This week at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, the battle over the black bars in your living room officially shifted into overdrive. Both Philips and Vizio have announced that their highly anticipated, ultra-widescreen 21:9 aspect ratio HDTVs are finally heading to retail shelves this year.

For film purists who have spent a decade explaining to their friends why 'the black bars are supposed to be there,' these units represent the holy grail of hardware. By ditching the standard 16:9 television format and shifting to a native 2.39:1 CinemaScope aspect ratio, these displays allow you to watch massive, epic widescreen titles like Star Wars or The Lord of the Rings completely full screen. No matting, no lines, and no wasted pixels—just pure cinematic immersion from edge to edge.

While home cinema enthusiasts are already pulling out their credit cards, the mainstream tech industry is skeptical. Critics are quickly pointing out that standard 1080p television broadcasts, sitcoms, and video games will be forced to display with massive black 'pillar bars' on the left and right sides of the screen. Will the average consumer tolerate side-bars on their nightly news just to get an uncompromised experience on movie night? We are about to find out if the market is ready for true Constant Image Height in the living room.