Home Theater: The Future Of HDTV, Blu-ray and LCD

Is There a Future for High-End Displays? I’ve had a running joke for the last couple of years, that the flat panel TV has ruined the entire industry. It never fails to provoke a reaction. But, people say, there are only two kinds of people in the world- those who want to have a flat screen and those who already have them! The flat panel has become a price-driven commodity. Who needs big screen specialty retailers when your HDTV is just another box you throw in the cart next to the 36-roll pack of TP when you’re at Costco? It’s a funny bit. Then I see Pioneer build the best single-piece HDTVs the world has yet seen, and fail. Not a funny bit. Makes me wonder. Is there a future for high-end displays?

I’ve also said for the last few years that front projection is the new rear projection. 1080p front projectors and screens deliver much bigger pictures and better image quality, and now for less than premium big-screen RPTVs cost ten years ago. RPTVs are all but gone, and seeing Pioneer go down one wonders if there are enough high-end flat screen buyers for manufacturers to continue R&D on high-end flat screens. Is the future cheap flat screens and front projection?

Streaming Is the Best Thing to Happen to Blu-ray While many are predicting Blu-ray’s demise is in streaming and downloads, I think streaming is the best thing to happen to Blu-ray when it’s integrated into the player. Fully featured Blu-ray players have been cheap enough to eliminate the price factor for some time. But people still haven’t been convinced of the value and keep reading how downloads and streaming will win that format war. I’ve written why I see that as dubious, but newer players that incorporate streaming from Netflix or Amazon make the point moot. I think more people will see more value in a $300 player that accesses streaming content than in a $150 player that only plays 5” silver discs. Don’t make people choose or guess the future of video. Vudu just dumped prices of their set-top boxes to $150. I know I’m crazy, but I can’t help but wonder if they’d offer better value with a $400 STB with a Blu-ray drive.

Ludicrous Speed LCDs A few emails have come in on 240Hz and above refresh rates on LCD flat panel TVs. Which reminds me of my other standby joke- I’m holding out for 960Hz before jumping onto the LCD bandwagon. I wouldn’t doubt that these ludicrous speed refresh rates might have some additional effect on defeating motion blur, or other positive effects. But to me, even if it turns out there’s some benefit this is immaterial. The best local dimming LCDs offer to-die-for image quality, with state-of-the-art blacks and contrast, very natural color and eye-popping detail. Even with sports, motion blur isn‘t the problem with today’s better LCDs. No, the Achilles heel no one is addressing in LCDs is viewing angle. In our February HDTV face-off we saw Jekyll and Hyde performance from the LCDs. They were gorgeous and beyond criticism when viewed straight on, and shockingly flawed when we moved even a little off-axis. They can go to GHz speed for all I care. But fix the viewing angle and LCD has no caveats.

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Reader Comments

Posted Thu Feb26, 2009, 4:12 PM — By Richard Ziegenfuss

I agree. On "Black Friday", I purchased a Samsung 2500 Blu-ray player with streaming capabilities for $270. For $10 per month from Netflix, I rent movies (mostly Blu-ray) and have unlimited streaming. This is a great way to screen movies and buy only those you want to own. Except for a few, the viewing quality has been acceptable. Great Blu-ray picture and sound, superb upconversion, and streaming, for me,make this player a true bargain.

Posted Thu Feb26, 2009, 10:02 PM — By Rich H

Mr Buettner, It's nice to see you (and your magazine) talking about the poor off-axis performance of LCD flat panels. While I appreciate LCD in many ways, the off-axis problems have bothered me for years and despite the yearly claim from LCD makers that off-axis viewing is no longer a problem it's clear from every LCD I view it's still pretty much the same problem it's always been. It particularly sucks in darker lighting conditions where, when you move off axis, those black levels rise (and unevenly across the screen at that). It's amazing how many LCD owners aren't bothered by these issues. Here is a link to a bunch of pictures of Plasma vs LCD off-axis performance that I posted on AVS a few years ago. Unfortunately these issues aren't much better today: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=734586 If nothing else this unresolved issue in LCD performance makes me worry about the popularity of LCD forcing plasma into extinction. Rich H

Posted Fri Feb27, 2009, 12:02 PM — By Shane

I'm very worried about plasma fading away. Would we even have local dimming in LCDs if there weren't Pioneer KURO TVs for the premium LCD manufacturers to chase?

LCD isn't going away, and with the local dimming sets, everything else about the quality is there in spades. Viewing angle is the final frontier.

Posted Fri Feb27, 2009, 1:59 PM — By President Skroob

Why didn't somebody tell me my ass was so big?

Posted Fri Feb27, 2009, 5:54 PM — By Stephen

I just bought a new laptop with a Blu-ray and the hardware to back it up on graphics. It has an HDMI output that will stream just about anything you can handle on a computer (now if only SACDs were supported on computers). This computer makes a dedicated Blu-ray player with Netflix look a bit crude in comparison and still cost me less than a first generation dedicated Blu-ray player. I can watch videos or listen to audio from any source on it as well, not just the chosen few. Of course streaming video without a fiber optic internet service would be a wasted effort but it works really well. Now what we really need is universal high speed internet access, not the crap service the cable companies are pushing or worse yet DSL. Then watch Blu-ray become a good storage medium for backups.

Posted Sun Mar 1, 2009, 4:34 PM — By Shane

I think the position many of us are taking is that escaping the "crap service" most of us get for broadband is years away. In the meantime, if you want the highest quality video with lossless audio, Blu-ray is the game.

And personally, I don't want a PC in my theater.

Posted Wed Mar11, 2009, 2:32 PM — By BillTh

Pioneer's exit from the market makes sense, from a business standpoint. As great as the Kuro was, Pioneer only held 4.9% marketshare of the plasma market, according to a published industry survey. There's no way, considering the cost of producing plasma, that Pioneer could have continued producing plasmas with this small a share of the market. Panasonic has 49.9% marketshare (according to the same survey), and five factories in Japan totally dedicated to nothing but producing plasma. Plasma is not going away, with Pioneer's exit. Pioneer leaving is an indication that the market is correcting itself, as would be expected.

Posted Tue Apr14, 2009, 5:47 PM — By Greg in Iraq

I agree that streaming could help BD sales. I can put a 500 GB HDD in my PS3 for a little less than $100. I manufacturer can do it for much less and take full advantage of the features on a BD. I have downloaded some movies online and the quality of the video and audio was pretty good, it just took forever to download. I still like the idea of owning the movie vice perpetual renting.

Posted Wed Apr22, 2009, 11:58 PM — By simheikk

Since adding a home theater PC into my home theater, I don't think I could ever go back. The convenience of being able to access my entire music database, along with streaming video is without peer. I think Blu-ray will have its 15 minutes of fame, but will only be a stop-gap while internet bandwidth catches up. Video streaming will continue to gain popularity. Sure, Blu-ray may be able to provide higher definition video, but if Pioneer's exit from plasma TVs tells us anything, it's that people as a whole will take convenience and price over quality.

Posted Sat May 2, 2009, 1:21 PM — By GIL ARROYO

Mr. Buettner: I've written an article titled "Film to Video;Cinema in Transistion". It's about 1900 words. This scribble is aimed at the guys I talk to, who are constantly confused. Any interest from your magazine? gil

Posted Sat Aug 8, 2009, 11:35 AM — By Hamad

so finall is that lcd screens are better for watching blu ray movies?

Posted Thu Sep 3, 2009, 1:33 AM — By Jim Otz

While viewing "S" branded 52" & 55" LCD (LED Side lit) series flat panels this evening, two items clearly jumped out at me. 1) 240 hertz makes Blue Ray video look disassociated or unreal when playing a movie and 2) Over The Air Digital broadcast video really looked BAD on the LCD panels. Item #2 is of particular interest to me. Why such poor display quality on these large LCD monitors? My Sony XBR Tube TV displays the same OTR signals with excellent quality (34" 16x9). What gives on the LCD's lack of ability to display quality OTR signals? Specifically the digitization was particularly annoying, leaving unclear images that were constantly in motion (similar to heat waves on a hot road shimmering in the distance), quited distracting for viewing TV. Is the display "engine" in the LCD just not capable of displaying an OTR digital signal and make it look great? Perhaps the LCD technology itself is not what it is hyped to be? Looking for some big picture un

Posted Fri Oct30, 2009, 4:25 PM — By Tech Gal

Why is nobody talking about the audio? I'm a 30 something and I work in the AV world. I love streaming, but without 5.1 (netflix) it shouldn't fly. I say shouldn't because we all know that people are willing to sacrifice good quality for accessibility. (hello ipod) Doesn't anyone want their surround sound anymore??? I do think people will settle for a good picture as long as streaming is simple. I would be sad if there was no good audio to go along with it.

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