The WOW! Buzz

In this column I’ve discussed a number of new technologies for HDTV.  While visiting with a colleague the other day, the subject of “internet ready” televisions came up, and it occurred to me that I had not covered that topic in this space.

The current definition for “internet ready” TV is not the same as it was several years ago, when several manufacturers and/or service providers offered the ability to surf the web on your television set.  Most of the interfaces for these products were so poorly designed and the performance so dismal that they died a quick and welcome death in the marketplace.

However, with the recent interest in streaming web based video, internet interface specific to video and audio content is certainly a timely consideration for HDTV designers eager to get a “leg up” on competition.  A number of manufacturers are presently offering internet interfaces specific to video providers such as Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, Google, and Vudu.  I’ve tried a number of these interfaces, and in general they’re pretty good.  It’s a great idea to have the TV be the master control center of the video experience, which, I think is the idea here.  Further, it is a popular option–internet ready televisions are significantly outselling 3D ready televisions.  But here’s a couple of things to consider….

The problem with most of the internet video implementations that I’ve seen is that the vendor interfaces are “frozen in time”.  Now, I think that most would agree that the likes of Google, Amazon, and Netflix are going to be around for a long time, but some of the niche providers in this space haven’t even come on line yet.  Most of these sets do not have the capability to refresh internal EPROM with a new interface/provider subset, although Samsung specifically is experimenting with an Apple-like App Store (presently with about two dozen apps vs. Apple’s 185,000) which might get around this problem as new content providers come on line.  It remains to be seen, but it seems Samsung is at least thinking ahead about the future possibilities in this space.

Internet ready sets will cost between $250~$350 more than their non-internet ready cousins, and several companies offer sets identical in every particular except for this feature set, so it’s relatively easy to compare the actual cost associated with the internet interface.  With that delta, several other possibilities come to mind which may be a better fit, depending on your circumstances.

1)  You can save the money altogether and muddle through with the current interfaces you presently use to access these services (Wii, PS3, some Blu-Ray players, etc.)

2)  You can buy a new full featured, killer BluRay player that has the same internet capability for less money, AND has the ability to flash its EPROM with updates from the net.

3)  For about twice the money, you can purchase a Mac mini (or similar computer) that supports superb video through an HDMI interface to your television, and be ready for anything that the streaming space presently offers or will yet offer in the future.  This would mitigate some fear of obsolescence around a major purchase like a large LED HDTV.

At all events, it makes sense to think about your options carefully before plunking down the big bucks.

Until next time…