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Photos: Philips Cinema 21:9 ultra-widescreen TV

Jan 30, 2009

The news that Philips was to produce an ultra-widescreen, 21:9-format TV wasn't much of a surprise. In fact, because of a pan-European launch, it was possibly the worst kept secret ever.

The Philips representative was tight-lipped about the fine details, but we did manage to garner two facts about the TV. Firstly, it's not LED backlit. The second snippet of information was that the panel will have a resolution of around 2,560x1,080 pixels.

One concern with a resolution other than 1080p is what to do with Blu-ray movies made in 2.35:1. Because a Blu-ray disc will contain a 1,920x1,080-pixel image, with 2.35:1 material, the actual number will be around 800. This means a 21:9 TV will be working hard to zoom the image. And when you zoom an image, even with HD material, you lose resolution.

There's no news on the price or availability yet. Philips aims to have it out this summer, and it will be sold in Germany, France, the Netherlands and in the UK. It's certainly likely to be more expensive than a 60-inch Pioneer Kuro.

Credit: Ian Morris/ CNET UK