What does the future of television hold? We went to IFA in Berlin to find out.
Panasonic stood out among HDTV manufacturers with the CZ950, the company's first dip into the organic light-emitting diode (OLED) HDTV pool. Previously, LG was the only other swimmer in that pool, and Panasonic's curved 4K OLED television pours some welcome competition into the water. Unfortunately, there's no lifeguard in sight, and my metaphor is drowning.
Ultra high-definition (UHD or 4K) is the biggest new thing in television, and in terms of attention and promotion it has eclipsed 1080p. Every major HDTV manufacturer had droves of 4K screens on display, and while 1080p televisions will still be available (and more affordable), 4K is standing squarely in the spotlight.
Expect to see it even more with the long-awaited arrival of physical media for UHD content. The UHD Alliance recently unveiled the Ultra HD Blu-ray disc standard, which will let studios put UHD films on Blu-ray discs. You'll still need a 4K Blu-ray player to watch them, though, and only prototype players were shown at IFA.
Don't make any plans around the HDTVs on display at IFA; this is a European and global technology show, and things like pricing and availability simply don't apply to the states as they do for Europe. If you want to know what's going to be hitting our shores, and how much it'll cost, stay tuned for CES in January. But until then, check out the slideshow for some of the most intriguing TVs we saw in Berlin.
Source: pcmag.com
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