Television

In addition to getting clearer, televisions are also getting thinner. Flat panel displays, some just a few centimeters thick, offer an alternative to bulky cathode ray tube televisions. Even the largest flat panel display televisions are thin enough to be hung on the wall like a painting. Many flat panel TVs use liquid-crystal display (LCD) screens that make use of a special substance that changes properties when a small electric current is applied to it. LCD technology has already been used extensively in laptop computers. LCD television screens are flat, use very little electricity, and work well for small, portable television sets. LCD has not been as successful, however, for larger television screens.

Flat panel TVs made from gas-plasma displays can be much larger. In gas-plasma displays, a small electric current stimulates an inert gas sandwiched between glass panels, including one coated with phosphors that emit light in various colors. While just 8 cm (3 in) thick, plasma screens can be more than 150 cm (60 in) diagonally.

As online computer systems become more popular, televisions and computers are increasingly integrated. Such technologies combine the capabilities of personal computers, television, DVD players, and in some cases telephones, and greatly expand the kinds of services that can be provided. For example, computer-like hard drives in set-top recorders automatically store a TV program as it is being received so that the consumer can pause live TV, replay a scene, or skip ahead. For programs that consumers want to record for future viewing, a hard drive makes it possible to store a number of shows. Some set-top devices offer Internet access through a dial-up modem or broadband connection. Others allow the consumer to browse the World Wide Web on their TV screen. When a device has both a hard drive and a broadband connection, consumers may be able to download a specific program, opening the way for true video on demand.

Personal computers have also taken on television-like functions. Webcasting includes the broadcasting of video content over the World Wide Web. Television programs and other types of video media can be viewed from Web sites. Streaming allows a live video signal to be played as it is sent over the Internet in small packets of data. Archived programs can be viewed on-demand or downloaded to a computer. Small, handheld portable media devices with video capability can also play television programs or other video as downloaded podcasts. Some devices can also receive television broadcasts and wireless Internet.

Consumers may eventually need only one main system or device, known as an information appliance, which they could use for entertainment, communication, shopping, and banking in the convenience of their home.