Just came across some 21:9 reviews and while I am not entirely convinced how would it handle my non-2.39:1 HD discs, I just realized it's LCD only... any chance for a plasma version?

In a word, NO. The Cinemascope LCD TV made a huge crater in the ground, from a marketing viewpoint. There may never be another model and even this one set is hard to find.

All is not lost, however. The 21:9 Cinemascope flat panels may be dead, but for about HALF the cost of the Philips $4000, 56" flat panel, you can buy the $2000 Panasonic PT-AE4000U projector. This offers you a Cinemascope picture 4x larger at half the price. In the average viewing room, the front projector can acheive a 120" Cinemascope image.

In a word, NO. The Cinemascope LCD TV made a huge crater in the ground, from a marketing viewpoint. There may never be another model and even this one set is hard to find.

All is not lost, however. The 21:9 Cinemascope flat panels may be dead, but for about HALF the cost of the Philips $4000, 56" flat panel, you can buy the $2000 Panasonic PT-AE4000U projector. This offers you a Cinemascope picture 4x larger at half the price. In the average viewing room, the front projector can acheive a 120" Cinemascope image.

That's actually a GREAT alternative...! Thanks, I'll have to read up on it. :)

It seems Vizio sees the market for this:

58" Cinema Display

VIZIO's® first Cinema Wide Display, the XVTPRO580CD offers the ultimate experience for the movie enthusiast. This 58" Razor LED™ has a 21x9 aspect ratio, with an incredible resolution of 2560x1080, allowing you to view 2.35:1 "Scope" aspect ratio films using the entire display area, with no loss of resolution and no black bars. (http://vizio.com/discover/ces/index.php?success)