TrustedReviews: Philips Cinema 21:9 58PFL9955H/12 Review.

In short, watch­ing all sorts of 2D stuff on the 58PFL9955H was quite pos­si­bly the most fun we’ve ever had review­ing a TV. Honestly. It’s just impos­si­ble to describe just how effec­tive and impact­ful the 21:9 shape is, espe­cially when it’s com­bined with the stun­ning pic­ture qual­ity Philips has got from its 2010 direct LED sets.

HD qual­ity was ter­rific, too. Just make sure you tune the 21:9 as best as you can. The 58PFL9955H is like a Ferarri: you need to know how to use it to make the most of it. So HD, SD in 2D is great, how about 3D?

It also must be said that the 21:9 shape of the TV works great with 3D, with the extra width and impres­sive screen size mak­ing it eas­ier to get lost in the 3D world you’re watch­ing. Especially if you turn off the Ambilight fea­ture, which oddly seemed rather dis­tract­ing with 3D sources.

Crosstalk noise was found to be more prob­lem­atic than 3D plas­mas but much bet­ter than any other 3D LCD TV brand. TrustedReviews felt that it was “the best TV we’ve ever reviewed.” A few notable specs: 2560×1080, direct LED back­light, 500 cd/m2, HDMI 1.4 (4), Ethernet, USB, WiFi, SD, Component, Composite.

Is 21:9 the next wide? Most if not all film are wider than 16:9 and if you enjoy watch­ing movies more than TV the more theater-like expe­ri­ence from Philips’ 21:9 TV sets might serve you bet­ter. Although a 58-inch TV might be too big to use as a mon­i­tor, a mon­i­tor with a 21:9 aspect ratio would be ter­rific to put up two side-by-side web­pages, doc­u­ments, pre­sen­ta­tions, or really wide spreadsheets.