Cinema 21:9LCD TV

Made for movie buffs. Excellent design Ambilight feature is mind blowing

I purchased one of these TVs in 2010 when they had dropped considerably in price. The wow factor of watching 2.35:1 movies with no top or bottom black bars was just fantastic. In order to have a 2.35:1 image this size on a 16:9 TV, it needed to be 84”!! The only disadvantage was watching 16:9 images (no stretching or cropping for me thanks) meant an image equivalent to being on a 42” TV, with black bars on each side. With the advent of 4K, this TV became outdated by the time I sold it for the first of my Philips 4K TVs (had 6 since 2016…sold and upgraded each year). But, when I was demonstrating it to the buyer, Mad Max Fury Road in 1080P looked superb in 21:9. I have owned Philips TVs all of my adult life (30 years of it) and have always enjoyed their products. My first Ambilight TV back in 2005 or 2006 was the reason I’ve stuck with the brand. I wonder if my 21:9 is still in use…..

Hello! This was, and still is, an outstanding TV. BUT: is there ANY business plan in place to revive the line with all current bells and whistles? I don't know what the market research is saying, but I strongly believe there is still a market for 21:9... just checking how sales for 21:9 monitors went. P.S.: I also own the 2009 version, still working perfectly!

The Philips 21:9 Cinema 56" television provides an immersive audiovisual experience. It handles all sources with flair, from full 1080p down to 480i, both colour and B&W. It gives plenty of options for tailoring and enhancing the experience. In addition the Smart TV features are very useful.

The extra wide screen really draws you in to the action, especially in a small room, when it almost feels you can wrap it round yourself. But the facility to scale the picture has turned out to be the best feature. You can leave it on its original setting, zoom in or expand it. Some earlier films are distorted by the 4:3 setting they are given but on this TV's widescreen, they are stretched just that bit more than 4:3 to restore what I remember form the cinema. This has been what I needed for a collection of Bergman films whose distorted settings spoiled the work of one of cinema's greatest cinematographers, Sven Nykvist. But the modern epics, like Lord of the Rings, need the full 21:9 widescreen, which only this innovative approach to TV design can do. The colours are superb, especially in high definition, and I haven't spent ages tuning them but just used the suggested settings. Indeed, setting it up is easy, with clear menus. Action flows well, without jitters, including sporting events.

The extra wide screen really draws you in to the action, especially in a small room, when it almost feels you can wrap it round yourself. But the facility to scale the picture has turned out to be the best feature. You can leave it on its original setting, zoom in or expand it. Some earlier films are distorted by the 4:3 setting they are given but on this TV's widescreen, they are stretched just that bit more than 4:3 to restore what I remember form the cinema. This has been what I needed for a collection of Bergman films whose distorted settings spoiled the work of one of cinema's greatest cinematographers, Sven Nykvist. But the modern epics, like Lord of the Rings, need the full 21:9 widescreen, which only this innovative approach to TV design can do. The colours are superb, especially in high definition, and I haven't spent ages tuning them but just used the suggested settings. Indeed, setting it up is easy, with clear menus. Action flows well, without jitters, including sporting events.

A wonderful way to enjoy the cinema experience at home. Ambilght adds ambiance and the features are great. I like it so much I'm going to upgrade to the 3D version as soon as!

I purchased this TV just after launch in 2008 and have not been dissapointed. Although it was expensive at the time it has a 5 year warranty and is unrivaled with its vivid colours, picture quality and sound. Its great for watching normal TV ie. Coronation Street on ITV HD with the Auto screen format, but it comes into a class of its own when watching Blu-ray block buster movies! No black bars any more and with the Ambilight turned on and the lights turned down, its total cinematic immersion - better than any multi-screen complex can provide (and there's no pop corn rustlers)! Vivid colours, outstanding picture quality, a must for any movie buff - this TV will blow you away!

I purchased this TV just after launch in 2008 and have not been dissapointed. Although it was expensive at the time it has a 5 year warranty and is unrivaled with its vivid colours, picture quality and sound. Its great for watching normal TV ie. Coronation Street on ITV HD with the Auto screen format, but it comes into a class of its own when watching Blu-ray block buster movies! No black bars any more and with the Ambilight turned on and the lights turned down, its total cinematic immersion - better than any multi-screen complex can provide (and there's no pop corn rustlers)! Vivid colours, outstanding picture quality, a must for any movie buff - this TV will blow you away!

for years I have craved a television which could reproduce the proportions of a CinemaScope screen, a ratio which a vast majority of the blockbuster releases are filmed in, doing away with the black bars that took up a good portion of the screen which in my opinion left me feeling short changed, well now the Cinema 21:9 from Philips brings all the big screen action home, after turning the set on for the first time and running through a remarkably simple set up procedure, the 21:9 delivers in picture quality and sound. I would not hesitate to recommend this to anyone who is serious about home cinema and hates the black bars!!