What comes after 1080p?

At last year's CES we saw 1080p resolution displays all over the place, and now they've become somewhat commonplace. Of course, we expect tremendous numbers of 1080p TVs at CES 2007, and their prices will fall as they inexorably replace other resolutions, especially among flat-panel LCDs and big-screen rear-projection sets. But what comes next? We think it's a bit early to see many higher-than-1080p resolution displays. Instead of resolution, we expect manufacturers to focus on improving other aspects of television performance, many of which may prove difficult to explain to the average consumer--but hey, that's what CNET does best, right? Here's a look at some TV technology trends you'll be hearing a lot about during our show coverage.

HDMI 1.3: The latest iteration of the single-cable, copy-protected HDMI connection allows display and source manufacturers alike to hawk numerous picture-quality augmentations. The 1.3 standard calls for more bandwidth, which lets displays with 10-bit color receive higher-quality video from 2007's new crop of 1.3-enabled HD-DVD and Blu-ray players (see the home video preview). More bits means less false contouring and smoother gradations between colors, but of course, the movie or video itself--as well as the source and the display--all have to have 10-bit or higher capability to realize the improvement. The same requirements apply to wider-gamut color, such as the xvYCC standard. The new connection also allows automatic lip-sync compensation, which will try to address the loss of sync between video and audio.

Wider color gamuts: Color gamut refers to the range of different colors a display system can produce and defines points for primary and secondary colors. The gamut for HDTV (a.k.a. the SMPTE HD Spec for DTV Colors) was determined nearly 10 years ago, and since then, display technologies--especially flat-panel LCDs with alternate backlight technologies and microdisplays--have evolved to the point where they can produce colors outside that range. Sony and Mitsubishi will announce televisions in 2007 that incorporate xvYCC, which is a color gamut that Mitsubishi claims is 180 percent of the DTV standard. Of course, to take advantage of this extra color, the source material again needs to be encoded in the wider gamut, and Mitsubishi wouldn't speculate on whether any Hollywood studios, for example, would put out xvYCC-enabled films in 2007. We also expect plenty of talk of wider gamuts on other brands' displays.

Faster refresh rates: Most current flat-panel LCDs have a refresh rate of 60Hz, showing a completely new frame 60 times per second. Although 2006 saw a smattering of LCDs with faster refresh rates of 120Hz, more will be introduced at the 2007 show, which may help reduce some blurring during fast motion with LCDs. Of course, few viewers complain about motion blur in LCDs now.

LED and laser power: Flat-panel LCDs with LED backlights have made sporadic appearances at past shows, although they've never come to market in force, but 2007 could be the year. We expect to see at least a couple of LED-backlit models on the show floor, accompanied by the usual claims of amazing picture quality. And while Samsung's 2006 DLP TV--with an LED light engine replacing the standard bulb-and-color wheel--was a bit of a bust (see sidebar), the technology has lots of promise. Speaking of alternate light engine technology, CES 2007 will mark the debut of Mitsubishi's laser-powered HDTV. What's next--frickin' sharks?

3D HDTV: At least one manufacturer, Samsung, will be showing an HDTV with the capability to display 3D images. We're expecting others to have at least demo models of this headline-making future technology.

My plasma's bigger than yours: Speaking of headlines, will it be Samsung, LG, or Panasonic that smashes the 103-inch barrier and gives everyone something really important to write about? The world waits with bated breath.

Continuing price drops: Fine, so it's not a bold prediction, but with the incredible popularity of HDTV in 2006, there's no reason to think 2007 won't see the same kind of growth, spurred by even less-expensive models. For example, Panasonic's TH-50PX60U 50-inch plasma listed at $3,800 when it was announced at CES 2006, but it sells for $1,999 now. We expect the same types of trends this year, starting with list prices at CES that are even lower than before. The fastest price drops will probably be among big-screen LCDs and 50-inch plasmas, although 1080p microdisplays will also cost significantly less than in 2006.