Philips Cinema 21:9 TV: Hands-on photos
We've been looking forward to the Philips Cinema 21:9 LCD TV for what seems like aeons, so when it finally arrived, we fired off some photos -- it's exciting stuff...
For what seems like aeons now, we've been desperate to get our hands on this TV. Casually called the Cinema 21:9, its formal title is the Philips 56PFL9954H, which gives a clue to the size of the TV. Now this 56-inch beast has arrived and we're truly excited by it. Nothing we've seen for a long time has created as much of a stir as this incredible-looking TV.
The 21:9 screen ratio means you can lose those pesky black bars on 2.35:1-ratio movies for good. But there's no such thing as a free lunch, and in this case the price is that 16:9 or 4:3-ratio video will either have black bars at the side, or be geometrically stretched -- or in the case of 4:3, potentially both.
Philips isn't suggesting this TV is for everyone. At more than £4,000, it's a product for home-cinema enthusiasts who want something really special to enjoy their films on, in the way the director intended. We're well aware of all the potential problems with stretching material, but we're pleased to see that Philips leaves the choices about how to adjust the TV up to you, with a bevy of options we explore over the next few pages.
A full review will appear in our TV review channel soon. Until then, feast your eyes on these shots and plonk any questions you've got in the comments section below.