Philips Cinema 21:9 58PFL9955

The basics

The Philips Cinema 21:9 58PFL9955 is a truly unique television: it boasts a 58-inch LED screen with a 21:9 ratio instead of the usual 16:9 shape. This means it can show 21:9 (or 2.35:1) movies without any black bars at the top and bottom, filling the entire screen with the picture. The TV is 3D compatible (two pairs of glasses are provided) and features four HDMI inputs, Wi-Fi and Philips’ Ambilight lighting system.

The good

The huge ultra-widescreen is a massive boon for movie fans, especially with a Blu-ray player rigged up: most films take up the entire screen, with no black bars to distract your eye (16:9 and 4:3 pictures obviously don’t fill the screen – but still look good).

2D image quality is glorious, with bright colours and silky smooth motion. The rear-mounted Ambilights take the on-screen colours and shine them onto the wall behind the screen, adding to immersion, and the built-in speakers are some of the best and beefiest we’ve ever heard on a flatscreen TV.

The bad

3D performance isn’t one of this TV’s strong points: the effect doesn’t work as well as on rival manufacturers’ models and crosstalk is a major issue due to the distracting “ghost edge” around objects. The lack of a Freeview HD tuner is also baffling for a TV this pricey.

The bottom line

If movies are your life this is the TV for you. Not only can it do pretty much everything a “normal” HDTV does, it also presents films in a totally unique way that really brings them to the fore. The design, build quality and features are also top drawer – aside from the missing Freeview HD tuner.