NAB 2018 felt quieter than usual, with smaller booths and empty halls signaling an industry caught between legacy infrastructure and an IP-driven future. Sharp's 8K production pipeline for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics proved genuinely ready, while the AV-1 codec coalition threatened to upend H.265 licensing economics entirely. ATSC 3.0 deployments and a shrinking VR presence rounded out a show full of questions that may take years to answer.
Over 500 industry professionals descended on Indian Wells for the 2014 HPA Tech Retreat, where 4K Ultra HD, IP-based facility interconnects, and next-generation video compression sparked fierce debate. Google's VP9 codec drew immediate pushback when presenters suggested it rivals HEVC H.265, while Dolby made a compelling case that high dynamic range beats more pixels for improving viewer experience. Whether HDR can command a price premium in a market obsessed with cheap, large screens remains the defining question.
This 2013 HDTV buying guide covers screens from 24-inch 1080p 60Hz LED sets starting at $178 up to an LG 55-inch OLED at $8,999, with picks organized by size category to match different budgets and use cases. Standout recommendations include a Sony 55-inch 4K Ultra HD model with HDMI 2.0 and TRILUMINOS display at $2,998, and a Sharp 80-inch Quattron 240Hz Smart LED 3D set at $3,688. Readers comparing last year's prices will find modest savings in smaller sizes but premium pricing holding firm at the high end.
A 2013 AV receiver buying guide covers six models across three price tiers, from the Sony STR-DH740 at $275 with 4K pass-through and four HDMI inputs to the Sony STR-DA5800ES at $2100 featuring nine HDMI inputs, a four-port Ethernet switch, and Control4 automation support. Mid-tier standouts include the Yamaha RX-A2020 with YPAO Reflected Sound Control and the Denon AVR-X3000 with Audyssey Gold calibration and seven HDMI inputs. Readers can use the tiered breakdown to match receiver capability to budget and speaker investment, avoiding overspending on processing that outpaces their speaker system.
Speaker sensitivity, measured in decibels at 1 meter with a standard test signal, is a key efficiency metric where scores above 90 dB are considered excellent and indicate less strain on your receiver or amplifier. Impedance, typically rated at 8 ohms, determines how much load a speaker places on an amplifier, and connecting two speakers in parallel halves that impedance to 4 ohms, which can damage underpowered receivers. Understanding these specs alongside frequency response and power handling helps buyers make more informed decisions without relying solely on listening tests.
The SMPTE Fall Technology Conference featured a one-day technical symposium on next-generation image formats, including a presentation titled 'UHDTV: The Big Picture on Bigger Pictures' examining Ultra High Definition Television technology. The symposium addressed the broader landscape of pixel density, image quality, and format advancements, separating verified technical claims from speculation. Attendees gained practical insight into where UHDTV stands relative to competing next-gen formats and what those differences mean for real-world display and broadcast applications.
Netflix SuperHD delivers 1080p streaming at 7Mbps using MPEG-4 compression, which the authors calculate as roughly equivalent to a 9-11Mbps MPEG-2 signal, placing it near over-the-air HD quality on a multicast channel. Supported devices include PlayStation 3, Apple TV, Roku, and TiVo Premiere, but access requires an ISP participating in the Open Connect network. Picture quality tested noticeably better than DVD and comparable to some broadcast TV channels, though short of Blu-ray, with Dolby Digital audio tracks performing impressively close to disc-based counterparts.
Plasma TVs deliver superior black levels, contrast ratios, and color saturation compared to LED LCD displays, with edge-lit LED panels frequently exhibiting backlight uniformity defects such as clouding, halo, and flashlight effects that are absent in plasma panels. Plasma's per-pixel brightness and hue control produces richer, more saturated color that mid-tier plasma sets match against higher-cost LED competitors, while In-Plane Switching (IPS) LEDs improve viewing angles only at the cost of contrast. For buyers prioritizing picture quality in a controlled-light environment under 65 inches, plasma remains the stronger value proposition despite its weight and image retention considerations.
A curated 2012 receiver buying guide spans three price tiers, from the Pioneer VSX-1122-K with 7 HDMI inputs and AirPlay at $486 to the Yamaha RX-A3020 9.2-channel AVENTAGE at $2000, which features a cross-member anti-vibration frame and a dedicated fifth dampening foot. Mid-range standouts include the Yamaha RX-V673 with 4K upscaling and bi-amp assignable amplifiers at $550, and the Denon AVR-2313CI with DLNA 1.5 and Audyssey processing at $900. Readers shopping across budgets will find concrete performance benchmarks and feature tradeoffs to guide a well-informed purchase.
The 2012 HDTV Buying Guide organizes current television recommendations by screen size, ranging from a 19-inch 720p Toshiba LED at $129 to a Samsung UN75ES9000 75-inch 240Hz 3D LED at $8,997. Standout value picks include a 48-inch TCL 1080p 240Hz LED for under $500 and a 60-inch VIZIO 1080p 120Hz Smart HDTV with built-in Wi-Fi for $999, while the top picture-quality recommendation goes to the Elite Black Pro-60x5fd at $4,599. Shoppers at nearly every budget will find concrete price-to-performance benchmarks that make choosing between LCD, LED, and plasma technologies more straightforward.
Pete Putman addresses recurring consumer questions about TV purchasing, calibration, and display technology in this late-2012 roundup, noting that 42-inch 1080p plasma TVs had dropped to under $400 while plasma held only 5.5% of global TV shipments in Q2 2012. Plasma's decline is attributed to consumer preference for large, inexpensive LCD panels over superior black levels and viewing angles, while streaming services like Netflix and Amazon are eroding Blu-ray disc sales despite lower picture quality. For practical guidance, Putman recommends enabling a cinema or movie preset and manually setting sharpness to zero and color temperature to warm as a cost-free alternative to professional calibration.
Four home theater in a box (HTIB) systems are evaluated for the 2012 holiday season, ranging from the $365 Onkyo HT-S5400 7.1-channel system at 80 watts per channel to the $700 Yamaha YHT-797 with AirPlay support and 4K passthrough. Supplementary stocking stuffer picks include a NETGEAR powerline kit rated at 200Mbps and a Category 2 certified HDMI cable with Audio Return Channel support. Buyers on a tight budget will find practical guidance on balancing cost against features like Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD Master Audio, and 3D Blu-ray compatibility.
The 2011 Conan the Barbarian Blu-ray delivers a reference-quality DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track with a 5.0-star dynamic range and subwoofer performance, though dialog intelligibility suffers noticeably against the heavy action mix. Video is encoded in MPEG-4 AVC at 1080p with a 2.40:1 aspect ratio, earning 4.6 stars for strong clarity, minimal film grain, and accurate skin tones despite a deliberate bronze color grade. The disc rewards home theater enthusiasts looking to stress-test their audio setup, even if the film itself is more entertaining for its unintentional humor than its storytelling.
Two complete home theater systems are assembled for under $1,500, each built around a 42-inch 1080p LCD display paired with a 7.1-channel receiver supporting HDMI 1.4a and HD audio decoding. One build centers on the Onkyo TX-NR609 THX Select 2 certified receiver at $390 alongside KEF KHT1005.2GB 5.1 satellite speakers, while the other pairs a Yamaha RX-V671 with the Energy Take Classic 5.1 system at $400. Both configurations demonstrate that a capable network-connected Blu-ray and surround sound setup is achievable near the $1,500 price point, though cables and accessories push real-world costs closer to $2,000.
Six home theater projectors spanning $1,085 to $5,005 are evaluated across LCD, DLP, D-ILA, and SXRD display technologies, with picks ranging from the Mitsubishi HC4000's DLP DarkChip3 at 4,000:1 contrast to the JVC DLA-X3's 50,000:1 native contrast ratio using 0.7-inch D-ILA devices. The Epson Home Cinema 8700 UB earns praise for its 200,000:1 contrast and Silicon Optix HQV Reon-VX processing, while the Sony VPL-HW30ES delivers 240Hz panel drive for 3D performance at 70,000:1 dynamic contrast. Buyers weighing value against picture quality will find concrete trade-offs between placement flexibility, black levels, and 3D capability across each recommendation.
