Our own Greg Robinson first wrote about VIZIO CinemaWide HDTVs two CES's ago, and so we take these latest pronouncements with a granule or two of sodium chloride, but the news is plenty exciting and the TVs themselves oh-so sweet.
These CinemaWide HDTVs are poised to be the first in North America to take the home cinematic experience to the next level with an ultra-widescreen 21:9 display (approximately a 2.33:1 aspect ratio, an exceptional fit for the common 2.35:1 "Cinemascope" format or more modern 2.40:1 widescreen movies) that lets movie buffs watch films in their native aspect ratio. It provides a full-screen presentation with little or no black bars top and bottom, compared to typical letterboxed framing even on 16:9 displays.
Blu-ray movies with a 16:9 (1.78:1) or "flat" 1.85:1 aspect ratio would commonly appear "pillarboxed," with black bars left and right making up the difference in shape. But while 21:9 content can now be enjoyed in its native aspect ratio, even 16:9 films can be intelligently scaled by CinemaWide TVs for optimal rendering on this distinctive video stage.
Oscar-winning cinematographer (for the 16:9 Avatar) of such visually striking widescreen films as The Island and Real Steel, Mauro Fiore, A.S.C., has this to add: "VIZIO CinemaWide provides the most accurate, broadest canvas for me to paint my films' vision. Finally my films can be seen at home the way they were intended, in the 21:9 aspect ratio."
Regardless of aspect ratio, picture quality is tremendous at the highest available resolution, exceeding the Full HD spec by achieving 2,560x1080 pixel resolution. The 50-inch XVT3D500CM and 58-inch XVT3D580CM feature VIZIO's Edge-Lit Razor LED backlight with Smart Dimming on each TV's array of LEDs, arranged in multiple zones. Operating frame-by-frame based on the unique content, Smart Dimming adjusts brightness in precise steps down to pure black (LED off) for a rated Dynamic Contrast Ratio of 1,000,000:1. Both of these also have an image-smoothing 120Hz refresh rate.
The 71-inch XVT3D710CM utilizes VIZIO's step-up Full Array TruLED backlight, also paired with Smart Dimming. Using over 120 zones across the entire display, TruLED backlighting is able to control specific areas of the image to a much finer degree than edge-lit LED, for even deeper blacks and higher contrast, with a reported 20,000,000:1 Dynamic Contrast Ratio. The 240Hz SPS (scenes-per-second) frame rate enhancement chews up and spits out fast action.
VIZIO CinemaWide HDTVs also incorporate the company's award-winning Theater 3D technology, displaying 3D content delivered from true 3D sources such as Blu-ray 3D, select set-top boxes or a gaming console as intended. The image is up to two times brighter than on conventional active shutter LCD TVs, with significantly less crosstalk, a wider horizontal viewing angle and smoother fast motion scenes.
VIZIO Internet Apps (V.I.A.) are onboard too. In fact, CinemaWide will be the first-to-market interactive TV capable of running the internet and a full-sized, Full HD 16:9 video image side-by-side. So even as modern life happens--the big game on the right and Facebook on the left--we don't have to miss a thing. The growing V.I.A. ecosystem is just one click away, with a vast array of apps and some 75,000 movies/TV shows, as well as online services and content from major players such as Hulu Plus, Amazon Instant Video, Netflix, VUDU, Pandora, Rhapsody, Flickr, the aforementioned Facebook, Twitter, Yahoo! TV Widgets and Fandango.
CinemaWide video is paired with SRS Labs audio, including virtual surround by way of the StudioSound HD suite of enhancements designed specifically for flat-panels, bringing an immersive surround experience using only the built-in TV speakers. The suite also creates crisper, clearer dialogue, richer bass, an elevated soundstage and spike-free volume levels.
All three sizes come standard with four pairs of passive 3D glasses and a Bluetooth QWERTY keyboard remote, and arrive 802.11n Wi-Fi-enabled right out of the box.
Pricing has not been finalized, but will likely be reasonable, knowing VIZIO, although the unconventional screen design will come at a significant premium. Similarly, no firm release dates have been revealed, but a well-placed source at the show did hint at the first quarter of 2012, at least for the 58-incher which is expected to be first to ship. So check back on March 31 (yes, March 31, of THIS year).
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