Philips has today announced the launch of their £4,500 21:9 (2.39:1) LCD HDTV. Attached is the full press release. We have requested a review sample.
Philips Press Release said:London, England For the first time ever you can now enjoy the full cinematic viewing experience at home thanks to Philips ground-breaking new TV, Cinema 21:9.
Home viewers can watch films exactly as they are at the cinema, in the same 21:9 aspect ratio, on the sets Full HD 56 screen.
The Cinema 21:9 TV will be launched on 18th June 2009 with an introductory offer that includes a smart levelling bracket for hassle-free wall mounting and easy adjustment plus a free 5 year warranty for an all in estimated street selling price of £4500. An optional swivel stand will also be available with an estimates street selling price of £179.
Traditional widescreen TVs have an aspect ratio of 16:9, so with most movies the TV has to letterbox the image to display the whole picture, which results in black bars at the top and bottom, taking up to 25% of the screen. However, when those movies are played on the Cinema 21:9 TV the black bars will be removed and the images will fit the display perfectly due to the panels 2.39:1 aspect ratio which exactly matches the standard used by most modern films.
The advantage of viewing material in the 21:9 ratio is that it uses more of the eyes peripheral vision and as such creates the immersive viewing experience as found in the cinema. When this experience is combined with Philips award-winning Ambilight system the end result is the best home cinema experience from any TV.
However, having this ultra-widescreen ratio doesnt mean that the Cinema 21:9 cannot display the more standard 16:9 content from sources such as broadcast TV stations, games and DVDs. Using advanced intelligent processing, the set can scale the image to fill the entire screen without any noticeable image distortion so you can enjoy the ultimate viewing experience no matter what you are watching.
The screens Full HD 2560x1080p resolution results in an incredible 8.3 million pixels - managed by Philips 2009 Perfect Pixel HD engine and capable of processing 500 million pixels per second which ensures that the images displayed are the sharpest, clearest and most natural pictures possible. And with 17bit colour processing, the screen is capable of recreating 2250 trillion colours for the most accurate colour matching yet, resulting in extremely vivid colours while keeping skin tones incredibly natural. The panels advanced dimming system also works together with Philips 2009 Perfect Contrast system to result in a contrast ratio of 80,000:1, and providing incredible black level response.
To enjoy the action of the cinema fully, the TV features an incredibly fast response time of just 1ms (BEW equivalent) thanks to the 200Hz Clear LCD technology and the sets scanning backlight. This means pictures will always be razor sharp no matter how fast the action is. Judder is also completely removed as the TV features Philips 2009 Perfect Natural Motion system, where interpolated frames are created and inserted between the actual frames to create smooth motion without any blurring or loss in detail.
Adding to the incredibly special nature of this screen is the Ambilight Spectra 3 system which shines light from the rear of the TV to illuminate the wall behind - in a tone and intensity which matches the onscreen content. Ambilight Spectra 3 features array of LED lights along the top and both sides of the TV with the top light split into five segments, while each side is split into four segments each of which can show a different hue and intensity of colour, giving a more accurate match of the onscreen action and a more immersive experience.
The TV also features Philips new NetTV system, allowing access to tailored sites as well as the entire internet an as the TV features inbuilt Wi-Fi, you can access the best of the internet without having cables running through the house. The TV can also access and play many types of digital content through its inbuilt USB socket as well as the wired and wireless network connections. The TV is also DNLA certified giving easy access to your digital world, whether its music (ACC, MP3, AC3, LPCM, WMA), photos (JPEG, GIF, PNG) or movies (MPEG1, MPEG2 and MPEG4)
In addition to Wi-Fi and cabled network connections the Cinema 21:9 also boasts five HDMI ports four on the back and one on the side so connection to all of the high definition devices is simple.
Sound is aptly dealt with by the TVs 15W discrete sound system, which gives room-filling sound. With two integrated sub-woofers at the rear of the TV providing the bass and stylish visible forward-firing speakers on the front providing the speech and high notes, the sound is dramatic while always being clear and crisp.