We'll admit it: we wanted to watch classic Hollywood epics and cinematic masterpieces on Vizio's 21:9 CinemaWide display when we saw it at CES. The 2560x1080 screen fits 2.35:1 or 2.39:1 with a snugness impossible for 16:9 televisions. The 71-inch model is the definition of a luxury TV, and judging by the newly announced pricing on the 58-inch model, it will come with a luxury price tag. The 58-inch Vizio CinemaWide goes on sale this March for $3500.
The smaller 50-inch model and that 71-inch set we're still lusting after won't arrive until the second half of 2012. Let's put that pricing in perspective: how much TV do you think you can buy with $3500, setting aside the unique nature of the CinemaWide's 21:9 aspect ratio?
For the price of a $3500 TV, you could get any of the following:
- Between one and three plasma televisions measuring 55-inches to 64-inches diagonally
- An ultrathin 65-inch Samsung LED TV
- A $2000 projector that can digitally zoom 2.35:1 content without an outboard processor or special lens
Alternately, you could buy about seven cheap, small LCD TVs and put one in every room in the house. TV madness!