Displaying Films in their full unadulterated glory, Philips' 56in 'Cinema 21:9' LCD TV will be available to UK consumers on the 18th June.

Although the majority of TV programmes are now optimized for 16:9 flat panel TV's, the films we watch at the cinema are shot in a much wider format. The 'Cinema 21:9' is the solution, allowing you to watch movies without those intrusive black bars.

Philips have said that this innovative piece of kit will also be able to handle 16:9 pictures with "advanced intelligent processing" which scales images to fill the entire screen, without any noticeable distortion.

The Cinema 21:9 comes complete with five HDMI ports a USB port and Wi-Fi for access to NetTV - Philips in-TV internet access solution.

The 21:9 cinema screen aspect ratio was originally developed to mimic our own peripheral vision, providing an immersive viewing experience. Philips hope to capture the essence of that experience with their 21:9 aspect TV.

To get the best out of the 56in screen of course high definition 21:9 content is required, to match the 21:9 Cinema TV format. Fortunately, content on some of the more recent Blu-ray discs will support 21:9 aspect ratio. The screen should support 16:9 content through smart pixel mapping although older content will display the dreaded horizontal bars.

Des Power, Philips consumer lifestyle senior VP stated: 'With our unique Cinema 21:9 we have developed a television which takes you as close to the experience that you enjoy at the cinema as you can get without buying a ticket. We believe that to really become absorbed in watching a film at home consumers are looking for a real cinematic viewing experience, so we have launched the world's first cinema-proportioned TV screen perfectly complemented by our immersive Ambilight technology.'

Philips have announced that the 21:9 screen will be available in the UK on the 18th June with a price of around £4500.