Expect 4K TV to be the big story in 2015

The consumer technology landscape didn’t change much this year, and 2015 promises to be similarly lackluster, with few, if any, major product breakthroughs and incremental advances in mobile phones, tablets, laptop computers and wearable tech like smart watches and fitness bands. The one exception should be television, where the picture is about to get a lot brighter — or at least sharper.

Next year will see the mainstreaming of 4K TV, which offers four times the resolution of 1080p, the current standard for HDTV. Vizio recently introduced a line of 4K TVs starting at less than $1,000, and by the end of 2015, the market should be replete with affordable 4K sets from all major brands.

Sales of 4K TVs, will, in turn, put pressure on broadcast and cable networks to finally increase the resolution of their programs. Right now, they don’t even offer 1080p; they’re still stuck on 720p (or 1080i, essentially the same thing). Meanwhile, streaming services like Amazon and Netflix offer lots of 1080p stuff, and even selected programming in 4K.

The networks haven’t moved to 1080p because, except on a really big screen, it’s hard to tell the difference between 720p and 1080p. But 4K offers a much better picture than 720p, and unless the networks increase their resolution to at least 1080p, users will have yet another reason to shun traditional TV in favor of online streaming.

So looking ahead, if you’re thinking of replacing your TV, you might want to wait a few months for the 4K set of your dreams at a price you can live with. Q: I recently visited an art gallery where I saw a marvelous painting for less than $500. The label said it was giclée on canvas. The gallery owner told me that meant it had been printed on a special inkjet printer, and that giclée prints are actually better than lithographs. Is that true, or was he just saying that to get me to buy the print? A: As Madelene Kahn so famously said in “Blazing

Saddles,” “It’s twoo, it’s twoo!” Giclée (pronounced Zhee-klay) can produce prints that boast better color rendition and last longer than traditional lithographic prints. But it isn’t something you can do with a garden-variety inkjet printer. In fact, there are printers specially designed to create large-format giclée prints on media including fine art paper and even canvas, using long-lasting archival inks.

We’re seeing more and more giclée prints in galleries because, in addition to their qual- ity, they have a big economic advantage: They can be produced individually on an ondemand basis. To make a lithograph cost-effective, an artist must make a series of prints — often several hundred that may or may not sell. Q: I have a new dual-band wireless router and two range extenders (one supports both the 2.4- and 5GHz bands (the other is only 2.4). My newish Galaxy smartphone recognizes the 5-GHz frequency, but my slightly older Samsung tablet and Asus laptop do not. Coverage has improved in areas close to the new router, but it’s still spotty or nonexistent at the far ends of my 1937 lathe-and-plasterbuilt home. What can I do to improve it? A: Move. It sounds like you’ve already done everything possible, and your new router and range extenders should have ensured a strong signal throughout the house. That said, sturdy old homes with two floors or more can pose problems for the most intrepid Wi-Fi signal. I’d experiment with the placement of your range extenders to see if you can’t find locations for them that are as far as possible from the router while still generating a strong signal.

As to the frequency issue, the main advantage of the 5GHz band is that it’s better for streaming video. The 2.4-GHz band offers longer range, which is what you’re looking for. Not Even Remotely, Part Two: Last week, I wrote that you can’t use a Comcast remote to change the input source on a TV (which must be done to watch something on a Roku). Several readers pointed out that, in fact, you can. Press the TV button at the top of the remote, then press the TV/VCR button near the bottom (it also has a tiny “Input” label above it). That will display your sources on the screen, and you can choose the one you want by repeatedly pushing the button. Use the same procedure to go back to your cable box source, then finish by pressing the Cable button at the top of the remote.