New monitors boasting 21:9 screens on their way

LG and Philips are the first tech companies to launch displays boasting the novel aspect ratio of 21:9, which mimicks the format of the screens seen in movie theaters.

Philips-first-21-9-monitor-Photo-AFP

LG and Philips are the first tech companies to launch displays boasting the novel aspect ratio of 21:9, which mimicks the format of the screens seen in movie theaters.

Back in September at Berlin's IFA, Philips unveiled its first ultralarge HD (2,560 x 1,080 pixels) 29 inch screen with a 21:9 ratio and a handy Multiview feature that can split the screen. It will be officially introduced before the end of November, and is set to go on sale by the end of the year, but its pricetag has yet to be announced.

LG is also onboard, with the EA93, which shares similar features and the same aspect ratio. Launched earlier this month in South Korea, the screen can be split up into four independent windows for added productivity. It also boasts embedded speakers, a USB 3 port, and HDMI input. The EA93 is expected to hit European markets soon.

Movie-optimized viewing

Such behemoths can make it easier to surf the web and watch a video simultaneously on the same screen, but their main stength is that the new format is tailor-made for most movies on the market, which means there will be no black stripes framing films as seen on other screen formats.

The upcoming CES, which is will be held in Las Vegas in January 2013, is set to be the site of more 21:9 screen launches.