A TV as big as a bed? With the holidays approaching, stores stock more
supersize sets
Send a link to a friend
[November 04, 2024]
By ANNE D'INNOCENZIO
NEW YORK (AP) — For some television viewers, size apparently does
matter.
Forget the 65-inch TVs that were considered bigger than average a decade
ago. In time for the holidays, manufacturers and retailers are rolling
out more XXL screens measuring more than 8 feet across. That's wider
than a standard three-seat sofa or a king-size bed.
Supersize televisions only accounted for 1.7% of revenue from all TV set
sales in the U.S. during the first nine months of the year, according to
market research firm Circana. But companies preparing for shoppers to go
big for Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa have reason to think the growing
ultra category will be a bright spot in an otherwise tepid television
market, according to analysts.
The 38.1 million televisions sold with a width of at least 97 inches
between January and September represented a tenfold increase from the
same period last year, Circana said. Best Buy, the nation’s largest
consumer electronics chain, doubled the assortment of hefty TVs — the 19
models range in price from $2,000 to $25,000 — and introduced displays
in roughly 70% of its stores.
“It’s really taken off this year," Blake Hampton, Best Buy's senior vice
president of merchandising, said.
Analysts credit the emerging demand to improved technology and much
lower prices. So far this year, the average price for TVs spanning at
least 97 inches was $3,113 compared to $6,662 last year, according to
Circana. South Korean electronics manufacturer Samsung introduced its
first 98-inch TV in 2019 with a hefty price tag of $99,000; it now has
four versions starting at $4,000, the company said.
Anthony Ash, a 42-year-old owner of a wood pallet and recycling
business, recently bought a 98-inch Sony for his 14,000-square-foot
house in Bristol, Wisconsin. The device, which cost about $5,000
excluding installation fees, replaced an 85” TV in the great room off
his kitchen. Ash now has 17 televisions at home and uses some to display
digital art.
“We just saw that the price was affordable for what we were looking for
and thought, ‘Why not?’” he said of deciding to upsize to the Sony. “You
get a better TV experience with a bigger TV. You’re sitting watching TV
with a person on TV that is the same size as you. You can put yourself
in the scene.”
The amount of time that many people spend staring at their cellphones
and tablets, including to stream movies and TV shows, is another factor
driving the growth of widescreen TV screens. Overall TV sales revenue
fell 4%, while the number of units sold rose 1% from the January through
September period, Circana said.
Most people only invest in a television every seven years, but when they
do, they typically choose bigger ones, according to Rick Kowalski, the
senior director of business intelligence at the Consumer Technology
Association. In the past 15 years, the size of flat-panel TVs that were
shipped to U.S. retailers and dealers grew an average of one inch a
year, Kowalski said.
The coronavirus pandemic accelerated the elongation trend as people
spent more time at home. In fact, screen sizes increased an average of
two inches in both 2021 and 2022, and 85-inch TVs began gaining traction
with consumers, Kowalski said. Shipments of 98-inch TVs to the U.S. are
picking up pace this year, and models as huge as 110-115 inches are on
the market right now, he said.
[to top of second column]
|
A 98-inch TCL QM-8 Q-Class Mini-LED QLED 4K HDR Smart TV is
displayed at the Pepcom Holiday Spectacular event, in New York,
Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)
“You get better resolution over
time," Kowalski said. "You get better picture quality. And so just
over time, it’s easier to produce those sets and improve the
technology."
Best Buy's Hampton said a benefit of a colossal TV is the viewer can
watch multiple shows at once, an experience he described as
“incredible.”
“If you’re watching YouTube TV content or ‘ NFL
Sunday Ticket,’ you can actually get four screens up, and that’s
four 48-inch screens on it,” he said.
Manufacturers are also adding new features. Samsung said it designed
its 98-inch lineup with a component that analyzes what the viewer is
watching to increase sharpness and reduce visible noise across every
scene.
James Fishler, senior vice president of the home entertainment
division of Samsung's U.S. division, said the way people watch TV
and experience content is shifting.
“It's even more so about watching TV as a shared experience,”
Fishler said. “They want to host a watch party and gather around
their TV to watch the big game, or set up a cinematic movie
experience right at home. ”
Walmart, the nation’s largest retailer, its Sam’s Club division, and
Chicago retailer Abt Electronics, also say they are expanding their
TV ranges to meet customer demand for supersize screens.
TV industry experts say these monster TVs are beginning to encroach
on home theater projectors, which create a 100- to 120-inch image
that is less sharp and require rooms with blackout curtains or
without windows.
“A dedicated viewing room for watching movies was exclusively the
purview of projectors,” Andrew Sivori, vice president in the
entertainment division of LG Electronics, another Korean
manufacturer. "But you can get a much better viewing experience with
direct TV."
Retailers and TV makers said the buyers trading up range from
millennials and members of Generation X to the tech-native Gen Z
crowd. But as Jon Abt, co-president of Abt Electronics said, “It’s
still a niche business.”
“A lot of people just don’t have the space to put one of those in,”
he added.
Before dreaming big for the holidays, shoppers therefore should make
sure a 98-inch TV will fit. Best Buy said its Geek Squad team asks
if stairwells and entry halls are large enough to accommodate
delivery and installation. An augmented reality feature on the Best
Buy app that allows customers to see if products are the right size
has been especially helpful for XXL TVs, the retailer said.
But for those worried about having the space for viewing, the good
news is that the recommended distance for a 98-inch TV is actually
just 6-12 feet from the seating area. The rule of thumb is to
multiple the diagonal length of the TV by 1.2 to determine the ideal
viewing distance, Samsung's Fishler said.
If bigger is better in the TV department, how big can they go?
“I think we'll have to wait and see,” Fishler said.
All contents © copyright 2024 Associated Press. All rights reserved |