As we approach the 100th anniversary of mechanical television, Michael Heiss examines how features and connectivity updates are continuing to position displays at the cutting edge of residential technology.
After mechanical TV sets were invented, electronic television systems followed in the 1920s using technology from Philo T. Farnsworth and Vladimir Zworykin. TV broadcasts began advancing over the next ten years, preceded by tests and transmissions from EMI, RCA and others.
In many cases, early technology was introduced to the public at tech events such as IFA and the New York World’s Fair 1939, where RCA and NBC began TV broadcasting.
At more recent consumer and trade exhibitions, we’ve witnessed the advent of colour, stereo audio for TV, higher resolution and faster frame rates, Teletext/Ceefax, digital TV, HDR, wide aspect ratios, and HDR. As your humble reporter, these exhibitions include CES, ISE, NAB, Display Week, IFA, CEDIA Expo and more. From those we can get a very good picture, pun intended.
Developments are announced at somewhat random times in these days of social media. However, we’ve seen enough of 2025 to have an idea where video displays are going – and hence give you a “rest of the year” rundown below.
Flat panel technologies
I’ll admit to a bit of grouchiness when people call LCD-based displays “LED” – unless direct view microLED (dvLED or µLED) displays, they should be known precisely as “LCD panels with LED back lights”.
Now that’s off my chest, it’s fair to say the biggest thing to look for in 2025 will be the reintroduction of mini-LED backlight systems with individual RGB LED elements. We’ve seen this technology from Sony and Sharp, but Hisense and Samsung were also demoing it at CES 2025. The use of individual LEDs for each colour behind the LCD panel results in higher fidelity and contrast, a breakthrough worth waiting for.
This offering may be seen at first in large sizes and higher prices: we’re talking the 90-inch and 100-inch ranges. Like most new technologies it will likely decrease in price as we move forward.
That said, other display manufacturers such as LG, Sony and TCL are improving their LCD/LED capabilities with tweaks to how the micro-LEDs emit light.
OLED, the other main flat panel display technology, will also see improvements this year as brands like LG and Panasonic offer products using fourth generation OLED panels.
The technology uses four-colour OLED light source elements in a blue-green-blue-red arrangement, with colour gamut said to deliver brightness up to 2,100 nits. It does so with lower power consumption than the Micro Lens Array technology of third-generation LGD panels.
Which is better? That’s for you to decide, but better pictures await either way.
Quantum dots
Quantum Dots (QD) will continue to be key for both LCD and LED panel display systems, as well as OLED panels. This is something you must investigate a bit more; all you tend to see in spec sheets or ads is the mention of QD or its use in a model number designation.
TÜV Reinland, an international organisation for safety compliance, is now certifying those that meet the Intelligent Electronic Devices (IED) standard a “Real Quantum Dot Display”.
One must mention dvLED, the elephant in the room. It’s come a long way in recent years, but for now it’s still mostly seen in large venue displays, score boards, transportation and advertising applications. At NAB’s annual media and broadcast exhibition, we saw dvLED replace blue-screen and rear projection for broadcast sets and feature-film content creation.
As we reported from ISE 2025, dvLED also has a place for high-end home theatres and outdoor video applications. Back when CRT ruled, the joke was “Where are the reasonably affordable, under 100-inch sized flat panel TVs?” Some might use the old consumer electronics saying about when we would see affordable flat panels: “They are the same place they were ten years’ ago: ten years away.”
It’s the same for reasonable sized and affordable dvLEDs. Not ten years away, but still a bit off in the distance.
LG Display's latest 4th Gen OLED technology uses a four-layer stack to increase image brightness and quality
Display connectivity
When exploring the display side of things, custom installers should note how displays can be connected to the home content ecosystem.
If you can’t connect the display to a source and other necessary communications, it’s dumb. That’s where there are certain elements to look for, though some might not hit the shelves this year.
First, in the world of connected smart TVs (CTVs), you need an internet connection – either hard-wired, or more likely Wi-Fi. For security and reliability, one might prefer the former but that doesn’t always work out. It’s not terrible as I can’t think of any contemporary CTV without Wi-Fi.
Capabilities to look for include Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac) at a minimum, but hopefully dual-band Wi-Fi 6 or 6E (802.11.ax). Particularly with Wi-Fi 6/6E, you will have compatibility with the fastest speeds and not have to worry about the system failing to process 5GHz transmissions.
Brands are beginning to include that, and some are upping the game to include Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be).
Wi-Fi 8 (802.11bn)? Don’t worry about that one yet; it’s still a few years away.
Bluetooth connectivity? While it’s not used to deliver video streaming content, it does have its place for audio. Brands are beginning to add it, so keep a look out if the job requires it. On the transmit side, some brands are beginning to include Wi-Fi transmission. A nice feature if you have viewers who want to use earbuds or headphones while others in the room listen to the full speaker system.
Something relatively new and exciting on the BT transmit side is Auracast, which can feed multiple compatible devices at the same time.
Matter
As technologies from trade shows now reach the market, one other update to look for is Matter. This standard will simplify installation and integration as the number of Matter-equipped access points and end devices grow. Not a hard requirement… but something to keep on your watch list.
HDMI 2.1
Then there is HDMI. It’s now over eight years since the HDMI 2.1 standard was announced – and it should be considered the only one to accept. Along with video up to 4K/120Hz and 8K/60Hz, it offers HDR compatibility, Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) and eARC.
There are more features, but those last two are what I would call mandatory on sink and source devices as well as HDMI Receiver products (AVRs and processors in particular).
VRR is essential for games consoles, connected phones, PCs or even games onboard a CTV. The same goes for eARC, particularly if a room will use a soundbar or external audio processor. Having eARC means the set can send multichannel bitstreams to the audio decoding device for Dolby Atmos and DTS:X. Without eARC you are limited to Pulse-Code Modulation (PCM). If a set doesn’t have it, you’re best to look elsewhere.
At CES, one hot story was the new HDMI 2.2 system. As we go to press, the final standard is thought to be almost set, but we most likely won’t see availability until 2026. Calm the fears for your clients by telling them you can’t offer it, even if you wanted to: HDMI 2.2 will not bring them any benefit unless they are a heavy-duty PC gamer with an expensive video card.
Video formats
Over the past few years, several capabilities have populated the feature list for video displays – regardless of the panel, LED or projection technology. High among those is High Dynamic Range (HDR). These days it’s hard to find a flat panel display without HDR, though it’s not always part of the feature set for dvLED and projection. Always dig deeper to see what type of HDR is present on any video display.
“Plain” HDR is the simple way to indicate a display’s compliance with SMPTE’s ST 2084 standard. That means it offers wider contrast, expanded colour gamut/range and a broadly better viewing experience. The problem is that HDR10 content, which is required to get the benefit, sets the parameters once for the length of the programme. That’s why it’s called “static”.
Dolby Vision and HDR10+ use dynamic metadata embedded in the content stream so a compatible display can adjust the brightness and contrast on a scene-by-scene, or even frame-by-frame, basis.
A display with these capabilities is totally worth it for improving viewing quality. Note that both Dolby Vision and HDR10+ have newer iterations such as Dolby Vision IQ, which adjusts brightness based on room lighting. HDR10+ Gaming’s name speaks to those who might benefit from it.
Two other HDR formats are Hybrid Log Gamma (HLG), a system developed by the BBC and Japan’s broadcasting corporation, NHK. It was designed to be backwards compatible with standard dynamic range (SDR) content and has been widely used for live broadcasts.
Finally, there is Advanced HDR by Technicolor, originally developed by famous colour technologists at the former Technicolor Group and Philips. Somewhat like HLG, it’s designed for live broadcasts and SDR/HDR combinations. Readers in the US should note this format is now being used by some TV stations with the new ATSC 3.0/NextGen TV format for broadcasting.
If the resolution of a display is considered a feature, I’d be remiss to not mention it here. Content creators are seeing increased availability of 8K production tools including cameras and post-production systems. As mentioned above, both HDMI 2.1 and to a greater degree HDMI 2.2 are more than up to the task of delivering 8K pictures.
On the distribution side, there is 8K content on YouTube and Kaleidescape has also recently joined the 8K Association, perhaps presaging the availability of 8K content through their devices.
CTV and AI
Let’s close this article with a brief mention of CTV and AI. These days even the most basic display will have some connected stream service package including Netflix, Prime Video, HBO Max and others. You should see if the set has local services for your country, alongside the client’s choice of news and sports.
Going further, how is the CTV service controlled? Does it offer discrete buttons for key services and voice search? Is the user interface too complex for a family? How many years of upgrades are promised, as might be the case when considering a new phone or tablet?
My suggestion is to focus on all the items above. If you find a set with the right combination and CTV OS, all is good. If not, relax. Depending on your location, there are many outboard streaming devices from Amazon’s Fire TV, Apple TV, Roku, GoogleTV, and Google TV/Android TV products such as Nvidia’s Shield – which many still consider a top pick thanks to continued upgrades. Plug one in that suits the tasks better and you’re good to go.
Last but not least, let’s talk about the impact of AI on TV and content selection. At CES 2025, LG and Samsung said their new sets will integrate Microsoft Copilot while TCL and Hisense will use Google/Alphabet’s Gemini. Set manufacturers or external streaming devices will use one or the other, or perhaps some other system.
Will the choice of system make a difference? Too early to tell, but some knowledge about this enables you to answer questions when large parts of the public are still not up on AI, or perhaps even nervous about it. Best idea: keep informed and know how to turn AI-assisted search off if desirable.
We’ve all come a long way from the days when selecting a TV was a simple brand choice, and connecting it was plugging it into a mains socket with an antenna. Harder for your clients, prospects and to some extent a bit more complex for you. Then again, that is perhaps for your benefit as you dissect the technologies and increase your reputation as the “folks who know”. We’re here to keep you and your staff ahead of the game.
AUTHORS NOTE: Some of the products and/or mentioned may not be available yet or sold in your country or region. Always please check with the manufacturers for availability before specifying.
Main image credit: Oleksandr/Shutterstock.com