Futute in Television
s the TV, as we know it, dead? The last few years has seen more people ditching their televisions in favour of a bigger monitor than ever before. With movie and TV downloads (legal or otherwise), streamed video content from a host of online players and a raft of catch-up services, some have speculated that it's the thin end of the wedge for the goggle box.
At the same time, we've since seen the Internet come to our TVs, widgets on our big screens and the arrival of 3D from the cinema as well, giving people a reason to stay put on the sofa. So what's the real story here and what will be the lie of the lounge in 5 years' time. As part of our Future Week season on Pocket-lint, we spoke to three industry experts to find out.
Our Screens
The truth of the matter is that while IPTV services were the preserve of the PC, there did seem a reason to ditch the telly, but one area in which our experts agreed was that streamed video-on-demand services will be absolutely huge by 2015. The saving grace for the family room screen, then has been down to a very simple thing.
"The biggest turning point has been addition of broadband to TVs, be it Wi-Fi or Ethernet. So much has and will become possible because of that", says editor of Home Cinema Digest, Jamie Carter.
Of course, connectivity isn't the only thing keeping viewers planted on the sofas of the world. The visual technology is also of a far higher standard in dedicated TVs and, with HD programming thrust under the public's nose, there's now content of a high enough quality to notice the difference. So, if 1080p and 200Hz on an LED backlit display - with maybe a twist of 3D - is the good stuff for 2010, then what of the sets of 2015? Well, for Jamie, the view is on the conservative side.
"The trouble is that the economy has taken a big blow which means that the companies themselves might not have had the budgets to develop quite what they wanted and, even if they had, the public might not be able to afford
At the same time, we've since seen the Internet come to our TVs, widgets on our big screens and the arrival of 3D from the cinema as well, giving people a reason to stay put on the sofa. So what's the real story here and what will be the lie of the lounge in 5 years' time. As part of our Future Week season on Pocket-lint, we spoke to three industry experts to find out.
Our Screens
The truth of the matter is that while IPTV services were the preserve of the PC, there did seem a reason to ditch the telly, but one area in which our experts agreed was that streamed video-on-demand services will be absolutely huge by 2015. The saving grace for the family room screen, then has been down to a very simple thing.
"The biggest turning point has been addition of broadband to TVs, be it Wi-Fi or Ethernet. So much has and will become possible because of that", says editor of Home Cinema Digest, Jamie Carter.
Of course, connectivity isn't the only thing keeping viewers planted on the sofas of the world. The visual technology is also of a far higher standard in dedicated TVs and, with HD programming thrust under the public's nose, there's now content of a high enough quality to notice the difference. So, if 1080p and 200Hz on an LED backlit display - with maybe a twist of 3D - is the good stuff for 2010, then what of the sets of 2015? Well, for Jamie, the view is on the conservative side.
"The trouble is that the economy has taken a big blow which means that the companies themselves might not have had the budgets to develop quite what they wanted and, even if they had, the public might not be able to afford