The Principles of Displacement
You thought this was going to be about some way in which liquid physics would influence the current state of the world of consumer electronics, but its not. It is about a startup that is about to release what they say is the world’s ‘first truly wireless TV’ to the general public. That statement is a bit misleading, as portable TVs have been around since Philco (PHG), who was originally known as a battery company, released the Philco Safari in 1958, a 15 lb. battery-operated TV ($5.25 battery extra) that sold for $250, which was more than most console TVs at that time. Sony (SNE) followed with a 13 lb. portable TV in 1960 ($29.95 battery extra), and while the Sony set was discontinued two years later, Sony reappeared with the more successful Sony Watchman line in 1982, but was sidetracked when digital broadcasting made it necessary to have a converter for the new TV bands.
Philco Safari - Source: Early Television Foundation - Philco Safari Ad - Source: The History of Television
Sony Watchman - Source: coolectiblesdesigns.wordpress.com
There are still a number of portable TVs currently available, typically used for tailgating or camping (?), that run between 7” and 16” (between $100 and $150), that run on internal or external rechargeable batteries, although brand names here are far from recognizable. LG Electronics (066570.KS) released the ‘StandbyME’ portable TV late last year, which is a bit of a reach in terms of portability, as it is a 27” FHD LCD TV on a stand that weighs 38.6 lbs. (including stand) and has a 3 hour battery life. It can be moved anywhere (indoors) and while it has no tuner of its own (cannot receive OTA broadcast), it does have phone mirroring, which means you can watch streaming services on the TV through your smartphone. It sells for $1,000.
However, the company that is about to” revolutionize TV as we know it”, a start-up known as Displace (pvt), says they will change the idea of TV with their 55” 4K, lightweight (under 20 lbs) system that runs on hot swappable batteries (4 included) that are said to last about a month when using the TV ~6 hours/day. But the company takes the idea of a portable TV further as the set mounts to any flat surface with a proprietary vacuum lock system that is easily activated just by holding the set close to the wall and giving it a slight push (company’s words). But wait, there’s more… In order to make the set truly wireless (there are no HDMI or USB interfaces, the company also did away with the remote control, opting for a system that recognizes hand gestures, voice commands or touch to control the set. The company also notes that multiple sets can be mounted together to form a 110” video wall.
Without seeing the set or the price, this is a lot to absorb, and knowing that the company was formed in 2022 makes us a bit vary that this release will meet expectations, but we certainly don’t rule it out. We will be able to see the unit in early January, at which point the company will take deposits, but it seems the sets themselves will not become available until late 2023. Hopefully there is more to this than PR, as we do remember years ago Hisense (600060.CH) showed us a fully wireless TV demo that was powered by a transmitter than ‘broadcast power’ wirelessly to the set. It was a great idea, with applications far beyond TV, but never got out of the demo stage, and while the set described by Displace.TV runs on batteries, it would be nice to have a portable TV of high quality.
However, the company that is about to” revolutionize TV as we know it”, a start-up known as Displace (pvt), says they will change the idea of TV with their 55” 4K, lightweight (under 20 lbs) system that runs on hot swappable batteries (4 included) that are said to last about a month when using the TV ~6 hours/day. But the company takes the idea of a portable TV further as the set mounts to any flat surface with a proprietary vacuum lock system that is easily activated just by holding the set close to the wall and giving it a slight push (company’s words). But wait, there’s more… In order to make the set truly wireless (there are no HDMI or USB interfaces, the company also did away with the remote control, opting for a system that recognizes hand gestures, voice commands or touch to control the set. The company also notes that multiple sets can be mounted together to form a 110” video wall.
Without seeing the set or the price, this is a lot to absorb, and knowing that the company was formed in 2022 makes us a bit vary that this release will meet expectations, but we certainly don’t rule it out. We will be able to see the unit in early January, at which point the company will take deposits, but it seems the sets themselves will not become available until late 2023. Hopefully there is more to this than PR, as we do remember years ago Hisense (600060.CH) showed us a fully wireless TV demo that was powered by a transmitter than ‘broadcast power’ wirelessly to the set. It was a great idea, with applications far beyond TV, but never got out of the demo stage, and while the set described by Displace.TV runs on batteries, it would be nice to have a portable TV of high quality.
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