CES Scorecard 2007 - What Came True; What Didn't

narramissic writes "In the race for Consumer Electronics Show (CES) headlines, companies parade new, hot, and not-quite-ready-for-primetime products while keynote speakers rev things up with predictions for the year ahead. An ITworld article runs down the list of who stuck their necks out too far in 2007, starting with Sharp's monster 108-inch LCD. 'The set represented the biggest flat-panel TV developed -- a title it still holds today -- and came without a price but with the promise of availability during 2007. But wealthy consumers are still waiting. Sharp said recently that it is still working on plans for a commercial launch for the TV set.'"

Comments

HD format war

[Sciros]

The 108" display being forgotten is all great and stuff (who cares, really) but the article focused much more on the unresolved HD format war (blu-ray vs hd-dvd) which I find funny considering JUST HOW MANY blu-ray ads I've seen on Slashdot recently. Anyway, prices have indeed dropped a good bit over time and with the slow adoption rates is it really looking like any of these formats is going to take over, let alone win over the standard DVD format, ever? I'm not sure anymore. It seems like if another couple of years go by and nothing much changes, we'll see a solid-state memory format becoming more viable as next-gen storage for media.

Actually that would be nice, but I don't see the movie industry being too keen on that happening, and Sony will never give up on pushing a proprietary media format that they can monopolize.

At that size...

[Kjella]

...why not go with a projector? Honestly, the main reason to have a TV rather than a projector for small sizes is the awkwardness of placing the projector. For the big screen, place it out of the way near the ceiling and you'll have a wall full. All in all, I don't see the niche the 108" would fit even if I had lots of disposable cash.

Re:At that size...

[Anonymous Coward]

I can imagine an operating room scenario where it could come in quite handy. The neurosurgeon doesn't just cut the brain in half and start working, he inserts an endoscope (fiberoptic bundle leading to a camera). If he had a 108" monitor on the wall attached to a high-def scope, he could see the whole thing real big from across the room without having to zoom in. His residents would also be able to see without having to hunch over a small monitor. Then he could have MRIs or other imagery displayed with PIP.

It's not feasible to have a rear-projection screen that big because it would be too thick (taking up space in the room/wall) and would be too hard to see off-axis. A front projector wouldn't work because the OR is filled with lights and equipment on movable booms mounted on the ceiling. It would have to be mounted high up, outside the boom swing radius, and not over the sterile field.

You could easily retrofit a room with a big monitor just by replacing the huge array of light boxes. There's no way to retrofit a projector.

Besides, in brain surgery, cost is not much of an issue. A 108" monitor may be expensive, but not when compared to the MRI machine in the room, or the microscope, Brain Lab, etc.

dom

Re:What's the point here?

[MarcoAtWork]

#1 hdtvs in stores (and sometimes in people's houses) OFTEN are displaying SD material, also often the ones that are displaying HD are running some sort of store loop with horribly super saturated colors and sometimes crappy compression. If you want to see what an HDTV can do try to get one with a hooked blueray or hd-dvd player playing a hidef movie with a good transfer.

#2 1080p = 1920x1080, 1080 is the vertical resolution, not the horizontal. Also 108" is for people who want to sit 10' or more away from their TV, I doubt they'd sit at 2' away like you would on a computer monitor...

I suggest you document yourself a bit more on things before thinking that HD is all hype or marketing.

Re:Getting the 108-inch beast home...

[mrchaotica]

As long as the DMD can last 5-6 years (which shouldn't be a problem), that's fine with me. My TV upgrade cycle is about that long, so what do I care if DMDs will fail after 10 years of use?

Yeah, well you're weird! My TV is almost as old as I am, and I'll bet a large section of the market is probably more similar to me than you. (Of course, I'm admittedly not planning on getting a 108-inch LCD anytime soon either, so the point is somewhat moot.)