By Joey Samaniego
February 16, 2009

With all the rapid advancements in digital media since the turn of the millennium, the decade has seen a corresponding explosion in the number of bands looking to take advantage of the new avenues for creating and sharing music. The variety of media channels both traditional and online through which musicians can let others hear their craft is unprecedented, creating an encouraging environment for new bands.

But while the band scene certainly is as healthy at the moment as it has ever been, with rock musicians receiving considerable coverage on mainstream radio and TV, the flipside is that it is also very easy for a fledgling group to get lost amid the din. With the number of young bands plying the gig circuit competing for audiences’ attention, talented musicians may find it difficult to break onto the county’s musical main stage.

Leading consumer electronics maker Philips is this year looking to help these undiscovered talents with the Bandwidth Virtual Battle of the Bands. The contest is meant to help unsigned bands take full advantage of new digital multimedia technology in sharing their music with the rest of the music community.

Bandwidth participants will each be required to upload recent performance videos to the competition’s Youtube channel. Each band will be asked to perform two original songs, with one video uploaded for each song. Videos will be cross-posted to the Bandwidth website where visitors will be allowed to vote for their favorite performances.

These performances will then be screened by Bandwidth’s three mentors and judges, all of whom should be very familiar to fans of Filipino rock: Francis Reyes (a DJ on rock station NU 107 and guitarist for The Dawn), Cookie Chua (singer for Color it Red), and Raimund Marasigan (singer for Sandwich, keyboardist for Pedicab, drummer for Cambio and The Eraserheads). The final crop of bands will then receive special one-one-one mentoring with the three judges prior to the final phase of the competition.

The competition will culminate in a final performance night where the winning band will be announced. The grand prize winner will take home a prize of P50,000.00 worth of cash and Philips products.

“The Bandwidth Virtual Battle of the Bands is our way of helping the many on-the-cusp bands in the country reach the audience they deserve,” said Vidyut Kaul, consumer marketing manager of Audio Video and Multimedia, Philips Consumer Lifestyle. “There is a lot of talent that sadly goes by unnoticed. We’re here to help point audiences in their direction. It’s only a matter of making use of the available technology.”

Philips brings top notch sound quality and stylish, intuitive, ultra-mobile design with its new suite of Go Gear portable media players, designed to fit the specifications of the most discerning music fans. Each device in the new Go Gear collection offer users complete multimedia playback functionality. The new Full Sound technology restores sonic details lost in compressed music formats, allowing listeners to fully experience the music they love.
 

 

Philips GoGear LUXE

MP3 player with Bluetooth headset

Clip and click to always stay tuned and connected.  The chic Philips GoGear LUXE MP3 player fastens like an accessory so you can wear your music. Switch from music to calls on your Bluetooth mobile phone and view caller ID – at a touch.

 

 

Philips GoGear Aria

With FullSoundTM and premium headphones

Enjoy an unrivalled sound experience with Philips GoGear Aria AV player featuring FullSoundTM. A real joy to use, you can download online videos to the player and easily navigate content on its two-inch  full color display.

 

 

Philips GoGear Muse

With FullSound2TM and noise cancellation headphones

Philips GoGear Muse portable AV player features FullSound2TM technology and noise cancellation headphones for exceptional sound and inspired music enjoyment on the go.  Plus, viewing videos is a joy on its three-inch QVGA color display.

 

Philips GoGear Opus

With FullSoundTM and premium headphones

Enjoy unrivalled sound on the Philips GoGear Opus portable AV player featuring FullSound TM.  Prepare to be entertained on the go – download online videos and then view them on the cool 2.8-inch QVGA color screen.

 

 

Philips GoGear Vibe

Small size, big entertainment

Philips GoGear VIBE portable AV player packs big entertainment in a superbly small design.  Its 1.44-inch full color display shows off album art and folder view ensures easy file navigation and organization.

 

 

Philips GoGear Spark

With FullSound TM to bring music to life

Philips GoGear Spark MP3 player makes it hip to be square, Album art makes the player glow while your songs are empowered by Philips patented FullSound TM technology.  Show off your player with your photos as the screensaver.

 

 

 Philips GoGear RaGa

With robust aluminum finish

The sleek Philips GoGear RaGa MP3 player sports a sturdy aluminum design, making it highly wearable and durable.  Enjoy up to 27-hour playback of your favorite MP3 and WMA music, and tune in to FM radio for more music options. 

 

 

 Philips GoGear Mix

Full color display for easy navigation
With handy built-in clip

Clip on your music and go! The Philips GoGear Mix MP3 player lets you transfer files speedily with push-out USB – no cables required. Enjoy easy navigation on its full color display and 25-hour music playback with its embedded battery.

 

 

You can tell when people are really into music by the way they listen. You’ve probably seen them on the train, in the park, or seated in coffee houses-people who’ve been transported, oblivious to the world around them save for the sounds only they can hear. They sit with their eyes closed, headphones to their ears, their heads nodding in a steady rhythm, lips softly mouthing the lyrics to the songs playing on their music players. In those moments, there’s only you, your music player, and a song.

The new line of GoGear media players from Philips are made for those kinds of moments. If you are any kind of music fan, you will know the importance of having a portable MP3 player to keep you company as you move through the day. And if you do have one, the question remains- ‘does the quality of your favorite music go with you, or is the full sound experience left at home?’

Letting your ears decide

Other MP3 players were created with a promise of superior sound quality in the palm of your hands. That’s great and all, but how many of them actually go beyond these proclamations and back it up with something that not only lives up to expectations, but exceeds it further than you can imagine?

The Philips Go Gear with FullSound was created with exactly that in mind. It’s not so much as making promises but actually delivering on it. That’s precisely what the Philips GoGear does. It delivers.

Its sleek and stylish interface makes it a fashion accessory in itself. But most importantly, it’s got all the features you’ll ever want from a portable MP3 player. The GoGear offers an intuitive user interface for fast and easy navigation, which you can also customize. As you discover new favorites and get bored of old ones, you can easily browse your music library and still control your music playback, thereby making every listening moment a new experience.

What’s more, the new GoGear combines Philips’ renowned expertise in music reproduction with the power of new generation technology. The new FullSound technology restores the sonic details that music compression loses. It enriches the music signal, so what you hear is the full sound- with every nuance of emotion and every detail of musical genius put back where it belongs.

If you’re still clamoring for more, then here’s an extra treat. The Philips GoGear MP3 Player also comes with its own specialized earphones, specifically made to complement the experience of the FullSound technology. These earphones are tailor-made to follow the curvature of the human ear and it’s ergonomically suited to drown out every sound that isn’t coming from the MP3 player.

The best part of having a Philips GoGear MP3 Player is the freedom it gives you. Whether you’re in a coffeeshop or backpacking across Western Europe, the only form of company you’ll ever need is the Philips GoGear MP3 Player.

In this day and age of technological one-upmanship, there have been a lot of MP3 players that have promised the world to its consumers but have failed to deliver. For Philips, promising is out of the question. As a matter of fact, it sticks by the motto of ‘letting your ears decide’.

And once you do let your ears decide, you’ll surely become that guy in the coffee shop lost in the GoGear experience, and the rest of the world will become the guy at the other table wishing they had one for themselves.