Wrap up

After a few days post CES, I have had a chance to digest the experience and put a modicum of perspective on the event.

Blame it on the fact that my eyes are still recovering from flat panel overload, but my overriding impression from CES is that those lithe HDTVs that seemed so exotic only a few short Super Bowls ago are now everywhere you turn. And are being branded and sold by everyone and their great uncle Ned.

But this proliferation of brands along with our quick transition from buying those not-quite-old-enough-to-be-retro bulky CRTs to purchasing these oh-so-avant-garde slinky sets does indicate that flat screen HDTVs are fast becoming a commodity as common and everyday as a car. Or to pick another household item that we are all chummy with - a TV. Or as I uttered more than once at CES when I was asked about this or that new model, "It's a TV."

I know that I'm stating the obvious, but with all the technospeak and marketing hype surrounding these utterly lovely high definition displays, it's easy to forget that they derive from the bloodlines of that out of the world Quasar TV on which you watched the Packers and the Chiefs in the first Super Bowl forty years ago. Or for those less ancient, can it already be ten years since we were conspiratorially enjoying The X-Files on the original "flat screen" TV, the Sony Trinitron WEGA?

The technology has definitely evolved, (for the better, I must say), but sometimes you think you need a degree in electrical engineering to understand the jargon. If and ultimately when you become befuddled by chromaticity diagrams and 3-3 pulldowns and 4-wavelength backlight systems, remember, it's a TV. Granted, it's bigger, more beautiful and in higher definition, but it's still the granddaughter of that zesty Zenith and that trusty RCA.

If you can place discussions about codecs and resolutions in the context of your familiar TV viewing experience, then you can begin to prioritize what features are important to you when you are deciding which high tech HDTV to purchase.

Chromaticity Diagram

When it comes to screen size, consumers often look for the sweet spot - the screen size that is not that much more expensive than the next smaller size, but where you pay a real premium to step up to the next larger size. Over the last couple of years, we have seen the sweet point for LCD screens escalate from 32" to 37" to 42". By the end of 2007, sweet might taste like 47" as their sticker price approaches or drops below '06's 42" level. And if the past year is a good indicator, we should see prices for many 42" models (especially the 720p's) duck under the $1000 mark.

Of course, as screen sizes expand, picture resolution becomes a very visible consideration. And when we all start mounting 75" TVs on our living room walls, we will need to resume our discussion about 4000 x 2000 pixel panels.

For now, that's a wrap of CES 2007. If you have any questions or comments, drop me a line.

Stay tuned.