Somewhat ironically, for someone who doesn’t actually have enough time to watch TV, I do like a big TV. Maybe it is my ageing eyesight or maybe it is because I like sitting in the front row of the cinema and exercising my neck looking side to side, but the idea of a nice big TV appeals to me. My wife tells me that our current 85-inch is as big as I can logically fit on the wall in our loungeroom. I hate to say it but I think she is right. I saw a 140-inch TV recently but, at 3.1 metres wide and 1.8 metres tall, I do actually agree that it may look a touch large in most loungerooms.
But…being creative and innovative involves breaking out of our established patterns and looking at things in a different way.
Looking at a 140-inch TV from 4 metres away might be the same as looking at an 85-inch TV from 3 metres away or…looking at a 1-inch TV from 3 centimetres away. What? Is that a typo?
The latest innovation in TV viewing is not a bigger screen on our wall, but a tiny screen built in to a pair of glasses. The manufacturers say that putting on the glasses gives your eyes the equivalent experience of a 140-inch TV at 4 metres. The glasses boast a resolution of 47 pixels-per-degree with their dual 1080p Micro OLED panels. To add to the overall experience, the arms of the glasses host small stereo speakers that sit just above the ears of the wearer.
These aren’t to be confused with VR headsets. Those headsets have a lot of computing power built in to them and they are designed to be completely immersive. TV glasses are designed to let you be aware of the world around you and only when you look directly ahead will you see your TV screen but more importantly, they are lightweight (100 grams) and don’t look too much larger than a chunky set of sunglasses.
They use a USB-C cable to receive a signal for the screens as well as provide enough power to run the experience. The portable nature of the glasses seems like a big plus. A big screen in your home cinema is great, but you may wish to enjoy viewing a movie elsewhere. Maybe in another room of the house or outside your house. Maybe even in the bedroom. Rather than have multiple TVs in the house why not just take the TV with you? Wherever you want to view your TV or play a game, just put on your glasses and plug in!
I remember back in the good old days when we used to hop on a plane and fly overseas. I was always one of those annoying passengers that would work on my notebook through the night while other passengers tried to sleep. I am sure the glow of the screen was mildly annoying. Plus, there were always sticky-beaks looking at what was on my screen (my fellow passengers would have been somewhat disappointed that there was nothing salacious – just working on a draft of a Tech Talk column). Imagine sitting on a plane with a pair of glasses that gave me the equivalent of a 140-inch monitor in front of me. Now I am excited. How many rows and columns in Excel can I fit on a 140-inch screen?
If too much tech is not enough, my weekly podcast called ‘Tech Talk with Mathew Dickerson’ is currently the number one Australian produced technology podcast in the land. Have a listen.
Mathew Dickerson