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If you had trouble squeezing your last widescreen TV into the right spot in your living room, be prepared for an even bigger challenge.
A new television is launched today - and it is 56 inches from end to end. Philips' new super-widescreen model, called the 21:9 Cinema, goes on sale in Britain next month, priced from £4,500.
It is the first TV to mirror accurately the shape of a movie screen.
Traditional widescreens have an aspect ratio of 16:9. This means that when they show a movie as it would be seen in the cinema, the image is "letterboxed", with black bars at the top and bottom taking up a quarter of the screen.
The Philips TV, however, is able to display the entire picture as it would appear at the movies. Some 8.3 million pixels - more than any other TV - are displayed on the high-definition screen to make up the huge picture.
The firm will hope to take advantage of the soaring popularity of Blu-ray discs, which have HD picture quality and a ''cinema'" format, as well as the various HD film channels.
Experts say that for movie fans, the new television could render normal widescreens obselete. "This is an absolutely cracking TV, and goes to show just how close to the cinema experience you can get," said Michael Brook, editor of gadget magazine T3.
"If you're watching a good quality film, it's absolutely amazing.
"However, it does come with a huge price tag, and ordinary TV is still a problem, as very few programmes are filmed in the cinema format. But for film fans, this is the ultimate TV."
Des Power, of Philips TV Division, said: "With our unique Cinema 21:9 we have developed a television which takes you as close to the experience at the cinema as you can get without buying a ticket. We believe that to really become absorbed in watching a film at home, consumers are looking for a real cinematic viewing experience.
"The advantages over a traditional 16:9 ratio screen in side-by-side comparisons are truly striking." Latest figures show that Britons are buying more new digital TVs than ever before.
Almost 90 per cent of British homes are using digital television, according to figures from Ofcom - the latest statistics suggest that 18 million households, have a DTV receiver. Digital video recorders, that can store, pause, or rewind live TV, are also proving very popular.
Ofcom reports that about one million were sold in the first three months of this year, taking the total in British homes to 8.9 million.
Great for film geeks (who live in big houses)
First review
Philips Cinema 21:9
4/5
There is no way of getting around the fact that, unless you own a small stately home in the country, the Philips screen will dominate your living room. It's simply huge, and such an odd shape for a TV that your eye is instantly drawn to it. To minimise the intrusion, it's definitely best to mount it on a wall.
If the screen is a head- turner switched off, when it is turned on it is jaw-dropping. Give it a well-filmed Blu-ray or high-definition film, and this is without doubt the nearest thing to a cinema you'll ever get from a TV.
The sheer size of the screen seems to draw you into the action in a way no other TV can. Films such as Disney's Wall-E and Speed Racer come alive with almost hypnotically bright colours, and some of the sharpest pictures you'll ever see.
It's also got every add-on you could want, from internet access to watch YouTube videos, to the “ambilight” which projects light from the back of the set to reflect the action on screen. But if the Philips has a fault (apart from the price tag), it is that it's simply too good.
Feed it standard TV, or a normal DVD, and everything is a little disappointing.
It'll fit the picture to the screen for you, but cut off chunks in the process — not ideal.
However, for out-and-out film geeks, there really is no better way to recreate the big-screen experience.
Reader views (5)
"It is the first TV to mirror accurately the shape of a movie screen."
Quite aside from the fact that old-fashioned 4:3 televisions accurately mirrored the shape of movie screens at the time they were invented (widescreen cinema was invented BECAUSE of this - film companies wanted to offer a bigger, wider experience to lure back audiences), films now come in all shapes and sizes, and the vast majority are close to the 16:9 aspect ratio sported by current widescreen televisions. At worst, you'll get very thin, barely noticeable black bars at the top and bottom.
Films shot in Cinemascope-style widescreen (the ones that have a 21:9 shape) are actually a relatively small minority of the total - it's only because many of those are big Hollywood blockbusters that the impression is created that such films are more prevalent than they are. So while it's an interesting gimmick, I suspect this TV will be pretty frustrating for most normal film and television-watching.
- Michael, London, 01/07/2009 09:16
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I just hope my next-door neighbour doesn't get one, together with all it's rumbling, wall-rattling multi-speakers or I won't be able to hear my little 26" widescreen tv.
Does no one think about these things when they invent them? Not everyone lives in a detached house.
And as for the claim it gives you the cineam experience without having to buy a ticket... after spending £4,500 who could afford cinema tickets?
- Jargonaut, South London, 30/06/2009 17:29
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Prince Charles needs to wake up to the fact that its because of technology like this that we need modern architecture. Unless like him you can afford to live in a palace!
- Melvyn Windebank, Canvey Island, Essex, 30/06/2009 12:01
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Great for flims companies too: just as we have finished replacing our VHS tapes with DVDs and now Blu-Rays, the next thing to hit the shiny disc will be a 21:9 version of your favourite flick.
- Nobby Clark, Perth, the Scottish one, 30/06/2009 11:46
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There are currently bigger LCD televisions around. Assuming you wanted to watch these in the correct format and the full picture, On the normal format you would have black bands at the top and bottom of the unused part of the screen whilst watching a DVD film format movie, but on this one you would have black bands either side whilst watching normal TV. There is little point in buying a TV with a non standard format.
- Tom, Watford (UK), 30/06/2009 11:40
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