TV makers are pulling out all of the stops to help invigorate sales and continue pushing the envelope. Over the course of 2009, many technologies have gained significant press and have been the topic of thousands of conversations online, but looking towards the future, there are advances in HDTV technology which are more than likely to never catch on.
1) 3D HDTVs – While Panasonic and Sony are already making plans to debut televisions with this capability and Samsung and Mitsubishi already with televisions who are 3D ready there are multiple hurdles which will need to be overcome. Firstly, there is no standard for the transmission of a 3D signal. There are some televisions which require you to wear glasses, some will need a software update, and future sets will have this functionality built in. It’s also important to consider the kind of content which will be made available in 3D. Movies are a likely progression to add more detail over the already sharp clarity provided with Blu-ray movies. When it comes to regular channels, it doesn’t make as much sense. With many broadcast channels just making the conversion to broadcast a digital signal it’s hard to think that they’ll incur even more costs to be able to broadcast in 3D. If it does materialize, manufacturers will only include this feature in their tippy top of the line sets as a proof of concept even if it never generate much in the way of unit sales
2) 480Hz for LCD HTDVs – First there was 60Hz, and everyone was happy. Then there was 120Hz and while many people aren’t quite sure what to make of it, the general consensus is that it makes watching television smoother. There are some people who are unable to view the benefits and for some it actually degrades the quality of the video being watched. That didn’t stop 240Hz televisions from coming out and with there only being a small amount of HDTVs with this features, manufacturers are already talking about the possibility of sets with a 480Hz refresh rate. At some point almost no one’s eyes are going to be able to notice the difference which will make a declining case to buy one with the exception of having the latest and greatest with a sticker on it that says so.
3) Wireless HDMI – More and more people are looking to mount their television on a wall or above a fireplace. For them wireless HDMI would enable clearer install since wires wouldn’t need to be moved around in walls with plaster, sheet rock and paint getting spread all over the place in the process. It uses a 5Ghz signal to transfer audio and video from a main unit over to the display. This is reminiscent of when LCD HDTVs first came out where the television and the tuner were separate but were connected with a system cable. Fidelity is the largest concern with a system like this. It’s hard to know if this will play nicely if there are multiple television in the house using this technology. Also, as more and more television becomes HD, you’ll need to be able to compensate for the increase in data being delivered or the compression will cancel out the benefits of a technology like this. Cost almost makes this a hard platform to see much adoption in. Standalone units for HDTVs cost more than $700 which makes it an upgrade few will even consider let alone purchase.
4) OLED HDTVs – When some came out with their OLED TV, people practically lost their mind because of how sharp the colors were, and how high the contrast ratio is. This technology is fraught with issues. First, the screens have been unable to last for more than 30,000 hours. If a family watches an average of 6 hours of television per day that means you’ll get just 5,000 days or 13.4 years. Compare that to the 100,000 hour lifespan of a plasma HDTV and it’s a hard pill to swallow. The other issue is that manufacturers have been unable to produce these screens in a large enough size for someone to put in their living room. Some companies have promised to show off larger OLED HDTVs, but this may never happen with other more viable technologies available to be used to innovate their products.
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