News Analysis
TV Technology: The 10 Biggest Lies
By Swanni

Washington, D.C. (May 18, 2011) -- Editor's Note: To celebrate the 10th anniversary of TVPredictions.com, over the next several months I plan to publish a series of features honoring what I think represents the '10 Best' in the field of TV technologies.

(And in some cases, '10 Worst' articles will expose companies and people who I think are failing to strive toward excellence, or, in some cases, not even making a serious effort to satisfy their customers.)

Thus far, for example, I've published the 10 Dumbest Things I've Seen In The Last 10 Years of TV Technology and the '10 Smartest Things I've Seen in the Last 10 Years of TV Technology.' Today, we present the 10 Biggest Lies in TV Technology.

When businesses are in highly competitive category, such as TV technology, they will tend to be more aggressive in marketing campaigns designed to win over that audience.
In order words, they are more likely to lie. And I do mean lie, as in avoiding the truth at all costs.

Over the years, I have been consistently amazed at how companies will say almost anything to appear to offer the best and/or most in TV technology. So I thought it would be valuable for our readers to serve up what I believe are the 10 Biggest Lies in TV Technology.

These are 10 marketing messages that stretch the truth so far that you couldn't see it with a Hubble telescope. So when you hear companies say these things, just ignore them and move on.

Here are the 10 Biggest Lies In TV Technology today:


1. Product 'Shipments' Are Going Up!
Whether it's 3D TVs, or some other tech product struggling to reach an audience, tech companies love to issue press releases saying that "shipments" of that product are expected to increase this year or over several years.

Research companies also jump in with their own releases proclaiming that the product is about to take off because "shipments" are going to rise. And then both trade and mainstream journalists validate the claim with stories saying the product in question will soon be a hot ticket because "shipments" are booming.

Problem is, "shipments" are not "sales." Shipments are shipments, meaning that's how many products will be "shipped" to stores. It doesn't mean anyone will buy the product once it gets to the store. It just means that they will be in the store.

However, the 'shipments are rising' press releases -- and 'shipment' articles by journalists who should know better -- tend to create a perception that sales are rising. In fact, some journalists mistake shipments for sales, writing articles saying that a new study says 'sales' are rising. But they are not, at least not until people start buying those shipments. And history is filled with examples of ballyhooed products that never made their way off store shelves. (Although they were "shipped" there!)

Tech companies know these 'shipment' pronouncements are big lies, but don't expect them to stop issuing them anytime soon. When you're desperate, you will try anything to create a positive spin for your product.


2. "We're Still In Negotiations to Add That Channel"
DIRECTV may be the biggest spreader of this lie, but all TV providers do it from time to time. When a cable or satellite provider is under pressure to add a channel (such as DIRECTV and AMC HD), it doesn't want to come out and say it doesn't plan to add it anytime soon; that looks like it's not being responsive. Instead, it says "we're still in negotiations with that network."

That sounds like progress is being made, right? That the two companies are meeting day and night to hammer out a deal, right?

Well, in most cases, that's not the case. All it means is that the TV provider will occasionally check in with the network to see if its terms have changed for carrying the channel. That allows the TV provider to say it's still in negotiations. But, again, in most cases, it's just a big lie.

3. Video on Demand In 1080p Is Just as Good as Blu-ray
DIRECTV, Dish Network and a few other TV providers offer HD VOD movies in what they call 1080p. They also suggest the movies will offer the same picture quality as a Blu-ray 1080p high-def disc.

But that's a lie.

For starters, the cable and satellite providers heavily compress their signals so the picture quality of all programs is reduced. (This is done to create more system space for additional channels and servces.)

Second, 1080p programming can not be effectively transmitted over the air because the signal contains too much information; you're not going to get the pure quality of a Blu-ray disc.

The TV providers, of course, know all this, but it won't stop them from trying to create the perception that a "1080p" VOD movie is as good as Blu-ray. Why? Because they want you to watch their HD VOD movie instead of buying a Blu-ray disc!



4. The Blu-ray Picture Is Not Better Than a Digital Download
This big whopper often is uttered by members of the technology press, particularly those who believe that digital downloads are the real future of home video. Desperate to criticize the Blu-ray high-def disc, some journalists will downplay its picture quality while overestimating the picture quality of a download sent over the Net to your TV. But consumer studies -- and scientific ones -- have shown that the Blu-ray picture is dramatically better than a DVD, a digital download or anything else that's out there, including cable, satellite and the telcos.

5. "We Don't Expect to Issue a Product Update In the Near Future."
Apple uses this one so often it should file for the trademark. But other companies resort to this big lie as well.

Here's how it works. A tech company, such as Apple, will introduce a new product, say the iPhone 4. Millions of consumers get giddy over the prospect of buying the new gadget, but suddenly they pause, wondering if Apple will soon co-opt the iPhone 4 with an all-new-and-improved iPhone 5.

Knowing that consumers hate buying a product that could be obsolete even before you take it out of the package, the tech company issues a statement saying it doesn't expect to issue a new version of the product anytime soon.

It's a big lie, of course. In most cases, the company is already working on the final design of the new version. But that's okay. Tech journalists will dutifully report the company's lie, making consumers feel better about bringing home yet another new gadget.

6. Tech Journalists: "We're Not Biased."
You may have noticed that I have already criticized tech journalists several times in this piece. Well, it's with good reason. Despite their protestations to the contrary, the majority of tech journalists are inclined to write favorable stories about new gadgets, particularly if the gadgets are so arcane that the average person would find them difficult to use.

It's their nature; the journalists are technically sophisticated so they tend to embrace anything that seems technically sophisticated. It doesn't matter if most Americans are ill-equipped to use the product, or even worse, they have no interest in using it.

The tech journalists also live and work in the same circles as the people who create and market these new products, creating an echo chamber that reverberates with the words, "New technology is always great."

But it's not; sometimes it's poorly designed or simply unneeded by the masses. But you don't hear that enough from the tech journalist. While some try to offer objective criticism (David Pogue of the New York Times is a good example; CNET sometimes), most don't. They are too dazzled by the 'cool factor' of the new product.


7. "Better Buy Now; The Price Will Go Up Tomorrow!"
Whether it's the holiday shopping season, or a "special' Sunday sale, CE retailers love to create the perception that the price of a certain CE product will rise in the coming days, if not the coming hours. This is to create a sense of urgency with consumers that they must buy now to get the best price.

But here's the big lie: While the one-time sale price usually goes up immediately after the sale is over, it often returns a few weeks, or a month, later. CE retailers are constantly lowering and raising prices based on demand and other factors.

Additionally, you will likely find that 'one-time' sale price online at Amazon.com or another ecommerce site after it's left the retail store.

Bottom line: Sale prices are big lies.

8. "You Must Buy a Warranty"
This Big Lie is as old as it gets. Just as you bring out your credit card to buy that new gizmo -- you know, the one that the CE salesman just told you was the greatest thing of all time -- the salesman suddenly suggests it could break, not work, or perhaps even self-destruct in five seconds. So, he adds, you really need to buy an extended warranty, an extended warranty he fails to mention that gives him an extra commission.

The salesman will paint a horrible picture to try to get you to buy the warranty, which could run into the hundreds of dollars. But in almost all cases, don't go for it. The vast majority of products don't fall apart in your hands; and even if it does, the one-year warranty, which most manufacturers offer for free, is good enough, particularly for items costing less than $1,000.

9. "We Have Little Interest In Tracking Your Data."
Apple and Google are under fire now for product features that enable them to track where you are, what you buy, which sites you visit, and so on. The companies say the data is well-guarded and -- here's the biggest lie -- that they don't really use the information for much other than internal analysis.

That's bull.

The reason the features exist is to help these companies (and not just Apple and Google)  generate more advertising; the data is crucial to their future and they will do anything to get more info about what we do and when we do it. Advertisers will pay dearly for this information and the tech companies are lying through their teeth if they suggest otherwise.

10. "We Have Safeguards Against Hackers."
Every company that takes your data -- credit card info, etc. -- loves to boast that their sites, or data systems, are hacker-protected.

More bull.

As the recent meltdown of Sony's Play Station Network demonstrates, tech companies don't have a clue how to protect against the next hacker attack. Sure, they install safeguard after safeguard, but the hackers are constantly changing up. And the tech companies don't know what they will do next, or when they will do it.

Bottom line: If a tech company is not the victim of a hacker attack, it's because of pure luck, not because of anything it did to prevent it.

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