There will be evolutionary improvements that focus on improving picture quality, as well as the emergence of one new display technology.
The start of a new year is a signal for me to make my annual trek to the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas where I'll inspect, first hand, the latest high-definition televisions. Every HDTV manufacturer I've spoken with recently has hinted that they'll be showcasing brand new models that will feature mostly evolutionary improvements. Their primary focus will be on improving picture quality. And at least one display technology should finally make the leap from the laboratory into the hands of awaiting consumers.
The liquid crystal display (LCD) dominates the flat-panel television category, and 2007 marked LCD's superseding the venerable cathode ray tube (CRT) as the most often-purchased type of TV. LCDs have long suffered from several image quality weaknesses that include mediocre contrast, color quality, and performance with fast moving imagery. The use of advanced backlight technologies, such as light emitting diodes (LEDs), in LCD panels can effectively address these problem areas while reducing the amount of mercury that is used in traditional fluorescent tube backlight systems. Dolby Labs' recent acquisition of a company that specialized in advanced LED backlight systems is the latest sign that the industry as a whole is seriously considering this technology as way to differentiate new products in an increasingly crowded field of brand names. Samsung and Sony have previously demonstrated large format liquid crystal HDTVs that feature LED backlight technology, and CES 2008 will certainly feature an expansion of these product lines. However, LED backlit LCDs will continue to command premium prices for the foreseeable future, and the show floor will certainly showcase new LCD designs that utilize improved fluorescent tube technology, as well as new screen and filter materials that offer further improvements in image quality at increasingly affordable prices.
The rear-projection television (RPTV) isn't dead yet, and this value-driven display category will receive some interesting updates at CES. Mitsubishi is expected to announce the availability of a laser illuminated DLP-based rear-projection television that the company first demonstrated at CES 2007. The original demo I previewed produced a picture that was too colorful (extreme color saturation), but if tamed, this laser-based display system has the potential to deliver exceptional color purity with excellent energy efficiency. I'll also be on the lookout for an update to Sony's prototype laser-lit RPTV using the company's SXRD microdisplay technology that also made an appearance at the 2007 show. The longevity of an RPTV's lamp module is a concern among many potential owners, and technologies, such as LED arrays and Luxim's LIFI hybrid light source that stimulates a sealed bulb with RF energy, are making lamp longevity a non-issue. This year's show will highlight more RPTVs that incorporate these light sources, and I'm curious to see if the latest LED arrays are able to match the brightness of traditional lamp-driven systems.
Now that every major plasma television manufacturer is producing panels with full 1080p resolution (1,920 by 1,080 pixels progressively scanned), I'm expecting the new models on display at CES to feature improved video processing with 24p video material (most film and digital cinema) as it is converted for display at the 60 Hz refresh rate that most TVs use—Pioneer is still the only TV manufacturer that offers a 72-Hz display mode for 3x frame processing of 24p material—eliminating a shaking artifact known as judder. Minimizing ambient light reflecting from the surface of a plasma television screen improves its appearance in rooms where lighting is uncontrollable—something most LCDs handle quite well. CES 2007 showcased the impressively non-reflective characteristics of new screen filters from Pioneer and Samsung. Pioneer's new KURO series of plasma TVs incorporates the company's latest filter technology, and I'm expecting some of the other primary plasma TV manufacturers including LG, Panasonic, and Samsung to demonstrate new models that can provide an alternative to LCDs for viewing in a well-lit environment.
Organic light emitting diode (OLED) displays should attract crowds of drooling onlookers once again. OLED displays can deliver an inky dark black for superb apparent contrast and color saturation, and they do so with a screen that measures only a few millimeters thick as it requires no backlight system like that used with LCD technology. Sony recently started offering an 11-inch OLED TV called the XEL-1 in Japan, and the company demonstrated a 27-inch 1080p resolution prototype at the 2007 show. Samsung is also keen on OLED development, and it seems likely that bigger and better OLED TVs are in the future for 2008.
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2704,2239374,00.asp
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