Looking Ahead

It is the time of the year again to look into my sometimes cloudy crystal ball and predict what devices, services and technologies will be popular in 2014.  We’ll look at what is a “must have” and what you might want to avoid.

For sure we will see more and more internet related services and devices in the new cars.  Already we have internet radio, navigation systems that watch out for traffic jams and smart phone apps that will remotely start your car on that cold winter morning.  Real time diagnostics now available on some high end models will find their way into the mid- priced models.  Dashboard idiot lights will begin to give way to technologies that constantly monitor all the car’s critical systems sending reports in real time to the manufacture that can send back tweaks to fix the issue while you are driving or contact you to arrange a visit to the closest dealer’s service department.

Once only available to the super rich and super tech smart, home automation systems will get more affordable and simple to program and use.  Using the smart phone or tablet as the controller, inexpensive interface devices can be installed in home heating, lighting and security systems.  On your way home from the weekend at grandma’s house, you can turn up the heat so it is warm and cozy when you arrive.  Many home products stores carry plug and play devices that a non-technical person can install.

The TV in the family room will continue to serve as a display screen for multiple video sources.  Seamless integration of video from broadcast, cable, satellite, DVDand the Internet will be done for you.  It will be difficult to tell if your favorite program is coming from the TV network or from the cloud.  This will increase the amount of programming available on demand and will enable “binge watching.”   Binge watching allows you to watch an entire series, like Downton Abby, in one sitting.

Added pressure for a la cart pricing will be put on some of the large cable TV providers as subscribers bridle at paying monthly fees for services they never watch.  Program services like ESPN receive an average of $5 per month from each cable subscriber even if not a single program is watched.  With internet delivered competition offering a pay as you go option, look for some changes in how your cable bill is structured.

The continued slide in the sale of traditional desktop and laptop computers will continue as more and more of us use tablets and smartphones for many of the tasks once only possible on a computer.  The prices and features will get more attractive on traditional computers so if you do find you need to replace that old clunker, you will not break the budget.

Some of the “also rans” in 2013 like 3DTV will see sales continue to languish and the adoption of the ultra HD screens will also be sluggish until more programming is available and the TV set prices fall.  Both will happen but most likely not in 2014.

Happy New Year!

Looking Ahead

It is the time of the year again to look into my sometimes cloudy crystal ball and predict what devices, services and technologies will be popular in 2014.  We’ll look at what is a “must have” and what you might want to avoid.

For sure we will see more and more internet related services and devices in the new cars.  Already we have internet radio, navigation systems that watch out for traffic jams and smart phone apps that will remotely start your car on that cold winter morning.  Real time diagnostics now available on some high end models will find their way into the mid- priced models.  Dashboard idiot lights will begin to give way to technologies that constantly monitor all the car’s critical systems sending reports in real time to the manufacture that can send back tweaks to fix the issue while you are driving or contact you to arrange a visit to the closest dealer’s service department.

Once only available to the super rich and super tech smart, home automation systems will get more affordable and simple to program and use.  Using the smart phone or tablet as the controller, inexpensive interface devices can be installed in home heating, lighting and security systems.  On your way home from the weekend at grandma’s house, you can turn up the heat so it is warm and cozy when you arrive.  Many home products stores carry plug and play devices that a non-technical person can install.

The TV in the family room will continue to serve as a display screen for multiple video sources.  Seamless integration of video from broadcast, cable, satellite, DVD and the Internet will be done for you.  It will be difficult to tell if your favorite program is coming from the TV network or from the cloud.  This will increase the amount of programming available on demand and will enable “binge watching.”   Binge watching allows you to watch an entire series, like Downton Abby, in one sitting.

Added pressure for a la cart pricing will be put on some of the large cable TV providers as subscribers bridle at paying monthly fees for services they never watch.  Program services like ESPN receive an average of $5 per month from each cable subscriber even if not a single program is watched.  With internet delivered competition offering a pay as you go option, look for some changes in how your cable bill is structured.

The continued slide in the sale of traditional desktop and laptop computers will continue as more and more of us use tablets and smartphones for many of the tasks once only possible on a computer.  The prices and features will get more attractive on traditional computers so if you do find you need to replace that old clunker, you will not break the budget.

Some of the “also rans” in 2013 like 3DTV will see sales continue to languish and the adoption of the ultra HD screens will also be sluggish until more programming is available and the TV set prices fall.  Both will happen but most likely not in 2014.

Happy New Year!

3D Still Slow To Take Off

About a year ago looking through the advertising circulars inserted in the Sunday newspaper you might have come to the conclusion that you were the only person in the entire universe that did not own a 3D Digital TV. Touted as the next “must have” for your home theater, all the major brands were promoting the movie-like experience possible with 3D TV. Jumping ahead about a year, the landscape has changed a lot.

A cursory look at the most recent Sunday paper indicates that last year’s hot item is, at best, lukewarm this year. There are several possible reasons for this cool consumer acceptance, not the least of which is price. The average price of a standard 2D HDTV set
continues to drop. Today the average is about $500 and dropping fast as several models are available below $150. The prices of 3D sets also are dropping but, because most have very large screens, they are still much more expensive than standard 2D HDTVs.

More than the high price, the need to wear specials 3D glasses to experience the 3D effect is a big negative for many. The glasses are expensive, so inviting several good friends over to watch the “Lion King” may require a king’s pocketbook.

When 3D TV first launched in the US, several program providers promised to provide content on cable and satellite in 3D. This promise has yet to be realized. The transmission of 3D requires a different and more complicated set of transmission technologies. Companies don’t want to invest these extra funds if there is not a large base of viewers and viewers don’t want to invest in pricey 3D HDTVs if there is not a rich program catalog. Most 3D viewers use Blue-ray DVDs as their main source of content.

Things might change in the future, but investing the extra bucks in a 3D set may not be a good idea for most of us. Of course you can always visit the guy down the street who has just about every device connected by a wire or powered by a battery. Drop in and don’t forget to bring the chips and beer and let him provide the glasses.

3D Still Slow To Take Off

About a year ago looking through the advertising circulars inserted in the Sunday newspaper you might have come to the conclusion that you were the only person in the entire universe that did not own a 3D Digital TV. Touted as the next “must have” for your home theater, all the major brands were promoting the movie-like experience possible with 3D TV. Jumping ahead about a year, the landscape has changed a lot.

A cursory look at the most recent Sunday paper indicates that last year’s hot item is, at best, lukewarm this year. There are several possible reasons for this cool consumer acceptance, not the least of which is price. The average price of a standard 2D HDTV set
continues to drop. Today the average is about $500 and dropping fast as several models are available below $150. The prices of 3D sets also are dropping but, because most have very large screens, they are still much more expensive than standard 2D HDTVs.

More than the high price, the need to wear specials 3D glasses to experience the 3D effect is a big negative for many. The glasses are expensive, so inviting several good friends over to watch the “Lion King” may require a king’s pocketbook.

When 3D TV first launched in the US, several program providers promised to provide content on cable and satellite in 3D. This promise has yet to be realized. The transmission of 3D requires a different and more complicated set of transmission technologies. Companies don’t want to invest these extra funds if there is not a large base of viewers and viewers don’t want to invest in pricey 3D HDTVs if there is not a rich program catalog. Most 3D viewers use Blue-ray DVDs as their main source of content.

Things might change in the future, but investing the extra bucks in a 3D set may not be a good idea for most of us. Of course you can always visit the guy down the street who has just about every device connected by a wire or powered by a battery. Drop in and don’t forget to bring the chips and beer and let him provide the glasses.

3D TV...A Whole New Ball Game

The dust has settled. The conversion to digital TV is behind us. Most of us have made the switch. We plunked down our hard earned cash and purchased that flat screen HDTV. All is well with the world. We are “state of the art.” Right? Not so fast quimo sabe! Sony, Panasonic and Samsung and the other manufactures and purveyors of all things electronic have different plans.

At the the recent Consumer Electronics Show, the Las Vegas annual bazaar of things we don’t really need but really want, one of the hits of the show was 3-D TV. Building on the HDTV platform, 3-D is touted to “bring the viewer into the action like never before.”

For sure, the extraordinary popularity of the movie “Avatar” has renewed interest in 3-D but the producers of 3-D material have much bigger plans then having blue people flying through the air mounted on animals that recently escaped from Jurassic Park.

Broadcasters like ESPN have promised a dedicated channel of 3-D programming. I have to admit the thought of watching football or basketball in 3-D sounds cool. Other offerings promise to include movies from some of the pay services like HBO or Showtime. The game guys are salivating at the possibilities of expanding the already popular interactive gaming platforms like the Wii to a 3-D experience.

Well, now that I have you all excited, I will give you the bad news. Most all of the new stuff you now have will need to be replaced for you to enjoy any of this 3-D material. That new HD flat screen will not display 3-D. Also, just like at the movie theater, each viewer will need special glasses. Right now they are priced at about $75 each. The cable or satellite service you use or the over the air broadcaster also must make expensive modifications to their technology. In many ways we are back to square one.

It will be interesting to see how long this technology takes to get out of the early adopter phase. It may be faster than we think. We are becoming more and more accepting of the things we buy becoming obsolete before they are paid for. I recently retired a 35 year old Sony TV that still had a great picture. Having a TV serviceable for 35 months may be a challenge in the future.

3D TV...A Whole New Ball Game

The dust has settled. The conversion to digital TV is behind us. Most of us have made the switch. We plunked down our hard earned cash and purchased that flat screen HDTV. All is well with the world. We are “state of the art.” Right? Not so fast quimo sabe! Sony, Panasonic and Samsung and the other manufactures and purveyors of all things electronic have different plans.

At the the recent Consumer Electronics Show, the Las Vegas annual bazaar of things we don’t really need but really want, one of the hits of the show was 3-D TV. Building on the HDTV platform, 3-D is touted to “bring the viewer into the action like never before.”

For sure, the extraordinary popularity of the movie “Avatar” has renewed interest in 3-D but the producers of 3-D material have much bigger plans then having blue people flying through the air mounted on animals that recently escaped from Jurassic Park.

Broadcasters like ESPN have promised a dedicated channel of 3-D programming. I have to admit the thought of watching football or basketball in 3-D sounds cool. Other offerings promise to include movies from some of the pay services like HBO or Showtime. The game guys are salivating at the possibilities of expanding the already popular interactive gaming platforms like the Wii to a 3-D experience.

Well, now that I have you all excited, I will give you the bad news. Most all of the new stuff you now have will need to be replaced for you to enjoy any of this 3-D material. That new HD flat screen will not display 3-D. Also, just like at the movie theater, each viewer will need special glasses. Right now they are priced at about $75 each. The cable or satellite service you use or the over the air broadcaster also must make expensive modifications to their technology. In many ways we are back to square one.

It will be interesting to see how long this technology takes to get out of the early adopter phase. It may be faster than we think. We are becoming more and more accepting of the things we buy becoming obsolete before they are paid for. I recently retired a 35 year old Sony TV that still had a great picture. Having a TV serviceable for 35 months may be a challenge in the future.