Instructions:

Prepare in a Word document using APA guidelines for margins and page numbers in header and spacing. Re-write in bold font the questions asked. Follow that with a well developed narrative answering the questions substantively while also providing rationale. Two other references that are APA reputable should also be included along with your text with in-text citations to support your case within the case narrative as appropriate. (Example, you may want to expand more on social networks and their utility using a reputable outside source for the first case). Include a reference page.

Plasma, LCD, LED, Ultra HD TVs—Much Ado About Nothing? Written by Rob Rouwenhorst, Ph.D., University of Iowa

There are numerous factors consumers need to consider as they upgrade their televisions to newer high-definition (HD) sets. Bulky cathode ray tubes, weighing sometimes hundreds of pounds, are dead and rear-projection TVs are dying, leaving three distinct types of HDTVs: plasma, liquid crystal displays (LCD) backlit with cold cathode fluorescent lights (CCFL), and LCDs backlit with lightemitting diodes (LED). There is also a new “Ultra HD” technology that is available, and some marketers have offered curved screens to improve the viewing experience. As technology is constantly evolving and improving, audio-video enthusiasts debate which technology is best and provides the most value. Can consumers really tell the difference, and what are ways marketers can influence viewers’ perceptions of HDTVs? When HDTVs first came on the scene, the only real choice was plasma. The phosphors that make a plasma television’s image light up themselves and do not require backlighting. Because they do not require backlighting, plasma provides dark blacks and great picture quality. On the down side, they literally can be hot to the touch and are power-hungry. In general, they consume two to three times the power consumed by an LCD TV.1 Gradually, thinner, energy-efficient LCDs lit with CCFL backlighting became less expensive and began gaining ground on plasma TVs. The liquid crystal screen does not light up itself, so a backlight is required. CCFL were in many of the first LCDs produced and are still used in more inexpensive sets available today. CCFLs are similar to the fluorescent lights you may use in an overhead fixture. Because of the need for a backlight, CCFL LCDs are worse in picture quality compared to plasma TVs. Today, LED-backlit LCDs are increasingly popular. With their ability to backlight portions of the screen that you want lit up (e.g., a character talking), and stay off in other parts that should remain black (e.g., a night sky or black bars), LED technology promises the best of both worlds: picture quality to match plasma sets, with the energy efficiency and thinness of LCDs. To further complicate television buying, a TV’s resolution has become another statistic. Terms such as 720i, 720p, 1080i, and 1080p are used to describe the HD signal being shown. The number represents the number of lines being displayed from the top to the bottom of the screen. To put this in perspective, older standarddefinition televisions and DVDs had only 480 lines. While more lines lead to a better image, it is difficult to tell the difference between 720 and 1080 lines on a small screen (those less than 32 inches). Several years ago, when sets that topped out at 720p cost less than 1080p sets, there was a large debate about whether the average consumer would notice the difference. However, the debate has been ruled largely academic, as most large (40 inches and more) HDTVs nowadays are capable of displaying a 1080p signal. However, smaller screens (those less than 32 inches) come in both 720 and 1080 flavors. HD signals are denoted with an i for interlaced and a p for progressive. Interlaced signals mean the screen is divided into even and odd lines that are alternately refreshed or redrawn, meaning there is a slight delay between odd and even line refreshes, which can cause some jaggedness. This occurs because half of the lines are keeping up with a moving image while the other half are waiting to be refreshed. Progressive signals mean that every line on the screen is redrawn or refreshed. The distinction is nuanced, but progressive signals look better. However, the progressive signals also come with the drawback of having to carry more information, so many cable and satellite providers only provide interlaced signals to decrease their bandwidth costs. Ultra HD technology adds to the debate, and most consumers can clearly see the benefits of Ultra.

Refresh rates get a lot of talk in the marketing of TV sets. Saying that more frames shown per second leads to a smoother look sounds great, but in practice there is not much of a difference. Television can be thought of as 30 pictures shown each second. Those pictures or frames are interlaced to 60 frames per second to match the 60Hz refresh rate of the majority of LCD TVs you can buy today. Movies are shot at 24 frames per second, and to make the footage look as close to the film as possible, Blu-ray players display 24 frames per second. When HDTVs were in their infancy, they would suffer from blurriness during very fast movement (e.g., sports). But technology has progressed such that motion blur has mostly been eliminated. So if you are considering a backlit LCD/LED with 120Hz or 240Hz or a plasma with 600Hz, know that the various technologies that increase refresh rate on HDTVs do not actually add any detail to the video and are another way to market TVs that will not be that discernable from one another. Finally, there is the consideration of size and price. Do not assume that bigger is always better. Much like with a computer monitor, if you sit too close to the TV, images will become jagged and pixelated. For instance, do not get a 60-inch TV if you will be sitting within six feet of the screen.2 All of us have walked down the TV aisle of a large discount or electronics store and seen the wall of televisions. While comparing two TVs may seem easy as they are next to one another, you must consider the motivations of the store. There are a myriad of settings that can be adjusted on each TV. For instance, the brightness can be controlled to make one television brighter than the other. Is the store displaying the ideal, calibrated settings? Or are they displaying the settings out of the box? Are they making one TV that has a higher margin for the retailer look especially good? Buying a television is not an easy thing to do. There are so many alternatives and emerging technologies available. As Ultra High Definition becomes more widely adopted, these alternatives will only continue to expand. Also, features like curved screens will be continued to be added. Given that most televisions costs several hundred dollars or more, the TV buying experience will continue to be studied by consumer researchers.

Questions

1. In what ways are TV manufacturers practicing the total value concept? What features are consumers coming to expect in a modern TV?

2. Say you manage the electronics department at your local Best Buy. Would you tweak the TV settings so each TV displays an ideal picture or would you leave them as they are out of the box? How would your decision influence returns and customer satisfaction?

3. Apple has made a case for the “retina” display on the latest iPhone and iPad, saying the pixels are so small the human eye cannot detect them. This gets away from official statistics like 2048-by-1536 screen resolution. In what ways is this positive or negative for consumers?

4. Say you are the product manager for a line of plasma televisions. What features would you emphasize the most with customers? Why?

5. Given what you now know about HDTVs, in what ways does marketing influence consumers’ perceptions of products