Bigger, Better… and Bendable?!
Each year, TVs become more capable of producing stunning images. The big trend these days seems to be 4K resolution, but we’re fast getting to the point where any better resolution won’t really make a difference to the naked eye. Picture sharpness isn’t the only improvement worth looking forward to, though. Television manufacturers are beginning to focus on providing high dynamic range, or HDR, with the promise of more accurate colors, meaning an even more lifelike image.
While most people care first and foremost about how big and how sharp their TV picture is, we could soon see some quirky, high-tech features coming to our home sets. The manufacturers on the front line of TV technology, such as Samsung and LG, have showcased TVs that are super thin and even bendable. As TVs get lighter and thinner, size will be less of a limitation – you’ll be limited only by the space you have on your wall. It’s a little difficult to see how curved screens will be practical for the living room, but we’ll surely see some creative uses for them elsewhere.
Smarter Televisions and Smarter Programming
The resounding popularity of Netflix’s digital streaming service has proven that today’s consumers want high-quality programming delivered at a time that’s convenient to them. Broadcast and cable television is becoming less and less relevant as viewers fit their watching habits around their schedule, rather than work their schedule around something that’s already been decided for them.
While you can already log into Netflix on your TV, expect to see that service–and many others–become more robust in what it offers and how it picks up on your viewing habits. As we trust companies like Google and Amazon more and more with our day-to-day information, perhaps we’ll soon see a time when our TV acts like a personal assistant, fitting in the perfect programming at just the perfect time.
Where We’re Going, We Won’t Need TVs
There might be a lot of exciting developments in store for TVs, but will there come a day when we don’t need them at all? Sure enough, there are a few technologies that are vying to take over as your living room’s main source of entertainment. In fact, there’s already one device that threatens to take the TV’s place. Each year, home theater projectors become lighter and brighter, promising to offer a larger-than-life picture that’s unmatched by the biggest of TVs. Whether or not projectors can catch up to–and surpass–TV technology waits to be seen.
Projectors aren’t the only devices that could take the place of TVs. Virtual reality headsets are a new technology, but with nearly every big tech company working on one, we’re soon bound to have entertainment that pushes the boundaries of what we thought was possible. The idea that something else will come around to replace TVs sounds crazy, but so was the idea that TVs would replace radios in the mid-1900s.
As we spend more and more time getting entertainment from the comfort of our living rooms, it’s good to know that the experience will only get better. Whatever happens, one thing’s for sure – the future of television is going to be exciting.
