Next big thing

[spiny norman]

Meanwhile, the consumer electronics industry already has the Next Big Thing lined up to ensure we'll all be given a reason why our new TV is no longer state of the art, and needs replacing: http://www.insideci.co.uk/news/samsung-signs-up-for-dolby-ac-4-audio-tvs-due-2017.aspx

 

[Series1boy]

Meanwhile, the consumer electronics industry already has the Next Big Thing lined up to ensure we'll all be given a reason why our new TV is no longer state of the art, and needs replacing: http://www.insideci.co.uk/news/samsung-signs-up-for-dolby-ac-4-audio-tvs-due-2017.aspx

tvs won't go out of date if you have a surround system which is object based I.e. Atmos, dtsx and that other 1 ... I get your point though.

 

[spiny norman]

tvs won't go out of date if you have a surround system which is object based I.e. Atmos, dtsx and that other 1 ... I get your point though.

Agreed, but most people don't have such a system, and I can see this being marketed as the next 'you can't live without' TV feature, to encourage another round of upgrading. Just like 3D, curved screens, 4K, smart features, HDR and so on. There's a decline in viewing on actual TVs, with people switching to computers, tablets or phones, and the companies are pretty anxious to win buyers back to big TVs.

 

[Frank Harvey]

The TV market looks like it is going to go the way of the AV receiver market. Constantly changing, becoming too technical to use/understand for many, and users "upgrading" on a yearly basis, in turn leading to way too many being available on the used market, reducing sales of newer, supposedly better models - new and used prices suffer. They need to take a step back, look at what is really important, and save a few new features/updates to add to a genuinely improved model, rather than producing a new model every time some new little feature pops up.

 

[spiny norman]

The TV market looks like it is going to go the way of the AV receiver market. Constantly changing, becoming too technical to use/understand for many, and users "upgrading" on a yearly basis, in turn leading to way too many being available on the used market, reducing sales of newer, supposedly better models - new and used prices suffer. They need to take a step back, look at what is really important, and save a few new features/updates to add to a genuinely improved model, rather than producing a new model every time some new little feature pops up.

Exactly. They'll get to the point where consumer confusion and caution overtake the marketing, and people will become too scared of buying for fear that what they choose will be 'oudated' in a few months.

 

[Benedict_Arnold]

The TV market looks like it is going to go the way of the AV receiver market. Constantly changing, becoming too technical to use/understand for many, and users "upgrading" on a yearly basis, in turn leading to way too many being available on the used market, reducing sales of newer, supposedly better models - new and used prices suffer. They need to take a step back, look at what is really important, and save a few new features/updates to add to a genuinely improved model, rather than producing a new model every time some new little feature pops up.

Exactly. They'll get to the point where consumer confusion and caution overtake the marketing, and people will become too scared of buying for fear that what they choose will be 'oudated' in a few months.

We already are... That's one reason (that and being out of work right now) that I'm putting off buying a new receiver until 2017. The big stores over here aren't even restocking their higher end receivers. The shelves are empty.

 

[Gray]

I've got a perfectly good 42" Panasonic, full HD telly at the moment and there ain't no gimmick that would make me 'upgrade'.....except 8k (subject to content)

We all know how fantastic native 4k pictures are. I heard that Japan's equivalent to BBC, NHK are bypassing 4k and equipping studios for 8k which is probably a smart move financially for them. 'Experts' have said that 8k is the practical limit to eyesight, and once people realise that they should find it hard to push 16k+ TVs.

Having said that, we all know someone, don't we? that genuinely can't tell the difference between SD and HD pictures.

I installed a Freesat box for a woman last week and I honestly think that she did not know what HD was - surely she's in the minority but it just goes to show that, for some, even worthwile improvements hold no appeal, never mind gimmicks.

 

[Son_of_SJ]

Having said that, we all know someone, don't we? that genuinely can't tell the difference between SD and HD pictures.

I installed a Freesat box for a woman last week and I honestly think that she did not know what HD was - surely she's in the minority but it just goes to show that, for some, even worthwile improvements hold no appeal, never mind gimmicks.

I can't give the internet link, but I think I'm right in saying that sales of DVDs (which are not even full HD) still outnumber sales of 1080p Blu-ray discs, which have been available for eight years now. Never mind 4K Blu-ray discs, which are just appearing.

 

[spiny norman]

I can't give the internet link, but I think I'm right in saying that sales of DVDs (which are not even full HD) still outnumber sales of 1080p Blu-ray discs, which have been available for eight years now. Never mind 4K Blu-ray discs, which are just appearing.

I think I saw somewhere that DVDs outsell BDs by about 8:1, and that annual UK Blu-ray sales are around 12m or something, which is a ridiculuously small number when you consider that home cinema enthusiasts could be exopected to buy quite a lot of discs.

It either means there's a very small number of enthusiasts buying a lot of discs, or – well, anyway, it suggests that non-enthusiasts buy a very small number of discs.