For the past five years we have seen a bit of a lull within the general HDTV space.  Five years ago, plasmas dominated for large screen and picture quality enthusiasts.   LCDs started to make head way as prices started to fall and the Best Buys of the world started to promote LCDs over plasmas.   About two years ago, OLED started to show its head, and it looked quite promising.   However, this fizzled out (for now) and we are forced to settle for medicore edge lit LCDs.   Thin is in.  Is thin ever out?

Now, we have new decisions.   The latest Blu Ray players not only play DVDs, but also stream information.   For example, if you have a Netflix account, you can stream movies directly through your DVD onto your HDTV.   HDTV manufacturers across the board from Samsung to Sharp are taking the next (or same) step by incorporating this functionality within their HDTVs with no DVD / Blu Ray player required.   WiFi is part of both options.  So what is one to do?

Since we are moving towards a world of streaming media, the Blu Ray format will eventually disappear.   It will not happen in the short term, but why invest in a format that is destined to fizzle out?  Streaming from the HDTV itself is an interesting option, but you pay for it.   Would you rather have a slimmer, better, bigger TV?   Well if you choose not to get an HDTV with streaming capabilities built in, perhaps you can now allocate those dollars towards a slimmer, bigger and better HDTV?  It is a tough decision at this point since the buyer has a lot of options these days with LEDs, 3DTV, streaming options, etc.   There is no wrong choice, but the right one could be quite rewarding.   What do you think?

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