Retail Observer

RETAILOBSERVER.COM MARCH 2018 48 H DR—high dynamic range—is the next buzzword in TV technology. Look at any TV for 2018 that's in the high- or mid-price range, and you'll see these letters there on the specs, begging consumers to ask what HDR actually is and what its benefit would be to them. In a nutshell, HDR makes the bright parts of the picture brighter (contrast) and expands the color gamut that is possible on the television. Colors that had been impossible to reproduce on a TV screen are suddenly presented, and we're not just talking a few here and there, but millions of colors! The picture contrast ratio gives it more depth. HDR is not increased resolution, but the quality of each pixel on the TV is radically enhanced. The effect is truly stunning. Give your customers a side-by-side comparison of a good HDR TV and, say, a non-HDR 4K TV, and they will most likely choose the HDR model. Luckily, content for HDR sets is becoming more and more available as time goes on. Many (but not all) 4K Blu-ray discs have HDR. Whether streaming or Ultra HD Blu-ray, your customers can find good-quality content. Of course, to play UHD Blu-ray discs, customers will also need a UHD Blu-ray player—a great add- on sale. In addition, they will need current high-speed HDMI cables that are capable of carrying HDR—another great attachment sale! HDR is also something that customers perceive on an emotional level. Show a 55" 4K TV to a customer and they may not be able to discern the difference between the UHD and HD models in terms of their perception of pixels. Images on an HDR 4K TV, however, appear to pop off the screen, are richer, and more exciting to customers, especially on larger screen sizes. Add to HDR the new processing chips like the X1 Sony introduced at this year's Consumer Electronics show in January, and you have a recipe to generate new TV sales. The sets that Sony unveiled at CES use the X1 processor. The current generation of this processor is called the X1 Extreme, and the next-generation is dubbed the X1 Ultimate. The demos were amazing and showed the processor's prowess when it comes to detail, brightness, frame rate, and even picture resolution. The X1 Ultimate is still in prototype phase, but the company reports that it is two times as powerful as the current Extreme processor, which can be found in some of Sony's OLED sets and its already amazing flagship ZD9 LCD TV. Sony says this increased processing power is going to be crucial as new technologies, like 8K resolution, come to fruition in the coming years. Any of these technologies are going to be better suited for larger TV sets, meaning that retailers have an opportunity to seize new sales and the technological ecosystems that pop-up around a TV set, including the opportunity to help up the ante when it comes to the home network. Users will need more bandwidth for streaming HDR sources, and retailers can help them to do just that. It's time for retailers to think about how to effectively sell these exciting, large new sets! Dave Workman Consumer Electronic Trends Dave Workman is CEO and President of the ProSource Buying Group. RO HDR AND NEW PROCESSING CHIPS ALLOW FOR MIGRATION TO BIGGER PANELS

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