The annual IFA show in Berlin starts next week on September 1. FlatpanelsHD will be reporting all the news from Berlin but what can we expect this year? Here is what we know, what we think we know, and what we hope for.
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IFA 2017 in Berlin
Bang & Olufsen will attend IFA and all signs point towards the luxury electronics maker unveiling its first OLED TV, the ’BeoVision Eclipse’. If true, B&O will be the latest company to join the OLED movement after Sony, Panasonic, Philips, Loewe, and many others have joined LG in recent years.
IFA will of course revolve around the major themes in the current TV market, which means 4K resolution, High Dynamic Range, UHD Blu-ray, OLED, and Smart TV.
TVs have for many years been in the spotlight at IFA. Here is Philips’ centerpiece from IFA 1995
There have been relatively few rumors this year but Samsung has already announced that it will be showcasing its latest ”QLED TV” with the flat Q8F series. Of course, these are still conventional LCD TVs enhanced with quantum dots. Philips has revealed that it will launch its first LCD TV with quantum dots, too, in the form of 2017-generation 8000 series. Besides that, there have been consistent rumors about a 65” OLED TV from Philips. The company currently sells a 55" version only.
We expect to see lots of OLED TVs at IFA but most of them will be existing models. Besides Bang & Olufsen, we expect to see a Grundig-branded OLED TV and the more affordable LG A7 – a Full HD OLED TV.
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There has not been any rumors to suggest what Sony is planning but the company still owes its customers of high-end TVs a firmware update to enable Dolby Vision HDR. Sony has not commented on Android O (version 8.0), which brings to the table a revamped user interface, so we hope to hear more at IFA. We also expect IFA to mark the formal launch of Sony's 77" A1 OLED in Europe.
We hear that Panasonic is gearing up to support a third HDR format. The manufacturer’s TVs already include the HDR10 base format, and HLG will be added via a firmware update later, so that leaves HDR10+ and Dolby Vision in the bowl. FlatpanelsHD is also planning to visit the HDMI group to hear more about HDMI 2.1, which is an important milestone in the industry. HDMI 2.1 is a foundation for a future beyond 4K and HDR.
We hope that IFA 2017 will bring lots of surprises. Most manufacrturers have already launched comprehensive line-ups of TVs so our humble request would be more clairity when it comes to HDR formats and a more dedicated effort in Smart TV.
