TV on cornflakes packets by 2020

The traditional TV set will be replaced by a number of 'flexible viewing devices'

Advances in display technology will see news reports on cereal packets and screens that occupy an entire wall by 2020, a new report claims.

2020 Future Vision, compiled by cable company NTL Telewest, was based on the insights of futurologists, consumer technology experts and design gurus. 

The report predicts that the traditional TV set will be replaced by a number of "flexible viewing devices".

The development of ultra-thin displays will result in the introduction of video "wallpaper" and tiles that can turn an entire wall into a screen.

Other innovations expected in the next 20 years are video displays on breakfast cereal packets, and screens that can show two different programmes at the same time depending on the angle from which they are viewed.

Internet access will be available through connected displays embedded in magazine pages.

So-called appointment TV, where broadcasters dictate viewing schedules, will be replaced by full on-demand services. Viewers will be able to dictate plot changes in programmes and cast virtual actors for particular storylines.

"Watching TV in 2020 will be a truly mind-blowing experience, putting the viewer in complete control," said Mark Horley, Future Vision panellist and head of TV strategy at NTL Telewest.

"New technologies like TV on demand are already allowing us to break free from the schedule, but the entire lounge will be adaptable to each viewer's preferences in the future.

"As wallpaper screens and other devices replace the traditional box, and innovations such as 3D TV take off, we will really feel part of the action."