Not Your Grandma’s Television: Understanding the New Tube Technologies

Television has been experiencing something of a renaissance in recent years. T.V. shows aren’t linear – the cable company doesn’t control the distribution in the same way it used to.

With all the new program and movie providers now available, consumers choose when they want to watch their favorite shows. Now, it seems, that the actual T.V. sets are getting “leveled up.” Here are some of the most recent innovations and how they will change T.V. viewing forever.

The Coming of 4K

4K displays. Everyone wants one but no one knows why. It’s like the latest, greatest, shiny new object. A 4K T.V. set is available from most of the major manufacturers out there, and they’re expensive.

But, what is 4K? It basically means more pixels – 8 million to be exact. This is 4 times what the standard 1080p sets can display. In other words, if you took all of the pixels in your current T.V., you could fit them into 1/4 of the screen on a 4K T.V.

4K displays promise a better picture because more pixels means more information. More information translates into a sharper image. It’s all about a better viewing experience – and isn’t that what T.V.s are all about? Entertainment?

OLED T.V. Sets

Your computer, smartphone, and tablet all have something called “OLED”. It’s an “organic light-emitting diode”, and while this isn’t new technology, it’s new for T.V. sets.

LED stands for “light-emitting diode.” T.V.s that use this technology have to also use an LCD screen because LEDs are too large to function as the pixels for the screen. Not so with OLEDs.

OLED is more flexible and thinner, and they don’t require backlighting.

24-fps As Standard

24 fps (frames-per-second) is the standard in movies and gives you that “movie” or “theatrical” look on screen. More and more people are really liking that, and T.V. manufacturers have taken notice. Gone are the days of soap opera quality.

Your new T.V. will feel more like a Peter Jackson reboot.

Remote Updates

One of the best new technologies for smart T.V.s is the ability to update over the Internet. This will slow down the generations and new models for T.V., but it will also allow you to get more out of your set, so that’s a plus.

What you’ll want is a reasonably priced high speed Internet service provider for this type of service, however. More and more of your T.V. will be dependent on having a solid and fast Internet connection.

Imagine having a T.V. that can update its signal quality, display, or features over the Internet. The only things you would ever need to update are the hardware. So, while it won’t eliminate future T.V. purchased, future purchases will be smarter.

manufacturers are likely to focus more on hardware upgrades, rather than one-off software upgrades. And, the capabilities of new T.V.s can be extended, since updating will become inexpensive.

This means more online T.V. and video providers and online iterations of traditional networks can thrive in a virtual environment. Distribution costs will plummet and you will have even more control over the types of shows you watch, when you watch them, and how much you pay for the service.

Bottom line: expect more networks and providers to offer a la carte pricing.

Multi-Media Display Options

One of the most overlooked features of modern T.V.s is their ability to function like a computer screen. You’re basically buying a large LCD screen that’s a computer monitor. It’s not surprising that most of the newer sets have USB and HDMI plugins and allow a direct connection to your laptop.

Some of the “smart T.V.s” also incorporate Wi-Fi so that you can connect your T.V. to your computer wirelessly.

In other words, you can play more than just video games and watch T.V. on these things. You can beam your tablet or smartphone screen up on your T.V. and watch YouTube, flip through old photos, or pull up your music library and relax.

Gone are the days when cable companies dominated the set. Today’s T.V.s are built around the idea of user control – that is, users control what happens on the T.V. It’s a more interactive experience, rather than a passive one.

And, the market seems ready for it.

This Guest post was by April Elder, who works at an electronics retailer. She loves writing about the home entertainment industry. Her articles are available mainly on lifestyle and entertainment websites. If you would like to contribute to our webpage follow this link to the Write for Us guide, we would love to hear from you.