HD Cinemascope

[scrato]

Movies on Blu-Ray Disc feature a maximum resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels. However, most movies` (approximately 2/3 of all releases) aspect ratio is 2.35:1 or 2.40:1. On a 16:9 Full HD display, this means only about 1920 x 800 pixels are actually being used, the rest of the 1080 vertical pixels is visible as black bars. Hence, some vendors have started producing 21:9 displays with a native resolution of 2560 x 1080 pixels, e.g. Philips:
http://www.philips.co.uk/c/cinema-21...l9955h_12/prd/

and JVC:

YouTube - JVC 21:9 cinemascope 3DTV launched at CES 2011

Other brands announced they are also developing 21:9 displays - or are planning to do so.

As a consequence, movies on Blu-Ray Disc have to be upscaled to match the 21:9 display´s resolution of 2560 x 1080. Hence, these screens cannot play to their full potential in terms of detail and clarity. The situation would be different, would the native video stream be at 2560 x 1080 as well, allowing pixel-to-pixel display without rescaling. It is unlikely that the Blu-Ray format will be redesigned to have this resolution as part of an enhanced BD standard. But: Once the required bandwidths are available on the internet, movies featuring this new HD Cinemascope standard could be downloaded from online movie stores and streamed via HDMI connection to 21:9 displays. It could really be the crucial step to compete and exceed the Blu-Ray Disc in terms of image quality. The question is, will the MPEG Industry Forum agree to define 2560 x 1080 (being also the ideal compromise between 2.35:1 and 2.40:1 aspect ratios) as well as 1998x1080 for movies shot in the Academy Format (1.85:1) as new extensions of the AVC/MVC codec (e.g. as a new AVC Level 5.2)? Current High-Speed HDMI cables should be compatible with these resolutions as well, as the HDMI 1.4 standard is certified for even higher resolutions up to 4096 x 2160 pixels.

Finally, not to forget another advantage of 21:9 TVs: it is possible to watch two slightly cropped 4:3 or zoomed 16:9 broadcasts simultaneously side by side - given that there are separate (wireless) earphone connections for both video streams - a perfect device to prevent marriage crises.

What´s your opinion? Given that you´d own a 21:9 display, would you prefer downloadable movies at resolutions 2560 x 1080 and 1998 x 1080 to Blu-ray or would you stick to the disc?