It’s been over 2 years when I first wrote about high-definition televisions offering 1080p, with 1080 horizontal scanning lines using progressive scanning, which is the most technologically advanced HDTV format approved by the FCC. And I’ve just taken delivery of one of Sony’s second-generation SXRD sets. Its latest generation of signal processing circuitry creates an amazingly lifelike picture from every pixel of both existing HD broadcast formats (1080i interlaced and 720p progressive). Moreover, these new sets are capable of displaying a true 1080p picture from the HDMI inputs. The 1080p format demands so much bandwidth that it’s not economically feasible now for cable, satellite or even terrestrial broadcasters, but the new Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD players can reproduce a full 1080p image from the few discs that are currently available. In fact, the new HDMI 1.3 connections, which will be included in newer Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD players, will support a new and even higher-bit-rate Deep Color technology that is capable of nearly twice as many colors as existing HDTV signals. Plus, there is further hope that the format war between the Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD systems can be avoided with the announcement that engineers at Warner Brothers had applied for a patent covering a 3-layer optical disc that could contain movies in both 1080p systems, as well as a standard 480i DVD version, all on a single hybrid disc.
As the prices of both plasma and LCD HD sets continue to plummet, there are 2 new flat-screen video display technologies being developed that could eventually make the HD experience even more realistic. One is called SED for Surface-conduction Electron-emitter Display. Using the best qualities of old-style picture tubes modified to achieve a flat screen configuration, the SED system is capable of dramatically improved contrast that adds richness to an HD image, as well as requiring much less power to operate than existing plasma or LCD flat-panel displays. Toshiba allegedly plans to introduce large screen SED sets to coincide with the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.
The other new display technology is called OLED, for Organic Light Emitting Diode. Already in use for small screen applications like digital cameras, cell phones and camcorders, these displays can be so thin and lightweight that they could be mounted on flexible substrates to create things like electronic paper and wearable displays (like a digital watch permanently attached to a shirt cuff), as well as being completely transparent (looking like a window, when the display is off). But, their problem is longevity, with the existing small OLED displays used in cell phones limited to a life span of about 10,000 hours (compared to about 60,000 hours for current plasmas or LCD screens). Still, the best guess is that we’ll see big screen OLED HDTV sets for sale around 2010.
On the audio side, Windows will be trying to cut into the dominance of Apple in mobile music players with the upcoming Christmas introduction of its new Zune portable player, which will have a 30GB drive, a 3-inch screen and built-in Wi-Fi access, allowing for the eventual wireless exchange of music and video wherever there is a Wi-Fi signal. At launch, Zune users will be able to send songs to other Zune users wirelessly, who can listen for free 3 times in up to 3 days before deciding to buy. Meanwhile, Microsoft’s online music store (Zune Marketplace) plans to sell songs for 99 cents each or allow Zune users unlimited music for $15/month, but the songs will not be easily playable on any other players (even the Microsoft-endorsed “PlaysForSure” devices from Creative, SanDisk, iRiver and others). However, Zune players will also include an FM radio, unlike iPods.
Meanwhile, Apple, which has so far sold over 60 million iPods and more than 1.5 billion songs, is focusing on making its 5th generation players slimmer, with brighter displays, longer battery life and greater storage capacity, while adding the availability of full-length movies (from Disney, Pixar, Touchstone & Miramax) to the songs, TV shows & music videos that can be downloaded from the online iTunes Store 7. Rumors are that future generation iPods will be enhanced by probably including Bluetooth capability, allowing the use of wireless headphones or direct connection to the sound system of Bluetooth-equipped cars. Other rumors about Apple’s future iPod plans include a player with built-in Wi-Fi and one with a touchscreen that would make the click-wheel obsolete. Apple is also planning a new device set to launch this winter, code-named iTV, which will wirelessly stream any iTunes content (movies, TV shows or music) from a PC to a TV, which should complement nicely the sale of movies from the iTunes website.
Meanwhile, for those audio purists who aren’t satisfied with the sonic compromises that various compression techniques apply to iPods and MP3 players alike, the new Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD’s hold so much data (up to 50 gigabytes per disc, compared to the 4.7 gigabytes on a standard DVD) that future digital recordings could be made with new lossless audio formats. There’s already a completely uncompressed linear PCM soundtrack contained on the new Blu-ray Discs and even the new HD audio encoding systems coming from Dolby (TrueHD) and DTS (HD Master Audio) should both produce pristine and uncompromised multi-channel sound virtually identical to the original master recording, although they will all require the HDMI version 1.3 (High Definition Multimedia Interface) connectors that will be offered soon in the latest audio receivers.
Looking even further into the future, the Japanese national broadcaster NHK is working on an Ultra HD system due in 2025 that will offer 16 times the resolution of existing HD broadcasts (7,680 vertical x 4,320 horizontal lines, compared to today’s 1080i HD of 1,920 vertical x 1080 horizontal lines). It will offer 22.2 channel audio, with 10 speakers at mid-height, nine above the viewer and three below. Although the visual and sonic impact should be amazing, the bandwidth demand will be enormous (24 gigabytes per second for U-HDTV, compared to 1.5 gigabytes per second for standard HDTV) and well beyond current practical capabilities. But, for true technology buffs, it’s a good reminder that even the best and newest high tech video and audio equipment will eventually become obsolete...and most probably sooner, rather than later!
