On today’s You Asked: As many of your inquiries concerning CES and what to expect (that I can potentially address).
There have actually been so many excellent questions this week, it’s been difficult to choose.
The future of audio
Hayden Schaub from Celina, Texas, writes: The Samsung Q 990 series has actually been rated well for several years, however is getting aging. Just how amazing would it be if they came out with a brand-new Q collection with separate front speakers? Will Samsung or any various other producers create a straight rival to the Sony Quad? The separation of audios seems to be the future, and I would certainly enjoy to see rivals try this the means Sony has with the Quad.
I agree that the Sony Bravia Theater Quad seems to be the most effective crossbreed between typical home-theater-in-a-box solutions and soundbar-based border systems. I also believe it was inescapable that Sony would get some competitors.
Hisense has already lifted the veil on its competing item called the Saturn. It’s a 5 1 2 Atmos system with a little box, similar to the Sony Bravia Cinema Quad. I anticipate the Saturn to be a lot more budget friendly than the Theater Quad– valuing information will not be offered up until better right into 2025
Will we see something like the Cinema Quad from Samsung? I do not know. However, I do assume that Samsung has an opportunity to utilize the Music Structure audio speakers to do something similar. It would certainly need a processor box like the Quad, nonetheless. I do not believe that’s in the cards for 2025, yet I might be incorrect (and would not seethe if I was).
Television announcements at CES
Zach F creates: I was questioning: What of the complying with do you think is probably to occur at CES 2025:
- LG announces that MLA will certainly be offered on the 2025 C OLED designs
- Samsung introduces that the 83 -inch versions for the S 90 E and S 95 E will be QD-OLED panels
- Panasonic announces a North American launch for 2025 OLED and LCD Televisions
- Sony introduces 2025 QD-OLED Televisions after sitting out 2024
Of those 4, the most likely to really take place is No. 3: Panasonic announces new launches for 2025 OLED and LCD Televisions.
Right here’s why I don’t believe two of the others are likely:
LG bringing MLA OLED panels to the C-Series: This seems a bit very early. Prior to MLA appeared, I believe LG needed more to distinguish the G– or, Gallery– collection from the C-Series OLED TVs, and MLA was simply the thing. Before that, it was primarily a difference in style and audio– that’s it. I do believe MLA will flow down to the C-Series at some time– simply not likely in 2025
Samsung introducing 83 -inch QD-OLED Televisions: I do not think this is likely, but I’m confident I’m wrong. Samsung has been cagey concerning which Televisions have QD-OLED and which Televisions have LG’s W-OLED panels. I doubt they will change that method. It’s very possible that 83 -inch Samsung QD-OLED TVs will certainly be a thing, however we will have to analyze those Televisions to make that determination– I do not believe Samsung will come right out and state it.
Transparently, I’ve let Samsung understand that while I understand they may be worried about perplexing non-enthusiast clients about what TVs have what sort of panel, I think being forthright regarding what TVs have QD-OLED is in fact in their best interests. (I don’t understand that my viewpoint has enough sway to change a business strategy, however hey, I tried.)
What’s up with FlexConnect?
Michael Beckerman composes: What happened to Dolby FlexConnect Back at the start of 2024, every person was delighted about brand-new Dolby FlexConnect speakers and FlexConnect-enabled Televisions from companies like Hisense, TCL, and Sony. Demonstrations were done and video clips were released, after that … absolutely nothing. Crickets. What occurred to Dolby’s FlexConnect effort and will we ultimately see it involve market a year late in 2025 or will it just ride off into the sundown and be passed over/forgotten concerning totally? Can you please obtain to the base of this and record on it while you are in Las Las vega?
Initially, I don’t think it was ever reasonable to anticipate lots of products with Dolby Atmos FlexConnect in 2024 While it is true that Dolby has actually collaborated with producing companions, when they touted FlexConnect at CES 2024, it was as much concerning attracting brand name partners as stirring public enjoyment. Both techniques go hand in hand: Program that the general public is excited about this sort of modern technology and you will certainly have a much easier time obtaining brands to place that technology in their items.
The genuine question currently: Because there’s been time to strategy, design, and make FlexConnect items, will we see announcements about them at the show? I certainly hope so, but I have not heard about any type of yet. I’m crossing my fingers yet I’m not very hopeful. If we do see FlexConnect speakers or TVs, they might originate from smaller brands.
The future of HDMI
Brian Cochran creates: What are your ideas regarding the future of HDMI variations and the relative stability of AV modern technology over the following couple of years? It seems with HDMI 2 1 sustaining 4 K/ 120 and 8 K/ 60 resolutions, along with all lossless audio styles, possibly we have gotten to a tension point for the time being? While points are constantly developing and the fear of obsolescence is always a problem, is it safe to say that the basic hardware/protocol platforms that we are making use of now will stay fairly the exact same for the following several years? Or are there some fantastic brand-new display/audio innovations simply over the horizon that will reinvent the experience we have now (and require an upgrade)?
I will just say this due to the fact that it has actually been widely guessed in coverage: HDMI 2 2 is expected to be announced at CES 2025– and I anticipate it, also. I think HDMI 2 2 will certainly use a lot greater transmission capacity and it might require a different kind of cable. I don’t understand for sure, though, and I likewise can not claim to what degree it will certainly be backward compatible. I am enthusiastic that it will be, which an HDMI 2 2 -compliant cable is all that’s required to unlock the higher transmission capacity abilities. We’ll know more from CES and I’ll make certain to tell you everything about it.
It holds true that there is little to no instant demand for greater data transfer currently. Nonetheless, if electronic devices brands want to forge ahead of what’s possible with sound and video clip signals, they will certainly require extra transmission capacity to do it. HDMI 2 2 opens up doors to the future, however it will certainly be a while, I assume, prior to we see any consumer products making use of it. This is just one of the much more exciting things I hope to obtain concrete info on from CES.
Ultrawide dreams
Caleb Helpingstine from Illinois writes: Why haven’t television makers began to make ultrawide screen TVs when we had ultrawide monitors for a few years that made the most of video games and some motion pictures? Will there be one at this 2025 CES? I can see an advantage of using an ultrawide screen to display the flicks that make use of 2: 35: 1 and 1: 85: 1 to see their motion picture magnificence. That’s an idea to consider.
Undoubtedly, that is a concept to consider. It was in fact thought of, acted upon, attempted, failed, and abandoned already– 10 years ago.
At CES 2015, Samsung and LG both showed off a curved 21: 9 One was a motorized screen that could go from level to rounded and back in under a min. Samsung’s was 108 inches, if I remember.
I can not remember if they were ever before marketed in retail or if they also made it past the concept stage. Nonetheless, 21: 9 Televisions are a hard sell to any person aside from cinephiles and videophiles due to the fact that many material is provided at 16: 9, and if there’s anything the general public despises greater than letterbox bars, it’s pillarbox bars. Those big, thick, black bars left wing and right side of a photo are essential for the 16: 9 material that makes up most of what individuals watch on television.
The marketplace for 21: 9 TVs is slimmer than for OLED panels, so it does not make sense to make them considering that they can not be made at range. Till television shows begin getting shot like legendary movies, I do not think that 21: 9 Televisions can ever actually remove. You can obtain 21: 9 display screens– mostly expert products– but consumer TVs are not most likely to enter that instructions unless production residences switch over gears (or, lenses, truly) and fire in motion picture formats as a new rule.
