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Television Hardware

IKEA Announces Furniture With Integrated TV, Speakers, and Blu-ray 163

Posted by samzenpus from the plug-in-the-chair dept.
MrSeb writes "If you long for those balmy days when TVs looked like pieces of furniture, good news: This fall, IKEA will release Uppleva, a range of home entertainment systems that integrate a flat-screen full HD TV, 2.1 sound, and a Blu-ray player. Uppleva will come in three different designs, with a range of screen sizes starting at 24 inches. If the built-in Blu-ray player isn't enough, there are two USB and four HDMI ports down the side of the screen, and an empty 'bay' that can hold a games console, TiVo, or another set-top box of your choice. In true IKEA fashion, the whole caboodle will come in a range of colors (white, light wood, dark wood, black, and so on). Prices start at 6,500 Swedish Kroner (around $950) — presumably for the 24-inch version — which is a fairly good deal. Uppleva will only be available in a few European markets to start with, but the UK and North America should see it in early 2013."
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IKEA Announces Furniture With Integrated TV, Speakers, and Blu-ray More

IKEA Announces Furniture With Integrated TV, Speakers, and Blu-ray

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  • I don't want a combination fridge/TV set (Score:2, Interesting)

    by Anonymous Coward
    I thought we were done with this nonsense. If I want a fridge, I'll buy a fridge. If I want a TV set, I'll buy a TV set.

    • Comment removed (Score:5, Insightful)

      by account_deleted ( 4530225 ) on Tuesday April 17, 2012 @08:05AM (#39709263)
      Comment removed based on user account deletion

      • Re:I don't want a combination fridge/TV set (Score:4, Interesting)

        by stewbacca ( 1033764 ) on Tuesday April 17, 2012 @08:19AM (#39709409)

        Not to be combative, but generally speaking things like this are miserable failures. You get a bad fridge AND a bad tv, regardless if it's pretty or not. Thus, the first guy's post isn't as self-centered as you've indicated. I too lament the loss of "component" technology in favor of all-in-ones (my home stereo, for example...) but understand some all-in-one things have become so cheap, they are easier to just replace the entire thing than it is to maintain multiple parts (iMac vs. Mac Pro, for another example).

    • Re:I don't want a combination fridge/TV set (Score:5, Insightful)

      by Troyusrex ( 2446430 ) on Tuesday April 17, 2012 @08:29AM (#39709497)
      Here's a (made up) quote from you from 2001.

      If I want a cell phone, I'll buy a cell phone. If I want an MP3 player, I'll buy an MP3 player. If I want a PDA I'll buy a PDA

      The deal here is simple, sometimes putting stuff together is a tremendous boon, sometimes not. Sometimes it depends on how well it's done. Ikea's version may stink like all the rest has, but then again it may suceed where others have failed.

    • What if you don't have enough room for both a fridge and a tv set?

      • What if you don't have enough room for both a fridge and a tv set?

        IKEA sells boxes that are big enough to be an addition to your home, condo or apartment. First you expand your living space with an IKEA box and then you fill it with the stuff that came in the IKEA box ;-)

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Jerom ( 96338 )

      Hey, I'd love a TV / microwave combo! It would take up about the space of an old CRT, so it would be "compatible" with my old furniture!

      Coming to think of it. A TV / mini-fridge combo would be awesome too.

      Does anyone know if someone makes those?

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by sdnoob ( 917382 )

        A TV / mini-fridge combo would be awesome too

        kinda defeats the purpose of the remote control if you have to get off your ass to get another beer...

      • A TV mini-fridge would work well for a DORM style situation, or in cramped asian apartments.. for that matter.. a desktop/touch screen + TV + mini-fridge would work well.
    • Typical consumer preference is really driven by their environment, i.e., how big are their homes. Americans hate multifunction devices. The only really successful one is the clock radio. If we want more stuff we just build homes with more rooms to house it, even if it does not make our life better [ted.com]. Europe has smaller homes so they are more receptive. After all, its called the Swiss army knife, not the Bowie knife. Asia has the smallest homes so you see the greatest acceptance of multifunction devices

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by jedidiah ( 1196 )

        There is nothing about this thing that makes it any more suitable for your average apartment dweller in SFO or NYC. It's little more than a standard TV stand and TV. Except it isn't modular and it looks like a cheap piece of crap that came from IKEA.

        There are better ways to solve the "problem" from the ad video accompanying this product.

  • Electronics Vs Furniture (Score:4, Insightful)

    by c0mpliant ( 1516433 ) on Tuesday April 17, 2012 @07:54AM (#39709151)
    I don't think I would go for a TV based on the fact that it matches the furniture, I choose the TV I want and then find furniture that I want to match it. I think most nerds would be the same. Chalk it off as do not want for me

    • Most nerds wouldn't give a damn about everything matching. Functionality over aesthetics. I'd buy a Hello Kitty television if it were the best damned TV for the money.

    • Re: (Score:2, Interesting)

      by Anonymous Coward
      Nerds does not match their furniture. Period. Matching furniture is meant for latte-sipping Apple fanbois. Fact.
      • I meant match as in will this TV fit into this shelving unit thing. Personally so long as it stores things neatly and isn't pink and covered in yellow polka dots its will do. I take functionality over aesthetics most days. No point in having an awesome TV if you have to put it sideways on whatever unit to make it fit but also no point in having an awesome TV if the unit that its on is going to be more distracting than the TV itself

    • I think it kind of depends on whether you've reached a point with the electronics where you can kind of buy whatever and trust that it's "good enough". Like I don't go around spending lots of time shopping out light bulbs. I'm not an audiophile, so as long as speakers don't totally stink, I'd probably be fine with them being built into the walls or into furniture. The main reason I wouldn't want a TV built into my furniture is really because TV designs are still in such flux, and there will probably be s

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by bws111 ( 1216812 )

        Just last week my wife stopped and got a Blu-ray disc from RedBox, after about a year of using only Netflix streaming, etc. About a minute into the movie we were both wondering how we ever go so lazy that it was worth giving up the quality of Blu-ray just so we didn't have to go get a disc.

        • About a minute into the movie we were both wondering how we ever go so lazy that it was worth giving up the quality of Blu-ray just so we didn't have to go get a disc.

          The true /. way is to rip your Blu-Rays to a shared hard drive and stream them to your media players and have the best of both worlds.

        • It's a false choice forced on us by the telcos and cable companies. Netflix could, and did, offer hi-def streaming content - until Comcast and the others slammed down bandwidth caps, for the unspoken but obvious purpose of destroying first Netflix's video and audio quality, and secondly to destroy Netflix outright by slowly ratcheting down the caps while making their own offerings cap-free.
          Netflix could offer Blu-ray quality. iTunes already nearly does. We've been screwed by the pipe owners. As I said 12 ye

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by jedidiah ( 1196 )

          You do realize that Netflix "rents" actual Blu-ray discs too right?

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by tlhIngan ( 30335 )

        I think it kind of depends on whether you've reached a point with the electronics where you can kind of buy whatever and trust that it's "good enough". Like I don't go around spending lots of time shopping out light bulbs. I'm not an audiophile, so as long as speakers don't totally stink, I'd probably be fine with them being built into the walls or into furniture. The main reason I wouldn't want a TV built into my furniture is really because TV designs are still in such flux, and there will probably be some

        • OLED might make a big difference. I know in recent years, they've greatly improved the black level and dynamic contrast that TV sets are capable of, and I'd count that as significant.

          Still, my TV is 7 years old, I have no problems with it, and I have no plans to upgrade.

    • One word: Curtis Mathes [wikipedia.org]

    • Comment removed based on user account deletion

  • battery-powered subwoofer? (Score:3)

    by Joe_Dragon ( 2206452 ) on Tuesday April 17, 2012 @07:59AM (#39709185)

    seems like a poor idea for a fixed in place TV / stand

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by gl4ss ( 559668 )

      the video doesn't say that it's battery powered? only the poorly written article does.

      a stroke of genius?? feck no. they're selling a tv stand and a tv at the same time, that's just about it. the tv being pretty much slapped on top of the furniture. 24" from a shop leaves you a bunch of money to buy a ps3 and a full soundsystem and some ikea stuff to put it on..

    • Re: (Score:3)

      by janimal ( 172428 )

      And the iPhone is a poor idea for a product, because it's locked down. Next straw man, please.

  • allen wrench. (Score:4, Funny)

    by gandhi_2 ( 1108023 ) on Tuesday April 17, 2012 @08:04AM (#39709251) Homepage

    And it comes with a book of c code to run the device, that must be typed in manually with disposable keyboard (included).

    • Why would you have to type in c code? I would expect machine code, like they had in the old Byte(?) magazine.

  • new ways to fail (Score:4, Insightful)

    by __aaltlg1547 ( 2541114 ) on Tuesday April 17, 2012 @08:09AM (#39709307)

    So now my furniture won't just go out of style. It will literally become obsolete and have interoperability issues.

  • Do I Have to... (Score:3)

    by Idbar ( 1034346 ) on Tuesday April 17, 2012 @08:11AM (#39709335)
    So, do I have to build the TV too? I wonder if they'll give me everything in a box... including the solder to put the TV together. Exciting puzzle that would be!

  • Blu-Ray? (Score:2, Interesting)

    by stewbacca ( 1033764 )

    What is Blu-Ray again? Isn't that the technology that a very small minority of people used for a very short period of time to bridge the gap during the transition from DVDs to online delivery?

    But seriously, what is it with companies coming to the party late and/or clinging to dead/dying technology. Are their processes so inefficient that by the time they produce something, it's already out of date?

    • Blu-ray is still only about 1/4 the market of plastic coasters containing commercials and occasionally movies. DVD is still 75% (by sales). The blu-ray player does both. Online delivery is starting to break through mainstream, but isn't really firmly out of the *geek* sector yet... Especially in Europe (ikea's main market) where netflix is a joke, and bandwidth is sold by the gigabyte.

      • But still, even in Europe, the writing must be on the wall. It was becoming inevitable in England even though I moved from there back in 2007. Not to diminish the importance of the rest of Western Europe, but I'm not sure too many global companies can bank their success on technology that will be out of date by the time they get to market.

        Plus, all we ever hear about is how the rest of the world has such better bandwidth/service than the US, but pretty much everywhere I've been in the US has streaming servi

        • there will always be the crazy old cat lady with her collection of Disney VHS tapes ...

          I may not be a crazy old cat lady, but I do own a cat* and have a VCR I use to record that oddball show. I still like to go to Ikea (though the two closest are 1.5 hours away from me [different directions]) and did buy a fantastic tv stand from them over a decade ago which weighs a ton and has no issues holding up my 36" tube tv.

          * As I tell people, my cat is better behaved and listens better than a vast majorit
      • Comment removed based on user account deletion

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by alen ( 225700 )

      what's online delivery? isn't it that crazy tech where you buy a movie in one "store" and can only watch it on devices that support that "store" and can't watch it from another store's software?

      why would anyone do that?

      • Because last I checked, Netflix isn't available on pretty much every device on the planet. In my house alone, Netflix is built-in to: AppleTV, Roku, Samsung Blu-ray player (yeah, yeah, I know, I ripped on blu-ray only to admit I have a blu-ray player, but that's how I realized how stupid blu-ray is, after all), all my computers, all my phones, my iPad and my 52" tv.

        The only merit to your argument I see is if you want to own the media long term. Most people don't care to, but most people aren't geeks on sla

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by alen ( 225700 )

          too bad the netflix selection sucks unless your're into b movies or ancient aliens

          • I've had netflix since it's inception. I've seen the beginning of it's online content and the expansion of it. A couple of years ago you were right, but clearly you don't currently use the service.

            You are wrong.

            • Re: (Score:2)

              by jedidiah ( 1196 )

              Nope. They raised prices and then dropped content. If he's not a current customer, it's because the suckage became more pronounced.

        • The only merit to your argument I see is if you want to own the media long term.

          No, that's one argument against building a Netflix-compatible device. Another argument is that it is illegal (and well as difficult thanks to trade secrets) to create a Netflix implementation without permission. Type "apt-get source netflix" sometimes and watch it not happen.

          You say there are multiple Netflix implementations. I say there is one, because all apparently-different implementations are controlled by one party.

    • Don't be silly, it's a convenient master source from which pirates bring us all our wonderful movies.

    • What is Blu-Ray again?

      Blu-Ray is the medium the anti-business studios use for delivering source material to the release groups. It's consumer-hostile enough to not be suitable for common everyday people, but easy enough to crack to be suitable for the release groups. The release groups then prepare the easy-to-use files for their sooper-sekrit channels and from there it goes to bittorrent for everyone.

      While I can't imagine why any mass market device needs to actually play Blu-Ray discs themselves, havi

  • With the durability of Ikea furniture, they'll be able to sell you a new sofa AND a new hi-fi, tv and game system every year!

  • Prices start at 6,500 Swedish Kroner (around $950) â" presumably for the 24-inch version â" which is a fairly good deal.

    But uh, is it? You get some shitty furniture and probably a mediocre TV and certainly a mediocre Blu-Ray player for $950. A 24" TV is somewhere from $150 to $400, let's call it $200 because it will probably not be very good. A Blu-Ray player is maybe $100 itself. Is a crappy piece of IKEA furniture which has space for only one games console worth $750? MY SOURCES SAY NO.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by janimal ( 172428 )

      When I was 15 the best TV you could get was a cylindrical Trinitron. All the other TVs sucked compared to it. Do you think most of my friend's parents bought Trinitrons?

      • When I was 15 the best TV you could get was a cylindrical Trinitron. All the other TVs sucked compared to it. Do you think most of my friend's parents bought Trinitrons?

        We was po and we had a Trinitron, which proves equally as little as your comment about... what, exactly? If you have a point to make, then please do so. You've only started a comment, I'm waiting for the end.

  • Sony used to have a TV stand that had a built-in entertainment system (speakers, subwoofer, receiever, DVD player - this was before BluRay) back when I sold electronics in the mid 2000s. No one bought the thing because it was overpriced and what happens when something breaks? You have to take the whole damn thing in to get something fixed.

    But, this is IKEA, so it probably comes in 1500 pieces and uses cartoon drawings of people putting it together that you'll want to slash in the throat before you get don

  • Love the meatballs.

  • I remember when I was a kid, many households had a TV room which consisted of an enourmous piece of furniture that housed the television, record-player, radio-tuner, amplifier and speakers.

    Then the pendulum swung the other way and people were buying furniture units to house their modular electronic components.

    Nothing ever goes away, does it?

    Also, get off my lawn

  • Yet another ad? This time we're even given prices and the colors it comes in. Is this the home shopping channel for nerds? There is nothing innovative or interesting about gimmick furniture with run-of-the-mill consumer electronics embedded in it. This isn't Google Glasses or a 3-D printer.

    The editors may again protest that they didn't intend it as an ad. Either that's disingenuous or they are blind to what any reader can see. I wish they would put as much effort into finding great content as into spamming

  • Boring! TVs built into tables has been done. I want a TV built into my recliner! And wheels.

  • 1) To lure people who don't really like furniture shopping into a furniture store (because you can go look at tech stuff like LCD TVs, BluRay players and the like now, while your wife shops for lawnchairs, table cloths and garden pottery) 2) To give people who are easily confused by detailed electronics specs (e.g. choosing from 40 different LCD TVs in a big electronics store) a simple option of buying one, pre-selected TV/BluRay/Cabinet combo. You pay-once, transport-once with this deal, instead of getting

  • The IKEA I know would simply sell a VESA (or maybe own IKEA standard) TV fixing that can be mounted perfectly to 90% of other IKEA furniture, some adhesive cable holders and offer a range of TVs. And OF COURSE you have to assemble it yourself!

    And a mix'n'match online configurater tool that prints your shopping list.

    BTW. there is a site out there for IKEA hacking. Shows what you can do with their anything - matches -anything else concept.

  • But for your grandma who still has the 1980's console CRT authentic wood television/coffee table... this is for her. Or my parents, who watch TV once a week who are still using the TV my sister left behind when she left for grad school. This is for them.

    It's easy. Why does Slashdot never understand easy?

  • Is that the real TV on the wall right above the integrated (and redundant) furniture TV?

  • I don't think it solve much more than a better organized way for cabling.

  • Interesting....the first TVs and Radios were pieces of furniture. Only later did it become fashionable to separate the tv from the furniture. Now we're doing it again.

  • The thing is a massive piece of furniture holding - what? Some tiny amount of electronics?

    Even DVD and Blu-Ray players are bloated boxes. After all, they're basically PC drives with an additional interface board. Packaging a player in a box about 6x6x2" [alarmcaraudio.gr] is quite possible. But most players have about 4x as much interior volume as they need.

  • gadgets maybe they could for once concentrate on building furniture that doesn't break? Because it does, always.

  • What goes obsolete faster than electronic devices? Nothing. I expect furniture (even the stuff from IKEA) to last a good deal longer.

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