What is Cinemawide TV? 21:9 is Here, Are You Ready?

Everyone connected to the consumer electronics industry knew Cinemawide TV would happen, we just didn’t know when.  This year, HDTVs grew to 90” at a price that wasn’t more than sending your kid to Harvard.  With TVs that big at that price, it was clearly time for something newer and better.

The first announcements were related to super high definition TV’s or 4K TV.  With 16 times the pixels or screen dots of HDTV, these UltraHD TV’s were previewed during the Olympics.  The BBC used UltraHD technology and fiber optics to send the signals up to the JumboTrons.  The picture was amazing according to people who were there.

The next announcement of course was the home version with 4 times the resolution of HDTV or 8 times the resolution of HDTV.  Of course there isn’t any content on TV or DVD or Blu-ray currently available.  Much like the day that plasmas came out, these TV’s are now available for $20,000 and up.  Of course many people like me will wait until they are $2000 and content is readily available.

To combat the SuperHD TV’s Phillips and Vizio have already launched Cinemawide TV.  When TV first went color, the screen ratio of width to height was 4:3.  Meaning a 3” tall screen was 4” wide.  This is equal to 12:9 which I will use for simplicity.  Therefore a 9” tall screen is 12” wide.  Then along comes 16:9 HDTV meaning the same 9” tall screen is now 16” wide giving sports fans more of the picture.  Cinemawide is 21:9.

That same 9” tall screen is now 21” wide.  This is the same format that Movie theaters and very high end home theater projectors names like Runco have been using for years.  Cinemawide TV at a ratio of 21:9 gets rid of the black bars on the top and bottom of the screen when you watch a properly formatted Blu Ray Disc.  What you see at home is what you see at the movies, no stretching and no black bars.

If you sit at a normal distance of two times the width of the TV, a person with 20/20 can’t really see the difference between an HDTV and a SuperHD or UltraHD.  If you want to set closer, then maybe $20,000 is worth it for a 54” TV.  If you want the closest experience to going to the movies, Cinemawide will bring it home for a fraction of the price.  We found several TV’s under $1400 that were large Cinemawide HDTV.

For now the best bang for the buck in my book is Cinemawide TV.  After paying $20,000 for a Runco to get Cinemawide TV ratios in my house, and finding a Cinemawide TV at Amazon for under $1200, all I could see was a bargain.

 

Vizio 21:9 Cinemawide TV
Vizio Cinemawide TV available now.

2 comments

  1. Costco in Reno said the Cinewide sold out in just 3 days! I guess this format is quite popular. In the Beach Street Area, Huntington Beach had 10 as of 12/30/12. As with all wide screens, the height of the screen is how we judge relative size. Even thought the 58″ Vizio sounds big, it looks about the same as a 50″ HDTV. Where you will see the difference is watching a Blu-Ray or DVD which has a cinewide version. I also watched the 1965 movie “The Great Race” on Vudu in Cinewide as a test and even the SD version was fantastic.

    About a 65″ Cinewide would be just right above my fireplace. If it comes out before I buy the 70″ Sharp Aquos that is.

  2. And apparently the format gave way to curve screens and 4K. Marketers are desperate to get you to buy a new TV, and will try anything. It is sad we can’t buy one quality product and keep it for years. “They” want us to buy a new one every two years. It is just a TV no matter how you curve it.

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