Technology Trends

Skinny TVs

Last year's 4-inch-deep flat panels are being replaced with much slimmer models. The big names in TV - Hitachi, JVC, LG, Mitsubishi, Pioneer, Samsung, Sharp and Sony - are all bringing out TVs measuring between 1 to 1.5 inches in depth, about a third the thickness of earlier plasma models.

The reasons given for the TV's ever reducing waistline? Consumers demand for saving space and improving aesthetics. 

Skinnier mounts

As TVs get skinnier, so do their mounts. New flat-panel display mounts are thinner and engineered to sit closer to the wall, affording flat-panel TVs a more contemporary appearance in the home. 

To solve the problem of wiring a wall-hugging flat-panel TV, manufacturers have added new features to their products like 'kickstands' that prop the bottom of the TV a few inches from the wall, allowing access to the cabling and connections. Other improvements include accommodations for accessories such as electrical outlets and surge suppressors. These products can now be recessed into the wall behind a TV, allowing the display to stay as close to the wall as possible. 

Also making an appearance are automated motorised tilting mechanisms. Rather than having to use a remote to tilt your TV to the desired angle, the new mounts automate the process. Turning on the TV triggers the mount to tilt to a preselected angle and turning it off returns it to the original position.

Long low storage 

With the increasing trend towards wall-mounted TVs, it is not always easy to work out where to attractively store the various connections, DVD players and other components.

Now furniture manufacturers are beginning to offer a wide array of eye-pleasing storage solutions, the most popular of which is expected to be the lowboy cabinet. A throwback from the 1960s and 70s, this short, wide storage unit is making a comeback. Unlike lowboys of the past, though, today's models are significantly skinnier, just deep enough to hold a flat-panel TV and associated electronics equipment.

Distributing HD

With an increasing number of Blu-ray discs being released and an expanding choice of high-definition TV stations, there is opening in the market for systems that can deliver high-def content to all TVs in the house.

As a consumer you'll be able to choose from a range of systems that offer access to all your digital content - high definition or otherwise - from anywhere in the home. With these systems you can stream high-def video or music to different zones of your house using Cat 5 wiring.

Many home control companies are starting to develop their own solutions for distributing high-def audio and video around the house. High-capacity, high-def video switchers are now part of the product portfolios at home control companies like Crestron, Savant and Vantage.

Blu-Ray Challenges

Manufacturers are starting to address the hurdle of designing systems that can rip and store Blu-ray discs on the hard-disc drive of a media server. Some companies are choosing to sidestep the technical and legal hurdles of storing Blu-ray content by creating servers that can enhance DVDs, play Blu-ray discs, or link with a 400-disc Blu-ray megachanger due to be released by Sony sometime next year.

Another way manufacturers are embracing Blu-ray is by building players directly into their media servers. Some of the systems for 2009 will include technology that will scan the inserted Blu-ray disc to identify it and then retrieve a full profile of information - including cover art - to display on the screen of the TV.

Last but not least, there's the 400-Blu-ray disc megachanger Sony plans to release. Unlike media servers that require content to be ripped and stored digitally onto a hard drive, the megachanger will physically hold each Blu-ray disc in your library. This will be the first product available to legally pull a Blu-ray movie off a disc and store it on a hard drive.