ANALYSIS: HOME CINEMA Home Entertainment
Home cinema: The bigger picture
38
Roll out the red carpet! In 2025, home cinema will once again take centre stage, offering retailers a starring role alongside super- large TVs, Ultra Short Throw projectors, and innovative sound systems. Steve May reports on the box office AV trends.
I
t’s shaping up to be a bumper year for home cinema, as consumers continue to prioritise high-quality, in-home entertainment. Super- large screens are gaining traction with buyers, and immersive audio systems have become ever more pervasive.
But with an avalanche of innovative AV on the cards, just where should retailers look to maximise profits, especially given the complexities of demonstrating this most experiential of purchases? Data from Counterpoint Research highlights a 51 per cent year-on-year growth in high-end TV shipments globally, up to Q3 2024. The Mini LED category in particular has seen a staggering 102 per cent year-on-year shipment increase, surpassing OLED volumes. Hisense appears an early beneficiary, thanks to its aggressive premium screen strategy. The brand now commands a 24 per cent share of the high-end TV market and has pioneered advancements in the 100-inch TV sector. According to Omdia, Hisense ranked number one in 100-inch TVs in both 2023 and Q1 2024.
As prices tumble, it’s increasingly clear that ultra-large screens are no longer confined to a luxury niche. Hisense is selling 100-inch versions of its U7N/K Mini LED TVs (pictured below) for £2,999, while TCL has added a 98-inch model (below right), with a suggested ticket of just £2,499, to its C805K line. Rob Andrews, Head of Strategy and Go-
To-Marketing at Hisense UK, says the growth of the 100-inch sector “marks a breakthrough moment for home-entertainment”. Equally transformative when it comes to home cinema viewing are Ultra Short Throw (UST) projectors, sometimes referred to as Laser TVs. These all-in-one systems can cast
massive 100-inch images from just centimetres away, delivering vibrant visuals even in bright rooms. What’s more, they can be deployed in rooms large or small. UST projectors, such as Hisense’s Laser TV models and Samsung’s Premiere LPU9D, have minimal setup requirements, and can transform any wall into a cinematic display while maintaining a sleek, inconspicuous profile when powered off. They also come with integrated streaming platforms and are built around long-lasting laser light sources, ensuring low maintenance costs. With smart connectivity and onboard streaming apps, they’re a compelling purchase for home cinema enthusiasts.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56
