How Television Has Changed Over 10 Years

BIG THE PICTURE A VISUAL GUIDE TO BUYING A TV THIS SEASON The humble TV has come a long way in the last decade. However with technology rapidly evolving and prices in flux, making a smart purchase homework. To take the stress out of shopping we've created this buyer's guide to help you navigate the ever-changing TV landscape. equires a lot more 10 Years of TV TV sets keep changing. Better images, flatter screens and new fea- tures have left the Cathode-Ray Tube looking like a relic in less than a decade. Where does your current model fit? Is it time to upgrade? Units sold (Millions) 50 150 200 250 300 100 2004 Cathode-Ray Tube (CRT) First introduced in 1922, these thick, heavy glass-screen TVs have been in decline since 2000. Sales of high-end CRTS ceased in 2007 and the smaller, cheaper DVD combo units didn't last much longer. Rear Projection (RPTV) If you had a large screen TV before 2000, chances are it was 2005 rear projection and took up mos of your living room. They have been around since the 70's, but their bulk size can't compete. Digital Light Processing (DLP) 2006 Capable of HD and 1080p, these TVs were noticeably slimmer than your dad's rear projection TV, but still couldn't compete with LCD due to their size and lack of wall mounting. Liquid Crystal on Silicon (LCOS) 2007 "Impressive technology allow for a slimmer depth and competitive price, but the writing was on the wall for rear projection - Sony exited in 2007 as its 70" LCOS weighted 200 Ibs. Plasma Display Panel (PDP) First introduced commercially by Fujitsu in 1997, these slim TVs came in large sizes and even larger price tags. Despite their many benefits over LCE with the dropping prices of LCD TVs. 2008 ma couldn't compete Liquid-Crystal Display (LCD) First made mainstream in computer monitors, LCD became the world's 2009 best selling TV in 2007 thanks to rapid price drops and screen size increases. The early versions used cold cathode fluorescent lamps (CCFLS). Light Emitting Diode Backlight (LED) Replacing the fluorescent lamps with LED light meant thinner panels, less power consumption and brighter displays. Most TVs sold today are LED backlit LCD. 2010 Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED) By using organic compounds that emit light, these displays can function without backlight, which offers deeper blacks and more contrast than other LCDS. 2011 Anaglyphic or Polarization (Passive) This 3D technology, which you see in movies, uses polarized or red/ blue lenses to see a 3D image that is otherwise blurry. This can be done with most TVs. 2012 Alternate-Frame Sequencing (3D-Ready) The images look normal to view- ers, but the battery-powered glasses will create the 3D effect. Most TVs advertised as 3D use 2013 this technology. Autostereoscopic (Auto-3D) This 3D requires no glasses and is not blurry within the right viewing angle. TVs with this technology are still being developed, but the Nintendo 3DS is a working example. 2014 50 100 150 200 250 300 Units sold (Millions) Expanding Screen Sizes More is more when it comes to screen size. In the past 7 years, average screen size has grown 37%. Can our walls keep up? Back in 2004, the average TV was a Cathode Ray Tube measured only 27 inches. In 2011, wide screen flat panels dominate with an average size of 37 inches. Watch your wall space. Predictions have the average TV hitting 60 inches by 2015. Pricing Over Time There is one number that trends down: price. Early adopters of new technol- ogy will always pay more, but everyone should be wary of absurd initial prices, as they tend to drop quicker than most. LCDS remained pretty steady for the first three years, but now cost 40% less than those sold in 2004. $875 $862 $800 $817 $745 $569 $534 2010 Plasma TV prices plummeted more than 50% in 2 years, and now cost 90% less than they did in 2000. $9,857 $7,559 $2.202 $945 S808 2000 Hype or Help With new innovations in TV design, come lots of cool new features, but which are worth paying extra for? Vertical Resolution For screens smaller than 42 inches, many people don't notice the difference between 720p and 1080p. For larger screens, it depends what you're watching. For blu-ray and a few video games, you want 1080p. For DVDS, broadcast HDTV and most other games, 720p is all you need. Screen Refresh Rate If your TV is less than two years old, you don't need to worry about motion blur or ghosting. For others - source footage is never more than 60hz, and while you may enjoy smoothing effects of 120hz+ it won't improve the footage. Dynamic Contrast Ratio Big numbers can sound impressive - like the newest TV's contrast ratio of 25 million:1. It's certainly larger than 4,000:1 from a few years ago. But your eye can only perceive a ratio of 1,000:1 at any given time so bigger contrast ratios are largely meaningless. Bottom line – if it looks good in the store it will look good at home. Internet Enabled (Smart TVs) Combined with broadband Internet and services like Netflix (US), Hulu Plus (US) or BBC iPlayer (UK), smart TVs can be a great addition to your living room. Or next-gen gaming consoles can aiready serve as mini-computers and allow you to surf the web or access services. 3D-TV This new technology still has a lot of kinks to work out. Innovations are just around the corner, but for now do you want to pay $200 or £150 for glasses to watch in 3D? Do you like the current content – largely targeted at children? The high price tag, combined with the changes ahead, need to be considered carefully. Ready to buy? Holiday sales are a smart time to bag a bargain, but if you might want to wait until early spring when demand (and prices) are at their lowest. VoucherCodes.co.uk helps you save more with the best voucher codes and offers for VoucherCodes.co.uk over two thousand shops and restaurants. Shop smarter with VoucherCodes.co.uk (visual ly 2004 2005 2006 2007 $4.861 2008 2001 $4.649 2002 $2.698 2009 2003 2004 $1,751 2005 2006 $1.418 2007 $1.033 2008 2009 2010