Are We Facing an App Revolution?

When it comes to powering displays, it’s all about apps, according to Tim Albright in a recent episode of AVWeek. >

Tim Albright

With the recent revelation that Apple has dropped its plans for a full television/display device, it may be time to rethink this whole display business. Not that we are going to do away with displays, but how we connect and interact with them will significantly change.

On AVWeek Episode 196 there were two stories that revolved around the changing interaction we have with our televisions. LG’s announcement of a 1-mm thick OLED display and the story about Apple focusing on set top boxes.

When you first hear about an OLED display at 1-mm thick, the AV professional in you is quite excited. Think about it, a display so thin you can mount it with magnets to virtually any surface. Then, the design/engineer in you begins to think about power and connectivity.

How are we going to power such a device? Where will the video connector live and what type will it be? An HDMI connector is certainly thicker than 1 mm.

This leads to the other story. With Apple focusing more on its Apple TV product and becoming apps driven, this is where the connectivity may lead. There are a number of display manufacturers that have the genesis of an app environment. This allows you to stream and download content from the Internet straight to your display.

See: Enplug Releases Public App Market for Digital Signage

There are no connectors needed; not even an RJ45. We may very well find ourselves in an iOS/Android-like war when it comes to displays and their baked-in apps marketplace. Think about what your criteria is currently for comparing various displays. Add to that the concern over what your client’s existing displays are running.

It’s an interesting time to be in AV. Just a few years ago there were those who were lamenting the loss of margins on displays and “hang-and-bang” installs. Yes, the margins on displays are virtually gone. Your value to the client when it comes to the display is not gone. You are the expert in these matters and as long as you keep learning as these developments evolve you will remain the source for help.

As far as how to power a 1-mm thick display … I think Tesla had something like that, but I could be wrong.

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