Philips surprises us all with 21:9 LCD TV

Philips has taken the next step in bringing the cinema into the home with a new range of LCD TVs featuring a 21:9 aspect ratio.

We were mystified by Philips' absence from CES this year but that doesn't mean they weren't hard at work, and waiting a week to announce their new Cinema 21:9 range means they have the news cycle all to themselves.

Either way, details are scant on the ground (with only a teaser website being launched, with more details due at the back end of February) but what we hear, we like.

Cinematic proportions

The 21:9 ratio mimics our own peripheral vision, so the website claims, providing a cinematically proportioned experience. Films will no longer be distorted or cropped by the TV to fit the screen, ensuring that – as Philips put it – we can enjoy our films "just as the director intended".

There’s no need to worry about regular 16:9 content, as "advanced formatting technology" is used to adapt the picture to 21:9.

Currently there are plans for a 56in Cinema 21:9 model that will feature a three-sided Ambilight Spectra which, by generating light effects around the TV that correspond to the on-screen content, is designed to provide a more immersive experience and reduce eye strain.

Further Cinema 21:9 models are sure to be added in due course, and expect to see them on the shelves sometime in the spring.