CEA and DEG Join To Educate Retailers on Selling UHDTVs

WASHINGTON—Hoping to stimulate sluggish Ultra High Definition television sales the Consumer Electronics Association has teamed up with DEG: The Digital Entertainment Group to create a video to educate retailers on how to explain the benefits of UHDTV to consumers. Anyone who has been to a consumer electronics store recently can attest to the lack in understanding among store staff.

The video will be shown in-store on UHDTV displays at participating electronics retailers and installers. The one-minute video is specifically designed for use in stores and highlights the incredible performance, versatility and value that the next-generation of television provides. The CEA and DEG also are developing a 30-second version of the video that can be used to support online and social media.

“Ultra HDTV is our future,” said CEA President and CEO Gary Shapiro in a statement, citing CEA research that found that three-fourths (73 percent) of online U.S. adults who saw Ultra HDTV in a retail store are interested in owning the technology.

“With this in mind, we are proud to partner with the DEG on this video to provide retailers with an important tool to help educate and excite consumers.”

In addition to providing baseline information about UHDTV, both videos feature a variety of movie trailers from all the major studios. The initial 1-minute video is supplied on a USB drive which can be played on most UHDTV sets.

The video extolls the virtues of more than 8 million pixels of resolution, or four times the resolution of today’s high-definition televisions. The video is designed to be shown in-store on UHDTV displays at participating electronics retailers and installers during CE Demo Days—a national campaign, running May 2-4 that encourages consumers to visit their local CE retail store to see, hear and touch the latest in home entertainment technology.

UHDTV offers more than 8 million pixels of resolution, or four times the resolution of today’s high-definition televisions. Many UHDTV sets provide greater depth and range of color, brightness and contrast as well, adding to a more immersive viewing experience. Many of these next generation televisions also include a variety of innovative features including streaming services, Smart TV functionality and 3D as well as advanced upscaling, which upconverts existing content—such as Blu-ray discs and HDTV broadcasts—to 4k resolution.