More on the Ikea TV

While the focus of my work (and this site) is the business of television, especially its distribution, I have become enchanted with the concept of a simpler TV experience. Navigation could be a whole lot better (both within the channel guide and between the different possible sources of material) and someone, someday, will do something about the multitude of wires (that is someone other than a custom A/V installer).

I wrote about the Ikea TV (product name Uppleva) in an earlier post. At the time it was little more than a press release, but a new article reveals a lot more about the product (which is due to be released in Italy, France, Germany, Poland, and, natch, Sweden, later this month) and the concept is growing on me the more I read about it.

What I like about the Ikea offering is that it appears to have done a very nice job of addressing the input issues (i.e., switching among them) and the wiring issues (i.e., having to look at them). If the screen and speakers they use are good, this might actually be something that I would recommend to others. If the screen and speakers they use are not-so-good, but easily replaceable, it might be something I'd consider, despite a deep-seated aversion to particle board. 

The Uppleva is due to arrive Stateside in April 2013.

Does Ikea TV Beat Apple to the Punch?

In his biography Steve Jobs, Walter Isaacson quotes the Apple founder as saying

“I’d like to create an integrated television set that is completely easy to use,’ he told me. ‘It would be seamlessly synced with all of your devices and with iCloud.’ No longer would users have to fiddle with complex remotes for DVD players and cable channels. ‘It will have the simplest user interface you could imagine. I finally cracked it.”

Among those interested in the evolution of television, this quote has taken on a Fermat's Last Theorem-like quality.

However, it looks like Ikea -- yes, Ikea -- may make the first big step forward with a TV that simplifies the interface and, perhaps more importantly, tames the rat's nest of wires. The solution seemingly harks back to the console stereo of the mid-sixties.

Stereo phonograph, tuner, amplifier, speakers and legs

According to Engadget, this all-in-one cabinet, TV set and Blu-Ray player will be available in this fall at a price of around $960. While some of the functionality and specs are clear from the video embedded below, we'll all have to wait on the rest, like screen size. The interface is at least a little reminiscent of the pricey Bose VideoWave set, which All Things Digital's Peter Kafka noted as a potential starting point for the mythic Apple device.