Is TV Dead? Global TV Shipments Hit a Decade Low in 2023
Is TV Dead? Global TV Shipments Hit a Decade Low in 2023
That's because there's no reason for most people to buy another TV. The majority of people who would want one already have a TV, and there has been no technological advancement in the last decade or two that would entice anyone to throw away their already perfectly acceptable large LCD/OLED/whatever television just to buy another one just like it.
The only thing anyone has been able to come up with is making all TV's internet connected and "smart," which is a feature that approximately nobody except the MBA's in charge of the companies cranking them out seems to actually want.
This. Nowadays people mostly buy TVs when their old ones break. There's no marginal improvement. The industry is here to stay, but its high growth days are in the past.
We have also seen the budget range improve in quality and affordability. There will always be cheap junk TVs and overly expensive TVs, but that midrange, where most people buy, has become rock solid. There just isnāt much region to upgrade at the moment.
And we've mostly hit the limit of usable maximum sizes. For like the last two decades you could upgrade your TV to the next bigger size every few years for the same money you paid for the last one.
I remember starting with a maybe... 21" LCD TV back in 2005ish, and for that money today I could get like 70" TV. I don't have space to fit one that large, nor do I have any need for it even if I could.
Actually, a LOT of people stream with a smart TV instead of a separate device. More than half in the US.
https://gitnux.org/smart-tv-sales-statistics/
This tends to track with what I see in my family and friendās homes. People tend to do couch streaming via the smart TVās apps.
Personally, I think a fast, separate HDMI CEC device is a MUCH better user experience, and itās still one remote. But for whatever reason, a lot of people arenāt opting to go with a separate AppleTV, GoogleTV ChromeCast, Roku, game console, etc.
But do they use it because itās there, or do they actually go out and buy a TV because of the smart features? Iād much rather have a separate device (and do) than use the built in smart features. I would greatly prefer to buy a TV with no smart features and just continue using my AppleTV than have to buy a new TV every time the built in system stopped getting updates.
The one thing I disagree with is the technological advancement. I feel like there has been advancement, but the problem is the cost of those advancements. No one is pining to drop thousands/tens of thousands of dollars on OLED, Micro-led, or whatever the hell else they have come out with over the years. On top of that the crappy interfaces of these TV's as well as privacy problems. See the recent roku debacle.
Yep, this here. I have a 10 year old tv and was considering buying a new one last year but it just didnāt seem worth the price for the upgrade.
OLED TVs have not been around for two decades.
Pretty damn close to it.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sony_XEL-1
It took a little longer for them to become mainstream. But even so, an ordinary LCD screen is perfectly acceptable to most people.
people do want smart features on tvs.
they just dont want ads or the privacy nightmare tvs are.
More people living at home with parents of roommates, probably mean fewer TVs being sold.
Tvs have a short lifespan, now. People have to replace them like every 5 years on average, I'd guess. I think people have less tvs in their homes, though.
The other part of this is that people brought a lot of tvs up to a couple years ago when there was a decade long stretch of LED back-lit tvs. The problem was that there might be 100 leds back there and a single one going out junked the tvs. They were cheaply fixable, but not easily fixable. Most people wouldn't be able to do it.
That's what the article says... People don't replace them as quickly anymore
Make more dumb TVs and my interest in buying a new one goes up significantly. Im actively avoiding buying a new one even though I have to furninsh a good sized living room and all I have right now is a bit small for the space. It'll still work.
There are tons of dumb TVs out there but they're more expensive because the ads and data harvesting subsidizes the cost.
I know it's not a perfect suggestion but I agree with the other comment: buy a smart TV and never connect it to the internet. The vast majority of displays don't gain anything (outside of the "smart" features) with firmware updates. The exceptions to that are very rare.
It sucks to have to buy a streaming box on top of it but the two items combined is less than a commercial (dumb) display. Even at cost.
Though instead of a Chromecast for streaming, I'd consider an AppleTV...I'm not a fan of Apple but it's hands down the best streaming box I've used outside of a dedicated HTPC.
You can always just not use the smart features, and if you do want them, pick up a chromecast to plug into it. Walmart's one is like $20 and holds its own against the more expensive ones.
With some exceptions, enthusiasm in technology is in decline in general. We are peaking in terms of rate of progress across the board, from computer speed to smart phone innovation to TV specs. When's the last time ordinary folks got excited about a new phone release? Who cares about a TV larger than 60 inches? It's not like most people can even afford a wall big enough to put it on. Who cares about anything more than 4k on a tiny screen?
Meanwhile, the cost of living is only increasing, and consumer trust in product life support is in decline. Stories about TVs listening to private conversations, or holding your device hostage for forced TOS updates, anti-right to repair, the mountain of e-waste and micro plastics, pervasive DRM, enshitified services, subscription hardware...
Should we be surprised? No.
The only thing that gets me excited about tech any more is repairability and offline/local networking.
Most of them are dead to me. Sell me a dumb TV or sell me nothing.
My last two purchases were a 32" PC monitor for the guest room and a projector for the main room. Both connected to a Roku and media center PC.
I've got an order out for a digital signage display to replace my living room tv. It was more than I would've spent on a "smart" tv but it's a dumb box that I can plug anything I want into. If they sold dumb TV's still I'd probably upgrade some of the other TV's my family has, but fuck smart TV's.
I don't own one, but even if I did, I sure as hell would not want a smart television. So I completely agree with you.
Amen. Monitors, digital signage and, as you said, business projectors are the way. CEC, auto input switching and ARC are all the smarts I want in a TV.
Going to a projector was the best move for me. Easy HDMI and Plex steams seamlessly.
Which projector?
This one. Loving it so far.
It's only 1080p but no more than we watch it, didn't think it was worth spending extra money for 4K.
I dunno if TV is dead per se as we all enjoy watching shows/movies. Not really interested in gimmicks - we only have 4K as all new TV's are 4K & we only got it because our previous TV failed & they can no longer be repaired.
All i want is a good quality dumb screen. You can stick all your smart features where the sun dont shine, I'll handle everything via a separate box that I control thank you. I'll not be at the mercy of your shitty EULA, you won't monitor my viewing habits or force ads into the UI or remove your dogshit apps without warning. Our TV has never been online, HTPC with a couple of USB TV tuners, uBlock Origin, an interface of my choosing, remote control & lots of storage handles everything. Still perfectly happy watching SD stuff, the only 4K we watch is YouTube.
SmartTube is better than YouTube
Iāve still got all my 1080p dumb tvs. Works for me
How do you configure to keep it offline? Just blocking in dns/router?
Just don't connect it to your home's wifi.
Donāt forget enshittification. I use my TV less and only streaming but am really frustrated by ever more intrusive ads and surveillance. Sometimes Iām just too annoyed to turn on the big TV.
Mine is only 3 years old, but I can definitely see not bothering to get a new one when itās old, unless they start making dumb TVs again. There are plenty of screens in the house and done of them are less annoying to use
Nothing prevents you from using your Smart TV in the same way as a dumb TV. Just don't connect your TV to the internet and use a third-party device via HDMI.
Absolutely. Dumb TVs going forward. Unfortunate that the best screens like those made by Samsung are ruined by surveillance and hardware that can't run the "smart" OS for more than a few years without eventually running like dog shit.
Yeah, all manufacturer OSes are shit. Don't connect the TV to the Internet and use your own preferred streaming device.
I'll keep my dumb TVs and monitors over a
spysmart tv anytime. Can't wait for them to roll out pay-to-use-tv next.Especially be sure to avoid anything with ACR (automatic content recognition). If it detects you're watching content from an unapproved source, it will bug you to watch it on that approved source such as a streaming service. It's just a software update, or a congress bill away from reporting anyone who watches pirated content on their TV. So just beware.
4K came out in 2012 and 8K just isn't that popular, in part due to content issues but also people's eyesight. If you don't need a new TV now, why would you buy an upgrade?
TVs are also a product that seems to last, at least on my experience.
I bought a 65" TV in 2013. It's good enough for me. I don't need 4k at home. It got zapped after 9 years, but there were tons of power supply boards on eBay for $40 each. Turns out a lot of people break the display and sell the other parts.
And it should stay that way. I donāt want another product with planned obsolescence.
They could only try to end your TV by not supporting its apps because of its age, but luckily you can just plug a computer or a console on it to get all the apps you need.
Still, for now, I enjoy using my TV apps with an alternate launcher like Flauncher instead of the normal Android one.
Yesterday I was in an electronics store and saw a 65" 8K TV and a 65" 4K TV. The difference in image clarity is almost imperceptible even if you get up close. Maybe 8K will be useful for huge TVs like 85" or more.
You say I need to get my wife to spend her yearly bonus on an 85" 8k TV ... for science?
I'll do it. It'll be hard to pitch that but dammit it's for science.
Exactly what im thinking.
Is it just that we have in the last few years reached the threshold for large TVs to have come down in price and up in quality for them to be worth the purchase - but also the incentive to get a new tv to have a bigger/higher quality picture isnt worth the upgrade (or just your satisfied with the product you have).
And then factoring in that practically worldwide inflation and cost of living is out of control and people sure can make do without a fancy TV when instead they can have food and pay their rent.Next article "is streaming dead? We keep putting up prices and consumers are dropping subscriptions!"
Gizmochina doesnāt understand that physical TV sales has nothing to do with āTV being dead,ā what a disconnect here.
āTV is deadā because it is full of ads, and crap nobody watches, not because global flat screen TV sales are down.
They'll pry my 10-year old non-smart TV out of my dead cold hands. It's a 1080p Toshiba that can connect to anything (4x HDMI, VGA, composite, component, SCART, coax and satellite), has a CI/CI+ slot, has DLNA support, and can record/replay using a USB SSD. The only regret I have is that I should've bought the larger model.
I'm pretty sure that PEOPLE ALREADY OWN A TV and probably can't afford to replace it.
I have no intention of replacing mine.Market's saturated. Why do analysts not understand this? Once you hit a certain size you don't get much more from a new tv.
B-b-but... line must go up!
Well they aren't alive especially when my TV asked me to sign this no lawsuit BS
My dumb TV is 15 years old. Itās a bit small for the space and thereās a W burned into it but you can only see it on static screens.
I would like a new one but itās pretty low down on the list of things I need to buy with the 37p I manage to save each month.
I won't buy another tv. Only dumb monitors now.
Projector guy here. Once you get a taste you don't wanna go back. The tech has gotten so much better over the last 10 years and short throw projectors are a game changer.
I bought a projector not too long ago. I'll never go back.
I loved my projector! I found it on ebay for a steal apparently because when I went to find my next one I couldn't find the same quality for a reasonable price range I could afford at the time. When this TV blows up I'll probably look at a projector again.
Iām actually in the market for a new tv and have been tempted to go the projector route, especially with the advancements in short throw projectors. However, Iām scared off by the fact that I would like to enjoy the same experience during the day as I would at night. My living room isnāt the ideal dark theater roomā¦
It's not just the technology. Why buy a TV when the subscriptions cost a fortune and the shows are crap? We have the Internet now, and watch less TV than before.
Go back to selling "dumb" sets and I'd buy 4 brand new, big TVs right now. Seriously, I would replace both of my existing TV's and finally get ones for the other major rooms in my house almost immediately. But I won't, because all you can get now are smart TVs and smart TVs are just fucking awful.
I wouldn't mind basic TVs being sold again, but you can just buy any smart TV and not connect it to the internet in order to have the functional equivalent of a dumb TV. I always just use Rokus or other external streaming devices rather than the constantly out-of-date TV streaming apps native to the TV itself.
Maybe if they werent all packed full of preinstalled shit that takes up what measily space is available, didn't force ads into the menus, and actually had real smart features not the half assed bullshit they put out.. People might upgrade TVs..
Also.. The content just isn't there these days. Movies are crap and rehashes of the same old shit, series are generic and characterless and even music sounds shitter than it used to be.
Fuck all your media whether its social or propaganda you bunch of nosy data mining cunts.. The next phase is going to be worse with empty AI generated shit with zero originality.
Has there really been a killer must-have feature from TVs in the last couple of years? If yours is still working is there a need to buy another?
OLED, highly-localized dimming, and HDR10
The thing is, all those features are locked behind units that cost several thousand dollars. So, they're never going to see large volumes of sales or widespread adoption until they trickle into the sub-$1k and sub-$300 price points.
QD-OLED just came into the market in the past couple years and is definitely worth some hype for someone like me that was hanging onto an old plasma, but in general TV's have been excellent for ages, if you already have an OLED or higher end TV with HDR you probably don't need to upgrade for a long time.
For gaming probably HDMI 2.1 for higher frame rates, VRR, and/or 40fps with ray tracing and whatnot.
But in generalā¦not really. I just got a new tv for these features plus it having a brighter oled panel than my last one. But at this point I imagine Iāll have this tv for years and years.
If you've got disposable income and use the latest tech devices as a status symbol, absolutely.
If you're going the projector route, I'd say definitely. New laser projectors and screen tech is waaaaaay beyond what it used to be.
If you're a gamer (or using a TV as a PC monitor) I'd say yes, the tech here has advanced quite a bit, and 4K gaming looks really good if your hardware can support it.
If you've got a home theater setup, and are a movie buff, I'd say maybe, depending on how big of screen you want, how much money you want to spend, and how satisfied you are with your current gear. For me I don't think the latest tech improvements justify the thousands of dollars of new gear I'd have to re-buy just to get 4K/HDR and ATMOS support when most of the movies I watch don't even have good 5.1 tracks and are still on 480i or 1080p based media because they're so old.
If you're a casual viewer of movies, streaming content, and TV shows, absolutely not. Any LED 1080p capable TV that isn't trash tier is fine.
I just don't want to own a smart tv, so I'll stick with what I have.
Tvs peaked with oled
And OLED burn-ins are ruining longevity.
TV don't burn in when you're watching movies and shows (using it as a TV). All the pixels change often enough to prevent burn in
I have Jellyfin stream old sitcom reruns almost all day while I work. I just don't need to upgrade all that often.
Okay, so people have less disposable income than they did a few years ago, and less need for indoor entertainment devices than they did during the pandemic. Is it really surprising that fewer purchases are being made? (Plus, did they include "digital signage" and monitors with HDMI inputs when they were compiling the statistics?)
I don't remember when I watched the telly at home previously. Most of my entertainment are games and then some YouTube and movies not so often (lurking in friend's online streaming services or googling "watch x for free").
Stopped watching the television when too many ads erupted even between the movies that were my last interest in this service.
Most of my telly shows I see nowadays are at a friend's place, and I'm every time annoyed about the amount of ads.
I've never seen my son scrolling tv channels. Tv to him it just a large tablet.
Or a portal for YouTube
I have a TV for when I have time to play games on my PS3 or PS4 these days, but I watch the vast majority of my stuff on my computer. Unless I'm watching something that's available in 4K that I feel is worth it, why would I bother going to another room just to watch stuff that is streaming off my NAS and accessible on my computer anyway?
I feel like a lot of people just don't have much reason to turn on their TV to watch stuff unless they still have cable and want to watch live sports.
I don't know what your setup is, but since I work from home I found that I don't like to be in my office doing shit on my computer that much these days š
Just having a screen in another room is helpful to isolate my workday from my free time.
It kinda sucks, I enjoy tinkering with shit on my computerSame. I'm barely in my office anymore since I started even just a hybrid work from home schedule. It's good to separate the work space from other spaces imo
For me, our tv room is much more geared towards comfort and lounging, while my computer room is more geared towards work and gaming.
Based on this dip, what do we think the industry will try to push on us to get us to upgrade? Are we see them start to push 8k content or 3D again or "smarter" tv's?
You just know it's going to be some stupid AI shit.
Yes. We never watch. The kids prefer the iPads .... Amazon fires, but don't tell them...
I bought a tv like 8 years ago, the day the warranty went it got issues.
Some annoying bullshit (according to google) has to do with magnets and they are all visible now, it looks like shit but i really don't give a damn as i rarely care for what is on as long as it's making sound i don't need to hear the neighbours.
All i could think was: it still works, fuck this company i'm keeping it.
This is incomprehensible. Magnets? Exposed? The TV picture looks like shit but it works?
I hope.
I haven't had TV at home for over 7 years now. Never miss it. I thought most peoole would do the same but surprised to see everyone still cares about watching TV broadcasts for some reason. The internet is much better.