The future of TVs

For years now, the defining feature of the next generation of TV’s has been a sharper picture.  From flat screen LCD’s, to HD televisions that have offered 720p, 1080p and now 4K in picture resolution.  While 8K is on the horizon, TV makers are beginning to exhaust the low hanging fruit on the picture sharpness front.

As such, other aspects of the viewing experience are due for some massive improvements, which will be rolled out to consumers in the next several years. In this article, we will discuss what the technological whizs at major electronics companies have in store for you and me over the rest of this decade.  Here’s the post to learn about the future of TVs!

ultra thin tv

Let’s dive right in, starting with…

3D TV: a revolution ahead of its time

While glass-less 3D TV’s have been available to those with money to burn over the past couple of years, the pioneer models in this genre have disappointed, leading some commentators to declare 3D dead and buried.  The current models on the market have viewing angle issues that make it hard to render projected images unless one is within a restricted viewing area and remains still.

This has caused companies to suspend further model plans to take this seminal technology back to the drawing board.  Later this decade, when the base technology becomes more sophisticated (i.e. it allows for a wider optimal viewing area and retains integrity in spite of the viewer’s movements), we expect that 3D will emerge a 2nd time in much stronger shape.

The integration of tablet and smartphones with TV

Over the past five years, tablets like the iPad have become ubiquitous around the world, with many users pairing them with their TV viewing to enhance their watching experience, or to simply occupy themselves during commercial breaks.

New smart TV’s being designed have begun to link themselves up with wireless devices, using apps to allow the viewer to watch one channel on their tablet, while the other plays on the main television screen (perfect for the husband that wants to watch the game, while the wife wants to see The Bachelorette), while others stream info about the program in progress, leading to a more interactive viewing experience.

“TV! Change channel to ESPN.”

While speech to text applications have been around for some time, actually taking that speech and getting technology to respond to commands has been a much more complex undertaking.  The gap is starting to close in recent years though, so the day where you can call on your television to mute itself, record your favorite show, or change the channel to the game is close at hand.

For now, embryonic models allow you to make simple commands into a microphone embedded within the remote that comes with the TV, and as improvements come, more complexity will find its way into this nascent feature.