For those of us at CES 2020, Hisense's press conference was certainly safe. With new high-end models of laser TVs and dual-cell LCD screens, and bold comparisons between smart home connectivity and real superpowers, it's clear this is an electronics company that's not afraid to shout out its vision of the future of the house. The statistics confirm Hisense's ambition: the company now ranks fifth in the United States in total TV sales and is the fastest growing TV brand. However, the topic of laser TVs gives us a reason to pause. Much of Hisense's message this year was about the potential of laser TVs, which are a sort of TV/projector hybrid designed to retain the benefits of both, but still cost you more than the two technologies would combine. . What are the benefits? Well, you get the vivid colors of a high-end projector, Hisense's TriChroma laser technology achieves 100% of the BT.2020 (or Rec.2020) color spectrum, which is more than most high-end TVs can claim.
(Image credit: TechRadar) On top of that, you get built-in speakers, a TV tuner, and a capable smart TV rig (most projectors lack enough in this department) with the kind of interface most TV owners will already be comfortable. Adding a projection panel also means you don't have to settle for a bumpy, colorful room wall that wasn't meant to display cinematic images. The cheapest new model, the Hisense L5 Laser TV, starts at $5,999 (around £4,600 / AU$8,650), which is staggering money for any TV, and will never always be the only remedy for those who have deep pockets for spend. to furnish your home. This is before you even reach the price of €8,999 (around £6,840 / AU$13,000) for the brighter and larger 10-inch L100E, or the suggested retail price of €10,999 for the H100LDA in the UK. . The question is, if this technology is here to stay, when will people start paying for it?
All Happens... Lasers
(Image credit: TechRadar) Hisense's official line is that laser TVs are the future of home entertainment, calling it "the most natural way for human eyes" to watch TV, with a reduced amount of red light. to contend with, as well as Higher energy efficiency - with an apparent 40% lower power consumption than LCDs of the same size. "We strongly believe that the laser display will dominate in the future," we are told, which is bold to say when so few people are still using the technology. Sales of laser TVs jumped 107% in China last year, as the country's fastest-growing TV category, though it's always easier to grow a small number of sales than a large one, and there's simply no such thing as size or sample mass market penetration to really see where laser TVs are going. Of course, there are plenty of cheaper Hisense TVs out there, with their high-end ULED TVs, mid-range Roku TVs, and budget LCDs underneath, but as long as Hisense is pushing its laser TVs as the pinnacle of what 39 home entertainment can achieve , at a corresponding price, it looks like it still won't be around for the rest of us for long.
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