Are you thinking of a new look for your bathroom or kitchen ? A new shower area or a replacement floor?

PVC cladding offers an attractive and convenient alternative to traditional tiles. And Enviroclad, in Kilkenny, have designs and colours to meet all requirements.

Enviroclads cladding is high quality, stylish and versatile, designed to create the look and feel of natural marble, stone, or brick and to provide a striking, seamless finish.

It is considerably faster and cheaper to install than traditional tiles, because it does not not require specialist fitting, and there is no need for grouting. It also puts an end to mildew and condensation issues and lets you create striking visual effects, making your rooms as individual as you are.

Enviroclad decorative PVC cladding offers beauty and convenience for bathrooms, showers, kitchens and other areas of the home. It is an attractive, hygienic and versatile alternative to traditional tiled finishes and comes in a wide range of traditional and contemporary designs and colours to suit all applications.

The durable, wipe-clean panels are virtually maintenance-free. Minimal preparation is required prior to installation and no special skills or tools are needed.

Enviroclad decorative PVC cladding can be installed over existing tiled surfaces and directly onto blockwork, saving you time and money.

Enviroclad has cladding for outdoor purposes as well decking, canopies and external walls, for instance. And Enviroclad solutions are not only for the home.

We provide bespoke cladding solutions for use in the food, pharmaceutical, leisure, retail and manufacturing industries, says Managing Director Mary Moylan.

We are the answer for all sorts of domestic and other commercial installations. Our extensive range of products includes hygienic PVC sheeting, decorative PVC panels, stone-effect cladding and many other construction plastics.

Enviroclads range is vast. The company has polycarbonate sheeting, perspex sheeting, PVC skirting, PVC soffit and fascia boards.

It supplies PVC ceiling boards, PVC guttering and downpipes, exterior PVC wall cladding, vinyl siding, decorative PVC wall panels and plastic wall panels.

It has wall cladding for your bathroom, PVC cladding for showers, PVC cladding for wet rooms, commercial PVC wall cladding, PVC wall cladding for kitchens, and cladding with design features to connect to Altro and Polyflor safety flooring or for high-risk food production areas.

The Enviroclad range has to be seen to be truly appreciated. And the place to see it is at the Enviroclad Shop, Unit 57B, Hebron Industrial Estate, Kilkenny.

You can get a feel for it all by gong to the companys website where there is an online shop and an installation guide which shows how simple it is to transform your home with Enviroclad PVC cladding.For more details, call the Kilkenny store on 056 775 2866, email info@enviroclad.com or log on to: https://enviroclad.com/?utm_source=Kilkenny%20Now&utm_medium=Banner%20Ad&utm_campaign=KK%20Now%20JAN%202020

Read more here:
SPONSORED: Transform your home with Enviroclad - the cheaper, faster alternative to traditional tiles - Kilkenny Now

A new year means new opportunities and, while resolutions made in January rarely survive until February, there are some actions we need to put on our calendars so help make 2020 the best it can be for us on the farm and in our lawns and gardens.

So lets begin with January.

January is meeting month; a time when people gather and learn new techniques or reinforce old methods. There will be several opportunities in January and February to attend meetings and conferences that will help us be more efficient. These range from the annual Shepherds Symposium next Saturday to the Virginia Tech Beef Health Conference at the end of the month. In between, Wytheville will once again host the Southwest Virginia Grassland and Forage Conference on Jan. 21.

In February, we need to be out in our fields and pastures looking for opportunities to improve the health of our soils. February is a great month (most times not in 2019) to collect soil samples and determine our fertilizer needs for the coming spring and summer. It is also a great time to renovate pastures and hayfields by frost seeding clover. Using this method, you simply scatter clover seed into existing grassland. The sod needs to be well clipped or slightly overgrazed to facilitate the seed getting to the soil, but it is great way to improve grazing animal performance without too much input costs.

February can also be a great time to get the sprayer back out. Warm days (above 50 degrees) can offer the opportunity to blister several weeds such as thistles, buttercups, henbit and bedstraw. If your fields were yellow, white or purple last spring, use this opportunity. One added benefit to treating fields this time of year is your chances of killing the neighbors garden is all but none existent; however, this only works if you use the correct chemical in the correct amount on the correct target. Know your enemy.

March is a good time to sow some more hardy crops such as spring oats, but is probably too early (cool) for grass seeding. Apply your fertilizers now (although you can give cover crops a shot of nitrogen in February again in warmer weather). One strategy that can work well is to split your fertilizer applications especially in hay crops. Put on half your fertilizer needs now and put on the remainder after the first cutting. March is also a good time to move cattle and livestock to cleaner pastures. Animals that have been shorted on nutritional needs during the winter (and our hay this year is short on both supply and nutrients generally) can find themselves in distress in the cold days of March. Add in mud from cold March rains and cows getting ready to have calves and you have the recipe for a disaster.

April is really two months. The first part of April is a good time to reseed grasses in both our fields and lawns. It is also when we need to make sure our mowers and planters are ready to go. Early April is also when many people begin the process of wasting money. The return of warm weather gets everyone stirred up to make garden. There are some vegetables that can be growing during this time, but, for the most part, both the plants and your pocketbook will be rewarded by planting later in the season. A complete list of garden crops and their planting dates is available at the extension office.

Late April is a time of readiness. If the weather is good, corn can be put in the ground and hay crops need to be coming down. Keeping a careful eye on both the weather and your grasses will help you determine the time to go. Being too early can be bad, but you never really catch up from getting behind.

In our area, with the exception of a pure stand of timothy (which is rare), every hay field needs to be put down in May. Weather and work schedules may interfere, but the loss of nutrients by letting crops get too mature amounts to millions of dollars of losses every year. Mowing in May also means you can get that second shot of fertilizer out and working before the dry weather of summer sets in. Nitrogen is water soluble but it is also volatile in warm weather. We want our soil nutrients moving to the roots, not boiling skyward.

The final month we will look at in this column is June.

June is a good time to get the sprayer back out, but be careful. Gardens and bees are out so be very deliberate in your efforts. That said, early June is a great time to treat our hay feeding areas for spiny amaranth or spiny pigweed while it is small. You can also go after some of the bedstraw areas (the white clouds of weeds you see in hayfields). For homeowners, June is also the month you need to treat your hemlocks and conifers for pests such as bagworms.

Later this spring, we will make our plans for the summer and fall of 2020, but, in the meantime, prepare yourself for a great 2020. It is going to be the best year we will get for the next 12 months.

Jan. 11--Shepherds Symposium, Virginia Tech. Call 540-231-9159; you must preregister.

Jan. 15--VQA Steer and Heifer Sale, Tri State Livestock Market.

Jan. 15-17--VA Farm Show, Fishersville.

Jan. 17--Our Great Gator Giveaway Drawing, noon, at the Virginia Farm Show, Fishersville.

Jan. 20--VQA Steer Take Up, Tri State Market.

Jan. 20--Farm Management Meeting, 6:30 p.m. at Farm Bureau Building, Marion. Topic is BQA Recertification.

Jan. 21--VFGC Winter Conference, The Meeting Place, Wytheville.

Jan. 22--VQA Heifer Take Up, Tri State Market.

Jan. 27-30--VCE Annual Meeting, Hotel Roanoke.

Dr. Andy Overbay is Smyth Countys agriculture and natural resources extension agent.

Go here to see the original:
Extension Answers: 2020 resolutions for the farm and garden - Southwest Virginia Today

By Andy Villamarzo

Hernando Sun sports reporter

TAMPA- Its a debate that has been ongoing since the day Jameis Winston was drafted back in April of 2015 among Tampa Bay Buccaneers fans all over social media and football chat rooms. The time is now for making a crucial decision on whether Tampa Bay retains their No. 1 pick of the 2015 NFL Draft. Should Tampa Bay retain quarterback Jameis Winston?

The argument can always slide both ways like Winstons inconsistencies to play well throughout the measure of a regular season. Whether you want to look at Winstons 4-touchdown days against the New York Giants, Los Angeles Rams And Detroit Lions or ponder how he could throw five picks versus the Carolina Panthers and four against both the New Orleans Saints and Houston Texans. Nonetheless, Winston has yet to produce the kind of consistency that fans and even his own coaches would like to see on a game to game basis. Theres a lot to intake here when diagnosing the career of Winston to this point.

Whether its been Winston under the guidance of Lovie Smith, Dirk Koetter and now Bruce Arians, all have or are well regarded amongst those in NFL coaching circles. To be fair with the former, Smith, the now Illinois Illini head coach only got two seasons in Tampa Bay, in which he improved the Buccaneers from 2-14 to 6-10. A couple weeks after the season, however, saw the Glazers family dismiss Smith after just two seasons which could be tied to his desire to add more coaches to his staff, a demand met for Arians (largest staff in the NFL).

Enter Koetter, who was Smiths offensive coordinator and had previous coordinating experience in Atlanta and Jacksonville. Albeit it was Koetters first head coaching gig in the NFL, the 2016 season was a hit. Despite Winston throwing 18 interceptions, Tampa Bays defense ranked in the top 15 en route to a 9-7 campaign. The success of 2016 brought upon major expectations for 2017, including the signing of wide receiver DeSean Jackson.

Those expectations werent met, as Tampa Bay floundered to a 5-11 record behind significant issues on the defensive side of the ball. The same issues parlayed into the 2018 campaign and a 3-game suspension of Winston after an embarrassing Uber incident in the off-season led to a surprisingly good start behind journeyman Ryan Fitzpatrick. After a 2-2 record, Winston was reinserted as the incumbent starter, but was benched after an awful showing versus the Cincinnati Bengals (four interceptions). The 2018 season ended with Winston getting another shot under Koetter and after a brief resurgence, Tampa Bay sputtered to another 5-11 record and the firing of Koetter.

Enter Arians, the self-proclaimed quarterback whisperer, who stated prior to the 2019 season that Tampa Bay already had a quarterback it could win with. After a 5,000-yard, 33-touchdown, 30-interception season, Arians sounded conflicted in comments after the season about Winston. The former Arizona Cardinals head coach mentioned things like we will not beat ourselves next year and we can win with this quarterback, we can definitely win with another one werent exactly badges of honor when it came to giving Winston any praise.

See more here:
Should the Tampa Bay Buccaneers bring back quarterback Jameis Winston? - Hernando Sun

NEW CONSTRUCTION in the exciting Alexander Woods neighborhood by Payne Family Homes. This 3,178 s/f, 1.5 story has 4 BD, 2.5 BA, a main flr Master suite & a 4 CAR GARAGE (4th car is tandem). Features inc 9 clngs w/vlts, gas FP w/stone surround, Deluxe Kitchen, staggered height cabinets w/hardware, Quartz c-tops, island w/seating bar, st steel appl, butlers pantry, W/I pantry, frml DR, engineered wood in the main living areas, large Mstr W/I closet, Luxury Mstr Bath w/dual shower, raised height Mstr vanities w/wave bowls, a Loft, W/I closets in every bdr, Jeld Wen low E windows, tall bsmt pour, R/I bath & more. The ext is elegant w/brick, low maint siding, arch shingles, full yard sod & prof landscape. This premier Chesterfield location is near some of the regions top employers, popular shopping areas, restaurants, commuter byways & in the sought after Parkway Central school dist. Enjoy easy access to Hwy 40/61, medical facilities, outstanding parks, recreation & Lambert Int Airport.

View Listing

Read this article:
29 of the Most Expensive Homes for Sale in the St. Louis Area - STLtoday.com

Three-year-old custom-built modern-day farmhouse is a 3-time award-winning Architecture & Design home nestled on a one-acre lot in Frontenac. Oversized custom pivot door, light-filled open floor plan, vaulted ceilings, floating staircase, clerestory windows, and double-sided fireplace. Kitchen has breakfast room and butlers pantry with designer fixtures, finishes, and appliances, handmade tile accent, and dual dishwashers. Main floor master hosts a huge spa-like bath with double vanities, built-in washer/dryer, free-standing tub and huge shower with steam capabilities. 3 upstairs bedrooms with en-suite baths and laundry space. Additional 700 sq ft is a future bedroom and bonus space. 2 offices on the main floor, mudroom, water closet, 10' pour walkout basement with rough-ins. Geothermal heating/cooling, automated home lighting, sound and power shades on windows. Native landscaping and passive solar light captured to make this home energy and water-efficient.

View Listing

Read the original post:
10 of the Most Expensive Homes for Sale in the Park Hills Area - Daily Journal Online

Looking for TWO HOMES on one parcel? Here is your chance to live on 1 ac in a spacious main home, plus have a separate rental or guest home with its own address, master bed & bath, kitchen, living room, garage, and a separate pool house with two more guest bedrooms & bath. With approximate 5400 square feet of living space combined inside, outside you will enjoy the pool, spa, shower, patio with fireplace, kitchen, and BBQ. The yard is compete with a playground structure near the wooden bridge leading you to the two-story playhouse. Inside the main home, you will find the large kitchen with walk in pantry, living room, family room, entertaining barroom complete with refrigerated wine storage and sink. An au pair style guest room, and large master bedroom complete the 4 bed, 4 bath home.

View Listing

Read more:
42 of the Most Expensive Homes for Sale on the Central Coast - Lompoc Record

Depending on the real estate market, buying a fix-and-flip or a handyman special may seem like a good strategy to get into the housing market. Although HGTV makes it all look so easy, the reality can be complicated, expensive and risky.

Here are five money-losing mistakes homeowners make when they renovate:

Even professional appraisers recognize that home renovations arent just about return on investment (ROI). According to the Appraisal Institute of Canada, renovations pay off in three ways:Increasing the selling price of your homeIncreasing your enjoyment of your home

If your goal is to increase the value of the home enough to make a profit on a quick flip, gutting the kitchen, building an addition or replacing all the floors may actually end up losing you money in the end.

Likewise, if youre renovating a house you intend to stay in, you may regret cheaping out or cutting corners on the finishing if it sours your enjoyment of your home.

How much should you spend? According to home stager Gabrielle Grawey, it depends on the overall value of the home and what is typical within your neighbourhood.

The budget of someones house dictates the value of the renovation, Grawey said. If youre gutting your kitchen or bath and replacing with luxury when the current value of house doesnt match that, you can expect you will lose a good part of that investment.

Its not an investment unless you can have a reasonable expectation of making a profit. Some upgrades are more likely than others to boost your selling price.

According to a homeowners guide produced by the appraisal institute, the renos with the best payoff for sellers are kitchen and bath upgrades, repainting, cosmetic updates to dated or worn finishings, and decluttering.

The association notes that the renos that bring more joy than ROI are things like finishing a basement, adding a garage, sunroom or deck, along with fencing and landscaping. Better not to sink your money into these upgrades unless youre planning to stay a while and enjoy them.

A rule of thumb: the longer you intend to stay in a home, the more reasonable it is to spend money renovating it. Even if the renos dont increase the value of the home by enough to cover what you spent, if you experience greater happiness while living in the home, that may be enough payoff to justify the cost.

According to Remodeling Magazines annual survey measuring return on investment on home renovations, pretty much every major reno will probably be a money-losing one. The U.S. magazine compares the average cost for 22 common remodelling projects with the typical return upon the sale of the home in 136 American markets. In the 2019 survey, the highest ROI was for a garage door replacement, which recouped 97.5 per cent of the investment on average in other words, losing only 2.5 per cent.

That doesnt mean theres no way to make money on a flip. If you do some of the work yourself, theres more room to profit. Local market conditions will also have an impact. In a hot housing market, a renovated house may sell more quickly or be more likely to get multiple offers, which could also boost ROI.

If your goal in renovating is to spruce up a home for sale, your best bet is to start with the essentials: take care of basic home maintenance, repair whats broken, get the house professionally cleaned, and give the house a fresh coat of paint in neutral colours. Leave major renovations to the next owner.

Weve all seen those older homes with vintage mid-century tiles in the bathroom (that now seem kind of awesome), different shades of cheap laminate in each bedroom, real hardwood in the hallway, carpet in one room and a brand-new Ikea kitchen. It makes you wonder, what is this houses identity, anyway?

When it comes time to sell, patchwork renovations can be worse than no upgrades at all, said Tanya Nouwens, a RE/MAX Royal Jordan realtor and home stager.

According to Nouwens, its crucial to keep renovations in context with the home and neighbourhood. If the whole home is in a 1980s time warp, upgrading only the kitchen or bathroom can make everything else seem shabbier.

If the whole house is dated, renovating the kitchen draws attention to other parts that are shabby, Nouwens said. If a home is in a time period, I leave it in that time period.

Its fun to go shopping for tile, upgrade kitchen countertops or pretty up your yard with new landscaping. Yet if you blow your budget on cosmetic upgrades and neglect essential repairs or maintenance, youll not only end up scaring away potential buyers, but you could potentially face frighteningly high repair bills later on.

When it comes to maintaining the worth of the property, replacing the roof, updating climate-control systems, replacing windows and doors, updating electrical systems and repairing structural defects are the most important priorities, according to the appraisers institute.

Make sure these unsexy but essential aspects of your home are in good order. Buyers will often be willing, even keen, to update an old kitchen or repaint rooms to suit their taste, but no homeowner looks forward to replacing shingles or shoring up a buckling foundation.

Upscale master suite additionJob cost: $271,470Resale value: $136,820Cost recouped: 50.4 per cent

Mid-range backyard patioJob cost: $56,906Resale value: $31,430Cost recouped: 55.2 per cent

Upscale bathroom additionJob cost: $87,704Resale value: $51,000Cost recouped: 58.1 per cent

Mid-range master suite additionJob cost: $130,986Resale value: $77,785Cost recouped: 59.4 per cent

Upscale major kitchen remodelJob cost: $131,510Resale value: $78,524Cost recouped: 59.7 per cent

Continue reading here:
BRIANA TOMKINSON: Planning to fix-and-flip? Here are five home-renovation mistakes - TheChronicleHerald.ca

This is yet another example of why we need a diverse combination of public and private investment to address the UKs housing crisis.

Under changes to the PWLB rate, local authorities will pay more on borrowing next year.The change is being widely reported as a move to detertheir aggressive acquisition of commercial real estate but, as Hill notes, a significant amount of the 12bn borrowed by LAs last year was funnelled into housing and regeneration projects.

A rise in the PWLB rate is likely to affect the extent to which LAs are able to invest in housebuilding and regeneration. And although in the general election campaign the Conservatives pledged to build one million new homes by encouraging private sector housing, the provision of low-cost, accessible homes remains a pressing need.

It is estimated that 8.4 million people are affected by the housing crisis, living in unaffordable, insecure or unsuitable homes, or are homeless. Shelter has said that three million new social homes must be built in England over 20 years to solve the housing crisis.

Given the scale of this issue, we need to access as broad a pool of capital as possible and we should think of new ways in which fast-growing alternative finance and private investment can be committed to support accessible housing developments. For instance, allowing LAs to channel funds through alternative finance platforms would see the money go directly to developers to help them build the homes the country so urgently needs.

In addition, private investment could be promoted by policies such as tax breaks for individuals lending to accessible housing developers or relaxing the rules around pensions and SIPPs to allow private pension holders to include such loans in their portfolios.

Property developers are turning to all manner of creative solutions, such as an array of modular housing and modern methods of construction, to try and speed up housebuilding. We should be similarly innovative and resourceful in seeking the right funding mix, to allow these urgently needed housing developments to be built as quickly as possible.

Roxana Mohammadian-Molina, chief strategy officer, Blend Network

Excerpt from:
Housing requires diverse investment | Insight - Property Week

You just need to walk through Croydon town centre to see that it is changing very rapidly.

With building sites all over the place it can be hard to keep track of projects that are underway.

So as we enter 2020, weve rounded up the big projects which have already started or are in the pipeline and will change the face of the town the most in the coming decade.

The area next to Fairfield Halls, which reopened to the public in September, is set to completely change in the next few years.

The Fair Field Masterplan which was granted hybrid planning permission back in 2017, is expected to see 400 new homes, shops, office space and public spaces come to the area.

But Croydon College sold the former School of Art building meaning plans for this part of the scheme have been submitted separately.

Part of the plan is to create a public square as well as a link for pedestrians to access the town centre from Barclay Road.

This was the former headquarters of Croydon Council, which is now based in Bernard Weatherill House on the other side of Fell Road.

Construction by HUB started in May 2018 and the building has gone up quickly in the past few months.

Work is expected to be completed in 2021 and as well as a 35-storey tower, there will also be 21, 19 and 13-storey buildings constructed as part of the major development.

It will be made up of more than 500 flats, of which 40 per cent are set to be affordable.

The Nestle building is currently being converted to look like three three tower blocks of 288 flats.

It is part of 500 million plans to redevelop St Georges Walk into a public square outside Croydon Town Hall from Chinese developer R&F Properties.

In November 2018 offices, including the Fairfield Business School, opposite the town hall were demolished.

A walkway underneath formed part of St Georges Walk and businesses left on the other side of it say they are struggling since the area has become a building site.

Approved by Croydon Council back in December 2015, these plans from Optivo to build more than 100 new flats are due to be completed this year.

The 25 million development will offer 113 new flats at shared ownership or affordable rent.

The tower is close to West Croydon Station.

The worlds tallest modular building went up in an incredibly quick 35 weeks last year.

The two towers of 44 and 38 storeys can be seen near East Croydon Station.

The project from Henderson Park and Greystar is made up of 546 build to rent homes.

Modules were made at a factory in Bedford before being transported to Croydon and slotted onto a central tower. They even include pre-installed kitchens, bathrooms, plumbing and wiring.

It is set to be ready to open in May, with 50 builders working on the finishing touches floor by floor, including painting and floor fitting.

It is expected that a decision will be be made on proposals to build more than 800 co-living flats in a part 49 part 34 storey block from Tide Construction. The same company behind 101 George Street.

The co-living model would see each room being on average 27 square metres with a small kitchenette and en-suite bathroom

Residents would have access to a range of communal spaces, including a kitchen and dining areas.

The plans include a second tower of 120 flats.

More here:
6 big things set to change the face of Croydon in the 2020s - MyLondon

Each years CES is overrun by concept TVs that are destined to either remain prototypes for years to come or be released with such high price tags that they might as well not have come out at all. And look, Im not going to try to claim that CES 2020 was much different. Samsung had a weird rotating 4K TV meant to show off vertical videos, 8K TVs were still just as pointless as ever, and LG Display showed up with another rollable TV that descends downward rather than rising upward.

But if you look a little closer, youll see some real progress among the TVs people might actually buy. The more important story from each years show is in the often-overlooked midrange, and that happened in a big way at CES 2020. High-end technologies trickled down after years of being unaffordable or impractical for most people, while the slow emergence of the new HDMI 2.1 standard is beginning to open up a lot of functionality that was previously exclusive to niche sections of the market.

OLED TVs are a good example of high-end tech entering the midrange. Just a few years ago, they were unaffordable for the vast majority of people, but last year, we started to see LGs sets getting discounted to that all-important $1,000 mark, which is the upper price limit for 90 percent of buyers, according to NPD sales data. Even then, OLED TVs were still only available in bigger TV sizes, presenting another barrier to entry for many households.

At CES 2020, however, we saw signs of change. Vizio, which has a strength in affordable TVs, announced that it will be releasing an OLED model this year, while Chinese manufacturer Skyworth said it plans to enter the US market for the first time with an OLED TV in tow. Meanwhile, LG and Sony, which have been producing OLED TVs for years, announced 48-inch versions, making it the first time weve seen 4K OLED TVs under 55 inches in size. Pricing for all three models is yet to be announced, but all the signs point toward the technology inching toward mass-market affordability and accessibility.

Also continuing to emerge at this years show is the HDMI 2.1 standard, which is important not so much because of its topline specs (such as support for 4K at 120Hz or 8K at 60Hz), but because of the new features it brings to the table. Features like variable refresh rate technology will be a massive benefit for gamers once game consoles catch up, while others, like support for Dynamic HDR, will deliver picture quality improvements for TV and film content.

These features arent completely new. Variable refresh rate tech has been available on PC monitors for a few years, while Dynamic HDR is available via the dynamic metadata baked into the Dolby Vision and HDR10+ standards. But HDMI 2.1 has the potential to one day turn these into basic, standardized TV features. In theory, you wont have to make sure you buy certain models of Samsung TVs to pair with your Xbox One or LG TVs to pair with your Nvidia-equipped gaming PC to get variable refresh rates. Instead, you should eventually just be able to mix and match HDMI 2.1 devices to get these benefits as standard.

Thats the theoretical future, and at CES 2020, were seeing TV manufacturers inch toward it. Vizio says its made the upgrade across its lineup, while LG and Sony have confirmed support in their 8K models. But weve still got a long way to go before you can take all of HDMI 2.1s features for granted. TV manufacturers are allowed to pick and choose which of the standards features they support, and a lot of them are currently doing exactly that. In a rundown of Sonys A8H 4K OLED, for example, HDTVTest notes that Sonys latest 4K OLED will support just one of the HDMI 2.1 standards many features: eARC. Weve still got a long way to go before HDMI 2.1s benefits become ubiquitous.

Beyond the devices coming this year, CES is also a show where you get a glimpse of what TVs might look like in a few years time. Samsungs 8K Q950 (aka its bezel-less 8K TV) is a prime example. Thats not because it has an 8K resolution, but because the idea of a TV with barely there bezels seems both highly desirable and almost inevitable, given the way TV designs have been going. Not to mention the fact that manufacturers have already gotten very good at almost eliminating screen bezels on smartphones to the delight of consumers. Throughout the week, the worst thing Ive heard people say about the Q950 is that they wish its bezel-less design was available on a 4K TV, which feels like a good sign for its wider demand.

8K TVs made yet another appearance at this years show. The jurys still out on whether the new resolution is the future of TVs, but everyone can agree its definitely not the present. That was true last year, and its still the case today where 8K content is more or less nonexistent, not to mention very bandwidth-intensive to stream. In fact, with LG and Samsung now involved in a minor proxy battle over how exactly to measure 8Ks roughly 30 million pixels, it almost feels like weve taken a step backward over the past 12 months.

Personally, Im still unconvinced that 8K is even necessary in the first place. 4K has already given us a massive resolution bump over 1080p, and even then the more important improvements were less about the resolution itself, and more about the technologies it bundled together like HDR, a wider color gamut, and increased color bit depth. Maybe one day 8K will find its own collection of picture performance enhancements, but Im skeptical that the resolution justifies the upgrade by itself.

But that hasnt stopped manufacturers from announcing 8K TVs that youll be able to buy this year. LG had a grand total of eight of its Real 8K models to show off, ranging in size from 65 to 88 inches, Samsung has three 8K series that range in size from 55 inches to a massive 98 inches, which includes the aforementioned bezel-less Q950, Sony has the Z8H (75 or 85 inches), and even TCL reiterated its plans to launch the 8K TV it originally announced last year. Impressive feats of engineering these TVs may be, but ultimately, its still not time to buy one.

The final TV technology that sits in this maybe its the future, but at this point, its hard to say category is microLED. Samsung announced new sizes of its microLED TVs this year, but they didnt make as much of a splash at CES 2020 as they have previously. It might have something to do with the fact that this is the third year weve been able to gawp at The Walls modular panels on the show floor and the first since they actually went on sale. We know the technology works, and we know the tech could theoretically offer a best-of-both-worlds compromise between OLED and LCD, but Samsung is yet to prove that it can manufacture these TVs and sell them for the kinds of prices that mortals can afford, not to mention at the sizes that actually fit in most peoples homes.

Finally, I suppose its only fair to mention the rolling and rotating TVs of CES 2020. Bezel-less, 8K, and microLED TVs have a chance of one day actually becoming mainstream devices, but Id be very surprised if the same thing happens to a TV like Samsungs Sero, which has a mechanical stand that can rotate its display 90 degrees to better show off the kinds of vertical videos that youll find on Instagram or TikTok.

Cast aside the fact that the TV is limited to being just 43-inches big to give itself enough room to rotate, and try and forget that it currently retails for a 1.95 million won (around $1,600) in South Korea, and just think about how long your typical vertically shot video is. Theyre made for mobile, theyre super short, and the idea of cozying up in front of your TV to watch them feels bizarre to me. I like the creativity, but I just cant see the design being useful.

Contrast that with LGs rollable TVs, which I really want to work but feel completely out of reach right now. LG is, once again, promising to release its rollable TV this year, but remember that it made a similar claim last year before going completely silent for 12 months. If and when it does release, there are also reports that it could cost as much as $60,000, which doesnt do much to shift the perception that this is a consumer release in name only.

CES is a show filled with press events and keynotes that are, almost to a fault, obsessed with the future of technology. But away from the flashy concepts and presentations, the TV industrys high-end past is slowly but surely merging into its mainstream present. When manufacturers start announcing firm pricing over the coming months, well see how much progress theyve made.

Correction: A previous version of this article said that dynamic metadata is a feature of the Dolby Atmos standard. Its actually a feature of the Dolby Vision standard. We regret the error.

Read the original:
TVs at CES 2020: a year for the mass-market - The Verge