The Indian television industry is undergoing a seismic shift. Today, television viewing is a completely different experience as compared to the yesteryear. Similarly, tomorrow’s TV experience will be different from what we see today. The TV market has seen a huge transition, and today it’s no longer ‘Just a TV’, but one that has several roles and functionalities.
So what has led to the accelerating technological change? Some of the key trends that has revolutionized the TV Market in India include growing disposable income, personalized content, advanced technology, change in consumption patterns, and growing internet penetration among others. With the government supported ‘Make in India’ initiative, the TV market has reached new heights, and has also encouraged several Indian Players go up against international brands to establish a foothold in the very dynamic industry. The TV market is going through the same phase as the mobile market where the future will be defined with ‘Innovation as the key to success’.
What is the future? The Indian television market is estimated to cross $9 billion by 2021. Increasing urbanization and growing number of households are some of the factors that are expected to propel the growth of the country’s television market through 2016-2021. Increasing disposable income coupled with technological advancements and growing preference for smart, energy efficient and internet enabled televisions will drive India television market through 2021. Having said that, let’s understand the trends that we are bound observe in the near future.
TV Screens getting slimmer and bigger
Though the strongest selling product remains the 32-inch TV, there has been shift in choices and preferences. Manufacturers have found “The Bigger Way Out” because that is the latest trend that has been set in everyone’s home. TV’s have become like a mirror on the wall. When we say “Slimmer and Bigger” we mean it wouldn’t occupy so much space, but you still get to enjoy the bigger view of it.
Voice interaction will take a leap forward
Voice interaction allows us to speak into the microphone embedded in the remote control. Generally you can change channels, adjust the volume, and sometimes even search for content using voice commands. Integration of digital voice assistants, such as Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, into the smart TV platforms shall be seen in near future. These voice assistants on TVs will not only let you search for and access content, but also interact with and control other compatible smart home devices, such as lighting, thermostats, and speakers.
Another aspect of these TVs is that your mobile phone doubles up as a remote control. An actual remote control is also included with the television meaning that in theory, a dozen people could be in the same living room having a “remote-off” with various smart phones and remotes all controlling the same TV.
A showcase to new TV technologies
Perhaps the most interesting TV technology we expect to hear about in 2018 is the “self-illuminating” LED, which can make an LCD TV more OLED-like. What will have a big impact this year are improvements to LCD TV backlight technologies. Because LCD TV backlights are always on, the TV tries to block the light during dark scenes—but some light always manages to leak through. This can make blacks look gray, or create halos around lighter images shown against dark backgrounds. Full-array LED backlights, where the LEDs are arrayed across the entire bask of the panel rather than just on the edges, is one way LCD TVs can improve their performance.
Direct-view quantum dot (‘true’ QLED) Display
Quantum dots are cool. They’re one of the ways TVs can create such a wide range of colors, way more than ever before. It would be amazing to see a true direct-view quantum dot display. In such a TV, the quantum dots create all the light and comprise the individual pixels themselves. Right now QDs only create the color, while an LCD is still used to change the brightness to create the pixels and image you see. Quantum dots need something to energize them to create light. Right now this is commonly done with blue LEDs (to create blue light and energize green and red QDs for the other primary colors). A direct-view QD could potentially use OLED as a photon source, with the QDs creating the color. Such a hybrid design would be able to take the best of both worlds: the perfect black levels and infinite contrast of OLED combined with the superior color of quantum dots.
Real 8K TVs
Oh and we’ll see 8K TVs. That’s for sure. While many other TV features have come and gone over the years, the one that seems to resonate most strongly with consumers is the resolution. In the near future, we will mostly be using the 8K TV to watch upscaled 4K, and even HD content on it. And we can’t help but think that calculating all the extra pixels necessary to turn HD and even 4K into 8K will represent a truly significant challenge for even the most powerful video upscaling engines.
This article is written by Saurabh Kabra, Director – Business Operations India, Truvison