Flatscreen TVs that 'snap together' to automatically make larger TVs. Tired of your small 25" TV, just buy a new one and combine them together to form at 25"x2 widescreen TV, or combine 4 of them for a 50" bigscreen.

The TVs would need to 'recognize' each other and automatically adjust the picture to fit. Colours, tones, and brightness between the TV should be automatically adjusted when the TVs are combined (manual adjustments would also be available).

Of course every combination wouldn't be 'perfect' (ie. an 'L' shaped TV would be odd) but that's up to the consumer to decide what they want. Options to center a 'best-fit' regular-ratio TV image inside whatever size & shape you have would be included.

The connection process should be made so easy, that joining and unjoining the TVs could be a daily occurence - if the entire family is watching a movie they could use all 6 TVs, but if little Johnny wants to play Xbox he can just 'unsnap' a TV and take it to his room.

The exact sizes and ratios of available TVs should be calculated for the most options for consumers. eg. 2 'small' TVs should fit perfectly beside or on top of 1 'medium'.

The remote controls would need to be 'smart' also and give the consumer the choice between letting each remote control the combined TV, or designating a one main remote (would you really want every person in the room to be able to change channels??? Some people might, but it sounds like an argument waiting to happen to me).

I think this would be good idea for manufacturer's to ensure that people keep on buying their brand. Why buy brand Y, when you can join another brand X to the one you already own.

Maybe we don't have the technology yet to make a flatscreen TV with an 'edge' or border of some kind. But if we do, or when we do, I think this would be 'a good thing' (oops, thought I was Martha Stewart for a second there :-)
-- ModernE, Jul 31 2003

One Video Wall vendor http://exptech.com/...dia_Videowall.shtml
[krelnik, Oct 04 2004]

Multi-screen displays: join from 2 to 32 screens http://www.9xmedia....Configurations.html
Is this what you're looking for? [Acme, Oct 04 2004]

So basically the idea is to take "video wall" technology seen all over in stores and discos, and productize it so the consumer can easily put one together?
-- krelnik, Jul 31 2003


Yes, that's the concept, but made for regular 'no tech' consumers in their houses. The lines between screens would need to be removed (or at least improved).

The new 'hanging' plasma-type TVs are what I had in mind (not that I'm going to be building one or anything). The ease of setup would be very important - all the cables and such would go into the main TV and the rest would receive their signals from the connection to the first. The last thing that anybody needs these days is more cables behind their home theatre systems.

I think the most important part is 'expandibility' ... buy a $500 TV today and you can easily add another one a year or two down the road. Consumers don't like to throw their money away so I think the expandibility idea would sell a whole lot of units.
-- ModernE, Jul 31 2003



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