News Analysis
TV Makers Are Getting Smart!
By Swanni
Washington, D.C. (January 3,
2012) -- Since the early days of
home television, Americans have demonstrated they will do almost
anything to watch a better picture.
When TV started to reach the masses in the 1950s, viewers used
everything from household tools to body language to keep the
horizontal hold button from going amok. In the 1960s, people
with disposable dollars rushed to their neighborhood TV store to
buy a new color TV. And in the last decade, the lure of a
crystal-clear High-Definition picture persuaded scores of
millions of Americans to trade their old, but faithful, tube
sets for a shiny new flat-screen.
With all this historical evidence sitting on the shelf, you
would think that TV makers would know that the key to better TV
sales is to promote and provide a better TV picture. However,
during the last year, TV manufacturers have invested heavily in
gimmicks and side features such as 3D TV and Internet access,
known as Smart TVs. The concept of delivering the best picture
possible seemed to get lost as companies competed to deliver the
strangest or most creative picture possible.
Consequently, it shouldn't be surprising that TV sales were flat
in 2011. In a down economy, consumers were told to spend their
hard earned dollars on televisions that didn't seem to make
sense. (Literally in some cases; many new Smart TV owners
struggled with home Wi-Fi connections and never could figure out
how to get Netflix in their living rooms. Smart TV doesn't
require you to be "smart," but it does require a certain tech
savvy or, perhaps, a smart
relative or neighbor to help out.)
I bring you this context because there is now hope that the TV
industry has gotten smart. Next week at the Consumer Electronics
Show, it appears that the industry will focus its attention on
two technological advancements that purport to improve your TV's
picture -- OLED TV and 4K TV. Rather than spend countless
dollars on 3D hoopla, companies from LG to Samsung are expected
to preach that a better picture is coming your way.
And they won't be lying.
An OLED
set, which is based on the organic light-emitting diode (OLED)
technology, is just one-eight of an inch thick, compared to
today's Plasma and LCD flat-screen sets which measure up to four
inches thick. The set promises to offer a better picture than
today's Plasmas and LCD/LEDs as well.
Because of its thin panel, TV manufacturers have had difficulty
developing an OLED set at a size that would appeal to consumers.
To date, Sony's 11-inch OLED is the only type that has been sold
in the U.S. But LG next week will unveil a 55-inch panel that it
calls a "significant step forward in the popularization of OLED
TVs."
And the 4K HDTV? 4K
HDTV purports to offer a resolution four times
better than current HDTVs and LG next week is expected to
introduce an 84-inch model that will likely be available at
retail in the fourth quarter.
Now, at first, prices for both the OLED and 4K sets are expected
to be steep, perhaps somewhere between $5,000 and $10,000. But
they will come down -- and remember the first paragraph of this
story:
Since the early days of
home television, Americans have demonstrated they will do almost
anything to watch a better picture.
