I have to say I was pretty sceptical about the Cinema 21:9. My distaste for resizing HD sources, my dislike of distracting video processing artefacts, the current lack of any 'true' 21:9 sources and my suspicion that standard def programmes would look awful when stretched to fill the 21:9 frame all left me expecting the TV to be nothing more than an expensive gimmick.
But you can consider me converted. Philips' video processing powers have turned out to be beyond reproach if you're careful with a couple of basic settings, leaving you to enjoy a TV experience that's so cinematic it has to be seen to be believed.
Sure, to some extent this is a TV that's ahead of its time, waiting for the Blu-ray industry in particular to (hopefully) catch up with it. But crucially it works supremely well even without native 21:9 transfers, and the concept feels more like something inherently natural that somebody should have made years ago rather than something that's pushing back TV frontiers just for the sake of it.
However. perhaps the biggest obstacle to the Cinema 21:9 achieving world domination is its £4,500 price. A price which could get you a very nice projection system. But all I can say is that if £4,500 is simply beyond the pale for you, for heaven's sake don't try and track down a Cinema 21:9 to try out. Because it really is one of those things that once tried is hard to live without.Read full review
So let me get this straight, we had 4:3, now we have 16:9 and now we're moving to 21:9? Why the hell didn't they just get it right the first time? This all looks like the current mess of computer displays.
Also, this was the first television review on here I didn't really understand! Not your fault, it's just all the aspect ratios got to me...
You didn't mention how this tv handles 4:3 and subtitles. I'd expect seeing the full 4:3 image without cropping would result in enormous black borders on the sides and would look silly. Plus on DVD's, subtitle pictures are more often than not displayed over the bottom black border of a 2.35:1 film. So cropping the borders off would result in no subtitles, correct?
@Ohmz - If I remember correctly, I believe the movie industry were worried about TVs and so when TVs were first introduced there was a 'compromise' and 4:3 was chosen as a standard so that it didn't compete with the cinematic 'experience'.
Excellent review, John! I was lucky enough to see this set on display at a Berlin branch of an electrical goods chain called Saturn. Conditions (no sound, very bright lighting, poor source) were less than ideal. It was priced at €3900. My initial impression was one of awe at the picture without black bars, but also disappointment that Philips had not attempted anything new with the design, as in a thin or brushed aluminium bezel. But I do wonder how non-HD 4:3 and 16:9 sources (the vast majority of German TV output) would look. Also, Philips TVs are notorious for the less than user-friendliness of their calibration systems and their need for almost constant tweaking depending on the source. How did you get on with this? Are the out-the-box settings good enough or does it require constant attention?
@davef - I thought it was more to do with the limitations on the technology of the age. The engineering of a cathode ray tube really constrains it to squarish designs, in that the depth of the TV set is determined by the maximum acceptable beam angle, which in turn is largely related to the longer dimension of the image. While you could probably make a 21:9 tube, you'd need to massively increase the depth if you wanted to widen the image to compensate for the loss of height.
Available in Switzerland for the equivalent of £3125. In Germany I've found it for £3447. And a French e-tailer is doing it for €2990 (yes Euros!).
@John McLean - I guess that also makes sense. My info came from an online article - can't remember which. As always, it's difficult to vouch for the veracity of some online stuff. I'll see if I can find said article.
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