Z Granted – the formula for happiness is still evolving. But along the way there is at least something that could lead to feelings of happiness for many people: the formula for the optimal one TV. And not just one: optimal size depending on the dimensions of the wall, optimal mounting height and of course the optimal distance of the device from the couch or sofa depending on the resolution in megapixels – that can be calculated.
If you want to buy a television, please complete a distance learning course in SmartTVology beforehand. Otherwise it can happen that you have to get annoyed while binge-watching your favorite series because the inscription on the crucial key is not visible because the distance between the sofa and the television is too large for its resolution, but with a smaller distance the seating furniture would essentially be in the middle of the room, which is also not possible because otherwise the dining table and the floor lamp… Well, the normal worries about wealth.
What the formula unfortunately doesn’t reflect is what happens in the 1,269 minutes in which the average German doesn’t watch TV per day. Well, some of the time is spent working, some time is spent sleeping, but there may still be some time left where the TV is switched off and people are in the same room. And the latter then sees there: a black hole.
The first solution to this problem was a classic one: make a fire. How plausible a campfire 1.40 meters high is – it doesn’t matter, after all, it’s all about the ambience. On a warm summer day, the sight and sound of the campfire can cause irritation.
TV as a picture frame
So the industry has done what it does best: turned a luxury problem into a business model. Televisions that also function as inconspicuous, neutral picture frames. You can also book the art subscription, which gives you access to an almost inexhaustible selection of photos and paintings. Kandinsky today, Van Gogh the day after tomorrow, a Burri photograph in between, why not? Yes, of course something like 4K Ultra HD doesn’t achieve nearly the same aura as oil on canvas a few hundred years old. But you can get very close without an alarm going off and stern-looking people in uniform running towards you.
So TVs as picture frames, albeit quite more expensive: check. But what about televisions as televisions? Upgraded and oversized. This is said by none other than researchers at the University of Cambridge.
They come in one Study to the conclusion that a standard 4K or 8K resolution at the usual distances from the seating furniture is beyond the ability of almost all people to perceive. The image no longer becomes sharper with more pixels. It still makes a difference: the screen consumes more power and requires more computing power and is usually more expensive. But without new, higher resolutions, the industry would lose one of its key selling points for new devices. A new formula for happiness could easily be created from this knowledge.