Apple's HomeKit Requires Apple TV to Use Siri Remotely

Well, that's one way to push adoption of the Apple TV. If you've been reading all sorts of interesting things about Apple's HomeKit platform, and have caught yourself dreaming about having your little not-quite-an-A.I. friend Siri control the various devices around your home on your behalf, you might want to set aside a little extra money for an Apple TV. Yes, an Apple TV. It's not going to be a required element for you to access your HomeKit devices most of the time, but it will be required if you want to be able to tell Siri what to do when you're away from your home.

We realize that's a pretty specific use case, so it might be a bit overkill to condemn early versions of HomeKit just yet for the requirement. However, numerous reports from those who spoke with HomeKit partners and device manufacturers at this year's Consumer Electronics Show all said the same thing: If you want to use Siri to control your home devices when you aren't at home, you'll need an Apple TV (of all things) to do it.

However, that's the only instance right now where you'll need extra Apple hardware to do things with your HomeKit-enabled devices. Otherwise, if you're at the airport, you can still access your HomeKit devices using a related app. And you can use Siri to control your HomeKit devices when you're inside your home. So long as you're on your home's Wi-Fi network, which your various other smart devices are likely also connected to in some capacity, Siri will work just fine sans Apple TV.

And, no, you can't run an oldschool Apple TV, either. The device has to be at least Apple's most recent, third-generation Apple TV in order for the remote-Siri bit to work out. And, of course, the Apple TV has to be running at least version 7.0 of its software—the update that officially added support for HomeKit to the device.

As you might expect, Apple hasn't offered up any comment regarding the HomeKit, Siri, and Apple TV connection. And few Homekit partners or manufacturers seemed willing to talk about it either, when asked. Expect to see the first HomeKit devices launch during the first quarter of this year—perhaps Apple will figure out a new way to tackle remote Siri commands if enough users complain about the extra Apple TV add-on.

4K HDTVs Will (Finally) Arrive in 2015

If it's rectangular, glows, and has a moving picture on it, it's going to be at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) next week. Las Vegas is again hosting the biggest trade show for home entertainment devices, which will offer us a glimpse into the future of HDTVs.

Specifically, be on the lookout for the finally-here future of ultra-high-definition televisions (UHD or 4K). HDTVs are well-established and commonplace, and most users are accustomed to 1,920-by-1,080 resolution. Well, 2015 could be the year a good number of us finally quadruple that resolution (hence the "4K" designation) to 3,840 by 2,160.

4K televisions have been around for a few years, but they haven't quite clicked with most consumers for two reasons. First, they have been much more expensive than 1080p televisions. Second, there simply hasn't been much content available in 4K. HDTV manufacturers have been steadily chipping away at the first problem, and streaming media services are working hard to fix the second.

You'll still have to pay a premium for 4K next year, but expect that price to stabilize around $2,000 to $3,000 for big screens from major manufacturers, and a few to even squeak into the $1,500 to $2,000 range. With more companies making more 4K panels in more sizes, the technology has steadily become more affordable across the board. It's no longer just a small handful of display manufacturers carefully rolling a few UHD panels off of freshly built and configured assembly lines. Every major HDTV brand either already has 4K televisions in their lineup or will announce them at CES, and in either case case they'll be showing off new and more affordable 4K screens at the show.

Streaming Is the Future
That leaves the problem of 4K content (or lack thereof). We need a reason to invest in 4K, even if that investment is becoming more affordable. Sony and Samsung have tried offering their own proprietary sources of 4K movies and shows (Sony's UHD 4K streaming player and Samsung's hard drive full of 4K movies), but we haven't seen a physical media format to actually let us buy and play higher-resolution content.
We probably still won't at CES 2015. That's where YouTube, Netflix, Amazon Instant Video, Hulu Plus, Vudu, and other streaming-video services come in. YouTube has supported 4K content for over a year, Netflix began streaming some shows in 4K earlier this year, and Amazon Instant Video started offering 4K programming just last month. Expect that trend to continue not just with those three, but with other major streaming services, too.

Beyond 4K
4K is the forseeable future for HDTVs, but expect new numbers followed by K to be peppered through CES. Some manufacturers will show 8K or higher resolution HDTVs, but these aren't displays you need to worry about for the next few years. 4K hasn't really made its mark, and higher-resolution televisions are proofs of concept designed to show off what the future will be like. They can carefully build the panels to demonstrate at CES, but don't expect any of them to see retail release until at least 2017. And they won't be affordable until at least 2020.

Not Just 4K
Besides 4K, expect a continued push for curved displays as an alternative to flat panels. Curved screens are certainly eye-catching, but we're still not sold on them being worth the premium they currently demand. With 4K becoming more prominent among consumers, curved screens might see less emphasis this year than last year since the higher resolution is a more compelling feature for users. At the very least, though, Samsung will keep pitching curved HDTVs.
More importantly, we'll see new OLED displays come out. With plasma now officially dead, OLED is stepping in to become the future of high-end HDTVs. The new technology (which is not remotely like regular LED-lit LCD technology, despite the similar name) can offer perfect blacks and excellent colors in thinner panels than the LCDs now used in nearly all HDTVs on the market. Keep an eye out for new, bigger, and more affordable (at least, some combination of those three) OLED HDTVs for 2015.