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Tag: High Definition

  • Ultra HD TV Market to Improve Next Year

    Ultra HD TV Market to Improve Next Year

    After the revolution of high-definition television, TV manufacturers began searching for the next big feature that will raise the TV market. 3D-enabled TVs have failed to catch on in a big way, held back by the annoying requirement of glasses and the simple fact that 3D doesn’t add much to a home viewing experience. The smart TV is a newer initiative, with TV manufacturers providing Netflix directly through TVs. Though smart TV features are popular with consumers they are largely viewed as value add-ons, rather than revolutionary features.

    That brings us to 4K TV. Ultra-high definition TV holds the promise of raising visual quality over standard HD in a way HD raised quality over standard-definition televisions. Though sales of the 4K devices are beginning to pick up among enthusiasts, high prices and a dearth of 4K content mean the TVs are seeing slow adoption rates. That could change starting next year, according to market research firm TrendForce.

    TrendForce is predicting that market penetration for ultra-high-definition (UHD) TVs could hit 2% in 2014. That would be more than double the penetration rate of 0.8% predicted for this year. The firm predicts that smaller panel sizes and lower costs could drive adoption in the coming years. It stated that low-priced UHD TVs will need to have lower refresh rates and low-cost components to bring them to the greater TV-buying public.

    If manufacturers are able to hit lower price points, TrendForce is predicting that UHD market penetration could more than double again in 2015, possibly hitting 4.5% and buoying TV sales overall. According to the report, emerging markets such as China will be key to market share in the coming years.

    (Image courtesy Sony)

  • The Xbox One Won’t Support SDTVs, Only Has HDMI Out

    Do Xbox 360 owners still play games on an SDTV? Minecraft players proved they do, but it looks like Microsoft will be ignoring them with the Xbox One.

    GimmeGimmeGames reports that the Xbox One only sports an HDMI out. That means the console will not be able to connect to displays with component or composite ins. Of course, there are converters that convert digital signals to analog for those still rocking a component connection, but Microsoft won’t be supporting it out of the box.

    SDTV Xbox One

    It’s hard to imagine that gamers still play HD consoles on an SDTV in this day and age, but a number of examples prove they still exist. They also may be interested in the Xbox One. That interest will require them to upgrade to an HDTV before jumping into the next generation of gaming. Thankfully, HDTVs are not quite as expensive as they used to be.

    The last generation introduced digital audio and video to game consoles, but they still had support for analog connections. The Xbox One ditching analog signals may be a sign that the PS4 will be doing the same. We haven’t seen Sony’s hardware yet, however, so we don’t know if that will be the case.

    Lack of SDTV support isn’t the only issue facing Microsoft’s latest machine. The company has been sending mixed signals regarding its stance on used games with the Xbox One. We’re still waiting on a definitive statement, but signs are pointing to it allowing used games within certain parameters.

    We’ve reached out to Microsoft for confirmation on this specific issue, and will update if we hear back.