The overriding themes at CES has been the dramatic improvements in LCD panel technology with every major manufacturer introducing a 120Hz model, along with claimed improvements in contrast, colour reproduction, and noise reduction. Each of these innovations is striking, but when combined in one year they make for a dramatic change in the performance of LCD panels.

The 120Hz overscan virtually eliminates the motion blurring that occurred on 60Hz LCD models. In scenarios where the content is panning there is a dramatic benefit from having the additional frame generated. Colour reproduction has increased from 8 bit to anywhere from 10 bit to 14 bit. One of the key criticisms of LCD panels has been the reduced colour gamut that they could display.

Finally, improvements in handling noisy source content have completed the trifecta for most manufacturers. Where does this leave the millions of people out there who have purchased a flat panel LCD? The gradual improvements that occurred in tube technology meant that CRT televisions had a reasonable shelf life. With the rapid advances in LCD panels, much like the desktop industry, the panel you bought yesterday is rendered obsolete today.

For those people interested in acquiring a flat panel LCD, the technology announced at CES will be filtering into retail over the next six months however some vendors will be waiting till the second half of the year to launch their new range.