This year, at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas – the industry’s biggest annual showcase – tablet computers may be grabbing most of the headlines. But the more important story is coming out of the TV market. Firms ranging from Sony to Sharp are betting millions on new technology designed to convince consumers to upgrade the hi-definition TVs many of them bought just a year or two ago. Indeed, from TVs with operating systems to ultra-light 3D glasses, the big tech firms are pulling out all the stops to try to gain supremacy in the next-generation, multibillion-dollar TV market.
The main tool in the manufacturers’ arsenal is the so-called “connected” TV. Such sets come with Internet connectivity, allowing users to download applications or content from the Web. Unlike 3D, consumers seemed to have a positive reaction to connected sets. Even though such TVs made up a small portion of overall sales last year, that number is growing, as consumers recognize the vast amount of Web-based content available to them.
But there is still plenty of consumer resistance to the idea of plucking down another four figures on a new TV set. 3D sets, the technology the industry pushed hard last year, has seen less-than-enthusiastic uptake. The reasons for the poor reception are varied: consumers complained there was little 3D content available, especially in the way of cable and broadcast TV. The bulkiness of 3D glasses was another concern, as was the uncertainty around various technological standards – few consumers wanted to risk buying what turned out being the 3D equivalent of BetaMax.
What the industry ends up doing to address these concerns will have a huge impact on consumers. The question is whether the world’s biggest TV manufacturers can create products compelling enough to convince consumers to upgrade the priciest piece of electronics in their living rooms.
Follow Omar El Akkad and Saleem Khan as they cover the annual Consumer Electronics Show
The Death and Life of 3D TV:
Everyone from Sony to ESPN will try to address the various problems that kept consumers from jumping on the 3D TV bandwagon in 2010. According to some experts, adding 3D capability to a hi-def set runs companies about $200 or $300, something that eventually gets passed on to consumers. But there have been other concerns, besides price.
To get around the issue of bulky 3D glasses, companies such as Samsung are pushing new, lightweight glasses. Toshiba is showcasing a reportedly glasses-free 3D laptop, possibly paving the way for the elimination of glasses entirely (although that still seems a long way off, at least for TVs).
Users also complained there simply wasn’t enough content to justify purchasing a 3D TV, even though some companies, such as ESPN, began broadcasting some content last year. Sony, HBO and video-streaming service Vudu are also expected to make content-related announcements. Virtually all other major content providers, however, have little or no 3D offerings. And whether any of this will be enough to convince consumers is yet to be seen.
A TV With Brains
If content was the problem that kept consumers away from 3D TVs last year, manufacturers are pitching so-called Smart TVs as the solution. Led by companies such as LG, most major manufacturers are launching new models that function more like computers than TVs. Most such sets will run consumers more than $1000, but the prices vary wildly based on what kind of hardware is in the machine.
