What drives us to adopt new technology? Well, it depends on the kind. With smartphones, having access to all kinds of data in the palm of your hands is beyond appealing. With consoles, it can come down to what kinds of games will be released. But when we get to things like TVs, things become a little trickier. The reasons become more diverse. Maybe it is because things end up looking much better on one than on another. It could be about size and space, as it is much easier to have a 40” flatscreen HDTV in our homes than one than a 40” bulky CRT model. Maybe one is “smart” and internet connected. But when it comes to 4K, many may not be ready to make that plunge yet.
I mean, it’s a substantial investment now. A 4K TV will cost you at least $300, and that’s for a model that will be around 43”. When people aren’t really aware of their capabilities, that’s a lot to ask when you can sometimes find a 55” LED HDTV for the same price. So what’s going to help push people over the edge this time? Well, I believe it will be the gamers leading the way into the 4K future.
Why? Well, because 4K means a lot of details. If someone wants to see a movie in 4K, for example, they need a 4K Blu-ray player. That can be a $500 purchase in addition to the $300-1000 4K TV. They will also need to buy specific 4K Blu-rays for the movies they want to see. That’s a lot of money, right?
Except, the Xbox One S, Xbox One X, and PlayStation 4 Pro all function as 4K Blu-ray players. (I mean, the Xbox One S isn’t a “good” one, but it is one nonetheless.) These are systems that are less expensive than the good 4K Blu-ray players on the market and have the added bonus of playing games and offering other features. People may even already have them in their homes or plan to get one, meaning it would be one less peripheral to purchase for a 4K TV.
Speaking of the games, that’s another important point. For 4K movies, that means getting specific 4K Blu-rays. For 4K gaming, it means waiting for the company that made the game to release a patch for it. You don’t need to buy any new games. Everything you already own works. And, given how long games are, you could have something in your home that would allow you to advantage of that better TV for 30 to 60 hours.
Then, there’s Black Friday to think of. We already know the Xbox One X is coming on November 7. Someone could very easily grab that console ahead of the biggest shopping day, then pick up a cheap 4K TV on November 24. Or maybe someone would see if there’s a cheap PlayStation 4 Pro and 4K TV to go with it on that Friday.
In any case, 2017 seems like a year where a very powerful audience could make 4K TVs more common. People who love video games are willing to spend a little extra if it means a better experience. Especially if they happen to already have the hardware that will show that marked improvement with a 4K TV. Between the Xbox One X launch and Black Friday 2017, we could see the install rate on 4K TVs grow this year.