CNET’s Brian Tong and David Katzmaier discuss wallpaper-thin OLED, bright quantum dots and huge screens
For the last week I’ve been staring into the future of TVs , and it’s hella bright.
CES 2017 is over now we know all about the year’s newest, biggest sets. I saw many, many inches of screen real estate (measured diagonally), all of it in 4K resolution and most of HDR compatible, with more light output, blacker blacks and crazier designs than ever.
My favorite TV technologies, like OLED, HDR and local dimming , proliferated to new manufacturers. More players in the game increases competition, spurs innovation and drives down prices. At the high end of the market, TV makers are getting even more creative as they strive to outdo one another to earn buzz (and your buck). And at the budget end there are more good choices than ever, especially from unfamiliar brands.
Let’s dig in.
If you were waiting for an OLED that isn’t an LG , the wait is over. Sony will begin selling the A1E series in the US later this year, finally bringing another brand to the competition for best picture quality ever. I saw glimpses of the set at Sony’s booth and in a closed-door comparison Sony put on, and it looks as good as you would expect a Sony OLED TV to look.
LG rules the OLED roost for now, however, and the most impressive TV at the show for me was its W7 wallpaper OLED TV. So thin it basically blends into your wall, it’s easy to imagine it being what every TV will look like in 5 or ten years.
