High-definition TVs are all over the place. Remotes loaded with enough brainpower to solve a Sudoku puzzle can be found on millions of family room coffee tables. Wireless computer networking has become commonplace in nearly every American home. What could possibly be left to create in the world of home electronics? Not ones to rest on their laurels, manufacturers of high-tech gear will continue to refine, add to and improve their products lines. In 2008, we’ll see TVs that can draw images faster than before, with deeper blacks and even skinnier profiles. Remotes will function more like mini TVs with even greater levels of control and companies that used to focus on one type of product will broaden their scope to offer a wider range of systems for the home.

Fast Refresh Rates
We all went gaga over 1080p TVs last year. They outdid 720p and 1080i TVs in terms of picture resolution, and now that we’re in the year 2008, you’ll be able to easily find full high-def 1080p sets in various sizes and configurations, including rear-projection DLP models, flat-panel plasmas and LCDs, and video projectors. Many companies, especially those that market LCD TVs, are now focusing on improved refresh rates. Simply put, the higher the refresh rate, the faster the image is created, resulting in crisper, clearer pictures. The improvement is most noticeable in action scenes where blurring of moving images can occur on TVs with lower refresh rates, like last year’s common 60-Hz rate. This year, we’ll see many more TVs doing 120 Hz. JVC’s line of full HD LCD TVs will have it, as will several models from Samsung, Sony, Sharp, Hitachi, Toshiba, Panasonic, LG and others.

One benefit of 120-Hz technology that you’ll be sure to hear manufacturers touting is its compatibility with high-def DVD players. High-def DVDs are recorded at a frame rate of 24 frames per second (fps). That didn’t jibe with most TVs’ 60-Hz rating. What occurred was some very complicated conversion of the video signal to get the DVD and display to match up. To think of it mathematically, the number 24 (fps) can’t go into the number 60 (the Hz rating of most 2007 TVs) evenly. But 24 does go into 120 evenly, hence a clearer, smoother picture from 2008’s 120-Hz TVs. Many early 120-Hz sets, however, are performing the complicated processing, then simply doubling the refresh rate from 60 Hz to 120 Hz.

TVs with fast refresh rates are particularly well suited for avid video game players, and manufacturers will undoubtedly promote that feature. Sharp, for example, is positioning its 1080p GP1U series of Aquos LCD TVs as game-playing displays. The TV features a game mode to reduce the lag time between the game console input and the TV display for smooth video playback in fast-moving action sequences.

TVs and DVDs in Sync
TVs and DVD players go together like peanut butter and jam. HDMI inputs and outputs have made the connection between the two even stronger. Now manufacturers are building technologies into their TVs and components that will sync the activation and control of the products. Panasonic’s EZ Sync HDAVI control, for example, lets users turn on and configure their TV and home theater components by pressing one button on a handheld remote. Other companies, including Sharp (Aquos Link), Sony (Sony Synch) and Toshiba (CE-Link), have developed their own HDMI-compatible product lines with built-in syncing capabilities.

Banishing the Bezel … Almost
The best way to determine whether a 120-Hz TV is right for you is to compare it with a 60-Hz model. Viewed side by side, the difference will be strikingly apparent. Will it make you want to trade in your current big-screen TV for a faster unit? Maybe. But one thing we know for certain is that no matter how fast a TV produces pictures, a flat-panel model will always look better than the tank you’ve got parked in the corner of your family room. Many of these beauties have recently been given face-lifts, making 2008 a great year to outfit your house with a skinny wall-skimming set.

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Lisa Montgomery - Contributing Writer

Lisa Montgomery has been writing about home technology for 15 years, with a focus on the impact of electronics on a modern lifestyle.