Philips announces TV with "Cinemascope" aspect ratio

[Grubert]

http://www.cinematicviewingexperience.com

Philips premieres the ultimate home cinematic viewing experience with the Cinema 21:9 LCD TV

Philips breaks new ground in the realm of home entertainment with the world’s first cinema-proportioned LCD television. Cinema 21:9 lets you enjoy movies as you would in the cinema and just as the director intended. Cinema 21:9 boasts a 56” screen that is shaped in the 21:9 aspect ratio, so movies in the 2.39:1 format completely fill the screen – exactly as you experience at the cinema. Complimentary three-sided Ambilight Spectra combines with the on-screen action to completely immerse you in the movie and deliver the ultimate home cinematic viewing experience.

Traditional LCD televisions compromise on this experience by distorting the picture to fill the screen – losing the full scope of the original shot – or by displaying the picture in letterbox format with black bars at the top and bottom. Cinema 21:9 solves these issues to give the viewer an uncompromised and absorbing cinematic viewing experience, never before available in the home.

Using highly advanced formatting technology, regular 16:9 content from sources such as TV broadcasts and games consoles is also adapted to fill the 21:9 screen.

Des Power, Senior Vice President Marketing Television, Philips Consumer Lifestyle, commented: “With our unique Cinema 21:9 we have developed a television which takes you as close to the experience that you enjoy 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, so we have launched the world’s first cinema-proportioned TV screen perfectly complemented by our immersive Ambilight technology.”

He added, “Philips new Cinema 21:9 takes enjoying movies at home to an entirely new level, the advantages over a traditional 16:9 ratio screen in side by side comparisons are truly striking.”

The Cinema 21:9 LCD TV will be available in spring 2009. More detailed product specifications will follow at the end of February 2009.

[Gimpenstein]

I think this would be very popular with the members on this site. There are lots of "black bar" haters here.

[RazorFromHRSnet]

you'll still be getting the same resolution, since the BluRay is a 16x9 image with the black bars hardcoded into the empty image area.

It's just a gimmick. Unless there was some native 2.35:1 video content out there to take advantage of at a higher res, then who cares? I had no idea black bars were so enfuriating..

[Grubert]

Originally Posted by RazorFromHRSnet

you'll still be getting the same resolution, since the BluRay is a 16x9 image with the black bars hardcoded into the empty image area.

It's just a gimmick. Unless there was some native 2.35:1 video content out there to take advantage of at a higher res, then who cares? I had no idea black bars were so enfuriating..

I agree. You're better off with a 61" 1.78:1 LCD, which gives you a 58" effective diagonal with 2.35:1 material.

Probably cheaper too.

[dadkins]

Originally Posted by RazorFromHRSnet

you'll still be getting the same resolution, since the BluRay is a 16x9 image with the black bars hardcoded into the empty image area.

It's just a gimmick. Unless there was some native 2.35:1 video content out there to take advantage of at a higher res, then who cares? I had no idea black bars were so enfuriating..

It's not that they're infuriating, it's like I said a long time ago... J6P has a big new expensive screen and doesn't like seeing part of it not being used.

You and I prefer OAR, J6P wants his new HDTV fully litup with picture.
Since there are more J6Ps than us, it will continue to be posted: "Why are there Black Bars?"

Best thing to explain to them is...

"Movies are intended for theaters, not a HDTV.
Next time you go to the theater, look at the screen.
Ok, remember what it looks like when the movie actually starts to play.
Just because you cannot/may not see them, there are black bars there too! "

"Many movies will be produced in Aspect Ratios other than 1.78:1 - seeing that a 16:9 HDTV is 1.78:1, any movie that is *NOT* 1.78:1 will have black bars."

Also, welcome them to HDTV/Blu-ray, and movie appreciation in general.



These new sets... what happens when you play a movie that isn't 2.35:1 or 2.40:1?
Bars become pillars.
Same thing, different location on the display.

Ya just can't win...

[BACsader]

So What do you do with 1.78:1 film. Have black bars on the side. No Thanks!

[Geezer00003]

Thinking my next display device will be a projector

[radagast]

Originally Posted by Gimpenstein

I think this would be very popular with the members on this site. There are lots of "black bar" haters here.

You would still have black bars on movies in 16:9.

[[1080-p]]

hope philips adds their wowvx to the cinemascope
http://www.wowvx.com/

[BACsader]

I am willing to bet this is a huge bust, just like the rest of their TVs are. No offense to people who have them, their TVs are not that great.

[My_Two_Cents]

Originally Posted by BACsader

I am willing to bet this is a huge bust, just like the rest of their TVs are. No offense to people who have them, their TVs are not that great.

Agreed. These will not sell well. Scope is great for CIH projector setup, but NOT for a TV. Stretching 4:3 content to fill 1.78:1 is bad enough (though I'm pretty used to it by now), but there is no way you can stretch it to fill a 2.39:1 set. Most of the time you'll be viewing pillar-boxed images on this set, and we'll have owners here complaining about the damned VERTICAL black bars! LOL.

[Blu3]

Good effort, but a ridiculous one. Can we please STANDARDIZE on a single ratio??? It's bad enough directors/producers use 3 ratios (commonly, there are more out there), now we have different ratio tvs? C'mon, give me a break...leave this sort of stuff to projectors and move on with 16:9, I don't want to see a 2' wide Jessica Alba just because the signal is 4:3...


It's this sort of thing that keeps mainstream consumers at bay. People don't want to buy during "trial" periods, they want to buy during bandwagon periods...

[kefrank]

Originally Posted by Blu3

Good effort, but a ridiculous one. Can we please STANDARDIZE on a single ratio???

Let's force all painters to use 16:9 canvases too! And all musicians to use 4/4 timing while we're at it!