What’s new in television sets this year? Incrementally better pictures, larger screens and cheaper prices — and that’s about it.
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True, set manufacturers are bombarding consumers with a whole series of buzzwords — OLED, 4K, 8K, HDR, QLED, wide color gamut — intended to spur excitement and generate sales. Flashy new sets with these supposedly must have features are getting the spotlight Wednesday at the annual CES gadget show in Las Vegas.
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But when it comes down to it, none of these amount to revolutionary improvements for your living room. Set manufacturers may not have run out of technological tricks yet, but for this year, at least, they’re reduced to improving what’s already out there.
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That’s a good thing, said Gartner analyst Brian Blau, looking for the bright side. Products need to be improved.
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Trapped in the Box
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Set manufacturers are in a bind. Gadgets like virtual-reality headsets and smartphones have snagged much of the buzz that flashy new TVs once had.
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And while all sorts of other gadgets are getting more intelligent, so-called smart TVs that manage streaming-video services and let you play games have largely left consumers cold . Instead, the brains behind such features have largely migrated to set-top boxes offered by the likes of Roku, Apple and Amazon — or by cable companies themselves.
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So TV makers like Samsung and LG have doubled down on what they know best: screen technology.
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These days, you’re seeing a lot more marketing buzz about 4K sets, which offer twice the screen resolution of today’s high definition, or HD, sets. 4K technology is making a push into the mainstream this year, as prices come down and video providers offer more 4K streaming and channels.
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The next step in picture clarity is on its way with so-called 8K sets, which offer four times the resolution of HD, although the technology…