-218-85.jpg)
Philips' first cinemascope (21:9) ratio TV sent shockwaves through the home entertainment universe when it launched in 2009. A TV that delivered widescreen movies without black bars at the bottom and top of the image was a daring step that helped separate the Dutch brand from its Far Eastern rivals and earned it numerous plaudits.
Now it's revisited the concept, but added 3D playback and direct LED backlighting to create an even more cutting-edge product, dubbed the Cinema 21:9 Platinum.
At 58-inches it is two inches larger than its predecessor and replaces the latter's cheap-looking plastic bezel with an alluring black brushed aluminium frame with rounded edges. And where the earlier model sported a low-slung speaker bar, this one now hides its drivers out of sight.
Its £4,000 price tag slots it into the upper echelons of the flatscreen market alongside the likes of Samsung's UE55C8000, Panasonic's P65VT20 and Sony's 60LX903.
Of course, not everyone will hanker for an ultra-wide TV; those after a similarly specified conventional set should look instead to Philips' 9705 series (46, 40 and 32inches), which offer pretty much the same picture processing and features but in a regular 16:9 size.
-59-70.jpg)
Your comments (5) Click to add a new comment
xano
November 23rd 2010
5. Hello,
I would like to know if this Philips Platinum TV 21:9 is better compare to panasonic vt20?
All the movies in blu-ray are 21:9?
regards,
Xano
Alert a moderator
soarer
November 10th 2010
4. Thanks once again Jake.
You might let us know if/when Philips inform you of the week number of your test set.
It'd certainly put a lot of people's mind at ease regarding the 46PFL9705.
Keep up the good work!
Soarer.
Alert a moderator
techtv
November 10th 2010
3. Hi Jake here from TechRadar. We think that the sample that we looked at was week 38+, although we are waiting for Philips to confirm this. Philips has made an official comment on this problem:
Philips has identified an issue with a limited number of early supplies of its 46” 9705 LED TVs produced between week 32 and week 37 of this year which has caused some consumers to be dissatisfied with the 3D performance of their TVs. This can be identified by the last 4 digits of the serial number 1032-1037.
Our investigations have identified two issues that may cause this dissatisfaction. The first is related to an early version of software within the LCD panel of the 46” 9705 TV. The second is related to the performance with certain formats of 3D picture content.
We have implemented a software solution which will address the majority of consumer complaints about the 3D performance of the TV. The software upgrade is available to download by consumers from the Philips Consumer Support website (http://www.p4c.philips.com <http://www.p4c.philips.com> )
Should consumers own a 46” 9705 TV and upgrading the software does not improve the 3D experience sufficiently, consumers are advised to contact Philips Consumer Care directly.(Tel 0800 331 6015).
Philips would like to apologize for the inconvenience caused to consumers.
Alert a moderator
soarer
November 10th 2010
2. Thanks Jake.
Fair play to Philips to admitting to the problem. Was expecting them to bury their head in the sand, and have the 9706 sorted for next year's release.
Sorry to be a pedant though, but does that mean that your set was week 38+, or one of the earlier weeks with updated software?
Thanks again.
Soarer.
Alert a moderator
soarer
November 9th 2010
1. Hi guys.
Any chance you could let us know what week number your test set was?
There are a lot of 9705 owners experiencing very bad 3D pictures with pre week 40 models, and as the 21:9 shares pretty much the same internals as the 9705, I'm wondering what week your unit is.
Thanks.
Soarer.
Alert a moderator
Tell us what you think
You need to Log in or register to post comments