Jonathan Zupnik's Blog

FREE Relaxation & Stress Release

2016-01-12T17:40:00.001-08:00

Enjoy the relaxing sounds of the water feature - as well as the video - see which birds come by for a visit

Flying into San Diego Airport

2015-10-20T09:52:00.001-07:00

President Barack Obama's Motorcade leaving The Crosby

2015-10-12T13:58:00.001-07:00

President Barack Obama at The Crosby 14th hole

2015-10-12T13:36:00.001-07:00

Curved Television - Why or Why Not , are there benefits to Curved TV

2014-01-13T14:35:00.000-08:00

As I review the pile of media coming from CES, I found a good article on Curved.

Very detailed - gets to the point of what will or won't a person benefit from a Curved screen.

(oh and by the way RCA did NOT have any Curved TVs in our booth (although we have 2 models developed))

RCA did have Ultra HD (4K) , Roku Integrated TVs, IPTV, SMART, and Various Combo units.

Enjoy the read, JZ

The flat-out truth on curved TVs

Many companies showed curved TVs at CES. Gimmick or valid innovation?

by Casey Johnston - Jan 12 2014, 4:00pm PST

Curved TVs are everywhere, and companies sure want us to be excited about them. Time to figure out if we should be.

More than one high-profile vendor showed off a curved-screen TV during their press conferences at the Consumer Electronics Show. But as soon as the show floor opened, it became clear that curved screens weren’t just the provenance of big names like Samsung and LG. Nearly every TV vendor from high to low had a curved screen to parade in its booth.
The reason for a curved screen has somewhat mystified us since last year when we first saw Samsung’s curved 4K TV. Now that these screens are everywhere, it bears sussing out what, exactly, is their purpose.
The first clue that curved screens are a questionable improvement over flat ones is that every manufacturer has a slightly different reason for the style. Theaters, field of view, 3D, and depth enhancement all get name-checked in service of the curve. Some of these are easier to address than others, and some actually make a case for a curved TV screen. Still, it’s not exactly the next revolution.

Enlarge / Samsung showed a curved 4K model last year, and this year decided to take them mainstream.

TCL writes that a typical flat screen “makes objects at the center seem larger,” but a curved TV “brings the edges closer to you,” creating a “theatrical effect.” The mixed argument of object proportionality and what theaters do aside, the statement that a flat screen would make centered objects seem larger seems to be at odds with the way video is filmed, the way we see things, and the way we are meant to see things in a film.
For instance, if we look at three chairs lined up in a row in front of us, of course the one at the center would seem larger because it’s literally closer. If we move the two chairs at the edge so they form a little semicircle, now everything looks proportional. But it’s a different scene, as the positioning is different. The chairs would now indeed seem to be surrounding us.

Enlarge / Even Konka is throwing a curved model out there.

If you tried to mimic the effect of chairs surrounding us by curving the picture of chairs in a line, maybe that conveys a different feeling. But it also fundamentally alters the truth of three chairs lined up in a row. The point is, an immersive feeling or feeling of being surrounded may be paramount for, say, a show on the deep ocean in an IMAX theater, but it's far from suited to every scene or situation.
This type of reality distortion wouldn’t be unprecedented, as filmmakers achieve effects like this by using different lenses. For instance, a fisheye lens creates the opposite effect that a curved TV theoretically does. Curved screens are also used in theaters to correct depth perception, and indeed, lots of manufacturers refer to curved screens as IMAX-like. We get the theory, but curved theater screens are not completely similar to the effect that curved TVs will give.
Per AnandTech, the minimum curvature of a curved theater screen has a radius of 40 feet. That’s a slight curve for a very large (30x70 foot) screen that's meant for people sitting many feet away. The curve of a Samsung OLED TV has a 13.7-foot radius, much tighter, for a much smaller screen and people sitting much closer. If a slight curve for a large screen at a large distance corrects an image, it seems like a tight curve on a small screen at a small distance would unnecessarily distort it a little.
The reasoning that came closest to a technical explanation of curved TVs came from Samsung’s booth, where we found some diagrams that claim a curved screen provides a more expansive field of view.

Enlarge / An explanatory diagram of how curved TV works. The first with arrows showing which way a person is looking when they are looking at a TV is great, but we will focus on the second.

A close read of this diagram also shows that, if we assume the TV being watched is 55 inches, the TV is about 50-inches wide. This means there are four people sitting within four feet of each other. Coziest loveseat ever. And how to solve this problem of cramped space? Buy a larger TV, of course.
Turning that screen width 90 degrees, we can also see these people are sitting all of three feet from the screen. Let’s scooch them back a bit.

Enlarge / The field of view effects at a six-foot viewing distance. The envelopes between the green and pink lines show the "expansive" effect of a curved screen.

So, for people directly in front of a curved screen even six feet away, the field of view widening effect is pretty small. However, it is there for people sitting directly in front of the TV. At a more typical eight feet, the benefits get smaller. The daughter sitting left of center sees a TV that appears maybe 3-5 inches bigger than usual.

Enlarge / At eight feet, the benefits of a curved screen are quite small.

The curved screens seem most theatrical in the sense that, if your living room is not set up literally like a theater, people who are sitting off to the sides cannot benefit from the curve and will likely get a distorted picture. And at wider angles, the edges are cut off entirely.

Enlarge / People sitting off-center don't get curved screen benefits, and they likely see a picture that is significantly more distorted than if the screen were flat.

If you started to fan viewers out beyond the edges of the TV, the picture for them would be distorted. Beyond a certain point, the image cuts off at one edge. These wide-seated viewers also don’t get the field-of-view benefits, as their envelope just shifts to one side or the other. Persons A and B can’t see the far left side of the screen, and G and F can’t see the right side. They would be able to see a flat screen TV, though the picture would be distorted. Even person D sitting at a slight angle loses all the “widened field of view” benefits of the curve.
Hence, a curved TV is only right for a very specific, pretty unusual setup: everyone right in front of the screen, very close to it. A Samsung rep speaking to TechRadar said that curved displays give “a greater range of viewing angles,” but from what we see here, that doesn’t seem to be the case.

Enlarge / If you use Samsung's diagram trick and scooch people closer to the screen, the field-of-view problems with off-center viewing are a little easier to see. A, B, E, and F are cut off from their sides of the screen.

Funnily enough, these diagrams show that, for certain setups, there actually is a point to the Samsung TV that can convert from flat to curved. When you are watching by yourself and can pull up a chair a few feet from the screen, go curve. When there are other people around whom you don’t want to sit practically in your lap, go flat.
Samsung also asserted in its PR presentations that the curved screens give video content a “3D-like effect,” but having the edges of a picture slightly closer doesn’t mimic any 3D experience we know of. Per the chair example above, the picture distortion would make you feel you are surrounded by chairs rather than looking at them. But as for things popping out of the screen, it doesn’t seem like curved TV will achieve that with its shape.
The mishmash of arguments for a curved TV isn’t necessarily an indictment of the value of curved TV. This would not be the first time that manufacturers obscured the technical or scientific reasons for a decision because they think it’s too hard to explain to consumers. It may be easier to latch onto words like “immersive” and “theatrical” and hope no one asks the hard questions.
But, it would also not be the first time that manufacturers assigned value to some spec based on the idea that it qualitatively improved a viewing experience in some way, only for consumers to find the end result is underwhelming and, more importantly, not worth paying for. Potentially over aggressive image distortion aside, is there a case for curved TV? Yes. Is it necessary, right for every setup, the way forward, or the new standard? No.

Great new article on 4K television - content and hardware

2013-06-03T14:49:00.002-07:00

This is a very good take on the reality of 4K , if and when it will be meaningful.

End comment is to the point - it is going to take a while, so sit back an enjoy that nice HD TV you just purchased recently!

JZ

Yes, 4K — that’s 3840 x 2160 resolution — was all the rage at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
Every leading flat panel manufacturer showcased 4K “Ultra HD” televisions at the show, including Sony, LG, Samsung, Toshiba, Sharp, Vizio and others. Sizes ranged from 50″ “entry-level” models to huge displays with 80″ and 100″ diagonals. Some even offered genuinely impressive “autostereoscopic” capability, which allows the viewing of 3D content without glasses. As you’d expect, they all looked fantastic. As you’d also expect, rumored prices for these high-resolution monsters were equally amazing — ranging from the modestly exorbitant to well over $20,000. While all the manufacturers claimed their consumer models will be “more affordable than expected,” few were willing to get specific, meaning that the Ultra HD 4K TV market will almost certainly remain limited to privileged super enthusiasts and professionals for the next few years, just as now old-fashioned HD was through the 1990s. Ironically though, high price is likely to be the least of the obstacles facing the adoption of 4K.
First, there’s the lack of content. It’s not that there isn’t 4K material out there. After all, the Hollywood studios all produce films in 4K — it’s become a standard resolution for directors who choose to shoot feature “films” digitally. You may have heard of the “RED EPIC,” which is actually the brand name of a 4K digital HD camera system that has been used to make dozens of Hollywood film and TV projects — everything from giant features such as The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and the upcoming Oblivion and Pacific Rim to TV series such as Justified and Southland. In fact, it seems as though almost every major new film is being shot in 4K these days and the final studio masters for each are completed and finished in 4K resolution. So what’s the problem? Try rampant concern in Hollywood over digital piracy. “Theoretically, 4K is the resolution you can get from a film print master,” notes Panasonic North America’s Chief Technology Officer, Eisuke Tsuyuzaki. “I don’t think the studios will be willing to give that up so easily. If they did, what’s the monetary value? What’s the business proposition?”
Think of it this way: If someone pirates a Blu-ray, they’ve got a great 1K — or 1920 x 1080 — high-definition copy. If someone pirates a 4K file, they’ve essentially got a duplicate of the studio master — not an appealing proposition for any senior studio executive.
But let’s set this issue aside for a moment. Sony is making no bones about its desire to sell lots of Ultra HD 4K displays and offer 4K content (presumably from its Sony Pictures Home Entertainment division). So how will it deliver that content securely? While limited 4K broadcasting is just getting underway in Japan, Korea and parts of Europe, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has yet to approve a 4K broadcast standard for the United States, and one isn’t expected to be ready until 2016 or 2017. Also, according to Sony’s resident Blu-ray guru, Victor Matsuda, “There is currently no activity within the BDA to bring 4K into the Blu-ray specs.” Nor is there any new disc-based format being developed to replace Blu-ray. That means 4K movies are likely going to be distributed digitally, streamed over broadband or satellite transmission.
Sony’s 4K service is expected to launch this summer. Though the company hasn’t specified how it will work, it seems that some kind of Internet-connected box will be involved, employing an encrypted digital stream to deliver movies from Sony Pictures’ servers.
Meanwhile, RED is also marketing a 4K consumer player called the REDRAY, which will work like a DVR to deliver 4K digital files (in 2D and 3D) to your display. RED says its movie files will have a data rate of around 20mbps, which is about the same as a Blu-ray, but that means file sizes for a typical two-hour movie will hit 15GB. Cable companies are already up in arms about making consumers pay the full cost of their Netflix streaming in paltry 480p and 1080p resolution, so imagine how they’ll react to bandwidth-hogging 3840p!

The problems for 4K don’t stop there. The market research firm IHS Screen Digest recently reported that digital projection had officially surpassed traditional film projection. Analog film projection represented just 37 percent of all theatrical projection around the world by mid-2012, with that number expected to decline to just 17 percent by 2015. Care to hazard a guess as to what the current resolution standard for digital projection in theaters is? Yep… 4K. Given how much money theater owners and distributors have just invested in converting their screens to digital, it’s hard to imagine they’re especially thrilled at the prospect of having to compete with 4K in the home.
Yet another deal-breaker for 4K is the fact that many consumers will simply be unable to differentiate 4K content from current HD video at typical home display sizes. You’ll recall that lots of people had trouble telling Blu-ray content from DVD even in side-by-side comparisons, and there are many viewers to this day who own HDTVs but haven’t hooked them up properly. The result is that they’re not even watching true HD content on their expensive new TVs, but they don’t know it and can’t tell the difference anyway. Looking ahead, there’s research that suggests that in order to fully appreciate Ultra HD 4K, you either have to be sitting very close to your TV or have a very large display — something well over 60″. Neither of those alternatives is likely to be practical for most home viewers anytime soon.
But perhaps the biggest obstacle of all for Ultra HD 4K is the fact that HDTV is simply good enough for the vast majority of viewers, most of whom have only just upgraded to HD. In addition, most broadcasters have only recently completed the capital upgrades required to deliver HD content, so now they’re hoping to recoup their investments. And we tend to forget just how long we all lived with analog TV sets. Limited TV broadcasting in the U.S. began way back in 1929 but didn’t go nationwide until the FCC made NTSC the official analog standard in 1941, first in black-and-white and then (a decade later) in color. And so life continued for another 68 years… until analog broadcasting finally ended in the U.S. on June 12, 2009. That’s a long time to wait for digital and high-def, even though the first HD demonstrations appeared as early as 1987. Why did the HD transition take so long? Because, for most people, analog was good enough.
So what of Ultra HD 4K? Will there ever be a market for that much resolution in the home? “Time will tell,” says Panasonic’s Tsuyuzaki. “Keep in mind, people are already working on 8K. But I think 3D, IPTV [TV content delivered via Internet protocol rather than broadcast, cable or satellite] and mobile are the three areas where display technology is really going to evolve in the next few years.” Translation: Forget 4K for now. Sit back, relax and enjoy your new HD flat screen. It’s going to be around a long while.
For More:
hometheater.com/tech-101
dvdinformation.com
By Bill Hunt

PC Mag 42" RCA LED TV Review Editor's Choice

2013-03-14T15:38:00.002-07:00

Selected as the Editor's Choice, see below

JZ

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2416133,00.asp#

RCA LED42C45RQ

editor rating: excellent

view all 4 photos in gallery

MSRP
$449.99

Lowest Price$399.00

Buy it Now

Pros
Affordable. Good viewing angles. Convenient port location.
Cons Only two HDMI ports. Some motion artifacts. Reds are slightly undersaturated.
Bottom Line
RCA's LEDC45RQ series is a very affordable HDTV line offering full 1080p resolution and energy-efficient LED backlighting. Picture quality is above average for sets in the under-$500 price range, so it's our Editors' Choice for budget HDTVs.

By John R. DelaneyBudget HDTVs are all about sacrifice, so don't expect 3D or Web connectivity, but it doesn't mean you have to live with a set that looks cheap and delivers subpar picture quality. The RCA LEDC45RQ series is an LED-backlit LCD HDTV line that delivers full 1080p HD and rich colors. The 42-inch model we tested (RCA LED42C45RQ: $449.99 list) $399.00 at Amazon offers wide viewing angles and conveniently placed I/O ports. You do only get two HDMI ports, and its 60Hz panel produces a bit of motion lag, but despite its flaws, it's our Editors' Choice for under-$500 HDTVs.

Compare Similar Products

Design and Features
The LED42C45RQ isn't very flashy, but it is a nice-looking HDTV. The 42-inch 1080p panel is framed by thin 1-inch glossy black bezels along the top and sides and a 1.5-inch bezel on the bottom. The trim has a subtle beveled edge that adds a touch of style. There's an RCA logo on the bottom bezel, to the right of the remote sensor.

View all 4 photos in gallery

Measuring 3.6 inches at its thickest point, this set isn't exactly svelte. It sits on a black rectangular stand with a clear acrylic finish that provides plenty of support for the 30-pound cabinet, but it does not let you swivel the panel. The cabinet is equipped with the requisite four VESA holes for mounting on a wall, as well as two 8-watt speakers that are moderately loud. You can even squeeze a modicum of low end out of them with the built-in equalizer, but don't expect wall-shaking bass output.
All six function buttons (Power, Volume Up/Down, Channel Up/Down, Input Select) are at the rear of the cabinet facing right. On the opposite side, facing left, is the I/O port array. You only get two HDMI ports, and the composite/component ports are shared. There's also a USB port, a headphone jack, a digital audio output, and a coax cable/antenna jack. At this price point you won't see web connectivity (wired or wireless), or Web/streaming apps.
The remote control is a black, no-frills, 9-inch wand with 48 rubberized buttons plus a four-way arrow key. None of the buttons are backlit and all of them are a bit small, but the remote is responsive and fits comfortably in hand.
This set offers limited picture settings; presets include Standard, Movie, User, Power Saving, and Dynamic mode, but only the user mode lets you adjust brightness, contrast, color, tint, and sharpness. On the other presets, these settings are locked. Oddly, the Power Saving mode looks identical to the Standard mode, and in fact uses the same amount of power.
Regardless of the preset you're using, you can change color temperature and a handful of advanced settings like Dynamic Contrast, Film Mode, and Noise Reduction. Sound settings include a not-half-bad simulated surround effect, auto volume control, and an equalizer.
Performance
The LED42C45RQ uses a 60Hz panel, unlike some other budget sets including the Insignia NS-42E480A13 and the Westinghouse UW40T2BW$369.99 at Amazon
, which both use 120Hz panel technology. In my tests, I observed some motion lag while watching the Blu-ray version of 2012, but the flaws were minor. Viewing angle performance is generally good; there was a slight loss of luminance when viewed from a side angle, but colors remained intact.
We measured the panel's ability to display bright whites and dark blacks using a Klein K10-A Colorimeter and images from the DisplayMate suite of HDTV diagnostic tests. The set produced a peak brightness of 323.26 cd/m², which is plenty bright, and a black level of 0.18 cd/m², which is not very dark. Despite a middling contrast ratio of 1,796:1 the picture showed plenty of pop and exhibited good highlight detail. Shadow detail was a bit murky, however, while watching Black Swan on Blu-ray.
As shown on the chart above, generated by SpectraCal's CalMan5 software, green and blue color levels were close to the CIE standards but reds were a bit weak, although not weak enough to cause tinting or affect color fidelity.
The LED42C45RQ used 67 watts of power during testing, which is average for a 42-inch LED-backlit panel. The same-size Insignia NS42E480A13 used 64 watts, while the 40-inch TCL LE40FHDE3000 consumed 50 watts.
Conclusion
With the RCA LED42C45RQ you get a very affordable 42-inch HDTV that uses energy-efficient LED backlighting and delivers a bright, well-balanced picture. In order to keep the price under $500 RCA had to skimp on some features, which explains the limited port availability and the 60Hz panel, but its overall picture quality is superior to the other sub-$500 HDTVs we've recently tested, including the Insignia NS42E480A13 and the Westinghouse UW40T2BW. If you're looking for a capable, yet affordable small-screen set without all the perks that come with pricier sets, the RCA LED42C45RQ should be at the top of your list.

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Flash back to 2009 , my comments on the Blu-ray industry and more

2013-01-14T11:28:00.002-08:00

Fun going back and seeing my comments from almost 4 years ago. How about that $99 price needed on a Blu-ray , and my concerns over IPTV (compare that to latest release from NPD), as well as the industry need to promote the VALUE of the innovation and technology we provide, vs the consumer just waiting for a cheaper price.

Ah if I was only so good with picking Lottery Numbers!!!!! ;-)

JZ

By Greg Tarr -- TWICE, 2/23/2009
NEW YORK — As the economic storm clouds grow darker, consumer electronics manufacturers are looking at a handful of growth categories — including Blu-ray Disc players — to hedge the industry's bets, but one major retailer told TWICE that he fears the category is still not the slam-dunk some perceive it to be.

Some manufacturers believe the economy could actually have a positive impact on the fledgling Blu-ray category this year. As consumers hunker down in their homes and avoid expensive nights out, they can become more willing to spend to upgrade their entertainment experience at home.

“We're still in agreement with CEA's estimates that Blu-ray decks have the potential to double this year to roughly 5.7 million units,” said Tim Alessi, LG Electronics product development director, who said he sees the cocooning encouraging that adoption. “Also, a new category of Blu-ray-based home theater has begun to emerge which will also add to the installed base. We believe that providing home-entertainment options will be a key to growth.”

Similar to the CEA, market research firm FutureSource Consulting is predicting U.S. stand-alone Blu-ray Disc player sales at 6 million in 2009, up from 2.5 million in 2008. At the same time, sales of Blu-ray-enabled PlayStation3 consoles are forecast to rise from 3 million in 2008 to 5 million in 2009. By 2012, the research firm sees the PS3 in more than 20 percent of U.S. homes and stand-alone BD players in 50 percent.

But at least one retailer wasn't as optimistic. Jonathan Zupnik, Sears audio/video/TV DMM, told TWICE: “I continue to have concern about Blu-ray. It did not hit industry expectations last year with production issues. I also believe the economy has had more of an impact than believed. The simple reason being the difference is not demonstrable in comparison to VHS to DVD. Standard DVD looks very good on a 1080p TV. Unless you are watching on a 60-inch-plus TV, it is hard to see the impact [of a 1080p Blu-ray Disc]. I do not believe the industry numbers will be hit this year, unless they drop the price.”

Demand was generated in the fourth quarter of 2008, largely through the price promotions and system bundling run by manufacturers and retailers during the critical holiday shopping season, some industry watchers have said.

Major price promotions were offered by leading discount chains, such as Wal-Mart's $129 special, Target's $149 special on an Olevia-branded player and Best Buy's $169 sale on an Insignia-branded model.

Since then, most prices have trended back up to more than $200.

According to a consumer study conducted by SmithGeiger in 2008 for the Digital Entertainment Group, 60 percent of respondents listed higher cost as the largest reservation they had in making a Blu-ray Disc player purchase. Additionally, some of those who do use Blu-ray mentioned price as one important factor when considering the purchase of a Blu-ray Disc title.

Sears' Zupnik said, “As we are hearing the opening price point is already flashing $149 — it needs to be $99 to really get things going. Even with that, as long as the movies are over $20 that will continue to keep things at a relatively slow pace. The consumer is used to [disc prices of] $13.99 at launch and picking through bins at $3.99.”

From a hardware perspective Reid Sullivan, Samsung digital audio/video marketing VP, said that he is wary of Samsung moving player prices downward too quickly.

“While price will always be an important consideration, especially in a soft economy, we believe there is a great opportunity to improve the consumer experience by offering more value,” Sullivan said. “The biggest opportunity to increase Blu-ray sales is to attach to the large and growing base of HD flat panel TVs. Consumers that may have recently purchased a HDTV now realize that only Blu-ray can deliver a true 1080p experience and bring out the full potential of their HDTV.”

Sears' Zupnik agreed, saying: “1080p is the only call out that seems to attract consumers to Blu-ray, they are well aware of 1080p due to the TV spec, and matching it up is easy.”

In addition, Samsung, LG and other hardware manufacturers introduced Blu-ray Disc players that add IPTV applications with the ability to download various forms of audio and video content through built-in broadband connectivity as a value-enhancement.

“For LG, new player adoption begins with providing the best access to content for consumers,” Alessi said. “To do this we've partnered with the best in the industry, players like CinemaNow, YouTube and Netflix.”

Samsung's Sullivan said: “We also think more and more consumers will find video-on-demand and other content services appealing as they become easier to use and offer a wider selection of content.”

But Zupnik said the IPTV message has not gotten across to most consumers yet.

“I have not seen much of an impact from IPTV, but the younger generation is comfortable with a significant amount of streaming and this may be part of why Blu-ray hardware's install base is not as large as we all would like it to be yet. I don't believe HD on demand, and quality content that is easy for the consumer to download is a threat [go packaged media].”

As for the wider crop of Blu-ray players adding BD-Live as another form of added broadband functionality, Zupnik said he believes retailers and manufacturers need to do a better job of getting the message out.

“BD-Live is not a requested feature,” he said. “Disney has done a good job [promoting it], almost to a fault, where you would think only Tinkerbelle and such titles they have advertised have this feature. If there isn't a stronger marketing campaign to draw attention to the increasing number of titles that are BD Live, I am not sure it will be worth much to consumers.”

In general, Zupnik said, the industry needs to generate more excitement and awareness for their products.

“Customers don't get it about consumer electronics as a whole,” he said. “Vendors and retailers do not do a good job building awareness and pent-up demand for new technology — other than the iPhone, the iPod and the last round of video game consoles. If there is no awareness or education before the product is released, the customers do not have any opportunity to apply a value to the benefit the technology will be for them, and determine if they need it right away or are willing to wait. This generally keeps the majority willing to wait until it hits a price, but the price is not based on what the technology is worth.”

Connected TV / Smart TV / IPTV , why the TV?

2012-12-03T14:33:00.002-08:00

This article nails it!

What is the best way to get streaming content to your TV, read below and let me know if you agree.

JZ

Connected TVs face platform fragmentation as critical challenge

Michelle Clancy | 03-12-2012

Connected television is predicted to break into the mainstream soon with over 220 million smart TV sets set to be sold worldwide in 2017, up from the 54 million that will be sold this year, according to Informa Telecoms & Media's latest smart-TV device forecasts.
However, big obstacles in terms of platform fragmentation and replacement cycles will prevent the sets from commanding the centre point for the digital home any time soon.
These numbers are promising for apps developers and consumer electronics manufacturers, but the success is not going to be enough to overtake the lead that games consoles and media-streaming devices, including set-tops like Apple TV and Roku, have in the market, Informa predicts.
The researchers said that 31% of households worldwide will own at least one smart TV in five years' time, with household penetration much higher in North America (63%) and Western Europe (64%). However, with their long life cycles, TVs are simply not the right device to be the hub of the digital home, the company said.
"Informa estimates that in 2017 more than half of the 800 million smart TV sets by that time will only be used as dumb screens," said Andrew Ladbrook, senior analyst at Informa Telecoms & Media. "Moreover, while any 'smart' TV bought in 2011 or 2012 can be used for streaming online video services for a few years, they lack the processing power and the necessary hardware to perform those smart TV functions that will be standard in 2015. Simply put, any smart TV purchased in 2012 will be effectively obsolete by 2015."
Instead, devices that are regularly replaced, including smartphones, tablets, set-top boxes, media streamers and games consoles, will be the key devices in the digital home experience. Smartphones in particular, with their short lifecycles and rapidly increasing processor power, will continue to define what 'smart' means, the analyst reasons.
The manufacturers' short-term support for their smart TV products will also prove a hindrance. New services will continue to be launched solely on the latest smart TV models – HBO GO, Skype, Onlive, BBC's Sport app – which means that users who bought last year's device are excluded. Apps cannot be easily released across multiple devices, since each smart TV platform demands bespoke development.
Thus, the fragmentation of platforms and standards continues to plague the smart TV market. This situation benefits the current market leaders Samsung and LG as they attract the top services first due to their strong positions. And, while Informa believes that Google TV or Android will come to be the default OS for smart TVs, this is still some years away.
"If TVs are going to be truly smart, they must do more than offer a wide variety of online video services," Ladbrook said. "Instead they must add advanced functionality including voice control, motion control, advanced advertising, attractive user interfaces and two-way communications with other smart devices – so-called 'second screens' – allowing these devices to send video to the TV and also know what is being watched. Manufacturers should focus less on adding more content and more on improving how users can interact with that content."

Mitsubishi drops out of consumer Television market

2012-12-03T11:35:00.002-08:00

It did not seem that all that long ago I was selling a new 35" CRTV console Mitsubishi Television for over $4,000 dollars to customers in West Hartford, CT. I do find it to be a sad day to see another brand basically exit the TV market, and what that indicates for the future of Brand Choices in Televisions in the not too distant future. I even remember when 27" Tube TVs in stereo for Mitsubishi sold for almost $1,000. Then they shocked the industry by dropping tube tvs way before the end of CRT and went directly to Projection Televisions only. Bringing the world 50" plus size televisions so we could chase after that dream of bringing the Movie Screen big screen to our house. Those where the days (oh and people actually cared about quality audio with that setup as well back then). Can the industry correct itself? Well one more company has decided it can't. They will continue to drive Business to Business , Professional Video equipment, but for the consumer it is over. I wish Max and his group nothing but the best. Very happy to see them moving on within the group and the B2B business.

JZ

Mitsubishi Drops DLP Displays: Goodbye RPTVs Forever

A pioneer of big-screen rear projection TVs, Mitsubishi (MEVSA) was the last hold-out in DLP displays, and finally is discontinuing the line as part of a corporate restructuring.

So long, RPTV—the only big screen I’ve ever known. Meet my family and our 15 years of Mitsubishi in the slideshow below.

View this slideshow

By Julie Jacobson, December 01, 2012

Page 1 of 2
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Mitsubishi Electric was the last hold-out in the rear projection TV (RPTV) business, and now the company is dropping the line, CE Pro has learned.
Mitsubishi Electrical Visual Solutions America, Inc. (MEVSA), the group in charge of the RPTV and other video product lines for both residential and commercial markets, has sent a letter to authorized service centers (reprinted below) indicating they are “discontinuing the manufacture of 73”, 82” and 92” DLP projection televisions.”
The memo, issued by MEVSA president and CEO Junichi Nose, indicates that the move is part of an “important change in business direction, which will necessitate a corresponding restructuring of the MEVSA organization.”
Nose says MEVSA will continue to be headquartered at its current Irvine, Calif., location and adds, “We expect that these changes will have a minimal effect on you and your business.”
Reached early this morning, Max Wasinger, long-time exec with Mitsubishi’s video products and currently executive vice president of sales and marketing for MEVSA, tells CE Pro, “We are in the midst of an orderly exit from the DLP TV business. MEVSA will now focus on B-to-B (projectors, display wall, printers, digital signage, monitors, etc.) and the home theater projector business.”

TV ANALYST SAYS ...
The microdisplay category had a great run and was really the first “thin” big-screen TV. Unit sales for the microdisplay RPTV category hit point of 2.2M units in 2006. The category remained significant thought 2007, and in 2008 shipments fell dramatically to a little over 500,000 from 1.3M in 2007. It was in 2008 that we really saw big-screen LCD TV take off, with sales of 52” models over 1.5M.
Recently, the category has remained relevant only in the size 70” and above, with 70” struggling as well this year. Volume for 2011 fell to 210,446 units and this year we are projecting sales flat or below. The rental channel was the category’s main supporter in recent years, but as large flat-screen manufacturing prices declined, the rental channel quickly moved to LCD TVs.—Tamaryn Pratt, principal, Quixel Research.

Wasinger will take on the position of executive vice president of sales for all Mitsubishi Professional Products and solutions. Frank De Martin, vice president of sales for MEVSA, is staying with the organization, Wasinger says

Sharp says there is concern about it's survival

2012-11-03T12:44:00.002-07:00

I have a large concern about the state of Consumer Electronics and it's future. Having another large company exit the category will just increase the issues we have. Just as another Retailer leaving the industry as Circuit City did will not be a good thing for Consumer Electronics. This is becoming very unhealthy and will lead to further problems in the industry. This is not just a Vendor issue, or a Retail issue, or a parts supplier issue. We all need to step back and take a hard look at what we are doing, how we are doing it, and stop sliding down the slippery slope we are already on. COMMODITY - that is what we are saying about the industry - just like NAPKINS. There is a large difference in what it take to bring new Electronics to market - it can't be treated like NAPKINS.

JZ

Sharp admits 'doubt' on survival

By Jonathan Soble, FT.com

November 2, 2012 -- Updated 0115 GMT (0915 HKT)

A customer checks LCD television sets made by Japanese electronics maker Sharp on November 1.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Sharp has admitted there is "material doubt" about its ability to stay in business
Comes as it warned of a second year of record losses and deepening Japan gloom
The losses are blamed on failed investments in liquid-crystal display manufacturing
Came a day after Panasonic stunned investors with a second consecutive $10B loss

(Financial Times) -- Sharp has admitted there is "material doubt" about its ability to stay in business as it warned of a second year of record losses, deepening the gloom surrounding Japan's once dominant consumer electronics industry.

The century-old company said it expected to end the financial year to March with a net loss of Y450bn ($5.6bn), worse than the Y250bn loss it had predicted in August. Last year it lost Y396bn. The losses are blamed on failed investments in liquid-crystal display manufacturing.

The warning came a day after Panasonic stunned investors by projecting a second consecutive $10bn loss. Panasonic's share price dropped a further 19 per cent on Thursday.

Sharp and Panasonic, along with Sony, are the most consumer-focused of Japan's large technology companies. All three have suffered as prices for flatscreen televisions and other household items plunged globally.

A strong yen and competition from lower-cost manufacturers elsewhere in Asia have turned the products that once underpinned their success into financial millstones. Last year, the three groups suffered a combined net loss of Y1.6tn -- a figure that Sharp and Panasonic will come close to matching between them this year.

"Sharp is in circumstances in which material doubt about its assumed going concern is found," the company said in a statement to the Tokyo Stock Exchange.

Funding problems arising from the ballooning losses have forced Sharp to mortgage its headquarters building and seek a rescue investment from Terry Gou, the Taiwanese billionaire who founded Hon Hai Precision Industry, the contract manufacturer of Apple iPhones and Sony PlayStation video game consoles.

A deal with Mr Gou has been in limbo since it was tentatively agreed in March, as the two sides haggle over terms. Mr Gou had agreed to pay Y67bn for a 10 per cent stake in Sharp and partial ownership of an underused display factory near Osaka, but has been pushing Sharp to lower the price to reflect a precipitous decline in the value of its shares.

Sharp's stock price has fallen 75 per cent this year, more than that of any other company on the 1,600-member MSCI global index. In addition to mortgaging its headquarters, Sharp is selling several overseas factories and cutting jobs and wages -- the first retrenchment of its kind for the company since 1950.

In September, Sharp secured Y360bn in loan extensions, which the company says will be enough to fund its operations until at least next June, when the loans come due. By then, Sharp says its restructuring measures will have borne fruit and it will be generating a stable flow of cash.

Its position remains precarious enough, however, that analysts at Moody's and Standard & Poor's have cut its credit rating to junk.

In the six months to September, Sharp said it made a net loss of Y387.5bn as a result of rising restructuring costs and falling demand for LCD televisions. It booked Y84.4bn of extraordinary charges as it wrote off the value of surplus display inventory and pulled out of solar panel manufacturing -- another area where it has struggled to earn a profit -- in the US and Europe.

The company also wrote off Y61bn of so-called deferred tax assets -- corporate-tax credits it could redeem if it returned to profit, a prospect that now looks more distant.

Sony bucked the trend of worsening forecasts on Thursday by sticking with its projection for a narrow Y20bn net profit this year, a result that would break four consecutive years of losses. But it will have to improve its performance in the second half to achieve the target, after posting its seventh consecutive loss for the July-to-September quarter.

Panasonic said on Wednesday that it expected to end the financial year with a net loss of Y765bn, a reversal of its previous forecast for a Y50bn profit. It will not pay a dividend this year for the first time since 1950.

Shares in Sony fell 4.1 per cent, while Sharp shed 1.7 per cent ahead of its results.

4K LCD Television sales expected to start very slowly

2012-10-05T06:11:00.000-07:00

I would agree with the point of view on the sales of 4K Television sets. 5-8 years , and still it will represent a small portion of the total sales. Below estimate is about 1% of toal units in the next 5 years. They nail it on all the right reasons. Price, and more importantly the lack of space in most homes for 60+ inch size televisions that have historically been less than 2% of the market year over year. Even if that was to double or triple it would still be a very small number to the total.

JZ

IHS: Initial 4K LCD TV Sales To Be Marginal

By Greg Tarr On Oct 4 2012 - 12:57pm

El Segundo, Calif. ” Consumer demand for new 4K ultra-high-definition TV displays will remain quite small for at least the next five years, according to a new study released by market research firm IHS iSuppli.

The IHS iSuppli Television Market Tracker Reportâ€ said shipments of high-profile 4K displays from Sony, LG, Toshiba and others will remain less than 1 percent of the global LCD TV market for at least the next half decade, before worldwide shipments climb to 2.1 million units in 2017, (or 0.8 percent of the global LCD TV supply). That will be up from just 4,000 units that are expected to sell this year, the study predicts.

LCD TVs are called 4K or ultra-high-definition when they have a dense pixel structure of 3,840 by 2,160 dots, or four times the pixel count of today™s FullHD 1,920 by 1,080p TVs.

Introductions of 84-inch 4K LCD televisions were recently announced by Sony ($25,000 suggested retail) and LG Electronics ($20,000). Toshiba offers a 55-inch model at $10,000 in Japan.

Hisense and Konka of China have also announced plans for 84-inch 4K sets later this year.

However, IHS said it believes that neither consumers nor television brands will have the interest required to make the 4K LCD TV market successful.

If you have a television that is 60 inches or larger and are watching video that has a 3,840 by 2,160 resolution, then a 4K television makes sense, said Tom Morrod, IHS TV systems and technology research director. â€œHowever, a very limited amount of content is available at the 4K resolution. Meanwhile, because of high prices and other issues, the market for super-sized, 60-inch and larger sets is very small ” at only about 1.5 percent of total television shipments in 2012. Furthermore, for most people, the 1,080p resolution is good enough. Because of these factors, combined with the massive price tags, the market for 4K sets during the next few years will be limited to very wealthy consumers or to commercial uses.

He added that 4K LCD sets may serve the high-end of the TV market as transitional technologies until AMOLED TVs arrive in the mass market.

â€œThe 4K sets can fill the gap at the high-end of television brands™ product lines until the arrival of the next-generation AMOLED TVs, Morrod said.

Japanese brands are offering 4K product because they need to have a competitive alternative to the AMOLED TVs being sold by their rivals in South Korea, Samsung and LG Electronics. Meanwhile, the South Korean companies are having difficulties producing AMOLED panels, saying they will need two more years to achieve competitive volume and pricing. Therefore, the Korean brands are offering 4K sets as a transitional step until their AMOLED televisions are more widely available.

500K people cut cord from Traditional TV

2012-09-27T10:59:00.000-07:00

I will point out that this is .0038% of the households in the US.

But - it makes news so please read on about how the world it dropping traditional content for streaming sources.

JZ

Nielsen Cuts 500,000 U.S. TV Homes on Census, Web Viewing

By Andy Fixmer - Sep 25, 2012 2:46 PM PT

The number of U.S. TV households fell by 500,000, reflecting the popularity of online viewing and results of the 2010 census, according to Nielsen, producer of the weekly ratings that help set advertising prices.
The adjustment in U.S. TV households to 114.2 million took effect Aug. 27 and will apply to the television season starting this week, New York-based Nielsen Holdings NV (NLSN) said today in an e-mailed statement.
“We have had no household formation over the past several years, and I believe there is a modest amount of cord-cutting happening in younger households and in lower-income households,” said Paul Sweeney, Bloomberg Industries’ director of North American research.
Nielsen said it’s working with TV and advertising clients on what should constitute a TV home and how to account for new products such as tablet computers. It has already begun incorporating online viewing into ratings. This is the second straight year it has reduced the number of homes with TVs. In May 2011, Nielsen adjusted the number to 114.7 million, a 1 percent drop and the first decline since 1990.
In the past year, three of the four largest broadcast networks experienced drops in audiences ranging from 2 percent to more than 8 percent. Comcast Corp. (CMCSA)’s NBC, bolstered by the Olympics and football, increased its viewership by 19 percent, according to Nielsen data.
Nielsen said its estimates for the 2012-2013 season are the first to reflect demographic details from the 2010 census, including age, sex, ethnicity and ethnic households. For that reason, the reduction amounts to an adjustment rather than one-year population changes.
“To the extent that there is cord-cutting, over-the-top companies such as Hulu and Netflix (NFLX) are benefiting,” Sweeney said. “These households then fall out of Nielsen’s total household mix.”

HDTV - Ultra HD 4K or 8K - great article

2012-09-17T09:38:00.005-07:00

Best article I have read to date on the subject of the new 4K or 8K televisions. Summed up perfectly in the last paragraph. Reality is that a large portion of the US market still watches in SD even if they own an HD television. The complete transition to HD is many years off, so a transition into 4K and / or 8K is a long way away.

JZ

The last 15 years have been an exciting time for home theatre enthusiasts thanks to the introduction of the DVD Player, the Blu-ray player, the personal video recorder (PVR), digital surround audio technologies, the switch to digital television and of course, the introduction of large screen flat panel high definition televisions (HDTV).
If you’re like most consumer electronics enthusiasts, you purchased one or more of these products in the last decade only to find out a few months later that an enhanced, updated, faster and cheaper version had since been released.
Fortunately, home theatre enthusiasts who have recently purchased a 1080p Flat Panel HDTV with a Blu-ray player and 7.1 A/V receiver capable of decoding the latest lossless audio formats can now sit back in their recliner munching popcorn knowing they need not worry about their home theatre system becoming technologically obsolete anytime soon.
Now before you get too comfortable in your La-Z-Boy, let me introduce you to a new standard in HD television called Ultra High Definition Television or UHDTV.
Similar to HDTV, which comes in two primary flavours (720 and 1080), UHDTV comes in two flavours called 4K and 8K. The primary advantage of UHDTV over HDTV is increased pixel resolution – more pixels typically means a more lifelike, more immersive and ultimately more enjoyable viewing experience.
How much more resolution does UHDTV offer compared to HDTV? In the case of 8K, more than 32 times the resolution of 720p (the standard resolution of most cable and satellite providers today). Think of going from a VGA 640 by 480 pixel digital camera of 15 years ago to a 10 megapixel digital camera today and you get a sense of how much more information is captured in an 8K video image.
To better understand UHDTV, let’s review the pixel resolution of three most common digital video formats, now called ATSC standards, developed in the early 1990s by a consortium of electronics and telecommunications companies.
The first is standard definition digital television, which is what you see when you tune to satellite TV or digital cable station. Broadcast in a 16:9 aspect ratio, the video image consists of 720 pixels across and 480 pixels down. Multiply that out and it means that 337,920 pixels – just over a third of one megapixel – is lit up on your screen.
The second and most common HD format is 720p. Today, most cable and satellite providers broadcast in 720p format which displays 1280 by 720 pixels for a total of 921,600 pixels on screen. That works out to just under one megapixel of information.
The final type is 1080 which comes in two variants, 1080i and 1080p. A Blu-ray player pumps out 1920 x 1080p video and delivers 2,073,600 pixels or just over two megapixels of information to your television screen.
In summary, SD delivers a third of a megapixel to your screen at any one time, 720p delivers about one megapixel of information while 1080p tops out at just over 2 megapixels.
UHDTV specs approved on August 23, 2012 by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) defines two formats, 4K and 8K. UHDTV 4K has 3840 by 2160 pixels of resolution which works out to 8,294,400 pixels, exactly four times the resolution of 1080p HDTV. UHDTV 8K delivers 7680 by 4320 pixels onscreen totalling more than 32 megapixels of resolution.
In summary a 4K digital image will have 24 times the number of pixels on screen as a SD signal and nine times the number of pixels as the common 720p signal broadcast by most television stations today. In addition to the vast increase in resolution, the Japanese have been calling on the ITU to include a new audio format that calls for up to 22.2 channels of discrete audio! So when can consumers expect these new UHDTVs?
While the spec was only recently approved, consumer electronics companies have already jumped on the bandwagon.
Beating its competitors to the punch, LG Electronics says it plans to roll out an 84-inch 4K TV in North America, Europe, Asia, and Latin America in September. The cost? Just over $22,000. While that may seem like a ridiculous sum of money, remember that the first generation of 42-inch plasma televisions sold in North America cost close to $40,000. In addition, Sony last week announced plans to sell the 84 inch XBR-84X900 4K UHDTV in North America beginning in December. Toshiba, which is calling its 4K sets Quad Full HD, is set to begin selling 4K sets in the first half of 2013.
No firm has announced plans for an 8K set.
Is UHDTV the future of HDTV?
The transition from analog to digital television began almost twenty years ago and continues today. After almost of two decades, the bulk of North American television viewing is still in standard definition with the complete transition to HDTV still years away.
UHDTV is another quantum leap which would require cable companies, satellite TV companies, television stations and consumers to invest billions of dollars in new equipment without any commensurate increase in revenues.
While UHDTV can deliver a superior video image, the benefits are only discernible when you play UHDTV source material (not available today) and on flat panels over 80 inches in size (not practical in the vast majority of homes).
In conclusion, UHDTV is a decade or two ahead of its time and not something consumers need think about anytime soon.

LG's new 27" Smart TV - would you want one

2012-08-27T10:52:00.001-07:00

See the article below on a newly launched 27" TV meant for dorm room , bedroom and such. Is this something you would buy? Would really like to hear some feedback. Size / Features? Thought of where you would use it, would you use it? Is it well ahead of it's time in regards to IPTV and content and streaming and gaming? All concerns in my mind - let me know what you think.

JZ

LG Unveils Personal Smart TV, Game Portal

LG's 27-inch 2792 Personal Smart TV, which is being shown this week at IFA in Berlin, features Cinema 3D and a host of smart TV functions including connection to a new 3D Game Portal.

Berlin – LG Electronics unveiled at IFA 2012 here a personal smart TV with IPS LCD technology that incorporates LG’s smart-TV functionality, Cinema 3D and Cinema Screen design.

Model TM2792 is a 27-inch LED IPS LCD TV that’s well-positioned for bedrooms and dorms, with a host of interactive and connected features. The company described its cosmetics as “the perfect complement for a sleek, modern interior.”

Also at the German technology fair, LG said it will launch globally later this year a smart-TV game portal called Game World, which will provide downloadable casual 3D games that can be played on devices using LG’s Cinema 3D smart-TV technology.

The portal is said to provide “a user-friendly way to search, purchase and play game apps — in both 2D and 3D — through an intuitive interface. Many of the games can be played with LG’s Magic Remote or with any third-party game pad.”

Game World will be launched globally in the second half of this year.

Meanwhile, the TM2792 will be released into the European markets later this month, but the company did not disclose pricing or U.S. plans. The personal TV set includes LG’s Cinema Screen narrow-bezel design.

“The TM2792 is an exceptional TV, offering an engaging, cinema-quality viewing experience that allows users to immerse themselves in a vast and customizable world of content,” said J.J. Lee, LG home entertainment IT business unit head and executive VP. “Our top-of-the-line personal smart TV takes entertainment to the next level, whether it’s watching a video recorded on a smartphone, a favorite classic movie or anything else in between.”

The unit’s SmartShare technology is a gateway to external devices on the Home Dashboard that allows users to browse and share files with laptops, smartphones and external hard drives.

Also included for screen sharing is Silicon Image’s Mobile High-Definition Link (MHL), which works with HDMI and Intel’s Wireless Display (WiDi) systems. With MHL, users can display photos and play games from their smartphone on the personal smart TV while the phone is charging.

WiDi makes wireless screen sharing with laptops more convenient than ever and with DLNA and Wi-Fi Direct, content stored on smart devices can easily be accessed and shared.

Other features include LG’s motion- and wheel-controlled Magic Remote and Home Dashboard menu system.

Access to video-on-demand (VOD) content is also provided with 3D World, Game World, LG Smart World (LG Apps) and the Social Center.

The screen is based on in-plane switching (IPS) technology, offering high-resolution images at wide viewing angles without inducing eye fatigue.

The TM2792 includes LG’s Cinema 3D technology for viewing 3D images with battery-free glasses, like those used in movie theaters.

3D Sound Zooming enhances the 3D experience by simulating the movement of sound in correlation to the movement of images on the screen.

LG ships $20,000 Television - global economy must be great

2012-08-23T08:55:00.000-07:00

Flying in the face of the global economy, LG launches a $20,000 television in Korea.

4K is officially here in the 84" listed in the article below - now don't everyone run out and buy one today, I mean, it is only $20,000.

JZ

LG Launches 84-inch 4K LCD TV In Korea

Seoul, South Korea – LG Electronics made good on one of its new TV technology promises from January CES by officially putting its 84-inch “Ultra Definition (UD)” 3D LCD TV on sale in the Korean Market Wednesday.
LG said “the world’s first 84-inch UD” flat-panel TV – which it is reportedly expected to sell for around $20,000 – produces a whopping (3,840-by-2,160 pixels, or so-called 4K resolution) and introduces a number of new smart features with the aim of providing greater convenience and simpler interaction.
LG said distribution of the set will roll-out in North America, Europe, Asia, and Latin America starting in September, and it will be a center point of the LG booth at the upcoming IFA show in Berlin, Germany.
“The 4K display market is still in its infancy but it was important for LG to claim a stake in this space,” stated Havis Kwon, LGE Home Entertainment president and CEO, “LG’s UD 3D TV represents a whole new level of home viewing experience because it offers every advanced technology we currently have to offer.”
LG said the set produces up to four times the resolution of today’s FullHD 1080p displays, in part, through the use of an advanced Triple XD Engine and Resolution Upscaler Plus technology that allows images from external sources such as hard drives and user-generated content websites to be rendered in higher detail.
Naturally, the set also includes LG’s Cinema 3D (Film Pattern Retarder) technology that uses inexpensive passive 3D glasses, like those used in movie theaters.
LG said the UD technology enables an even more immersive 3D viewing experience through the use of 3D Depth Control that allows viewers to fine-tune the “distance” between near and far objects on the screen for a custom 3D experience.
A 3D-Sound Zooming feature then analyzes the on-screen objects to generate sound according to their location and movement.
LG includes its new Magic Remote that allows intuitive access and navigation of the set’s Home Dashboard.
The company’s Smart TV ecosystem now includes approximately 1,400 apps and access to an ever-expanding community of premium content services such as 3D World that provides a wide array of movies and games.
The set will also access content from compatible portable devices such as laptops, mobile phones, tablets and flash memory drives using Smart Share Plus.
LG includes an imbedded 2D to 3D conversion engine to expand the availability of 3D content. It also allows two viewers to see different images when simultaneously viewing from the left and right side angles of the screen, for “Dual Play” head-to-head video game play on one screen.
Other features of the set include a 2.2 Speaker System with two 10-watt speakers and two 15-watt woofers, which reinforce the sound.
LG also showed its 55-inch AMOLED FullHD 1080p TV at CES last January. Although that set has been showcased in the other parts of the world, the company still has not announced U.S. marketing plans.

Apple TV becoming Cable TV - New Patent approved

2012-08-15T11:03:00.004-07:00

Apple has run into the wall of providing content for Televisions. Turns out it is much different game then what they pulled off with the Music Industry.

Can't beat them - Join Them.

Be interesting to see how Apple serves as a content provider and has to go toe to toe with the cable industry and satellite industry.

JZ

Apple gets a patent for an Apple TV cable box

Apple TV users will be able to watch programing like Letterman and HBO, and record shows, according to the patent.

by Donna Tam

August 14, 2012 11:04 AM PDT

(Credit: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office)

Apple TV will upgrade to live TV, complete with regular and cable channels, and recording abilities, if Apple acts on a patent it was granted today.
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office granted Apple a patent that allows for a video device display that would have an onscreen menu that pops up over the display while video is playing, and lets the user to essentially change the channel.

The patent application, originally filed Oct. 12, 2006, has mock ups of screenshots with various TV programing, including CBS, ABC, FOX, and HBO. There are several screenshots depicting a Letterman segment and other popular shows. Another screenshot shows a list of recorded shows. The patent applications also has images of search and browse functions, so it seems like the new features will be fully integrated with the old system.

If Apple comes through on these designs, this could really boost the functionality -- and popularity -- ofApple TV, which has been limited by a dearth of native channels. It's greatest asset has been with connecting Apple devices for those who own many of them, but for everyone else, there has always been other choices to go to for TV programing.

Television - Can 4K help the industry stop losing money?

2012-08-15T10:55:00.003-07:00

Unlike Analog to Digital, just at the same time as Flat Panel technology was launching - 4K and OLED will not enjoy this same opportunity. No one is telling you your current set is no good. The difference in the picture unless you finally have room for over 100 inch screen in your home is not going to be the difference you saw with Analog to High Definition. Same issue with OLED being a little more thinner than current Flat Panel, and not much of a savings boost from LED to OLED just as LED is not much of a savings over LCD as we see now.

How does this save the industry from giving away TVs below the cost to develop and sell this technology? I don't see an answer here, just more of the same.

JZ

August 14, 2012, 10:42 PM

’4K’ Video: A Hope for Japan’s Electronics Makers?

By Daisuke Wakabayashi

: Associated Press; Sony chief Sir Howard Stringer showed off the company’s new 4K home projector during the 2012 International CES in Las Vegas earlier this year.

These are dark days for the electronics industry in Japan. Sony Corp. is working to regain its mojo (and profitability after four straight years in the red), while Sharp, which once ruled Japan’s television market, is now facing a cash crunch that has raised questions about its long-term future.
The opportunities to script a comeback also appear grim. Smartphones are dominated by Apple Inc. and Samsung Electronics Co., the tablet market is ruled by Apple, and the television sector is a dog-fight that leaves nearly everyone awash in losses. So where can Japan Inc. turn to for a hope for brighter days?
One possibility is “4K” technology. The “4K” name refers to the number of horizontal pixels, about 4,000, in the image, which is four-times the resolution of today’s high-definition video. Projectors using 4K technology are already used in many movie theaters, allowing super-sharp images even on a massive screen.
Sony is a leader in 4K technology. It produces everything from the image sensors used in cameras that capture the ultra-high resolution videos to the 4K projectors that display the images. A Sony F65, the world’s first commercial camera that can take 4K video, is being used for the filming of “After Earth,” an upcoming science-fiction movie featuring Will Smith. It will be distributed by – yes you guessed it – Sony.
The company’s executives have said it is currently developing a 4K television although it will not be the first to market with one. Toshiba Corp. uses a 4K display in a glasses-free 3-D television it released last year, but the 55-inch model sells for about 780,000 yen, or about $10,000, in Tokyo.
Similar to how high-definition video helped to spur a new round of television sales, Sony and others are hoping that 4K may provide consumers with new incentive to upgrade their TVs.
Sony Chief Executive Kazuo Hirai has said one of his areas of focus will be to find ways to adapt the company’s most expensive technologies geared for business customers for consumer applications. This also means finding ways to reduce the price of the new technology to a level palatable to the mass market. Mr. Hirai has pointed to 4K as a prime example of his efforts.
Japan’s technology firms have tried this before. In 2010, Sony, Panasonic and others aggressively promoted 3-D displays with the hopes of revitalizing the television market. Even with the growing availability of 3-D movies, the technology received a lukewarm response from consumers. The lack of 3-D content and the need to wear special glasses stunted the growth potential of 3-D. While 4K will not require special glasses, it may need to overcome the same shortage of content problem as 3-D.
Corrections & Amplifications: The “4K” name refers to the number of horizontal pixels, about 4,000, in the image. An earlier version of this article did not clarify that the figure referred to the number of horizontal pixels.

Sharp Televisions - the future is in question

2012-08-03T14:11:00.001-07:00

Not looking good for a large competitor in the CE industry. Gives a good insight to the challenges faced by all in the Consumer Electronics Industry. They have more than most with little else to fall back on while key categories are challenged.

JZ

Hopes dim for Sharp amid Japan's TV industry sunset

By Tim Kelly

TOKYO | Fri Aug 3, 2012 6:56am EDT

TOKYO (Reuters) - Sharp Corp shares tumbled nearly 30 percent to their lowest closing level since 1976 on Friday as investors questioned whether Japan's last major maker of television panels will survive the sunset of the country's TV industry.

A day after the century-old company warned of an operating loss of 100 billion yen ($1.28 billion) for this fiscal year, Moody's and Standard & Poor's cut their credit ratings and rival Fitch warned that Sharp could lose investment-grade status unless a planned restructuring succeeds.

Sharp's mounting losses, a symptom of Japanese TV makers' increasing uncompetitiveness against rivals from South Korea and elsewhere, leave it scrambling for a fresh cash injection.

Analysts say its future may hinge on whether Hon Hai Precision Industries, the flagship of Taiwan's Foxconn

"Sharp has been helped by Hon Hai, they may need more help," said Yuuki Sakurai, CEO of Fukoku Capital Management, the asset management unit of Japan's Fukoku Mutual Life Insurance. "Japan's TV makers are just relying on their past legacies. As long as they depend on TV they will face tough competition."

Revealing expectations for an operating loss this business year of 100 billion yen and announcing 5,000 job cuts, its first in six decades, the maker of Aquos TVs on Thursday insisted it retained the backing of its main banks, Mizuho Financial Group and Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group.

Investors were unconvinced and dumped the stock, which slid 28 percent on Friday to 192 yen, its lowest level in 36 years and cutting the company's market capitalization by more than $1 billion to $2.72 billion.

SHARE COLLAPSE

Sharp, which got its start 100 years ago making mechanical ever-sharp pencils from which it derived its name, declined to comment on the share collapse.

Adding to Sharp's woe and handicapping its ability to raise fresh funds, Moody's Investors Service on Friday cut the company's short-term debt rating from Prime-2 to Prime-3, the lowest investment grade.

Moody's cited "concern that the company's operating performance and additional restructuring costs will continue to pressure its cash flow downwards, thereby increasing its dependence on external sources for liquidity".

Those external sources so far include Hon Hai, which in March agreed to buy into the ailing TV maker.

S&P's decision to cut its rating came after the Japanese company on Thursday expanded its annual net loss forecast to 250 billion yen from 30 billion yen.

The net loss of 138 billion yen in the three months ended June 30 has already taken a big chunk out of Sharp's capital. Its shareholders' equity ratio slumped to 18.7 percent from 23.9 percent at the end of March, falling below the 20 percent threshold generally considered to be healthy.

"With Sharp's losses growing to this level, there's barely going to be any net capital left," said Makoto Kikuchi, CEO of Myojo Asset Management in Tokyo.

WANING DEMAND

Like rivals Sony Corp and Panasonic Corp, Sharp has been hammered by waning global TV demand and aggressive overseas competitors led by Samsung Electronics that are grabbing a bigger slice of a shrinking pie. Sony's stock fell 7 percent on Friday to 897 yen, its lowest since 1980, while Panasonic was off 3.8 percent.

Combined, the three Japanese TV makers this business year expect to sell around 10 million fewer TVs than they did the previous year.

While Sony has movie studios, an insurance business and a gaming unit, and Panasonic builds batteries and automotive devices that can offset TV losses, Sharp, which invented transistor calculators and pioneered LCD TVs, has fewer options to retool.

Underlining a looming cash crunch, Sharp's credit default swap spreads - the cost of insuring its debt against default - have been widening since February, with the 5-year contract currently at an all-time high of 833.3/1000.

In the past month the CDS curve has shown a dramatic inversion, which means it is now more expensive to buy insurance against default for shorter maturities than longer maturities.

Such an inversion is usually seen in small, fragile companies. (for CDS graphics, click on r.reuters.com/sys79s and link.reuters.com/xys79s)

"The availability and cost of credit will be affected if lenders continue to be concerned about the company's prospects," Fitch said in a report Friday.

Sharp's next financing hurdle is a 200 billion yen convertible bond that matures in September next year. It was issued in October 2006 when the stock was trading above 2,000 yen at a conversion price of 2,531 yen.

"They'll get support from the banks and get through their immediate funding concerns... but they're going to have to do some equity financing to strengthen their capital base," Myojo's Kikuchi said.

HON HAI HELP?

One option for Sharp could be to seek more investment from fellow Apple Inc supplier Hon Hai.

In March it agreed to buy a 46.48 percent stake in Sharp's LCD plant in Sakai in western Japan. Much of the company's losses stem from the underutilized facility.

Hon Hai also agreed to purchase new Sharp shares worth 66.9 billion yen, giving it an 11 percent stake in the Japanese company. Hon Hai has yet to stump up the money for that deal, in which it agreed to pay 550 yen for each new share.

Speculation has swirled that the Taiwanese company may renegotiate given the fall in Sharp's share price, and it said in a statement on Friday that Sharp had agreed it did not need to honor the deal.

"Due to the volatility of Sharp Corporation's share price, Sharp Corporation agrees our company does not need to honor the share purchase agreement signed on March 27, but Sharp Corporation will still reserve the right for our company to purchase the same percentage of shares," Hon Hai's statement said.

Sharp's president, Takashi Okuda, had said on Thursday that Hon Hai would honor the deal at the agreed price.

In June, when Sharp's shares were trading above 400 yen, Hon Hai Chairman Terry Gou told an annual general meeting the firm was in talks with Sharp about increasing its stake. Local media later reported that Hon Hai hoped to seek a board membership in Sharp.

Although saddle with ballooning losses, Sharp remains an attractive partner for Hon Hai because of its research into new technologies such as next generation ultra thin high definition screens and advanced manufacturing processes it has honed at Sakai, the world's most advanced LCD plant.

Sharp, however, may not be easy to woo despite its ballooning losses. Okuda told his company's shareholders at their annual gathering in June that there would be no more capital coming from Hon Hai and that there was no plan to invite Gou or any of his executives to join Sharp's board.

(Additional reporting by Reiji Murai, Mari Saito and Dominic Lau in Tokyo, Clare Jim in Taipei and Umesh Desai of IFR in Hong Kong; Editing by Edmund Klamann and Alex Richardson)

Samsung Profit Rises 48%

2012-07-27T11:14:00.000-07:00

Samsung reports profit - due to Televisions, haha, only kidding. Smartphones drive 2/3rds of the results. Though Display Division did run a profit and not a loss.

JZ

SEOUL—Samsung Electronics Co. said Friday that its second-quarter profit jumped 48% to another company record as it increased smartphone sales and experienced cyclical recoveries in its chip and display component businesses.

The launch of a new, high-end smartphone helped its telecom division continue to have the most impact on Samsung's overall results. The unit accounted for nearly two-thirds of the operating profit for the world's biggest technology manufacturer by sales.

LG Display posts a loss

2012-07-27T10:33:00.002-07:00

Samsung just announced a small profit for the quarter in their display division. LG not able to turn to a profit yet. More sales doesn't mean more money in the bank. CE industry has to stop driving sales at a loss.

JZ

LG Display Reports Higher Sales, Loss

TWICE Staff -- TWICE, 7/26/2012

Seoul, Korea - LG Display reported higher revenue and a loss during the second quarter.

Revenue was 6.91 trillion won, up from the prior year's 6.04 trillion won. LG Display reported a net loss of 112 billion won, compared with profits of 21 billion won in the prior year's second quarter.

LG Display blamed the loss on slow second-quarter demand for TVs and the price fixing case in the U.S. last year that, accounting for the three defendants, was up to $380 million in penalties.

Samsung release new Development Kit

2012-07-26T12:39:00.000-07:00

I continue to review and wonder how the customer experience will be. Having the ability to control the TV by Voice or Motion commands is nice. Trying to get ahead of Apple is nice. Reality is that we don't have an Apple TV, and we won't enjoy a Voice or Motion Command TV because the TV manufacturer does not control the content on the TV. Majority of us use the remote and displays from the Cable or Satellite provider. So unless you are one of the few that get over the air signals, telling your TV what to do, doesn't do much. How often (if ever) do we go into the menu and settings for the TV. Also there are VERY few people that go into the IPTV modes and menus, and again, there still is control of that content issue in that area if you are using any outside source to drive the content.

Would you take the time to develop for this?

JZ

Samsung Electronics Released New TV Application Development Tool

Samsung Electronics unveiled Software Development Kit (SDK) 3.5, which is a TV application with improved voice and motion recognition and smart phone-based interworking.
Specifically, the new SDK provides an enhanced Smart Interaction function so that developers can work on TV applications using the voice and hand gestures with greater convenience.

At the same time, it guarantees a better interworking between smart TVs and mobile devices and allows the developers to make use of various functions such as inter-device control and smart streaming of video files. The company added that an application letting multiple users enjoy the same game on TV can be developed.
The 3.5 version also provides the IDE, or Integrated Development Environment, to help the development of application by supporting the most universal programs.

Date: July 10^th, 2012

Source: ETNews

Samsung and LG continue to fight over AMOLED screen technology

2012-07-26T12:18:00.001-07:00

I just hope they keep fighting and keep distracted from real business!!! ;-)

Just some wishful thinking on my part!!!!

JZ

Samsung, LG still in battle over theft of AMOLED technology

Tech giants Samsung and LG Display have again clashed over Samsung’s claim that its rival stole its key technologies used in manufacturing large AMOLED screens.

While Samsung Display strongly requested that its competitor offer an official apology and warned it will proceed with all legal methods for counteraction, LG denied its allegations, stating that it is not responsible for any of the claims.

Both parties held press conferences Monday, a day after it was reported that 11 people, including a former Samsung Mobile Display executive, Samsung researchers, LG Display and its affiliate employees were charged by the Suwon Prosecutors’ Office without detention on Sunday.

The case was first raised by Samsung Display ― which was then Samsung Mobile Display ― in April with the company saying that LG stole its key technologies related to AMOLED by attempting to hire its former executive surnamed Cho.

Cho, who took home data involving Samsung’s small mask scanning technology and the details of AMOLED display production processes, was given a consulting position at an LG affiliate to fulfill his two-year job transfer period from Samsung to LG Display.

The executive is accused of delivering the technology information, taken from his former Samsung colleagues, to LG Display seven times through e-mails and text messages since May of last year.

“We will make firm counteractions regarding the issue with a civil suit, which includes damage compensation, being the action most likely to follow,” said Samsung Display executive Shim Jae-boo.

He also said that LG Display was responsible not only for stealing its key technology but also for improperly recruiting its workforce.

“We confirmed that the former Samsung executive surnamed Cho received up to 190 million won after giving way the key data,” he said.

LG Display, however, argued against Samsung’s statement, further elaborating that it did not get the data from that executive.

“The prosecutors have not arrested the former Samsung executive because the technology theft has not been proved but it seems they are looking into whether there were any leaks of Samsung’s business secrets,” according to LG Display executive Lee Bang-soo.

Lee said the firm plans on hiring Cho, the former Samsung executive, once his alleged charges are all dismissed.

“Considering the fact that none of the LG officials involved in the matter were charged, we could come to a conclusion that it was not such a significant case and that Samsung Display has exaggerated the meaning, scale and seriousness of it,” he said.

“LG and Samsung have grown into global business groups through competition in the field of electronics and this should have a focus on technology development rather than a fight staged just to drag each other down.”

By Cho Ji-hyun (sharon@heraldm.com)

OLED Televisions and Price

2012-06-30T11:39:00.001-07:00

There is some honest talk out there about how long it will take to reduce price on the new OLED Televisions that have been shown at CES and beyond. One interesting thing that no one is talking about, how do I connect all my current devices to this TV? You notice that nice pole that has been below every display of an OLED? This obviously won't be the way you connect in your house, and there is a standard question that has yet to be discussed. Where does a standard power cord come from. Is it HDMI , if so, where will the ports be connected. If it is a separate box, how does that work. Ah it looks so beautiful, but many simple questions need to be answered. They are now focused on price, but the bigger issue may be the reality of how our homes are, and the inability to have this set work the way we see it at the show in our homes. (sounds like 3DTV a bit eh?)

JZ

Want affordable OLED TVs? Don't hold your breath, Panasonic says

Speaking to reporters today, Panasonic President Kazuhiro Tsuga says OLEDs won't match LCDs on price anytime soon.

by Don Reisinger

June 28, 2012 7:01 AM PDT

An LG OLED TV. Panasonic hopes to enter the OLED market somewhere down the road.

(Credit: LG)

The beauty of slender OLED televisions might be enticing, but their price tags aren't. And according to Panasonic, that will continue to be the case for the time being.
Company President Kazuhiro Tsuga told reporters in Tokyo today, according to Reuters, which was in attendance, that he does not believe OLED pricing will match LCD televisions "for a considerable time." According to Reuters, he didn't provide a road map on when the televisions might come down to a far more affordable level.
OLED televisions have become the most sought-after sets in the marketplace. The devices are ultrathin and deliver a level of image quality not yet seen in the marketplace. The issue is, some of the latest OLEDs are priced at around $10,000. The typical LCD can be purchased for as little as a few hundred dollars and can rise into the thousands, depending on its size and features.
Panasonic, which is in the midst of a reorganization designed to improve its many businesses, including televisions, earlier this week announced a partnership with Sony. The deal will see the companies jointly develop OLED panels with help from their respective technologies. The companies say that the partnership will reduce the total cost of production, potentially making OLED panels more affordable to vendors. That savings could then be passed on to customers.
New television technologies are typically quite costly in the beginning, but quickly come down in price. OLEDs are just the latest to follow that path. When they'll hit more consumer-friendly levels, however, remains to be seen.

4K Television from CE Week in NY

2012-06-30T11:29:00.000-07:00

Good article below looking into some 4K technology that was shown at the show floor last week. By comparison, we took the time to show that we continue to support the average US household that has a DVD library of 114 discs. This supports what customers NEED / WANT now. We are not walking away from LCD / DVD combo units. Why is simply because there is a strong need in the market for this product. I have heard the last VHS heads have been produced and shipped, basically after this shipment there will be no components to build the VCR anymore , regardless of how many people still have large amount of Video Tapes with their favorite Disney Collection as we will now be FORCED to buy DVD or worse Blu Ray of titles we want to watch with our families. I continue to see a lack of planning, just throwing a lot against the wall a hoping it sticks as a way to get people to replace upgrade and such more often. It is clear based on how the US consumer has been purchasing Electronics over the past decade that it is NOT working.

JZ

4K TVs are coming, but they face an uphill battle in the home

Exhibitors and panelists at CE Week emphasize the challenges the standard faces.

by Andrew Cunningham- June 28 2012, 6:30am PDT

The only 4K TV on the floor at CE Week, Westinghouse's D55QX1, was showing off a Google Maps image instead of a video. This is a problem.

TV makers are at a bit of an impasse: for the first time ever, demand for LCD TVs is down year-over-year. After years of increasing sales and declining prices, the market is finally beginning to become saturated, and the incremental improvements and new features that the television companies have added since LCD TVs became mainstream—things like OLED lighting and 3D TVs—have either been well out of consumers' price ranges or too niche to attract a wide audience.
The TV industry is looking for that must-have feature that will get people with existing LCD TVs to upgrade their sets, and one of those features is the 4K resolution standard. While 4K TV sets are slowly making their way to the market, both the discussion panels and vendors at Consumer Electronics Week seem a bit unsure about the standard's prospects in the home

A primer on 4K (and why you probably don't need it)

4K originated in movie theaters, and the number, as you might be able to guess, refers to the 4096 horizontal pixels in a 2.39:1 movie screen that supports the standard. Other resolutions exist for other aspect ratios, but the number of horizontal pixels always rounds up to about four thousand. Most 4K TV screens, however, conform to the Quad Full High Definition (QFHD) standard, which doubles the horizontal and vertical pixels of a 1080p screen to make a 3840x2160 display—think of it as a sort of "Retina Display" standard for TVs.
As we noted in our Retina MacBook Pro review, pixel doubling can make for sharp, gorgeous displays, but the "Retina" look doesn't just come from pixel density, but also from how far you typically sit from a given device—the iPhone, iPad, and Retina MacBook Pro all have a different number of pixels per inch, but the screens are going to look more or less the same to your eyes because people typically sit further away from their laptops than their tablets, and further away from their tablets than their phones. Most people sit even farther away from their television set, which means that depending on the size of your screen and its distance from your couch, the pixel density required before your eyes stop being able to tell the difference can be much lower.

Enlarge / Showing the screen size and distance from the screen necessary to see the benefits of high-resolution TVs with the naked eye. Note that 4K displays don't even begin to be beneficial in sizes smaller than 50 inches.

Carlton Bale

Carlton Bale has published an excellent chart and explanation that sums up 4K TV's problems in a nutshell: at some distances and screen sizes, even the difference between 720p and 1080p to the human eye can be negligible, and this is even more true of 4K. To get any benefit out of a 4K TV, you either need to have a very large screen (the benefits begin to become apparent—barely—at around 50 or 60 inches), be sitting very close, or both, and small differences like this might appeal to true home theater enthusiasts or videophiles, but it's going to be a hard sell for the average consumer.

4K at CE Week

Both content distributors and exhibitors themselves are hedging their bets on 4K TVs, at least if my experiences at CE Week are any indication.
The first problem is going to be 4K content, namely the fact that there really isn't much of it. Nick Slater, VP of Video Product Management for DISH Network, summed up some of the best points from the content industry's end during the Next Gen TV panel: "We're certainly looking at the market. The relevance of 4K really only applies to large-size televisions right now, so we're trying to scope how that fits in with the traditional DISH base," he said. "Things like 4K are very popular to talk about at events like this in New York City and San Francisco, but you get to Iowa where our customer lives, it's not gonna be for a while."
Slater went on to emphasize that broadcasting 4K content requires considerably more bandwidth than HD content, and that to upgrade DISH's infrastructure to support 4K would require either the launch of new satellites, or for the provider to cut back on current HD channels.
"Those are all things we're willing to do," he said, "but there needs to be a return on the investment for us."
Others on the stage also hedged about the availability of native 4K content. John Taylor, VP of Public Affairs and Communications for LG Electronics USA, talked about "very powerful upconverters" for displaying 1080p content on a 4K screen, while VP of Marketing for Westinghouse Digital Rey Roque mentioned potential alternate uses for all of the pixels in a 4K screen, including "technologies to split the screen, and watch four [streams] of Nick [Slater]'s 1080p material." Both statements reflect a desire to sell 4K sets despite a lack of broad availability of native content, which (aside from bizarre edge cases like those mentioned by Roque) mostly defeats the purpose of the technology for the user.
Even the sole TV exhibitor with 4K hardware on the floor—Westinghouse—seemed a bit reluctant to show off or discuss the prototype 4K set (the 55-inch D55QX1) that it had brought to the show. For starters, and perhaps because of the lack of 4K content we just talked about, the set was displaying a browser window showing a static image from Google Maps, while the (much larger) 1080p set right next to it was playing a bright, full-color video of The Muppets. When I went to play with the 4K TV's keyboard and mouse, I got just far enough to confirm its resolution (3840x2160) before a representative asked me to stop what I was doing, informed me that the unit was a prototype, gave me a printed press release with no new information about the device or its prospective launch date, and sent me on my way. Their hints were subtle, but I somehow got the feeling that they weren't interested in subjecting the television to close scrutiny.
The feeling I get from this year's CE Week is that 4K is coming, but that even the content providers and TV manufacturers with an interest in pushing the standard are perhaps unexcited about it, or at the very least aren't entirely convinced of the feature's prospects for most consumers. It's telling that the majority of the Next Gen TV panel avoided talking about picture quality enhancements as major sales drivers: much more time was spent on Internet TV and ways to make the wealth of content available from providers like DISH Network more accessible to consumers, indicating that—at least for now—content and ease of use still beat out tech specs in most peoples' living rooms.