Gigantic TVs cost more than a car

Bright colored videos and panels are not new in Las Vegas or at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), the technology that dominates the spotlight every year in the city for a few days of January. But in this edition of the fair, in particular, the projections used by manufacturers to display their products seem more colorful and vibrant than usual.
The reason for this is the use of television sets with screens of ultra-high resolution-the 4 k, or UltraHD. The technology, which quickly became one of the biggest bets of manufacturers for years, allows you to display content with resolution up to four times higher than the highest resolution available on current TV. With the new standard, you can clearly see every detail of a transmission. Actors and actresses concerned about wrinkles that take care!
The first such devices came to the market in the second half of last year by hands LG and Sony. With more than 80 inch screens-the equivalent of four 42-inch devices-the devices called attention not only for the high quality of the images, but also by the prices. In the United States, a unit of this type can cost $ 25,000, the same price as the Toyota hybrid car, the Prius. In Brazil, prices are also high: between R $ 40,000 and $ 100,000. Even so, there is demand. "Sell all the units available and we have a waiting list," said John Summa, marketing manager for LG TVs in Brazil.
According to the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), the Association that organizes the fair, more than 20 models of TVs UltraHD will be presented during the event. The prediction is that the products reach the market by the end of the year.
The ads are being made by traditional brands like LG, Samsung, Panasonic and Sony, but also by lesser-known names such as Skyworth, in Hong Kong. In addition to 84-inch models, companies will produce devices with 55 and 65-inch screens, which are cheaper and can help speed the sale of the appliances. These smaller equipment, however, are not yet defined. The cost of new technologies usually fall quickly, as they spread among the public. At first, however, they tend to be accessible to a few wealthy consumers, who don't care to spend high amounts to be the first to have a new device. "It might not cost as much as a car. Maybe a bike, "joked an employee at Sony's booth.
The introduction of UltraHD occurs about six years after the arrival of the first high-resolution devices to market. The movement is directly linked to the quest for profitability of manufacturers of TVs. Last year, revenues from the sale of LCD TVs in the world dropped by 11%, according to preliminary data of the CEA. For 2013, the projection is an indentation of 2%. The falls were caused by aggressive price cuts made to attract the attention of consumers, which in the last two years have preferred to spend more on tablets and smartphones.
To improve its margins, manufacturers have bet heavily on selling devices with large screens, so-called "jumbo TVs", with sizes ranging from 50 up to 100 inches. In these devices, it is possible to obtain results four to five times higher per inch compared with models between 20 and 30 inches. With larger screens, you must increase the resolution so as not to harm the consumer experience. Therefore, the effort to make the UltraHD, 1964.
But the technology adoption will be slow. The estimation of the CEA is that the TVs UltraHD reach a participation of only 2% of the world market in 2015. The main deterrent to its assimilation will be the price. "It will be a market segment", said to Steve Bambridge, Director of market research firm GfK. "But manufacturers are willing to Exchange volume for better margins," said the analyst. On the evaluation of Fernanda, from LG, this market share is reasonable. "It is enough for a product that is still expensive and don't have scale," said the Executive.