LAS VEGAS—I attend more than a few trade shows every year, but there’s nothing like the Consumer Electronics Show (which has been known as CES and ICES over the years). Each January, more than 150,000 people pack into the Las Vegas Convention Center, Sands Expo Center, and a bunch of hotels and meeting places to see the latest gadgets and technologies.

Some will turn out to be gamechangers. Others will flourish briefly; then fade away. And more than a few will just turn out to be a complete bust with their backers fading into obscurity months later.

A TAME SHOW
In the past decade, there have been a few highly-anticipated shows. At the 2009 event, it was 3D everywhere, every place, on everything. In 2010, tablets were all the rage—that is, until more than 80 of them were put out for inspection. In 2014 and 2015, it was 4K (UHD) TV, and last year, virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) ruled the roost, along with electric cars and flexible displays.

Samsung claims its new line of Q-LED quantum dot-based UHDTVs can hit a small area peak brightness of 2,000 cd/m2.
Photo by Pete Putman

In contrast, this year’s show was almost tame by comparison. It’s almost as if everyone decided we needed a break from the “boom-to-bust” hype cycles that characterized earlier years, and simply “phoned it in.” That is, there were very few significant breakthroughs at the show, with just about all of those exhibited privately off the floor.

There were a few dominant themes this time around, especially in the world of televisions and displays. Given how quickly Ultra HDTV has come into the market and how quickly retail prices have fallen—as of this writing just before the Super Bowl, it was possible to buy a Tier 1 55-inch Ultra HD set for $499—there wasn’t much chatter about 4K.

But there was quite a bit about high dynamic range and quantum dots (QD). For those who don’t know, QDs are tiny nanoparticles that exhibit a quantum energy effect when bombarded with intense light and emit very pure and stable colors. UHDTVs equipped with quantum dots use an array of blue light-emitting diodes (LED) and a special optical film impregnated with red and green QDs.

The results can be spectacular. Samsung, which currently holds almost 40 percent of the worldwide market share for UHDTVs, announced a new line of QD TVs at the show called Q-LEDs, and they claim these sets can hit a small area peak brightness of 2,000 cd/m2. Hisense and TCL—two Chinese brands building a reputation in the U.S. market—also showed QD UHDTVs with high dynamic range and a much wider gamut of colors than we’re used to with the older ITU BT.709 color space.

LG, the number two brand in UHDTVs, countered with an array of large organic light-emitting diode (OLED) UHDTVs that can also reproduce HDR signals, although their small area peak brightness readings are a bit lower at 800 cd/m2. Although LG’s subsidiary LG Display manufactures both LCD and OLED panels (and supposedly will sell them to Samsung), the parent company is betting the farm on OLED TV sales for now. And a new enhancement known as “Nano Cell” was shown by LGD in their suite as a way to produce more intense and pure wavelengths of color light for LCDs.

Sony maintains a number 3-4 ranking in UHDTV shipments and surprised more than a few people by showing 65-inch and 77-inch OLED UHDTVs in Las Vegas. These new Bravia models use the same OLED panels manufactured by LG Display, but with Sony’s video processing “secret sauce” thrown in. And the company continues to show HDR and WCG in large 4K LCD TVs, along with their spectacular modular CLEDIS micro LED display wall that made its debut at InfoComm last year.

Not far away, Panasonic continued to baffle many of us in the trade press by unveiling four new UHD Blu-ray players, sans any accompanying Ultra HDTVs in the U.S. market. (The company continues to sell a 65-inch OLED 4K set in Canada and Europe.) The four new players are considered to be “entry level” UHD models, with the main difference being the absence of WiFi connections on two of them. Who wouldn’t want WiFi on a BD player?

At CES, the HDMI Forum announced v2.1 of the connector, boosting data rates to a mind-boggling 48 Gbps.
Photo by Pete Putman

A handful of companies (mostly Chinese) showed 8K TV demos, but the buzz just wasn’t around them this year. Given that all of the 8K TVs shown to date either use a 98-inch LG Display or 98-inch Innolux LCD panel, there’s not much shock and awe to be had when you see them. LG Display also took the wraps off a 65-inch 8K LCD TV in their suite, while Hisense had a demo of HDR on 4K vs. 8K sets, using static images for comparison and sort of defeating the purpose.

Interfacing all of this stuff becomes problematic when you consider that an Ultra HD signal refreshed 60 times per second with 10-bit RGB color or 12-bit 4:2:0 color requires a data rate in excess of 20 Gbps! So it was somewhat big news when the HDMI Forum announced v2.1 of the connector, boosting data rates to a mindboggling 48 Gbps. (Can you say “fiber-optic cables?”) Not far away, VESA exhibited demos of 4K/120 and HDR using Display- Port version 1.4, alongside Display Stream Compression 1.2. The once-ballyhooed superMHL format, meanwhile, was conspicuous by its absence.

THE REALITY OF VR AND AR
And what of VR and AR? Most of what was shown in this category focused around reducing the size and weight of headgear, which is enough to put many users off the format altogether. Perhaps a significant breakthrough was achieved by semiconductor manufacturer Kopin, who unveiled a slick 2048x2048 color OLED imaging panel that was placed in a firefighter’s oxygen mask to work as an AR infrared detector, locating people during search-and rescue missions. It has great promise for near-to-eye VR displays, too.

Cutting the cord (no, not that kind of cord) has been the dream of numerous chip manufacturers. This year, Canadian fabless semiconductor company Peraso had several impressive demonstrations of 60 GHz wireless USB 3.0 moving a 220 MB movie file through a modified 802.11ad WiFi router, from one laptop to another using a 2 GHz wireless channel, in just seconds. And Keyssa demonstrated a wireless docking DisplayPort cradle that streamed 1080p/60 content from an Amazon tablet to a TV without a hiccup.

I’ve just scratched the surface of this year’s show and will have a more detailed CES recap at the upcoming HPA Technology Retreat in late February. See you there?

LAS VEGAS—LG Electronics is introducing the first ATSC 3.0-enabled 4K Ultra HD TVs to support this year’s historic nationwide deployment of the Next-Gen TV broadcast standard in South Korea. Starting this spring—in advance of the 2018 Winter Olympics—new 2017 models of LG 4K Ultra HD TVs and large-screen LG smart TVs sold in Korea will have both ATSC 3.0 and ATSC 1.0 tuners, the company announced at CES 2017.

LG Electronics is launching the first ATSC 3.0-equipped 4K Ultra HD TVs in Korea as SBS and other Korean broadcasters begin Next-Gen TV broadcasting this spring in advance of the 2018 Winter Olympics. At CES 2017, Suk-Mynn Yoon, CEO and vice chairman of SBS Media Holdings, (left) was briefed by Dr. Jong Kim, senior vice president, LG Electronics Office of the chief technology officer and president, of LG’s Zenith R&D Lab. At CES, one of these new models—a 65-inch class LG LED TV with an embedded second-generation ATSC 3.0 tuner—is displaying 4K UHD high-dynamic range broadcast programming. LG also is demonstrating ATSC 3.0’s advanced electronic service guide capabilities. They include broadcast video-on-demand and a program guide delivered by the Real-Time Object Delivery over Unidirectional Transport, or ROUTE protocol, specified in the nearly finalized ATSC 3.0 standard.

LG’s early introduction of ATSC 3.0-enabled TVs builds on the company’s key role in the development of the ATSC 3.0 suite of standards, especially the approved A/322 Physical Layer Standard at the heart of the new broadcast system that will merge the capabilities of broadcast and broadband for the first time.

Core technologies developed by LG and its U.S. R&D lab Zenith are included in the majority of the ATSC 3.0 Physical Layer Standard. LG contributions to the A/322 transmission system include the scrambler, forward error correction, bit interleaver, mapper, time interleaver, OFDM framer, frequency interleaver, pilots, reserved tones, and guard interval functions.

Expected to redefine TV broadcasting for decades to come, the Internet Protocol-based ATSC 3.0 broadcast standard will deliver 4K UHD services, robust reception on mobile devices and improved spectrum efficiency. The increased payload capacity of the physical layer combined with HEVC encoding will allow broadcasters more options when planning their broadcast services. A majority of the ATSC 3.0 suite of standards has been approved or is in the final stages of approval, expected to be completed this spring.

Development of ATSC 3.0 technologies represents the latest LG/Zenith innovation in digital television, which also includes key technologies in the A/153 Mobile Digital TV Standard adopted by the industry in 2009. Zenith also invented the core transmission system at the heart of today’s ATSC A/53 Digital Television Standard, approved by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission in 1996.

“In parallel with our extensive standards development work with the ATSC, LG has been collaborating with Korean broadcasters and the Korean government to support the Next-Gen TV launch this year,” said Brian Kwon, president of the LG Home Entertainment Company. “The combination of the latest ATSC 3.0 chipset with our industry-leading LG 4K OLED and LG Super UHD displays will deliver the promise of Next-Gen TV for consumers in Korea. Early availability of ATSC 3.0 products in Korea also sets the stage to support U.S. broadcasters’ Next-Gen TV rollout plans in 2018 and beyond,” he said.

LG’s new ATSC 3.0 TVs for the Korean market are being demonstrated at CES through Jan. 8, Las Vegas Convention Center, Central Hall Booth #11100.

See more TV Technology coverage at our ATSC 3.0 silo.

LAS VEGAS—CES 2017 is well underway in Las Vegas, and Gary Shapiro, president and CEO of CTA, helped kicked off the proceedings with an opening keynote. As the industry heads into 2017, Shapiro discussed how technology can transcend industries, transform lives and foster innovation.

Here are Shapiro’s remarks as prepared for presenation:

Welcome to CES 2017 and its 50th anniversary!

That is 50 years of innovation and creating business opportunities – a half-century of introducing life-changing tech products and services to the world.

And we have so much more ahead of us!

This week you will see the world’s best known brands alongside yet-to-be-discovered startups, creating and delivering smarter, more connected products that enrich our lives and better our world.

The first CES was held in 1967 in New York, then the epicenter of the TV and hi-fi business.

The industry showcased three products: radios, televisions and phonographs.

Our choice on television was limited to three networks.

If you wanted to watch something different, you went to a movie theater.

Today, you can stream any movie, TV show or sports event you want, at any time.

And virtual, augmented and mixed reality is now creating stunning visuals and immersive experiences for consumers to enjoy.

CES 2017 is our biggest show ever, more than 2.6 million net square feet of exhibit space.

Our show includes more than 25 different product areas and every industry imaginable.

From mobile connectivity, to sports, entertainment and even travel, CES is the gathering place for all who thrive on the business of technology.

Since that first show, some 700,000 products have been introduced at CES and countless global leaders have taken this keynote stage to give the world a glimpse of the future.

The past is prologue – CES has always been, and continues to be, the best place to see innovation in consumer technology.

Walk the show floor and you can see how our industry has transformed.

Technology is much more sophisticated. More personalized. More intuitive. More impactful. And it’s connected.

We’re witnessing extraordinary advances in artificial intelligence, wireless health, robotics,

3D printing, self-driving and electric cars, AR, VR, biometrics and so much more.

Today’s innovators are working long hours and late nights to change lives for the better.

And in some cases, they’re saving lives.

Self-driving cars are a great example.

As we saw last night with the NVIDIA - Audi announcement, self driving cars will soon be a reality.

More than one million lives are lost each year in traffic-related accidents.

Self-driving cars will dramatically cut that number. 

They have the ability to be better drivers than humans because they can do and "see" things that we physically can't.

And on the way there, many new safety features, including active collision avoidance are already improving our roadways.

Look at this video in Germany where a Tesla vehicle predicted and avoided a collision.

One observer said, "No one could predict the accident but the radar did and acted by emergency breaking."

Another remarkable case is using technology to mimic how our eyes absorb information, giving the gift of sight to those with vision loss.

And 3D bio printing is being used to print tissues and organs, quickly delivering affordable prosthetics and the chance to lead a normal life for children, those wounded in accidents and soldiers who need artificial limbs.

AR and VR systems help people recover from PTSD, dementia, paralysis and other debilitating conditions.

And as NVIDIA showed us last night, AI promises to revolutionize the way we interact with our world.

AI will make smart products even smarter and more accessible.

CES is a cornucopia of innovation improving lives.

Many new and non-traditional companies are at CES 2017 – proof the show is expanding as technology touches nearly every industry and every segment of our lives.

Carnival is at CES for the first time.

You will soon see new technology that will transform the cruising and travel industry.

Under Armour, a company breaking new ground in fitness, technology and health is another first time CES keynoter.

Twitter is at C Space this year.

Formula E is here to test their professional drivers’ skills against qualifying fans on a special virtual track of the Las Vegas strip.

Coldwell Banker is showcasing how technology is changing the way we buy, sell and live in our homes.

Turner Sports is sponsoring a three day conference on Sports Business Innovation, bringing together leading executives and personalities.

And at tomorrow's Super Session senior executives from Time, Flex, Ford and Intel will explore opportunities for the global innovation economy.

These examples highlight how technology has impacted industries from real estate, travel, tourism, new media and professional sports.

We’re on the cusp of great change.

But because we are in the tech industry, we must not fear change.

In two weeks, the 45th president of the United States will be sworn into office.

President-elect Trump will bring a new way of doing things to Washington.

Technology is not political by nature.

But it is our job, as a trade association, to work with the Trump Administration and the new Congress to protect and encourage innovation.

Innovators create jobs, grow the economy and enhance lives.

In the United States, the tech industry is the engine of the economy.

It accounts for 10 percent of GDP.

Our industry supports 15 million jobs, and creates $3.5 trillion in economic output.

To continue our success and our ability to drive economic growth, we need a healthy relationship with the new Administration.

As President Obama said the day after the election, we should want every U.S. president to succeed. 

We see opportunities to work with President Trump on infrastructure, strategic immigration reform and cutting rules that hamstring many businesses – big and small.

We want to do our part.

Today, I’m pleased to announce that CTA is stepping up to support our shared goals with the new administration.

Specifically we want a strong American economy with good paying jobs.

Accordingly, a few weeks ago, CTA’s Executive Board unanimously agreed to invest more than $1 million in:

First, the U.S. Tech Vets Program, a program CTA helped launch, which links U.S. employers and U.S. military veterans.

Second, technical training and certification programs such as the Mobile Electronics Certified Professional (MECP) program, with a specific focus on assisting at risk youth in receiving better paying technical jobs.

Third, a jobs fair to promote better paying U.S. jobs.

Fourth, a contest to promote job creation among CTA’s 2,200 member technology companies.

Awards will go to the companies which produce the highest number and/or highest percentage of new U.S. jobs.

Fifth, we will open new CTA offices in at least two states to support our mission to advance innovation in America and enhance our nation’s leadership in global competitiveness.

These five voluntary investments are a start that we hope other industries emulate.

It’s time we in corporate America take ethical responsibility and ownership for our national future, rather than measuring ethics by our ability to follow increasingly complex rules and laws.

The fact is the U.S. technology industry is in a good place to lead as technology is now a part of every major industry.

You can see that breadth across the show floor and among our keynote speakers.

The frontiers of tech are expanding, as the objects around us are becoming increasingly smarter and more connected.

From smart homes and smartphones to self-driving cars, digital health and connected cities, CES offers an all-encompassing view of the entire connected ecosystem. 

Broadband technology such as 5G will take us to the next level of mobility.

5G means faster and better broadband and home services, faster connectivity for smart cars, affordable smart city infrastructure and deeply interactive AR/VR experiences.

Tomorrow Qualcomm CEO Steve Mollenkopf will take the keynote stage to talk about the ground-breaking impact of 5G.

And Ericsson will share insights into the future of 5G during its Stoked about 5G SuperSession.

We’re also experiencing a massive transformation in transportation and the movement of people, whether its Google’s Waymo self-driving car, Elon Musk’s auto piloted Tesla or Uber and Lyft’s ridesharing model.

At CES this week, you will see launches of electric cars, self-driving cars and other new forms of transportation.

CES reflects an increasing pace of change.

This is because intelligence will be built into everything you can imagine to create a smarter more sustainable world.

Imagine a world where every individual, business, service and process will be connected to a cloud of smart products and systems that learn from one another.

They will help people discover new and better ways of doing nearly everything.

Innovation will create new ways to be more efficient and effective in how we do things.

How we run businesses, and how we develop products and solutions.

It is about enhancing how we live and work.

As pioneers, we push technology forward.

And that may make people a little uncomfortable.

With technology advancing so quickly, we, our society and our government have to ask some tough questions.

How do we protect consumer’s privacy?

CTA stepped up and worked with every major wearable maker to agree on a set of privacy principles focusing on transparency, privacy and consumer choice.

We also have to balance protecting privacy and fighting terrorism.

This requires private cooperation and a balance ensuring bad actors don’t get backdoor access to consumer’s private information.

But as technology evolves, especially self-driving cars, how do we recognize and assist those who lose their jobs due to new technology?

We must look at this issue and CTA will soon announce a conference in Washington next May on the Future of Work.

Our society will address these issues and technology should not be our limiting factor.

Rather, how we evolve as a society and how we confront important issues involving privacy, security, safety, and our core values will be our next big challenge.

Great change brings huge opportunities for mankind in terms of what we can do for ourselves and our fellow humans.

Technology will continue to better our world and help us extend the reach of our humanity.

This is why we believe it is important to announce and share our new campaign, Let’s Go Humans.

Let’s Go Humans celebrates the human ingenuity that drives technology advancements.

It showcases the products and technologies that are saving lives – from the grand scale to the individual.

And it celebrates the amazing innovators and entrepreneurs behind these life-changing technologies.

Our goal is to remind policymakers and the public that our industry is about so much more than cool products and helpful new services.

Our industry is changing the world for the better and improving the lives of global consumers.

But we need the right policies in place to enable innovation to continue to grow.

To help the best and brightest continue to develop solutions to the challenges facing our world.

As people, industries and ideas become more interconnected, innovation is the engine powering the global economy.

We will find new ways to solve problems using data and artificial intelligence.

And we will provide new personalized experiences.

And it is so important that CES. Our industry. Our customers. And our colleagues around the world embrace innovation as the healthy, worthwhile and life changing element of our shared future.

Whether it is health care or agriculture or the spread of information, the age of intelligence will allow us to improve lives at a scale we have never seen before.

Imagine, a world with no starvation, access to experience-based healthcare, no driving fatalities, education focused on individual learning styles and capabilities, productive jobs and skills learning for everyone, and no pollution.

A future where everyone can reach their potential.

All of this is within our reach.

We see the building blocks to create a smarter, better future at CES 2017.

A future that will make each of us stop and say "Woah!"

You will now hear one vision of that future.

LAS VEGAS—Mohu has released a product with the goal of cord cutters wireless access to live TV and streaming content, the Mohu AirWave. The AirWave is a wireless, OTA and OTT device that integrates live local broadcast TV with free streaming channels on streaming devices.

At launch, AirWave is compatible with Amazon Fire TV and Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, the entire Roku lineup, iOS, Android and the web. The AirWave connects wirelessly to the Mohu TV application, which offers live broadcast content and streaming content in a TV guide format. The device can be set up anywhere where there is an internet connection. It also features ClearPix technology, a pixilation reduction technology that automatically adjusts to improve image reception of OTA broadcasts.

Mohu is planning on launching the AirWave in the late spring, where it will be exclusively available at Best Buy. Retail price will be $149.99.

LAS VEGAS—In a panel Wednesday, Jan. 5, at CES, Sinclair Broadcast Group CEO and President Chris Ripley explained why he was a big believer in the next-gen standard ATSC 3.0, which is currently on pace for completion in the spring. Ripley outlined five "tenets" of the new platform that he believed will "super charge" the broadcast business.

To read the full story, visit TVT's sister publication Multichannel News.

For more TV Technology coverage, see our ATSC 3.0 silo.

LAS VEGAS—Munich-based company Rohde & Schwarz has brought its new VTC/VTE/VTS video tester line to CES, to demonstrate its testing capabilities for HLG-capable devices. The new system is designed to test performance and interoperability of future generations of HDR/HLG-capable video consumer electronics.

Based on the flexible test and measurement module for HDMI and HDR tests, R&S’ new system offers generator and analyzer functionality for data rates up to 18 Gbps, as well as functions introduced with the new HDMI standard like scrambling. Its HLG testing capability includes the testing and emulation of the signaling function and the generation of new test patterns.

The systems generator function can edit the Dynamic Range and Mastering InfoFrame for HDR and HLG. It displays the Enhanced Extended Display Identification Data (E-EDID) of the connected sink, as well as permits the playback of customer-specific, uncompressed moving picture sequences. The analyzer unit provides E-EDID and displays the Dynamic Range and Mastering InfoFrame, while the video analyzer provides bit-accurate display of electro-optical transfer function in use. HDR CTS tests are available for both the generator and analyzer.

R&S’ new video tester will be on display at its booth, South Hall 1-20930, during CES 2017.

LAS VEGAS—A combined effort by Broadpeak and Wyplay is making to look distribution of live TV Everywhere services over managed networks easier. The companies’ joint technology, which will be on display at CES 2017, integrates Broadpeak’s nanoCDN technology with Frog By Wyplay middleware on set-top boxes for multiscreen delivery.

With this new technology, telecom, cable and satellite operators are provided a migration path to a fully converged HTTP video delivery infrastructure. The combination of the technology enables operators to contain bandwidth requirements to only a few megabits per second for live multiscreen delivery. Broadpeak’s nanoCDN can also convert multicast streams into unicast via multicast ABR technology.

CES 2017 will take place from Jan. 5-8 in Las Vegas.

LAS VEGAS—Amazon is joining Roku and Google in embedding the capabilities of media-streaming dongles and set-top boxes into TVs.

Amazon Fire TV Edition 4K TVs let consumers select over-the-air TV channels, video streaming services, and apps from a single integrated onscreen user interface

At CES, value-priced TV brands Westinghouse Electronics, Seiki and Element Electronics each launched four Amazon Fire TV Edition 4K UItra HD TVs, which are targeted to cord cutters. They run on the Amazon Fire TV OS, access the same Cloud-based content as Fire TV media streamers, and integrate over-the-air TV channels, streaming content, and apps into a single onscreen interface. The UI makes it unnecessary to toggle between separate streaming and over-air broadcast menus, the company said.

The TVs can also be controlled by voice via an Alexa-enabled remote.

Each brand, owned by Tongfang Global of Diamond Bar, Calif., will offer 43-, 50-, 55- and 65-inch Fire-equipped TVs, which will be available before the end of the second quarter. Prices weren’t disclosed.

Element TVs are available in such chains as Walmart, Target and Meijer. Westinghouse TVs are primarily sold through Best Buy and Target, and Seiki TVs are primarily sold through Amazon and hhgregg, said Tongfang marketing VP Sung Choi.

The Fire TV models will offer some features not available in the Amazon Fire TV Stick and Fire TV set-top box, including the integration of streaming and over-the-air TV content into a single UI. The TVs also sport a different look and feel plus more memory, a spokesman said.

The TVs’ Alexa Voice Remote taps the Alexa Voice Service to enable natural-language voice control of the TVs’ media-streaming apps, over-the-air channel changing, and “skills,” including control of smart-home devices from more than 50 companies, including select Samsung and GE major appliances.

A total of more than 3,000 skills can be activated by voice with voice responses, including purchasing items on Amazon, ordering an Uber ride or Domino’s pizza, asking questions of Wikipedia, creating shopping lists, checking personal calendars, getting traffic reports and the like.

Consumers can use their voice to select more than 300,000 TV episodes and movies available through the TVs’ video apps, including Amazon Video, Netflix, HBO Go, Showtime Anytime and Sling TV, which offers live TV-channel streaming.

The voice remote lets users search across apps for TV shows, movies, actors and genres. Alexa on Fire TVs “provides a similar if not identical voice experience to Alexa on Echo-family devices [speakers],” a spokesman said.

In the future, Amazon plans to deliver Alexa control of Fire-equipped TVs through the far-field microphones built into the $179.99 Amazon Echo and $49.99 Echo Dot Wi-Fi/Bluetooth speakers, enabling users to engage in a conversation with Alexa from across a room, Westinghouse said.

Amazon also plans deeper integration of Alexa voice control into core Fire TV entertainment experiences, such as scene navigation and voice control of third-party apps, Westinghouse noted. Amazon also wants to coordinate media playback across Alexa-enabled devices.

TV features: The TVs support such 4K streaming services as Netflix and Amazon. Specs include 3GB RAM, 16GB of onboard storage, built-in Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, four HDMI 2.0 inputs supporting 60Hz 4K video and HDCP 2.2, Ethernet port and two USB inputs, one of which is USB 3.0. They lack high dynamic range (HDR) and wide color gamut but will be Netflix-certified.

Smart-home integration: For smart-home adopters, the brands that integrate with Alexa read like a who’s who of smart-home suppliers. Suppliers of Alexa-compatible smart-home hubs include HomeSeer, Ingersoll Rand’s Nexia, Insteon, Logitech Harmony, Lowe’s Iris, MyFox, Samsung SmartThings and Wink.

Control4, which sells custom-installed smart-home systems, recently added Alexa voice control, as have ADT, Alarm.com and Vivint, the suppliers of professionally installed security and smart-home systems.

In addition, multiple brands of smart plugs, in-wall dimmer switches, smart bulbs, thermostats and door locks talk to Alexa.

For the latest news on CES, visit our sister publication, and publisher of the official CES Daily, TWICE magazine.

LAS VEGAS—Samsung is bringing newly developed metal-core quantum-dot technology to select 4K Ultra HD TVs.

Samsung's Q9F TV

The enhancements will boost peak brightness to 2,000 nits from 1,000 and 1,200 nits in last year’s line, expand color volume by 20 percent, and deliver wider off-axis color accuracy.

The technology, appearing in the top-end Q9F, Q8 and Q7 4K TVs, expands color gamut to 99 percent of the P3 standard from 96 percent in the company’s top 2016 quantum-dot models, producing a “noticeable” improvement, said TV product marketing GM Brandt Varner.

All of Samsung’s 2016 4K TVs met Ultra HD Alliance (UHD-A) performance criteria, and Samsung’s “target” is for all 2017 models to meet the criteria, Varner added before the show.

Also at CES, Samsung is:

• Expanding its 4K Blu-ray player selection to two;
• Sticking only with HDR 10 high-dynamic-range technology in its new 4K TVs and 4K Blu-ray players, leaving out Dolby Vision HDR technology;
• Officially retiring the SUHD moniker applied to 2016’s highest performing 4K TVs, which used a previous generation of quantum-dot technology; and
• Offering about the same number of curved TVs as it did in 2016, though its flagship Q9F series will be flat in contrast to its 2016 flagship series, which was curved.

To make the TVs look better in the home even before they’re turned on, the company is:

• Launching a new wall-mount system for the top Q9F and Q8 series to simplify DIY installation and deliver a “near-zero gap” between the wall and the TV chassis.
• Improving the appearance of on-wall installs in the Q9F and Q8 series by using a “virtually invisible” clear, thin 15-foot optical digital cable in place of a thicker round cable to carry audio and video to the TVs from the company’s One Connect A/V-switching box. The box was also available in last year’s lineup. A 36-inch optical cable is also due.
• Introducing a new cable-management system that hides all wires inside the stands of most 4K TVs before emerging to connect with the company’s One Connect input-switching box.

No SUHD: In retiring the SUHD designation, Samsung is replacing its SUHD lineup with the MU8 and MU9 series, which drop their predecessors’ quantum-dot displays while still delivering 1,000-nit peak brightness, Varner said. The MU8 models will deliver the wide color gamut of their predecessors, and the MU9 models will deliver a wider gamut than their predecessors, thanks to a new non-reflective screen, he said.

Also new are the entry-level MU6 and MU7 series, which like their predecessors lack quantum dots.

All MU series except the MU9 will feature both curved and flat models, while MU 9 will feature only flat screens.

The number of models and screen sizes in all of the new 4K series was unavailable.

Metal-core dots: In describing the performance of the Q series’ metal-core quantum dots, Varner said the technology delivers peak brightness of 2,000 nits with “no tradeoff between high luminance, wide color gamut and high contrast.” Color saturation doesn’t drop as brightness goes up, he added.

The new technology also “improves diffusability,” expanding the direction of light to reduce the rate at which the perception of color changes at off-axis viewing angles, Varner said. Additional details were unavailable.

New Features: For the Q series TVs, an optional wall-mount bracket slips inside the back of the TVs, and the TVs hang like a picture frame from a flat rectangular plate attached to the wall to deliver a “near-zero-gap” between TV and wall. The TV can be straightened by hand and locked into place without any tools, so the wall plate doesn’t have to be installed completely horizontal, Varner said. The TVs tilt down up to 15 degrees for mounting over a fire place.

Q series models will also add such new features as no-lag PC gaming, thanks to the addition of Steam’s app for accessing PC games through Steam’s Cloud service without having to connect a PC.

The Q series also adds an improved smart remote, which makes it easier to find key cable-box functions, and a new smartphone app. The app puts the TV’s UI on the small screen and lets users continue to watch live TV on the big screen as they use the phone’s display to browse through the content of such smart-TV services as Netflix or Amazon.

UHD Blu-ray: In expanding its UHD Blu-ray selection to two, the company will offer a basic model and a step-up model, both with curved fronts like the lone 2016 model. The step-up model adds multiple features, including a display and a Bluetooth transmitter, which streams audio to headphones from the player and from a connected AVR.

The step-up model also adds Blu-ray-to-mobile and mobile-to-Blu-ray capabilities. With the former, users stream 4K disc content to a tablet or phone at home while someone else watches TV programs on the TV screen. With mobile-to-Blu-ray, users stream content from the phone to a TV through the 4K Blu-ray player.

The step-up also adds dual HDMI outputs, one to carry Blu-ray surround sound to older audio/video receivers that lack HDMI 2.0 inputs with HDCP 2.2 copy protection.

All Samsung TV remotes will also now control all Blu-ray player functions

Neither player offers optional store-and-export capabilities, which store disc content on a hard drive for quick access and export disc content to a mobile device for on-the-go viewing.

For the latest news on CES, visit our sister publication, and publisher of the official CES Daily, TWICE magazine.

LAS VEGAS—LG will show off its newest Ultra HD TVs at CES this week, and the company has partnered with Technicolor to build on the new models’ advance display technology.

The Super UHD TVs (models SJ9500, SJ8500 and SJ8000) feature Nano Cell technology, said by LG to render “highly nuanced and accurate colors while maintaining picture quality at wider viewing angles.” The TVs also feature Active HDR with Dolby Vision supporting multiple HDR formats; LG's updated webOS smart-TV platform; and a super-slim design. A crescent-shaped stand is meant to give the 55-inch SJ9500 – just 6.9mm at its thinnest point – the illusion of floating in the air.

Nano Cell LCD displays use uniformly sized particles — approximately 1 nanometer in diameter — to create subtle, accurate colors that can be viewed from wider angles than other LCD TVs, said LG. They also absorb surplus light wavelengths, the company added, which enhances the purity of the colors displayed on the screen.

To build on this technology, LG has partnered with Technicolor, which will debut a new Expert color mode in 2017. The new TVs will support Advanced HDR by Technicolor, said to improve HDR10 and HLG content being displayed, and will feature a new HDR Effect feature that raises image quality for SDR content. With the HDR Effect feature, SDR images are processed frame-by-frame to improve brightness in specific areas, enhance contrast ratios and render more precise images, said LG.

The webOS platform, meanwhile, now features a Magic Link feature that provides instant recommendations for finding content and accessing information about actors and characters on-screen. Connecting the TV to a mobile phone or PC with a USB cable lets user view 360-degree virtual-reality content.

Pricing and availability will be at the show. 

For the latest news on CES, visit our sister publication, and publisher of the official CES Daily, TWICE magazine.

LAS VEGAS—For its 50th anniversary, the Consumer Technology Association’s annual CES will focus on the airwaves. Unlike the debut 1967 CES in New York, however, where black-and-white TV sets, stereos and transistor radios were in the spotlight, the 2017 edition (Jan. 5-8 in Las Vegas) will see a greater emphasis on broadband wireless use of airwaves. And while hundreds of TV and video products and services will be on display, this doesn’t appear to be a “breakthrough” year for new technology, although there will be countless updates of the fast-selling 4K UHD TV devices plus advances in high dynamic range (HDR) video, wide color gamut, virtual reality and internet-connected smart TVs. Artificial Intelligence (AI), a building block for autonomous vehicles and other systems, will also be widely seen at exhibits and in private viewing suites.

In today’s tenuous political climate, CES is expanding its “Innovation Policy” conference, where Federal Communications Commission and Federal Trade Commission members will explain the Washington viewpoint—even though some of them will soon not be calling the shots while the presidential transition is in still in effect.

Karen Chupka, senior vice president of CTA and overseer of CES, believes that “TV is still the centerpiece” of the show, however, the focus has shifted to non-broadcast services.

CTA President Gary Shapiro (L) and Karen Chupka, senior vice president of CTA and overseer of CES, at last month’s CES Unveiled event in New York.

“As people are watching content from streaming 4K players and other sources, they want to be in that TV atmosphere,” Chupka said, referring to the continuing appeal of the large-screen flat panel receiver versus handheld video displays. She added that the “quest for better sound ties into the advanced video environment,” pointing to the new High Resolution Audio exhibits plus other entertainment features that are still a major part of CES.

“The continued access to content, even on different platforms, [affects] how much is being generated and also the next generation of viewers,” Chupka said, during a 2017 CES preview event in New York last month.

ATTRACTING NEW MARKETS

CES (no longer called the “Consumer Electronics Show” by CTA, which itself was previously known as the Consumer Electronics Association), has accelerated its efforts to bring program producers and advertisers/marketers into the mix. “C Space” conferences and exhibits will focus on content development, including collaborations between tech and advertising/marketing companies. As part of that program, “The Entertainment Summit,”on Friday afternoon will examine creativity including the types of production technologies emerging for film, gaming and TV shows, as well as multiplatform content.

CES has also become a meeting place for dozens of media-connected groups. Gatherings of the National Association of Broadcasters’ TV Technology and Radio Technology Committees have “become a tradition over the past few years as broadcasters’ attendance at CES has increased,” an NAB spokesperson told TV Technology. The Advanced Television Systems Committee, Cable Television Labs and CTAM: the Cable & Telecommunications Association for Marketing will again bring groups to CES for show floor tours and for meetings with business and technical prospects and partners.

Among nearly 40 ancillary events surrounding CES in Las Vegas is the annual International Conference on Consumer Electronics (ICCE) on Jan. 8-10, produced by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, featuring presentations by electronics designers and engineers. Sessions will look at technical aspects of ATSC 3.0, cloud computing, “the road to the ultimate virtual reality,” mixed reality, 3D body processing and “technology accelerating the immersive consumer experience.”

Team Lightbulb's “Broadband Conference”on Wednesday will examine “intelligent transportation,” 5G, fiber and Internet of Things (IoT) and promises to look at “Next Gen broadcasting and broadband IP integration,” ATSC 3.0 and FirstNet wireless broadband public safety network.

“Sports Business Innovation,” a conference presented by Turner Sports on Thursday and Friday as part of the C Space agenda, will focus on ways that technology is being used to alter the sports business landscape. Speakers will look at new tactics that affect the sports industry.

FOR POLICY WONKS

At an opening afternoon SuperSession, FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler and Federal Trade Commission Chairwoman Edith Ramirez are scheduled to chat individually (30 minutes each) with CTA's President/CEO Gary Shapiro about the challenges their agencies face, even as both of them prepare to leave their seats.

Later that day at an Innovation Policy conference session entitled "2017 Preview: FCC and FTC Commissioner Roundtable," other commissioners will discuss "critical regulatory and policy issues, including: spectrum allocation, privacy, accessibility, the Internet of Things, regulatory reform, disruptive innovation and technological convergence." At press time, FCC Commissioner Mike O'Rielly and FTC Commissioner Maureen Ohlhausen (thre presumptive agency chairman after the Trump transition) are confirmed participants, with the FCC;s Mignon Clyburn, The FTC's Terrell McSweeny and possibly others expected to join them.

Other sessions on the Innovation Policy agenda (spread out over Thursday, Friday and Saturday) will involve government officials and tech entrepreneurs examining regulatory implications of topics such as the IoT, virtual and augmented reality, mobility and sustainability.

FOCUS ON 5G

Although exhibitors continue in their tradition of keeping their product introduction news close to the vest until the show opening, the CES keynotes are a good harbinger of what will be the hot topics in the conference rooms and on the exhibit floors in Las Vegas.

At the pre-opening keynote on Wednesday night, nVidia President/CEO/Founder Jen-Hsun Huang is expected to focus on the chipmaker’s visions for AI, VR, smart cars and other applications.

The show’s six major keynotes include presentations from Qualcomm CEO Steve Mollenkopf about the “revolutionary effect of 5G” and from Huawei Consumer Business Group CEO Richard Yu, who will focus on mobile technologies and their ability to integrate artificial intelligence, virtual reality and connected systems. At the pre-opening keynote on Wednesday night, nVidia President/CEO/Founder Jen-Hsun Huang is expected to focus on the chipmaker’s visions for AI, VR, smart cars and other applications.

SuperSessions, such as the Thursday's “Stoked on 5G” program, will delve deeper into high speed wireless services, including a presentation by Ericsson Senior Vice President/Chief Technology OfficerUlf Ewaldsson.

“We’re seeing the continued trend toward connectivity, with sensors being built into every device,” said Chupka, whose official title is CTA senior vice president for CES & Corporate Business Strategy. She also points to the growth of VR applications and “expects to see a lot more, not just gaming content.” For example, Fox is expected to announce new VR ventures.

Chupka extolled the need for long-term visions as ever more content is being generated and “as viewers grow up, there will be different trends.”

“As you try to scale some of these things up, it’s a matter of quality,” she added. She also noted the migration of vendors into new categories, for example Sony’s participation in the “Augmented Reality Marketplace.” one of about 20 focused zones/pavilions where small and large companies showcase new products in evolving categories. Other marketplaces range from the new “Sleep Place” (dealing with health/sleep technologies) to drones and cybersecurity.

CES BY THE NUMBERS

According to Chupka, CTA is “trying to cap attendance” at 165,000, although she admitted that a final body count may approach the 176,000 attendees who came to the 2016 CES. About 3,800 exhibitors will show their wares, equivalent to the number in the past few years, on 2.4 million square feet of floor space spread over three major venues: Tech East (the Las Vegas Convention Center, Westgate Hotel (formerly Hilton) and adjacent properties; Tech West (Sands Expo Center and Venetian Hotel) and Tech South (Aria Hotel and nearby hotels, home of C Space). (Demand for space should ease up once the Las Vegas Convention Center completes a $1.4 billion expansion that is expected to be complete by 2023).

Chupka noted that in the shifting technology environment, a growing number of exhibitors will showcase emerging technologies such as robotics, wearables, augmented and virtual reality, entertainment/content, drones and driverless technology. She also pointed out that “Eureka Park,” an area at the Venetian Hotel for start-up companies will have 600 exhibitors, mostly in 10-by-10-foot booths, a 20 percent increase from the previous show and nearly triple the number of start-ups as five years ago, when Eureka Park debuted.

THE MOOD

CES will open just after the holiday shopping season, which often sets the mood for retailers and distributors attending the show. In its pre-holiday estimate, CTA expected that 4.5 million 4K UHD television sets would be sold this season, bringing the 2016 total sales of UHD receivers to 10 million. That’s 40 percent more than in 2015, with sales moving far faster than HDTV sets sold during their first years on the market at the turn of this century.

Nonetheless, CTA’s sales forecasts for 2017 show modest growth for the flat-panel TV category: about $19.7 billion in U.S. wholesale sales compared to $19.5 billion in 2016. About 20 million 4K UHD sets will be sold in 2017, according to CTA estimates.

Overall, sales in CTA’s five largest categories are expected to decline slightly in 2017, including a $2 billion drop in smartphone sales, about half-billion dollars falloff in tablet sales plus small declines in laptop and desktop computer sales. Those top five categories will still represent 49 percent of total industry sales of $225.1 billion in 2017 compared to 45 percent of $224.9 billion total sales this year.

CTA's 2017 forecast indicates that the fastest growth will come from new categories such as a quadrupling of sales of VR/AR eyeware, which will jump from $32 million in 2016 to nearly $1.1 billion in 2017 and a doubling in 360-degree cameras from $31 million to $65 million year-to-year sales.

“Without these [new] categories, industry growth would be negative,” according to the CTA report. “It stands to reason these products as well as future products will continue to grow the industry as household ownership of several product categories reach their maximum penetration.”

CTA President/CEO Gary Shapiro pointed out, “manufacturers are introducing an increasing variety of 4K UHD displays at a range of price points. Many of these displays include new innovations like HDR wide color gamut that make the viewing experience more immersive.”

THE HISTORY

To celebrate its 50th anniversary, CES will honor long-time exhibitors. Panasonic is the only vendor that has exhibited in all 50 consecutive CES shows. Thirty-seven companies have had booths for more than 40 years; 10 of them were at the 1967 premier event (which had 117 exhibitors and 17,500 attendees) and will also have booths in Las Vegas next month. They include 3M, Lenovo, Memorex (now MEM-CE), Philips, Sharp, Sony, Toshiba, Voxx International and Westinghouse.

THE CONTENT CONNECTION

“C Space,” an enlarged content-oriented conference and exhibit area formerly known as “Entertainment Matters,” will be based at Tech South in the Aria Hotel. Programs there will include “C Space Storytellers Sessions,” the long-running Digital Hollywood conference and “Marketing Reinvented” presented by MediaLink.

The annual Digital Hollywood conference, at sessions spread over Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, will examine topics such as hybrid TV, over-the-top and second-screen content, as well as immersive VR, Contextual and 360⁰ Video Advertising and Internet TV, including multichannel network programming.

At a short conference on “The Continuing Rise of Short Form Video,” on Friday morning, NATPE and CTA will unveil results of their latest research on the adoption of YouTube and other short videos.

“Virtual Reality: The Future is 360,”is a three-session conference on Thursday at which technology and production experts will examine consumer and business applications of VR.

Aisha Tyler

To serve as liaison between Hollywood and the tech community, CTA has appointed Aisha Tyler as this year’s “CES Ambassador.” Tyler, an actress, director, author and comedian, hosts CBS’ “The Talk” and is a regular performer on the CBS series “Criminal Minds,” as well as an active gamer and self-described tech enthusiast. She is also the creator and host of the “Girl on Guy” podcast and just directed her first movie.

“Aisha has torn down barriers for women and diversity in technology, effortlessly integrated and encouraged the use of tech in everyday life and redefined what it means to be a ‘gamer,’” Chupka said.

Tyler explained that, “As a podcaster, author, producer and filmmaker, I can attest to how technology has not only made my life better, but more creatively robust, dynamic and productive in every way. Technological innovation is my artistic secret weapon."

Chupka expects that CES stages and show floor will continue to be peppered with celebrity appearances, including “a lot of surprises this year.”

“We’re seeing non-traditional companies taking a presence because they see themselves in the tech space,” she concluded.

For more information on the 2017 CES, visit www.ces.tech.

For the latest news on 2017 CES, visit our sister publication and publisher of the official CES Daily, TWICE.

ARLINGTON, VA.—CES is celebrating 50 years with its annual conference and has officially opened its doors, as registration for the event is now available. CES 2017 is expected to feature more than 3,800 exhibiting companies showcasing new products and innovations in 24 product categories.

This trade-only event offers advanced registration at a price of $100 through Dec. 20, which will increase to $300 on Dec. 21. New requirements for registration include registrants providing their date of birth in an effort to boost security. Once approved, attendees will be able to pick up their badges at more than 25 locations in Las Vegas, including McCarran International Airport, show hotels, and exhibit venues.

CES 2017 is scheduled to take place from Jan. 5, 2017-Jan. 8, 2017 in Las Vegas. For more information visit www.ces.tech. To register, click here.