The 56 PFL 9954 H TV is a 56 inch (142-centimeter) LCD from the Dutch manufacturer Philips, but with a special 21:9-format screen instead of the usual 16:9 format. The extra-wide TV is excellently suited to playing back CinemaScope movies, and is therefore aimed primarily at movie-fans.

The TV costs about 4,500 GBP, or about 4,700 GBP including a pedestal (available as an accessory); only a wall-bracket is supplied as standard. On the market from June 2009, the TV is yet to sell for less online (as of June 2009).

Florian Friedrich, tested on June 24, 2009

• Exclusive - currently the only TV in CinemaScope format.
• Rich connectivity with five HDMI inputs.
• Powerful sound.
• Heaps of multimedia functions, including YouTube access.
• Low power-consumption given the size of the screen.

• Screen format dictates a loss of sharpness for HDTV pictures wider than 16:9.
• Confusing aspect-ratio switching.
• Some obvious trailing effects.
• Relatively low contrast-ratio.
• Imperfect colors (even after calibration).
• Optimal picture only when viewed straight-on.
• No one-to-one mapping of all pixels - even for PC signals and photo playback.
• Not possible to use full screen for photo playback.

5x 2x 1x 1x

Test results in brief

Unique: Only this Philips has the format for movie-fans:
The word itself screams movie-enjoyment: CinemaScope. Hollywood shoots most of its hit movies in this extra-wide format - or in the similarly large Panavision format - including anything from action thrillers to smoochy romances. And it's these box-office smashes that Philips has in mind with this, the first TV that matches the format: not 16:9, but the stately 21:9 aspect ratio of CinemaScope.

If this ultra-wide display is sitting proudly in your living room, with its enormous screen-diagonal of 56 inches (142 centimeters), you won't need to explain to your guests that you're a passionate movie fan. The eye-catching format of the Philips "Cinema 21:9" speaks for itself.

While normal flat-panel TVs display the ultra-wide Hollywood blockbusters smaller than 16:9 and with black bars, the Philips fills its screen completely with all their supersized glory. This TV is currently one of a kind, and is sure to catch the eye of cinema freaks the world over. Traditional TV in 4:3 format, on the other hand, isn't exactly the Philips' cup of tea - such pictures fill only half of the screen.

The finest multimedia, a snazzy TV lamp, and excellent sound:
The unusual picture format catches the eye so successfully that it's easy to forget about the rest of the features. But, here too, there's plenty to draw the crowds - particularly in terms of multimedia. Photos, music, and videos play back from USB sticks, or from the home PC. Nothing new so far, you might say - other TVs do this already.

Well, now for the big guns: This 21:9-format TV can access a range of specially prepared Internet portals, displaying content ranging from YouTube videos and online photo-albums to weather forecasts and social networking sites. The only thing the Philips can't do is order in a pizza - well, not yet, anyway.

Another eye-catching feature in Philips' models is the sensuous "Ambilight" wall-lighting system. This relieves the viewer's eyes while they're watching TV in the dark by dousing the area around the TV in soft, colored light. You can choose the color yourself, or let the TV adjust it - at lightning speed - to suit the current picture. It's a really cool effect!

Another positive surprise: The 21:9-format TV sounds great too. This is worthy of special mention, since most modern flat-panels sound miserably thin. Here, instead, Philips has integrated a decent set of speakers, with bass drivers in a separate bass-reflex casing and directly emitting tweeters. Of course, the TV still doesn't match the sound of a separate audio system, but it still sounds worlds better than the competition.

Expensive, and the picture isn't perfect:
All this exclusivity has its price: With a pedestal, the TV costs a whopping 4,700 GBP. And, for this, it doesn't even offer you top picture-quality - the contrast, color-fidelity, and motion clarity are excellent, but not record-breaking.

For the same money, picture purists can buy Sony's KDL-55 X 4500, a first-class, 55-inch LCD TV. This offers neither CinemaScope format nor Ambilight, nor web-features, but does give you the best LCD picture of all time. Nevertheless, true movie fans won't hesitate for a moment: The exclusive, 21:9-format Philips is the new golden model for big-time movie entertainment.

More information:
If you're looking for more information before deciding to buy (or not buy), then read on. You probably won't find more-detailed information about the Philips anywhere else. If you have any comments about the Philips or about or review, please leave a user rating for this TV, or send us a comment using the contact form accessible from the top of this page.

Design

Good design shouldn't just be about sleek looks. Practical operation and connectivity, simple mounting, and high-quality manufacturing are all essential to a TV's success. This chapter looks at how the Philips 56 PFL 9954 H performs in these respects.

Unpacking:

Pleasing foresight from Philips: The box's removable sides mean you don't have to strain to lift the TV out of its packaging. Important: Open the upper side first - as described on the box itself - and take out the supplied wall-bracket. Only then should you remove the side panels.

Otherwise, you risk the same as happened to us: We didn't look at the warning, and the sharp-edged bracket promptly fell out of the box during unpacking. The bracket was fine, but our brand-new parquet flooring earned its first war wound.

Assembly:

The wall-bracket comes as standard, but the pedestal is only an optional accessory, available for about 200 GBP from the Philips website - if you want to table-mount the TV, therefore, make sure you order the stand too. The total cost of TV and stand is then about 4,700 GBP.

If you've got a helper, the pedestal attaches in no time. A mark indicates the center, making it easy to estimate where you should sit the display. Four screws then hold the pedestal in place while you transport the assembled TV to its chosen spot. The only tool you'll need is a standard household screwdriver (either flat-head or Phillips).

Given the considerable depth of 105 millimeters and a weight of 37 kilograms, you should be careful while moving the Philips. It has no molded grips, so the TV could easily slip out of your hands as you maneuver it up a narrow staircase, for example.

Weighing in at 6.4 kilograms, the sturdy, glass pedestal holds the TV firmly in place, so you won't have to worry about the Philips tipping over or slipping on smooth surfaces. The pedestal's swivel mechanism works precisely, but has a swivel range of just +/- 15 degrees.

Shape:

Because of its CinemaScope format, this LCD TV is significantly wider than other TVs. The unique aspect ratio of 2.36:1 - instead of the usual 1.78:1 - makes the Philips stand out from all other LCD and plasma TVs.

With this model, Philips has built the first TV ever to show large Hollywood productions without letterbox bars. These movies are not recorded in the so-called "flat ratio" of 1.85:1, which corresponds to traditional 16:9 TVs, but instead in ultra-wide formats such as CinemaScope or Panavision (2.35:1 to 2.40:1). No problem for the Philips, which displays such movies with (almost) no bars.

The flip-side is that you have to live with side bars for all other picture formats. In the worst case, with 4:3 pictures (1.33:1), around half of the screen is unused. It goes without saying that the TV provides a huge armada of aspect ratio settings for expanding such signals to a larger format (see Aspect ratios).

For comparison: If you use the screen's full width with CinemaScope movies, the Philips' picture corresponds to watching a movie on a traditional flat-panel TV with a huge 57-inch (145-centimeter) screen-diagonal. The picture size for TV broadcasts in 16:9 or 4:3 format, however, only matches that of a 42-inch (106-centimeter) model - after all, the Philips has the same height as a normal, 42-inch TV.

With a depth of almost 11 centimeters, the Philips isn't exactly ultra-flat. But then it's also extra-wide, and in relative terms the casing's dimensions match each other well.

The glass pedestal is largely scratch-resistant. Even the glossy, plastic frame proves to be more robust than that of current models from Samsung or Sony. As long as you don't go to work on the Philips with a biro or other sharp objects, you needn't worry about signs of wear and tear. Fingerprints show up clearly on the frame's surface, but are easy to remove with a microfiber cloth.

Remote Control:

An anthracite-colored, brushed-aluminum surface gives the remote control a high-quality, technical look. The buttons protrude by only around 0.5 millimeters from the surface, adding a certain elegance. The finely fluted, metal navigation-cross accents the design, but sadly scratches easily.

Handling:

The connections panel is well labeled, solidly fitted, and only slightly recessed from the casing. The sockets are easy to access if the TV is table-mounted, but not if it's wall-mounted. The gap of around 6 centimeters between the TV and the wall is generally sufficient, but bulkier cables and plugs might be a tight fit.

In general, the 21:9 TV's design and manufacture live up to its high price. The materials look high-quality, the outer surfaces meet flush with one another, and all of the screws are counter-sunk. Impractical: The outermost rim forms a fine gap of 2 to 3 millimeters with the inner frame. This can collect dust, which is then tricky to remove.