Will my new HDTV become obsolete as soon as I buy it?

If you're worried that something better will come along once you spend all that cash on a new TV, you should read this article.

The Answer: No. With the speed of technological advancement these days, it's a fair question. You don't want to spend a few thousand dollars on a new TV only to discover that it's been replaced by a better, higher-quality model. In reality, though, this kind of annoying dilemma is more common with smaller gadgets like digital cameras or laptop computers. At the present time, HDTV technology is relatively stable, and though there are a few new ideas coming down the pike, it'll be some time before they are even available to the average consumer.

What's the most advanced HDTV technology today?

Currently, the most technologically advanced HDTVs are those that have resolutions of 1080p. This means that they have 1080 lines of vertical resolution and draw their images on the screen using progressive scan. If you were to buy a 1080p HDTV right now, you not only wouldn't have to worry about it being made obsolete, you'd be well ahead of today's broadcast TV capabilities.

Most HD television stations don't broadcast in 1080p yet. Instead, they use 720p or 1080i resolutions. Right now, 1080p is only available on next-generation video formats like HD-DVD or Blu-Ray disc players. It could be many years before broadcast TV utilizes 1080p, if they ever do. For now, a 720p set would do just fine.

What are the TV technologies of the future?

As manufacturers continue to research new ways to improve televisions, rumors begin to spread about new technologies that might revolutionize HDTV. One of the first hot new ideas was SED-TV, which uses surface-conduction electron-emitter displays. Spearheaded by Canon and Toshiba, SED-TV was supposed to be more efficient, with quicker response times, higher contrasts, and less power consumption.

It was expected that Toshiba would begin producing SED-TVs as early as the summer of 2007. These TVs were never really intended to be for individual consumers, however. The high cost of production meant that the SED-TVs would be exorbitantly expensive, and only meant to be bought by businesses and corporations. Additional production problems led Toshiba to postpone their SED-TV rollout indefinitely, and it's doubtful that these sets will ever achieve a wide release.

Another more promising new technology is OLED-TV, which uses organic light-emitting diodes. This technology allows flat-panel TVs to be about as thin as a sheet of paper. It's truly amazing. Right now, Sony is the major backer of OLED-TV, and they are actually producing them for sale in Japan. The reason that OLED won't be replacing your current HDTVs anytime soon is price. The cost of manufacturing OLEDs is so high, that an 11-inch OLED-TV will cost nearly $2000 in 2008. That's not a very good deal. The cost of making these sets is so high, that Toshiba has announced that they won't be pursuing it until well into the future. While OLED-TV may be the next big thing, it won't be for several years.

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