo reveals that the turned-off TV is anything more than a mirror.

It is as good as any LCD TV in its class, but the real question is whether the mirror TV is practical. Most people will probably want to mount the mirror TV - which weighs 12.5kg including the frame - at eye level to take advantage of the mirror.

But most of us watch TV slouched on the sofa. If the mirror TV is going to be your primary viewing screen you need to think about whether you'll be able to position it in your home to serve both of its purposes.

Ideally, the mirror TV should also be built into the wall, which will require a cavity being made to house it.

You could use your mirror TV as an electronic art display, feeding in digital pictures of your favourite painting or shots or your own photography efforts.

In a hallway, the mirror TV could become a base for posting digital messages for the rest of the family. A version of the mirror TV with built-in wireless networking is planned.

At Philips' experimental HomeLab in Eindhoven, Netherlands, I saw a mirror TV built into a bathroom mirror to display the morning news, stock quotes, memos or whatever takes your fancy as you brush your teeth.

They'd even wired the mirror TV up to electronic scales built into the floor tiles and registering the weight of the person standing on it on the mirror TV in front.

For the time being the mirror TV is likely to stay in the domain of hotel chains, super yachts and boutique retail outlets.

But the technology is a glimpse into the not too distant future when LCDs will litter our homes and the TV set is more likely to be a panel on the wall than a box in the corner.

Pros & cons

* Unobtrusive and stylish, connections galore.

* May need to build into wall; positioning for both functions may prove difficult.

* Price: $5000 (23 inch full screen) $5500 (23 inch Hallway) $3700 (17 inch Hallway)

* Herald Rating: 7/10