(L to R): CES President Gary Shapiro, NAB President Gordon Smith and ATSC President Mark Richer raise a glass to the launch of ATSC 3.0 at the 2018 International CES.

LAS VEGAS—Behind the CES glitz of bigger and brighter video displays, voice-activated media controls and high-speed wireless delivery, Next Generation TV was taking shape. In hotel suites and private demo rooms, Sinclair-backed ONE Media (“Open Network Enabled”) said its pilot ATSC 3.0 transmission will begin by late March in a market where its Spectrum Consortium collaborators operate. Separately, the Pearl TV group confirmed that Sony Electronics will develop an on-screen interactive navigation tool for its ATSC 3.0 “Model market project,” which will debut in Phoenix later this year.

EARLY ATSC 3.0 TOOLS

On the ATSC 3.0 front, Airwavz.TV, a Long Island company making ATSC 3.0 “optimization tools,” privately showed its RedZone Receiver (RZR), an $895 dongle that allows broadcasters to check the signal transmission from their NextGen TV transmitters to “ensure it meets coverage and capacity.” Co-Founder and CTO John B. Casey told TV Technology that RZR will be available by early February through its website (www.Airwavz.tv). He described RZR as “specifically tooled” for ATSC 3.0 commercialization for use by field engineers and executives. 

The three-inch-long device connects to a computer via USB and an antenna, enabling testing of signal strength and quality from around the proposed viewing area. The initial kit includes a Linux-based software development kit, tabletop antenna, extension cable and one year of technical support.

Casey, who was previously a technical executive at Happaugue Inc., which makes PC-based TV tuners and data broadcast receivers, also said that the Airwavz.TV “Quarterback” protective smartphone case with embedded ATSC 3.0 antenna is on track for delivery later this year. The protective cover has a built-in DVR, on/off button for ATSC TV access and an auxiliary battery—all features that Casey believes will help attract users to broadcasters’ Next Gen TV content rather than other mobile video services. Price and distribution plans for Quarterback will be revealed later this year.

Meanwhile on public display, Hisense, a large Chinese TV maker, showed an ersatz “ATSC 3.0” exhibit (albeit the Ultra High Definition prototype synthesized a transmission from a non-standard device within the booth.) And dozens of people involved in the ATSC 3.0 standard partook in a champagne toast to completion of the standard. 

CELEBRATING THE COMPLETION

At a brief gala ceremony in the Convention Center’s Grand Lobby during the show’s opening hours, the Advanced Television Systems Committee celebrated the approval of the remaining standards for the ATSC 3.0 suite of next-generation TV standards.

Marking the milestone, ATSC President Mark Richer was joined onstage by Consumer Technology Association President/CEO Gary Shapiro and National Association of Broadcasters President/CEO Gordon Smith. 

[ATSC 3.0 Rollout Can Begin Next Month]

Richer explained that 20 individual standards of ATSC 3.0 “will give broadcasters the ability to utilize new transmission methods and finally bring together innovations in both over-the-air and broadband services.”

Smith promised, “Broadcasters stand ready to take full advantage of the capabilities of the new voluntary standard” and predicted that “ATSC 3.0 gives local stations the ability to merge resources and information like never before.”

Shapiro said that CTA's research anticipates that future growth of digital displays “will be driven in part by this exciting new technology and the amazing features it brings.”

A mile away from the main convention floor, ONE Media and the Pearl TV Group showcased their ATSC 3.0 visions to broadcasters, technology providers, programmers and advertisers. Conveniently located in suites down the hall from each other on an upper floor of the Wynn Hotel, both companies explained their plans.

Mark Aitken, vice president of advanced technology for Sinclair Broadcast Group and a founder of ONE Media, told TV Technology that the big push at CES was a prelude to even more significant ONE Media activities at the NAB Show in April.

“When we get to NAB, we want people to understand that we want to be a collaborative industry... with an end-to-end solution that is monetized by use for big data,” he said. “We’re signing up more customers for development kit tools,” including content producers and interactive sports companies.

As for the “us-versus-them” relationship with the Pearl TV group, Aitken insisted that, “Vectorally we’re all running in the same direction, but at different speeds.” He pointed to the dashboard that ONE Media is building uses programmatic standards approved by the Interactive Advertising Bureau, a trade group initially created for the online advertising industry.

For its part, Pearl TV focused on its own approach to targeted advertising, plus the new Sony navigation system.

NAVIGATING CHANNELS AND SEEING THE BEST SCREENS

In addition to the Pearl TV/Sony deal for ATSC 3.0 navigation, concepts and products for new multiplatform channel control popped up around the show floor. For example, Universal Electronics, Inc. demonstrated QuickSet Cloud, its latest approach for multisite remote control access using Web technologies for TV control and other smart home functions including set-top boxes, televisions, game consoles, smartphones and tablets.

UEI also unveiled a voice remote control for DISH Network Corp. and an advanced voice remote for TiVo. The latter will let TiVo customers conduct universal searches across live TV, on-demand and popular streaming services like Netflix, Amazon, and Hulu.

Meanwhile, the sprawling Central Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center remained the battleground for big-name, big screen TV showdowns.

Samsung's "The Wall"

Samsung unveiled its prototype of “The Wall” 146-inch TV monitor which uses Micro Light Emitting Diode technology with back-lit local dimming zones to improve black levels. Joe Stinziano, executive vice president for Samsung Electronics America, called MLED “one of the most important and unprecedented TV technologies to debut in more than a decade,” singling out its improvements compared to Organic LED (favored by arch-rival LG).

“This is the TV without the tradeoffs experienced in other technologies, like OLED,” Stinziano said. “It uses non-organic materials and does not require color filters to produce perfect blacks and accurate color.” He emphasized that MLED’s modular structure means that it can be set up in “any size you want, any configuration you can think of.”

Samsung also unveiled a TV monitor that upscales content—including broadcast programs to 8K resolution, using Ailand processing power. Samsung Senior Vice President Dave Das said that as screen sizes increase, “Resolution becomes more important.”

In addition to its Wall TV modular display, Samsung focused in making all its new TV sets intelligent, mainly by bundling its proprietary artificial intelligence Bixby software into the set, featuring voice recognition and tied to other smart home applications, such as light controls and door locks. Samsung’s set includes an intelligent TV program guide.

At the LG booth, both its 65-inch “roll-up” flexible screen (think window-shade or yoga pad) and its 88-inch 8K (7680x4320 pixels) OLED screen were centerpieces, but those just skimmed the surface.

LG flexible screen

LG Electronics said that all of its 4K UHD TT sets being sold in South Korea incorporate ATSC 3.0 tuning circuitry (just in time for Olympics coverage) and that it will support broadcast trials and early-deployment tests of ATSC 3.0 in the U.S. this year. LG TV sets use the company's proprietary AI software plus access via Amazon Alexa. LG also put its emphasis on its own AI technology, called ThinQ, which it incorporated into TV sets and other devices and appliances. LG’s TV line-up includes OLED and LCD sets, with enhanced HDR and 120fps functionality, Dolby Atmos immersive audio, an Alpha 9 intelligent processor and full-array local dimming (FALD) backlighting. All of LG’s LG OLED and its new “Super UHD” AI sets will include 4K Cinema HDR, which supports all major HDR formats, including Technicolor’s Advanced HDR and DolbyVision, Hybrid Log Gamma (HLG), and HDR10.

LG also unveiled the ProBeam compact UHD laser projector that can cast an image up to 150-inches and can handle HDR content. The projector uses LG’s webOS smart TV operating system, giving it access to online streaming apps. 

Sony introduced two new series of 4K HDR sets in the LED and OLED lines using the company’s picture-processor and panel-control technologies. Sony also said its A8F technology shifts the audio output from the sides or bottom of the screen in a fusion of sound and image making it appear that voices come from performers’ mouths and sound effects emanate from the action spot on the screen.

Sony 4K HDR set

Like other set-makers, Sony said it has a solution for the blur that often accompanies fast-moving action such as sports on large screens. Its X-Motion Clarity, available on some new displays, uses Sony’s proprietary direct LED-panel local-dimming algorithm to control luminance and optimize.

Sony President/CEO Kaz Hirai also used his presentation to insist that the new products are part of the “rebound of Sony’s consumer electronics business,” which had flagged in recent years, but perked up in 2017.

Panasonic, which has restructured itself in recent years, emphasized its enterprise and smart cities capabilities, but also took an unusual return to the consumer TV category. It unveiled its first OLED sets that support HDR 10+, the open, royalty-free, dynamic-metadata platform for HDR created by 20th Century Fox, Panasonic, and Samsung. New Panasonic TV sets using the technology will be able to stream hundreds of hours of Amazon Prime Video. They will include Dynamic Scene Optimizer function, which uses picture analysis to mimic dynamic metadata when playing an HDR10 source on its new 4K TVs.

Panasonic OLED UHD display

Panasonic's OLED UHD displays so far are aimed only at the European and professional markets—not at the U.S. consumer TV audience. A Panasonic executive told TV Technology that decisions would be made eventually on whether to bring the sets to the U.S., although he offered no timetable. 

Hisense also showed its line of UHD TV sets, including a 110-inch 4K UHD “Smart Laser TV.” The company also has added Android TV to its Smart TV operating systems, connecting TVs to virtual digital assistants. The Android TV OS is in three Hisense models that also have 4K Roku TV capability.

COMCAST PUSHING XFINITY INTELLIGENCE

An unusual presence in the Smart Home area of CES’s Tech West exhibits at the Sands Expo Center was the “virtual house” that Comcast built. While operators usually aren’t exhibitors at such shows, Comcast pushed its ability to integrate video as well as other tools in the “Intelligent Digital Home.” The centerpiece was the xFi advanced gateway, that supports DOCSIS 3.1, WiFi and future Internet of Things services.

AN UNENDING CORNUCOPIA AND CONUNDRUM

Beyond the traditional TV set manufacturers’ exhibits, the future of visual communications—especially the role of streamed media—popped up constantly. Even Intel’s sprawling booth devoted extensive space to the company’s video technology which is being used to produce the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics this month. The centerpiece was Intel’s TrueView immersive 3D technology, which also includes Virtual Reality, drones and 5G (Fifth Generation) wireless delivery. Elsewhere in its booth, Intel demonstrated its approach to Augmented Reality (especially potential enhancements for video programming) and new applications for its artificial intelligence systems.

[CES 2018: FCC Members Restate Net Neutrality Stances] 

Virtual Reality and Augment Reality were omnipresent throughout CES, with frequent contradictory remarks about the imminence of either process. Aaron Luber, head of AR/VR partnerships at Google, told a Digital Hollywood audience that his company is now undertaking “a big second phase” of VR, saying that 2018 will be “an important year, based on how industry works.” He cited the “great barrier to entry with VR [due to] headsets.”

Elsewhere, advocates contended that Augmented Reality has already crossed the threshold toward mass usage, at least in some demographic categories. 

At the panoply of content- and media-centric conferences dotting the CES landscape, producers and distributors speculated about, touted and rebuffed concepts about the relative positions of traditional linear broadcasting and on-demand video distribution via any platform.

Ben Sherwood, president of Disney-ABC Television Group, deftly straddled the line as he described his division’s role in the forthcoming Disney Internet-video subscription service at the Variety Entertainment Summit. He carefully pointed out that, “Every decade, the obituaries are written about television.”

“People sometimes mistake watching the television on the wall for television as distribution,” he explained, easing into a description of “lots of different ways to distribute the best content.” Sherwood then confirmed that his group will supply up to 8,000 episodes from its library of TV productions, plus about four original movies and four original series to the streaming venture, including a new movie based on Disney’s “High School Musical.”

At another conference, Joel Stillerman, chief content officer at Hulu, said that the streaming service will seek to replicate its recent “The Handmaid’s Tale” by creating and acquiring short-form series from “emerging talent” as well as long-form original content. He cited “Castle Rock,” a J.J. Abrams-produced series based on Stephen King characters and “The Looming Tower,” a political story which examines the FBI vs. CIA rivalry as both agencies watched the rise of Osama bin Laden.

For a comprehensive list of TV Technology’s ATSC 3.0 coverage, see our ATSC3 silo.

LAS VEGAS—LG Electronics announced it plans to actively participate in U.S. broadcast trials of the ATSC 3.0 next-gen TV standard at CES 2018 this week. LG Electronics will leverage the experience it has gained in South Korea since the launch of ATSC 3.0 in May 2017.

NAB President and CEO Gordon Smith congratulates John Taylor, LG Electronics USA senior vice president, on company's work behind the ATSC 3.0 standard.

"The flexible, extensible new ATSC 3.0 standard will unleash an innovation revolution, marrying broadband and broadcasting to deliver a range of new services for consumers in Korea, the U.S. and around the world," said Dr. Jong G. Kim, SVP in the office of the CTO, LG Electronics.

Technologies developed by LG and its Zenith R&D subsidiary in the U.S. are part of three major layers of the next-gen TV standard, he said. They include contributions to the A/322 Physical Layer Standard, which the FCC adopted in its November 2017 authorization of next-gen TV. Others include the scrambler, FEC, bit interleaver, mapper, time interleaver, OFDM framer, frequency interleaver, pilots, reserved tones and guard interval functions.

LG began selling ATSC 3.0 4K Ultra HD televisions in South Korea last year. Since last fall, all new LG 4K UHD TVs and most new LG smart TVs sold in South Korea include dual ATSC 3.0-ATSC 1.0 tuner chips.

South Korean broadcasters KBS, MBC and SBS are broadcasting ATSC 3.0-based 4K UHD and will provide over-the-air 4K UHD coverage of the 2018 Winter Olympics from Pyeongchang, South Korea, next month.

Separately at CES, the Advanced Television Systems Committee announced that its membership has approved the remaining individual standards that make up the ATSC 3.0 suite of standards.

More information is available on the LG Electronics website.

For a comprehensive list of TV Technology’s ATSC 3.0 coverage, see our ATSC3 silo.

LAS VEGAS—Five federal policymakers offered their familiar visions of core regulatory issues, including spectrum policy and net neutrality, during CES sessions. With the FCC Chairman absent because of death threats he has recently received, and Democratic Commissioner opting to skip the program, the sessions were largely status reports on activities at the FCC, NTIA and FTC. The on-stage discussion did not address the Commission’s split decision in November on ATSC 3.0 rules.

FCC Commissioners Brendan Carr, Mignon Clyburn and Michel O'Rielly

David Redl, who heads the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, opened the session by reading very quickly through prepared remarks, touching on spectrum policy, cyber-security, international governance and the development of telecom infrastructure, including sharing of bandwidth assigned to federal agencies. He promised that spectrum policy will be a major focus of NTIA this year, and the agency will work with industry to develop procedures to make better use of the airwaves.

“We must do everything we can this year and beyond to accelerate America’s 5G leadership,” he said. “With 5G set to drive demand for more access to spectrum, we’ve been looking at bands across NTIA’s notorious spectrum chart.” Citing the 37 GHz band, he said NTIA is “optimistic” that “if we can get this right, it will serve as a model on how to handle sharing in other bands.”

Redl also emphasized NTIA���s prioritization of cybersecurity. 

After Redl’s speech, Julie Kearney, CTA’s VP-regulatory affairs, sat down for a chat with FCC Commissioners Mignon Clyburn, Brendan Carr and Michael O’Rielly.

O’Rielly said he expects a “busy and exciting year” in which the Commission will eliminate rules “that no longer make any sense,” citing Pai’s intent to delete aging regulations.

Commissioner Brendan Carr predicted, “We’ll unleash more innovation and greater investment.” He also said he expects that the policies will lead to broadband expansion.

Clyburn called the net neutrality decision and its aftermath as a “teachable moment.”

Kearney sought to extract opinion from the Commissioners about the need for or likelihood of an update of the Communications Act that steers their decision-making. Analysts acknowledge that Congressional action on such legislation is not currently on the drawing board.

O’Rielly said that a new law would mean that FCC wouldn’t have to “parse out meaning” from the 1934 communications legislation and subsequent laws.

Clyburn said she is hopeful that Congress will move in a way to recognize what the FCC, although she acknowledged that, “We’re not going to get a blueprint of everything that comes before us.”

At an earlier session, Federal Trade Commission Chairman Maureen Ohlhausen assured the audience that the FTC is ready to play a larger role in enforcing Open Internet regulations that are part of the FCC’s repeal of Title II classification.

“From the advent of the internet until 2015, the FTC played an active role,” she said. “Now that the Open Internet order was put out, eventually the authority is going to come back to the FTC.” 

CTA President Gary Shapiro, who interviewed Ohlhausen on stage, said that, “No other session in CES history has gotten as much pre-show attention” as the expected Pai participation.

Shapiro characterized CTA’s stance on neutrality as ‘very complex in terms of nuance.” He said that he believes Republicans and Democrats agree on “the most fundamental basic principle” that consumers should be able to get whatever they want.

LAS VEGAS—On the first day of CES, Tuesday, a record 1.33 inches of rain fell, the wettest one-day downpour since the Weather Service began keeping records in 1937.

On the second day of CES, at about 11:15 am, the lights flickered and went out in the massive Central Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center where the sprawling booths of Samsung, LG, Sony, Intel and hundreds more exhibits went dark. Thousands of visitors pulled out mobile handsets, hit the “flashlight” app, and edged out of the building; authorities said there were no injuries. Parts of the connector between Central and South Halls were also affected.

Initial reports indicated that Tuesday’s downpour affected the LVCC transformers and also the back-up generators; officials continue to investigate the cause for the blackout. Others shrugged at the streak of bad luck in Vegas—rain and a blackout—wondering what might happen next.

Many attendees admitted immediately that when the lights went off with a small pop, their first thought was terrorism, while others discussed the irony of a high-tech exposition knocked low by fundamental electrical technology. A few wise-guys conjectured that it happened because someone said, “Alexa, turn off the lights.”

By the time, power returned at about 1 p.m., the crowds jamming the building’s periphery exploded in applause. But some exhibitors—such as Samsung—barricaded their booths for at least another hour while they rebooted devices (rather than have visitors see non-working products). 

LAS VEGAS—Viewers are figuring out ways to have their cake and eat it too when it comes to finding the right virtual MVPD. Most services will offer a free trial to allow users to test out their platform before making a financial commitment. However, this has led to what is being called “offer surfing,” where consumers switch from one provider to another to continue watching OTT content on free trials. The danger of this, according to “The Disruption of Internet TV: Programming Everywhere” panel at CES, is that it could condition consumers that they don’t need to pay for premium content.

To find out more, read the full story on TVT’s sister publication B&C.

LAS VEGAS—At a CES panel on Tuesday, panelists discussed that even though the media landscape is continuing to evolve, TV remains a major factor, particularly when it comes to advertising. “TV is alive and well. It’s just being refined, refined by the viewers,” said Peter Naylor, senior vice president, ad sales at Hulu.

The full article is available on TVT’s sister publication B&C.

LAS VEGAS—Although the weather outside the Las Vegas Convention Center was nothing short of frightful—more rain than anyone can remember in decades—this did nothing to dampen the spirits of scores of individuals who joined together inside to mark the delivery of the complete set of ATSC 3.0 DTV transmission standards. Mark Richer, president of the Advanced Television System Committee, was joined by Consumer Technology Association President and CEO, Gary Shapiro, and National Association of Broadcasters President and CEO, Gordon Smith in a 15-minute Consumer Electronics Show opening-day commemoration marking the event.

(L-R) Gary Shapiro, Gordon Smith, and Mark Richer offer a toast to the now-complete ATSC 3.0 DTV standard.

The ceremony—which had to be slightly delayed due to the weather-related late arrival of Shapiro—began with Richer’s praising the work of the individuals who helped to architect the new television broadcast standard.

“ATSC is very pleased to announce a major milestone today,” Richer began. “We’re celebrating the release of the complete suite of the ATSC 3.0 standard. This would not have been possible without the work of hundreds of individuals who spent tens of thousands of hours of their time in this five-year effort.”

In his remarks, Richer paraphrased the words of one of Winston Churchill’s World War II-era speeches.

“This is not the end; this is the end of the beginning,” he said, speaking with regard to the full rollout of the standard.

Richer also recognized that partnership of the consumer technology group and the NAB in bringing the standard to fruition. “ATSC 3.0 would not have been possible without industry collaboration—especially the collaboration of the NAB and CTA. It’s fitting that they are here to help celebrate this moment.”

Next on the platform was the NAB’s Smith, who was equally laudatory in his remarks.

“We have many people to thank for this ‘end of the beginning,’” said Smith. “Broadcasters now are the cornerstone partner in advancing this next chapter of broadcast television. And it is truly promising and remarkable, and there are so very many people to thank—certainly LG and Samsung and other television manufacturers who have stepped up to make this possible. We also want to thank the Pearl group, Sinclair, and so many others who have had this as a passion, and NAB enjoys this passion with them.”

Smith also saluted the FCC for their November decision to allow broadcasters to begin deploying ATSC 3.0.

“I want to thank the chairman and the other commissioners who [were] so central in providing this leadership so investment could occur and improvements could be offered for the future American viewer.”

The CTA’s Shapiro closed out the program by thanking the other organizations for their partnership in the effort and observing the significance of the moment.

“We’re celebrating a milestone today,” he said. “That’s a really big thing. [ATSC] 3.0 has now made it to deployment. The release is very significant.”

The ceremony concluded with a champagne toast to the successful completion of the standard.

WHERE ARE THE 3.0 TELEVISIONS?

With this event as prologue, one might imagine that CES exhibitors would also be touting the standard, and eager to show off their ATSC 3.0-capable television sets and other devices. This wasn’t the case however. An exhibition floor survey of all of the big-name TV manufacturers—and a number of lesser ones as well—revealed that 3.0 devices were not on display this year, despite several off-air demonstrations featured in recent years at the show.

Richard Chernock

Richard Chernock, one of the ATSC 3.0 committee members, and also chief technology officer at Triveni Digital, offered his thoughts on the absence of 3.0-driven devices.

“I think it might be a little bit on the early side,” said Chernock. “This year I expect to see [ATSC 3.0] broadcast happening. I expect to see it on the air. [However], consumer electronics manufacturers can’t really sell the TVs unless there are sources to watch. They’ve very concerned about returns, because there’s nothing to tune in. So, I think this year we’re going to see the broadcasters starting up—putting the signals on the air. I expect to see a lot of ATSC 3.0 at the CES next year.”

ATSC 3.0 IN THE AIR AND ON THE AIR IN LAS VEGAS

Despite the absence of ATSC 3.0 technology at the CES proper, demonstrations of the new standard were taking place just a few blocks away from the convention hall. Both the Sinclair Broadcast Group and Pearl TV set up shop in suites on the 37th floor of the Wynn Hotel to show off some of the features and functionality available with ATSC 3.0, as well as to discuss the evolution in television business models it may drive.

Mark Aitken, Sinclair’s vice president of advanced technology, and strong ATSC 3.0 promoter, was eager to describe the technology being shown in Sinclair’s suite.

“We’ve been engaged for the last two years with dozens of vendors in all areas of the ATSC 3.0 ecosystem to come up with a comprehensive cloud-based approach,” said Aitken. “We not only have storage, ingest, scheduling and playout all happening from the cloud, [but] it’s an end-to-end system.

“We’re demonstrating the ability to do ad insertion within the context of the ATSC standard. We have the ability to direct dynamic ads and services to different segments of viewers and consumers. We’re driving that across a complete ATSC 3.0 link with program guide. On the receiver side, we’re bringing together over-the-air with OTT with pre-positioned product. So the hybrid nature of ATSC 3.0 will be demonstrated as part of the consumer experience. Perhaps the most important piece is showing the ability to collect data and bring that data back into the front end of the system.

“The reason that we’re exhibiting at this show is that we believe that we have a launch strategy and a business strategy. If we just think of ATSC 3.0 as only better television, then we’ve lost all of the upside of 3.0. It’s so much more than just better television.”

Aitken noted that with the completion and acceptance of the ATSC 3.0 standard, the time for experimentation was over and the initiation of regular broadcast service had begun. He said that the goal of Sinclair and other ATSC 3.0 promoters is to get a number of full-time 3.0 stations on the air in 2018.

“We will be driving two dozen markets to light up in 3.0 this year.”

Sony’s Luke Fay explains the Pearl TV/Sony CES demonstration.

Just down the corridor from the Sinclair demo, ATSC 3.0 over-the-air television was on the air, albeit in a small way. Channel 20, licensed as station WM9XEH for the duration of the 2018 CES, was radiating a flea-power level ATSC 3.0 signal to multiple receiving devices as part of a Pearl TV/Sony Electronics joint venture to demonstrate the potential of 3.0, which includes interactive an on-screen program guide and enhanced content navigation capabilities. The demo is a prelude to a planned full-blown implementation in Arizona termed the “Phoenix model market project.”

According to Ann Schelle, Pearl TV’s managing director, this initiative will be “the first fully-compliant implementation of an ATSC 3.0 interactive environment.”

The project will involve 10 Phoenix-area TV broadcasters.

“This innovative platform will bring a state-of-the-are experience to the viewer, with interactivity, personalization and voice command support, both directly to the TV and indirectly through companion devices such as tablets and mobile phones,” said Schelle.

Luke Fay, senior manager of technology standards at Sony, was on hand to explain the technical setup used for the demonstrations, and to provide information about some of the advantages and features it could provide.

“The viewer can set filters such as ‘adult or child, food and dining, house and gardening, or travel or cars’ to provide choices in targeted advertising,” he said. 

A second demonstration in the suite involved the coupling of a Google Alexa device with an on-screen program guide to allow a viewer to navigate through program choices without the use of a remote control.

For a comprehensive list of TV Technology’s ATSC 3.0 coverage, see our ATSC3 silo.

LAS VEGAS—Adding new meaning to the ubiquitous “smart television,” LG, Samsung, Sony and other manufacturers unveiled plans to put artificial intelligence capabilities into future displays, including deals with Amazon, Google and others to integrate their voice-response personal assistants into various devices. The blizzard of new—or updated—TV-related technologies unveiled at CES included “micro light emitting diode” (MLED) as an alternative to OLED and QLED, plus the latest iteration of thin “roll-up” (window shade) display panels.

ATSC 3.0 technologies, meanwhile, are popping up on the periphery of the sprawling CES exhibit halls, including presentations by the Pearl TV consortium and Sinclair Broadcasting about their plans for NextGen TV. 

Although the CES exhibit halls officially open on Tuesday (Jan. 9) morning, vendors previewed their products on Sunday night and Monday. In addition to the familiar—and competitive—products from familiar Japanese and Korean manufacturers, Chinese companies such as TCL and Hisense aggressively stepped up their flat-panel offerings, and nVidia, the California chip-maker known for its game processors and AI developments, jumped into the display business.

nVidia’s first monitor is a 65-inch 4K “big format gaming display”(BFGD), which will feature low latency (a “must” for gamers) plus 120Hz refresh rates, full-array backlighting, a peak brightness of 1,000 nits and full DCI-P3 color gamut support. nVidia will work with ASUS, Acer and Hewlett-Packard to build the screens, which analysts point out is a group without much experience in producing big-screen displays. For now, nVidia said that it expects customers to use these large screen at their PC/gaming locations—not as primary television viewing monitors.

LG has set up an open partnership model with Google and Amazon to use their voice controlled AI systems for TVs and for other LG devices, including appliances, on the “ThinQ” platform. LG’s OLED TV sets use an Alpha 9 processor and include 4K HDR and Dolby Atmos sound. LG also unveiled Super UHD LCD products with “nano cell” display, which the company said will provide richer, more accurate colors from wider viewing angles.

Samsung’s new line-up includes a 146-inch “self-emissive” LCD using the MLED technology which puts more than 10,000 separate LED dimming zones on the screen. MLED uses Quantum Dots arrayed atop an inorganic self-emissive diode, which Samsung claims will eliminated heat or color degradation. Although Samsung does not appear ready to bring the device to market quickly, analysts said that presentation suggests that MLED is relatively close to delivery.

Samsung also unveiled 8K “micro full array sets,” including 85-inch and 65-inch models which use a lighting system that delivers 4,000 nits of brightness. The company has also developed 8K upscaling algorithms, which it says enhance detail and pixel depth, remove jagged edges and reduce video noise.

Panasonic introduced its first UHD OLEDs and UHD Blu-ray players, although its displays will not be sold in the U.S. now, except to the professional/production market. A company executive told TV Technology that Panasonic has not abandoned the U.;S. market, despite its shifting focus in recent years toward enterprise solutions (its CES exhibit focuses on smart cities, vehicle and other non-video-centric products). Nonetheless, the Panasonic demo included products that support HDR in devices ranging from cameras and video security systems.

Among the new offerings from Chinese makers, Hisense has integrated Amazon’s Alexa into some of its TV sets and is using quantum dot technology. TCL has added next-generation Roku TV to its line.

ANALYST PERCEPTION PLUS NEXTGEN TV PLANS

“It’s not about the display; it’s about the processor,” said Greg Harper, president of Harpervision, a New York technology consulting firm, who compared the different approaches. “Everyone showed faster, better processors to get better pictures.”

“The bottom line is that everyone has their own ways of getting absolute blacks. The differentiation is how you process the metadata coming from HDR, Dolbyvision or other systems,” Harper added.

Sony has teamed up with Pearl to develop an ATSC 3.0 application environment, including an on-screen navigation tool that will be used in the Phoenix “model market” project.

“Our finished product for the Phoenix Model Market will be the first Electronic Service Guide with program information from both broadcasters and multichannel providers built with ATSC 3.0 technology,” said Anne Schelle, managing director of Pearl TV. It will include personalization and voice command support, both directly to the TV and indirectly through companion devices. Pearl is demonstrating its plans privately at a Las Vegas hotel.

Meanwhile, ONE Media, the next-gen venture allied with Sinclair Broadcasting, is privately showing its “Concept Vison Demo” in collaboration with Gaian, the Indian chip-maker that Sinclair bought last year. The presentation, at the same hotel as Pearl TV, includes AI, cognitive applications including content scheduling, playout, preparation, transport and dynamic ad insertion. ONE Media’s Mark Aitken characterized the demonstration as one that “brings OTA and OTT together…creating a truly transactional platform.” 

For a comprehensive list of TV Technology’s ATSC 3.0 coverage, see our ATSC3 silo.

LAS VEGAS—Rather than spending an inordinate amount of time on 2018 new product introductions, which included updated versions of the company's flagship OLED and LCD UHD TVs and its total wireless in-ear buds, Sony president and CEO Kaz Hirai instead spent the majority of his unusually brief—and unusually solo —CES presentationon the future of video processing, video imaging sensors, voice assistant ecosystem, and the combined disruptive potential ofAI and robotics.

Sony's X900F 4K HDR TV series

"In the space of consumer electronics, I strongly believe that there is still so much that we can do to innovate and to bring you the most meaningful creative and entertainment experiences through our products," Hirai stated.

But the star of the present were the company's new products. The products Hirai announced, all due this spring, included:

• Sony's second-gen OLED, the Bravia A8F series;

• The X900F series LCD LED UHDs, available in sizes up to 85 inches;

• The HT-Z9F, the first 3.1-channel soundbar to support Dolby Atmos;

• The WF-SP700N totally wireless buds, which for the first time are splash-proof and feature noise canceling, and which will also be available in a behind-the-neck style, the WI-SP600N;

• LSPX-A1 4K ultra-short-throw projector, part of Sony's Life Space UX products, incorporate integrated speakers to help reduce gadget clutter

The most radical product change was also the most pedantic. Instead of the controversial angled easel with an integrated woofer of the company's initial OLED, the A1E, the new A8F features a "new design that minimizes the footprint allowing A8F to be positioned in a wider range of locations" ­– in other words, a more traditional perpendicular vertical stand, with the woofer built onto the rear of the set. The A8F retains the A1E's Acoustic Surface technology that allows the screen to double as a speaker.

Hirai initially touted Sony's successful 2017, buoyed by the performance of PlayStation 4 (73.6 million total aggregate units) and the strong response for Sony VR ("over" 2 million units) and projecting "positive financial results" for 2018.

Addressing the future, Hirai previewed a next-generation X1 Ultimate video processing chip prototype packed with twice the processing power of the current X1 Extreme, and capable of real-time processing of full-spec HDR content with up to 10,000 nits of peak brightness. The Sony booth features side-by-side X1 Extreme vs X1 Ultimate comparisons on 85-inch 8K LCD and 65-inch 4K OLED sets.

Hirai also boasted that Sony's imaging sensors, found in a wide variety of competitors' smartphones, are equipped with "more visual acuity than the human eye, to see the unseen." Hirai explained this high visual acuity made Sony imaging sensors ideal as sensors in autonomous vehicles. Using up to 10 sensors enabled a 360-degree field of vision that could "see" what humans could not, increasing the safety of the passengers and everyone on the road.

Sony's leader announced an increase in the company's voice assistant-compatible devices, which plans to expand the integration of Google Assistant into last year's 1000X series of wireless noise canceling headphones as well as the newly announced WF-SP700N and WI-SP600N. "Through this increase in our compatible device lineup, we hope the Google Assistant will provide smart features to our customers in all parts of their daily lives, be it in the home or on the go," Hirai noted.

At its booth in the Central Hall, Sony will conduct audio assistant demonstrations in a simulated living room and kitchen featuring a variety of Sony's Google Assistant-enabled AV devices and Amazon Echo to control home appliances, deliver news and conduct online shopping.

Finally, Hirai noted the powerful combination of AI and robotics for both home and enterprise devices, citing several of the latter in Japan, and Sony's commitment to these two interwoven technologies.

As an example of how far AI and robotics had evolved, Hirai noted that the original Aibo robotic dog was released when robotics technology was still emerging. But last fall, the company announced an new, more intelligent Aibo for the 21st century, capitalizing on new AI to allow for a new level of learning and enhanced, richer experience. Hirai also let those who pre-ordered Aibo in November would be receiving one any day now.

This story first appeared on TVT's sister publication TWICE. 

LAS VEGAS—The HDMI LA (Licensing Administrator) hopes to publish the first HDMI 2.1 compliance test specifications in Q2 and roll out the rest in phases through Q3 and Q4, but certified products aren’t likely to be on the market this year, HDMI Forum executives said during CES 2018.

Nonetheless, some 2018 CE products could be available later this year with some 2.1 features enabled but without having undergone certification testing for those features, said Robert Blanchard, president of the HDMI Forum, which develops HDMI specs. A number of features will be ready for certification testing by year’s end, he added.

Some 2.1 features, such as eARC, could be added to some current products as firmware updates, he added, and in fact Marantz plans to add eARC firmware updates to some of its current AVRs at an unspecified date.

Forum executives would not speculate on when the first CE products with certified HDMI 2.1 ports would be available to consumers. Forum chairman Chris Pasqualino said the forum is trying to publish the first phase of compliance-test requirements in the second quarter and hopes the requirements for all testing will be ready in the third quarter, though the final requirements might also come in the fourth quarter. In terms of text, the size of the spec doubled over its predecessor, so “there is a lot to test,” he said

The forum is “highly focused on compliance testing,” Blanchard added.

Finalization of the 2.1 specification was originally promised for the second quarter of 2017 but slipped into the fourth quarter. The original due date was a best estimate that slipped because the forum received more comments in the comment period than expected.

In its CES booth, HDMI LA is hosting demos of three pre-production AVRs with eARC, ultra-high-speed bandwidth, ultra-high-speed cable dynamic HDR, and other 2.1 features.

The HDMI 2.1 spec, released by the HDMI Forum in late 2017 and licensed by the HDMI LA, boosts data throughput to 48Gbps from 18Gbps, supports 8K video for TVs, 5K and 10K video for ultra-wide-format commercial displays and ultra-wide consumer TVs, higher frame rates to 120 fps at resolutions from 4K to 10K, and features native support for potential future active-metadata HDR technologies. Ultra High Speed HDMI cables supporting HDMI 2.1 will be backward compatible with ports incorporating earlier versions of HDMI.

New Ultra High Speed HDMI cables with 48Gbps bandwidth, up from 18Gbps for Premium cables, will be needed to pass through 8K and 10K resolutions and 5K resolutions at 48 fps and up. Some 4K video will also need the extra bandwidth, such as 4K video at 48 fps with 12-bit color depth and 4:4:4 chroma.

The new cable creates extremely low EMI (electro-magnetic interference) to reduce interference with nearby wireless devices, the forum said. The cable is backward-compatible for use with the installed base of HDMI devices.

HDMI 2.1 also widens the bandwidth of the Audio Return Channel (ARC) to 38Mbps from 1Mbps, leaving ample room for bandwidth-intensive audio formats to pass from a TV to HDMI-equipped AV receivers and sound bars. The new ARC, dubbed eARC for enhanced ARC, adds support for such audio formats as Dolby TrueHD and DTS HD Master Audio and up to eight channels of 192kHz/24-bit sound.

The new ARC also eliminates interoperability problems between brands by moving device discovery from HDMI CEC to a new eARC data channel.

Though HDMI 2.0 already supports at least two dynamic-metadata technologies -- Dolby Vision and HDR 10+, HDMI 2.1 added native support for potential future active-metadata HDR technologies, thanks to its extensibility, said HDMI Forum president Robert Blanchard.

Video streams requiring the new cable include 4K video with 10-bit color depth, 48-60 fps and 4:4:4 chroma; most variations of 5K video; and all variations of 8K and 10K video.

Many high-res video streams will pass uncompressed through new Ultra High Speed HDMI cables, but Display Stream Compression (DSC) will kick in to squeeze through some streams whose uncompressed signal exceeds 48Gbps. Examples include 5K with 10-bit color depth, 100-120 fps and 4:4:4 chroma; 8K with 10 bits, 48-60 fps, and 4:2:0 chroma; and 10K with 10 bits, 24-30 fps, and 4:4:4 chroma.

Other enhancements in HDMI 2.1 include:

•  A variable refresh rate (VRR) to reduce or eliminate lag, stutter and frame tearing to deliver more fluid and better detailed gameplay. 

• Quick media switching (QMS) for movies and video to eliminate blank screens before content is displayed. 

• Quick frame transport (QFT) reduces latency for smoother no-lag gaming and real-time interactive virtual reality. 

• And auto low latency mode (ALLM), which automatically sets the ideal latency for smooth, lag-free and uninterrupted viewing and interactivity. 

This story first appeared on TVT's sister publication TWICE.

LAS VEGAS—Celebrating its centenary, Panasonic presented perhaps its most expansive array of new products at CES in years.

Tom Gebhardt, chairman and CEO, Panasonic Corporation of North America

Among the wide-ranging roster include the first-ever UHD OLEDs and UHD Blu-ray players with support for the HDR10+ dynamic metadata technology, a thin Technics soundbar, two new 4K camcorders, a hybrid GH5S DSLM 4K camera designed for professional filmmakers, an expandable HomeHawk Wi-Fi camera home security system, integration of Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant into the company’s auto head units, and two reference-class Technics turntables, as well as its previously announced GA10 Google Assistant smart speaker.

However, the new OLED UHDs are intended only for the European market and the professional market in the U.S., and only the premium DP-UB820 HDR10+ UHD Blu-ray player will be sold in the U.S. With the exception of the GH5S DSLRM (body $2,499, Feb. 2), no pricing or availability where made public on any of these new products.

The company also announced a new Digital Solutions Center (DSC), a B-to-B industrial resource with 200 software engineers focusing on combining the digital and physical worlds. Starting in April, the DSC will provide systems integration services developed on shared Cloud-based platforms and tailored primarily to North American customers in fields such as public safety, manufacturing, food and retail, logistics and theme parks.

HDR10+, the open, royalty-free HDR metadata platform created by 20th Century Fox, Panasonic and Samsung, will be included in four new Panasonic UHD OLED sets, 55- and 65-inch models in its FZ950 and FZ800 series that will be sold, at least initially, outside the U.S.; Panasonic’s first OLED, last year’s 77-inch EZ1000, will be carried over into 2018, also outside the U.S. The FZ950 series will be complemented by the thin “Tuned by Technics” Dynamic Blade soundbar.

Panasonic’s premium UB821 HDR10+ UHD Blu-ray player will be controllable via an Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant speakers, will support analog 7.1-channel audio for direct connection to a home theater system, includes dual HDMI outputs for isolating and transmitting 4K video and amplifier audio, and will be comparable with myriad high-res audio formats.

The new hybrid Lumix GH5S DSLRM (digital single lens mirrorless) incorporates a new 10.2-megapixel Digital MOS Sensor, and will be the world’s first camera to enable 4K 60p video recording in Cinema 4K (4096x2160) capable of internal 4:2:2

10-bit video recording up to Cinema 4K30p and internal 4:2:0 8-bit Cinema 4K60p, and will be both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.2 enabled.

In addition to the GH5S, Panasonic also unveiled two 4K camcorders, the professional HC-WXF1K and the consumer HC-VX1K, and a new flagship 2K model, the HC-V800K. Each offers wide-angle 25mm and 24x optical zoom lens, BSI MOS sensors, Leica Dicomar lenses, and improved 5-axis hybrid OIS.

Panasonic’s new HomeHawk remote home monitoring system, the KX-HN7000 series, can be configured as a single weather-resistant 172-degree HD front door Wi-Fi security camera or expanded to include up to 16 additional HD Wi-Fi cameras around and outside a home.

This story first appeared on TVT's sister publication TWICE. 

LAS VEGAS—CES attendees will get a sneak preview of what Philips has up its sleeve for 2019, as the company’s North American licensee, Funai Electric, has announced that it will demonstrate Philips TVs that have integrated Technicolor HDR.

The new Philips line will be compatible with Technicolor HDR technology, which simultaneously distributes HDR and SDR content through one single stream. The technology will be available with Philips TVs in the U.S. in 2019, to go in line with the expected release of ATSC 3.0.

Funai will display the prototype Philips TV sets throughout CES 2018.

LAS VEGAS—Samsung is going big at this year’s CES show and that’s not hyperbole, as one of the company’s main displays is its new 146-inch MicroLED TV display the company has dubbed “The Wall.” In addition to “The Wall,” Samsung showcased a TV that can upscale content to 8K and a Smart TV platform with Bixby and SmartThings integration at its First Look CES event.

“The Wall” is a self-emitting MicroLED TV that the company says is capable of delivering “incredible definition without restrictions to size, resolution or form.” Micrometer scale LEDs replace color filters and serve as their own source of light. The modular-based, bezel-less design enables customization of size and shape.

A QLED TV featuring 8K AI upscaling was also shown by Samsung. The technology is able to upscale standard definition content to 8K by employing an algorithm to adjust screen resolution based on the image quality characteristics of each scene, per Samsung; this includes elements like noise reduction and edge restoration function.

Samsung’s new 2018 Smart TV platform now comes with Bixby, SmartThings and Universal Guide. Bixby is an intelligent assistant platform from Samsung for easier interaction between the TV and consumers with voice analysis capabilities. The SmartThings integration will provide enhanced sharing, connectivity and control of the TV and sync with other devices. There will also be the launch of Universal Guide, which is an advanced program guide that can search for specific contet across apps and programs, as well as recommends content according to user preferences.

Samsung will feature these products at its CES booth, 15006. CES 2018 runs from Jan. 9-12 in Las Vegas.

LAS VEGAS—Whether a bottle of champagne will be popped remains to be seen, but ATSC is planning on celebrating nonetheless the expected delivery of the first complete set of ATSC 3.0 standards for deployment by the broadcasting industry next week during CES 2018. The Committee will host a commemorative event on Tuesday, Jan. 9, to mark the milestone.

The release of ATSC 3.0 comes after five years of development of the Next Gen TV standard. On hand during the event will be ATSC President Mark Richer, CTA President Gary Shapiro and NAB President and CEO Gordon Smith.

The event will take place at 11 a.m. PT on the CES Stage in the Grand Lobby of the Las Vegas Convention Center.

For a comprehensive list of TV Technology’s ATSC 3.0 coverage, see our ATSC3 silo.

LAS VEGAS—Get ready for more pixels at CES 2018, Jan. 9-12, in Las Vegas—a whole lot more pixels. LG Display plans to showcase its newly developed 88-inch 8K OLED display at the annual gathering.

“The successful development of the world’s first 8K OLED display is a milestone for the 8K era and underscores the exciting potential of OLED,” said In-Byung Kang, LG Display EVP and CTO, in a press release announcing the company’s plans to show feature the display at CES.

According to LG, the television, a reflection of its commitment to lead the high-end premium TV market, is the largest OLED display in the world. It offers 33 million pixels (7680×4320), or four times as many pixels as UHD and 16 times as many as Full-HD.

OLED technology is particularly useful in such high-resolution display applications because it is self-emissive and thus less affected by aperture ratio brightness loss, the company said. LCDs, which function as tiny light shutters, require higher brightness backlights to compensate for this brightness loss and thus use more power, LG said. LCD-based displays area also heavier and thicker than OLED displays because they need backlights.

LG Display says it is the only large-size OLED display manufacturer in the world.

While the recently authorized ATSC 3.0 television standard targets 4K UHD as its top resolution, nothing in the next-gen TV standard would preclude future iterations from supporting higher resolutions, such as 8K, according to a source familiar with the matter.

LAS VEGAS—If you can’t be in Las Vegas for CES 2018 this year there are expected to be a number of live streaming options available for viewers to get a taste of all that is going on. In quite a meta move, LiveU will actually be offering a live stream on just how some of these live streaming programming are being offered.

LiveU will host “LiveU Takeover,” a Facebook Live program that will feature special guests from the live streaming world to talk about how and what they are producing live at CES, according to LiveU’s press release. Some of the planned offerings include “Where at CES is Ben?” with live streaming producer Ben Ratner as he produces live content on the LiveU Facebook page with reporting from all around the CES floor; “Studio Takeover” will be live shows from the LiveU studio with hosts The Gadget Professor, Circa Pop Live with Shira Lazar and The Stream Geeks; LiveU also plans to conduct a “Takeover Our Green Room” contest, where CES attendees can win VIP access to LiveU’s green room, be on the show and even produce the live stream.

Viewers will be able to watch the live shows on Tuesday, Jan. 9, and Wednesday, Jan. 10, at 6 p.m. PT at Facebook.com/LiveU.Fans.

CES 2018 will run from Jan. 7-12 in Las Vegas.

STUTTGART, GERMANY—3 Screen Solutions, a provider of customized software solutions and services for multiscreen digital entertainment, will be present at the upcoming CES 2018 show with its 3Ready Custom Launcher. The 3Ready Rapid-Launch STB + Multiscreen system will be part of Google’s presentation of its Android TV Operator Tier system.

3SS debuted the 3Ready system in September 2016 and is designed to help service providers fast-track service launches for IPTV, OTT, satellite STB, cable STB and/or multiscreen devices. The system can help optimize Android-based STB and multiscreen deployments.

The 3Ready system works with the Android TV Operator Tier System, which now includes the new Android Oreo platform, to deliver new features, like pre-integrated Netflix and the ability to engage with subscribers directly.

CES 2018 will take place in Las Vegas from Jan. 9-12.

LAS VEGAS—ATSC 3.0 preparations and promises will permeate January’s International CES even though the technology itself will not be very visible in the sprawling exhibit halls.

With all five FCC commissioners on hand during the Jan. 9–12 event—including an on-stage chat with FCC Chairman Ajit Pai—plus the presence of all the major Next Gen TV proponents, ATSC 3.0 will certainly be a prevailing topic. Member broadcasters from the Pearl TV coalition, Advanced Television Standards Committee and large broadcasters, such as Sinclair, will be involved in multitudinous meetings about how to implement the ATSC 3.0 structure that the FCC outlined just seven weeks before CES opened.

And although Google and Amazon are not particularly identified with ATSC 3.0, their debuts as CES exhibitors are anticipated if for no other reason than the giant role they play in the multiplatform digital ecosystem. CES is loaded with content and technology crossover—and the Silicon Valley role is viewed with awe and dread, in some circles.

As for ATSC 3.0: “2018 will be a year of implementation for broadcasters and for consumer electronics manufacturers, so we expect there to be a lot of behind-the-scenes business discussions,” said Anne Schelle, managing director of Pearl TV, a coalition of broadcast groups targeting Next Gen TV. “CES will be an important meeting spot.”

Ultra high definition 4K displays, high dynamic range and advanced organic light-emitting diode (OLED) technologies will be the mainstays at many booths.

Citing the recently unveiled Phoenix Model Market project, a field trial involving multiple broadcasters and suppliers in Arizona, Schelle told TV Technology that “Pearl will be meeting [during CES]with many potential ecosystem vendors for the development of system infrastructure and consumer devices. What we learn in Phoenix will be critical for a successful deployment of Next Gen TV across the country.”

ATSC President Mark Richer agreed that broadcasters will be on the prowl at the show, an electronics extravaganza that originally focused on reception equipment but now extends into programming and many other resources for various video platforms.

“With the recent FCC action, there will certainly be a lot of conversations about the deployment of ATSC 3.0,” Richer said. “In addition, many of us will be looking at general consumer technology trends and how they might intersect with ATSC 3.0.”

Video product exhibitors such as Samsung, LG and Sony are keeping quiet about their devices until just before CES opens, although sources told TV Technology not to expect prototype 3.0 devices in their booths. With the growing presence of automotive electronics companies at the event, the electronics-makers are expected to privately show their visions for ways that ATSC 3.0 can be used to supply mobile telematics and entertainment directly to moving vehicles.

A Samsung spokesman said he couldn’t reveal Samsung’s CES plans before the show opens, but he did “applaud the FCC for adopting the next-generation broadcast TV standard.” He said the “modernized” standard will enable “robust reception, interactivity and many other features,” and he emphasized that, “Samsung engineers played a leading role in the development of the standard, and we are well-positioned to implement it in cutting-edge consumer devices as the market develops.”

TECHNOLOGY INTEGRATION
Karen Chupka, senior vice president, CES & Corporate Business Strategy at the Consumer Technology Association which produces CES, told TV Technology that television “continues to evolve,” with sets that are not just “bigger, better and smarter,” but “can do something beyond being hooked up to a linear video feed.” The evolution will be highlighted during the keynote panel “Reimagining Television” on Wednesday, Jan. 10. Hulu CEO Randy Freer and Turner Chairman/CEO John Martin will open the session.

“Having Hulu and Turner open the program demonstrates how TV has changed,” Chupka said. Freer and Martin will discuss a surprising “switch of sides” where technology companies are moving into content creation, while content companies are expanding their technology capabilities.

“Hulu and Turner are leading the way by developing strategic mehods to engage consumers, advertisers and content creators,” Chupka said.

Video and its many variations are spread throughout the sprawling CES show floor and conference sessions. Ultra high definition 4K displays, high dynamic range and advanced organic light emitting diode (OLED) technologies will be the mainstays at many booths, although LG, Samsung, Sony and the growing array of Chinese set-makers such as Hisense and TCL declined to reveal their product line-up. Nevertheless, the TV display presence at CES will be noticeably smaller in 2018, as brands such as Sharp and Toshiba have been acquired by Chinese manufacturers (often amidst much legal wrangling) and Panasonic has reduced its consumer market activities.

Getting Ready For the Crowds

“More than 170,000 people” is Karen Chupka’s official forecast for attendance at the 2018 International CES, although she hints that it won’t be a surprise if the final number approximates the crowd of 184,000 people at the 2017 show. The senior vice president, CES & Corporate Business Strategy for the Consumer Technology Association points out that all four days of the 2018 event will be on weekdays (Tuesday through Friday) rather than the traditional overlap with Saturday or Sunday. Hence, she says “people won’t be squeezing everything into two days,” which may spread out the throngs.

CTA predicts that more than 170,000 will attend the 2018 International CES.

Also spread out is the CES land mass: about 2.6 million square feet of exhibit space, about equal to 2017, with about the same number—4,000—exhibitors showing their wares.

CES is also reminding attendees of the increased safety and security measures, including photo IDs on all attendee and media badges, prohibition of rolling bags on the show floor and other restrictions “in line with guidance from federal law enforcement and industry best practices,” according to CTA.

Gary Arlen

CTA’s own forecasts suggest that UHD and HDR offer the best promise for sales of large screen TV sets. In its latest wholesale prediction, CTA said it expects 10.6 million “HDR-compatible” sets to go through the distribution pipeline this year (26 percent of total TV volume). It also foresees that the boost in 4K/HDR volume supports faster growth in big screen TVs (bigger than 40 inches).

“Accompanying the better-than-expected volumes are, naturally, lower-than-expected prices—but the [pricing] devil is in the details,” according to the CTA analysis.

The CES exhibit floor includes a new “Sport Zone” plus marketplaces (clusters of mosly small booths) on topics such as drones, artificial intelligence, robotics and smart cities. A new “Design and Source” marketplace will showcase companies that are “part designers and part original equipment manufacturers,” Chupka said.

Amazon will show its wares in large conference rooms at the Venetian, while Google has constructed a large temporary structure in the Central Plaza in front of the Las Vegas Contention Center. Neither company has yet disclosed what it will highlight in its exhibit areas, although their content services as well as their respcetive hardware (smartphones, e-readers and home assistants) are likely to be centerpieces of their displays.

TALKING SHOP
Pai’s sit-down conversation with CTA President/CEO Gary Shapiro on Wednesday at 11:30 a.m. is expected to cover net neutrality, Next Gen TV, connectivity, spectrum issues and other developments in broadband and competition policy that have rocked the Chairman’s first year at the helm. Immediately afterwards, Federal Trade Commission Acting Chairwoman Maureen Ohlhausen will sit down with Shapiro to discuss her agency’s role in privacy, the Internet of Things, disruptive innovation and other technological developments on the FTC agenda.

On CES’s opening afternoon (Tuesday at 3:30 p.m.), four FCC commissioners will offer a 2018 Preview roundtable. Commissioners Brendan Carr, Mignon Clyburn, Michael O’Reilly and Jessica Rosenworcel will join CTA Vice President for Regulatory Affairs Julie Kearney to examine 5G, broadband deployment, accessibility and other topics.

For more information, visit cesweb.org.

For a comprehensive list of TV Technology’s ATSC 3.0 coverage, see our ATSC3 silo.

FREMONT, CALIF.—The Virtual Reality Industry Forum (VRIF) announced the general availability of its first set of VR industry guidelines. It will present them during CES 2018 next month as part of a two-hour masterclass.

Topics included in the guidelines include VR content production, distribution, security and consumption, with a focus on the delivery ecosystem of 360-degree video with three degrees of freedom (3DOF). They also incorporate:

• Documentation of cross-industry interoperability points, based on ISO MPEG's Omnidirectional Media Format (OMAF); 
• Best industry practices for production of VR360 content, with an emphasis on human factors such as motion sickness; and
• Security considerations for VR360 streaming, including user privacy and content protection.

Other topics to be addressed in 2018 by VRIF include six degrees of freedom (6DOF), live VR services and support for high dynamic range (HDR). The group will outline its 2018 roadmap and showcase VR demonstrations from Fraunhofer and Qualcomm during its CES event, with speakers from Ericsson, Intel, Irdeto, Sky, TNO, Greenlight Insights and others.

“As virtual and augmented reality continue to evolve, the VRIF guidelines serve two main purposes: first, to support end-to-end interoperability across the virtual-reality ecosystem, from production to consumption, and second, to ensure a high-quality user experience,” said Rob Koenen, VRIF. “As the industry moves towards standardized VR solutions, we are also cooperating closely with other industry organizations including MPEG, 3GPP, DVB, VR Society and ITU to facilitate technology integration for VRIF member companies and other related partners.”

The masterclass will be held Jan. 8 from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Embassy Suites by Hilton at the Convention Center. Registration is now open. Member companies are encouraged to bring topics and suggestions to the various working groups for consideration.

VRIF launched at CES 2017 to further the availability of high-quality VR experiences for the benefit of consumers. It currently includes over 40 member organizations. 

This story originally appeared on TVT's sister publication TWICE. 

ARLINGTON, VA.—CTA has assembled a lineup of high-level executives from companies like Comcast, Discovery and YouTube for its C Space Keynote at the upcoming CES 2018 show. Set to speak is Nancy Dubuc, A&E Networks CEO; Marcien Jencks, Comcast Cable president of advertising; David Zaslav, CEO at Discovery Communications; Aryeh Bourkoff, LionTree LLC CEO; Kristin Patrick, PepsiCo senior vice president of global brand development; Michael E. Kassan, chairman and CEO, and Wenda Harris Millard, vice chairman, of MediaLink; and Robert Kyncl, the chief business officer at YouTube.

The keynote, presented by MediaLink, will take a look at how the business of content distribution is changing the landscape of the media, marketing, advertising and entertainment industries, according to CTA’s announcement.

“Consumers are regularly watching time-shifted content, and it’s important for marketers and the entertainment industry to shift business practices to meet consumer demand for anytime/anywhere access to video content,” said Karen Chupka, senior vice president, CES and corporate business strategy, CTA, about the keynote.

The keynote is scheduled to take place on Jan. 10 at 11:30 a.m. at the Monte Carlo’s Park Theater.

CES 2018 will take place from Jan. 9-12 in Las Vegas.

With CES 2018 right around the corner, TWICE spoke to Steve Koenig, senior director, market research, Consumer Technology Association (CTA), about trends and highlights visitors can expect from CES 2018.

TWICE: What do you consider the main tech trends in consumer electronics to be heading into CES?

Steve Koenig: CES is the global stage for innovation and the trends we see there are a mosaic of B2B and B2C (in the market) technologies. On the B2B front, we expect 5G, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and robotics to be major trends. For those “in the market” trends, look for: native interfaces (which includes speech recognition and biometric technology); augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) will further redefine our definition of realism; we will get a view of smart cities through a blend B2B and B2C technologies that will shape the future of urban life. CES 2018 will also highlight major tech trends in sports innovation, digital health and automotive technology.

TWICE:What tendencies do you expect to emerge out of this show?

Koenig: Increasing deployment of AI will further automate tasks and routines in meaningful ways — especially in the services sector. Digital assistants (e.g., Alexa, Google Assistant) will become omnipresent in our lives — from our phones, to our homes and vehicles. Wherever we are, they’ll be with us. Already this holiday, we’re seeing massive uptake of smart speakers (one vessel for digital assistants) as holiday gifts. This activity becomes the catalyst establishing voice-control (speech recognition) will become table stakes in the unfolding HMI story for consumer tech. And 2018 will be the year voice-shopping becomes a real sales channel — joining stores, online and mobile.

TWICE:Alexa was arguably the show-stealer at CES 2017, what do you think will wow the crowd this year?

Koenig: I think we’ll see an extension of the 2017 Alexa surprise in the broadening application of AI (including machine-learning, neural-networks and computer vision). The other “Whoa” factor related to AI at CES 2018 will be how rapidly these systems are improving. We’ll discover new capabilities and applications for AI that will amaze and inspire us.

TWICE: What advances do you expect to see in areas of virtual reality?

Koenig: Some of the most compelling advances in VR over the next year few years will be in content — that is, storytelling with this (still emerging) medium. Expect more short-form content across entertainment and brand-marketing. Also look for longer-form content stories to emerge that will totally transform “movie night.” On the hardware side, I expect more wireless solutions for headsets, but more significantly we’ll have new ways to sense and experience the virtual world; begging the question: What is reality?

TWICE:What will we see at the show in regards to artificial intelligence/robotics and autonomous vehicles?

Koenig: AI is the driving force behind the current robotics trend of migrating from task-based systems to those with a service orientation, which can range from companion robots in the home to systems design to function in a commercial setting. At CES 2018 we will learn about new use cases for these service robots and how in some cases they are automating certain tasks or just filling a role like a family companion. CES 2018 will initiate a new chapter in the evolving story of AI’s role in the self-driving vehicle. We will witness improvements in computer vision but also the processing power of AI systems enabling faster learning of the driving task but also decision-making on the open road.

TWICE:Do you think the development (and application) of blockchain technology will bring major changes to the tech sector?

Koenig: Blockchain technology holds some near-term promise for the financial sector in its ability to create an open source, secure and verifiable chain of transactions that, by design, is exceedingly hard to alter or defeat and eliminates much of the vulnerability inherent in introducing one or more intermediaries into an otherwise direct exchange of currency for goods or services. In establishing a peer-to-peer trust ledger in this way, blockchain also holds great promise for Internet security by, for example, helping a network of distributed IoT devices establish a private blockchain amongst themselves. By requiring each device on the network to constantly update, store and solve the next block in the blockchain, only computers that can decrypt and verify the next block in the chain will be allowed to connect to this private network.

TWICE:Do you expect quantum computers to become a short-term reality?

Koenig: Quantum computing is a reality but unfortunately at such a small scale to be of no use to the average person. Researchers have worked with quantum computing for 30-plus years and have proved that what was once theoretical is, in fact, possible. Currently, quantum computers can do fairly rudimentary math problems quickly, but scaling a quantum computer to a point where the greater speed would justify the expense and effort is, according to many in the field, at least 10 and perhaps 20 years away. So in the most literal sense, quantum computing is here, now. But building a universal computer capable of harnessing the power of quantum computing by running any code thrown at it (versus doing one specific type of calculations) is billions of dollars and several technical hurdles away from being anything more than theoretical.

TWICE:Cyber safety seems ever more important, yet one gets the feeling that the presence of smart devices in our lives is growing so fast that privacy and cybersafety can’t possibly keep up. What comfort can you offer to a consumer who wants smart devices but worries about this loss of personal privacy?

Koenig: As connections in the home rise so does the importance of practicing good online hygiene. This means putting the appropriate security measures in place to protect the home network (e.g., firewalls, security passwords, etc.). But also securing PCs and mobile devices (that can control smart-home devices). Lastly, users should practice safe online conduct and remain vigilant to ostensible threats—become healthy skeptics—given most threats come through common channels like your email inbox.

TWICE:For readers working specifically in the “home and business computing sector,” what new directions are you seeing?

Koenig: Expect to see new entrants in the server space and GPU arenas for high performance computing to support machine learning endeavors. On the consumer front we’re expecting to see more solutions like Samsung DeX that enable smartphones to function like PCs when attached to an external display and input devices (like keyboard/mouse).

TWICE:We hear a great deal of interest in products for the home — entertainment and smart-home/automation devices. What’s next that we should watch for in this?

Koenig: The general theme across home entertainment and smart home will be greater integration and support for digital assistants like Alexa and Google Assistant. For TVs, expect more video walls and less supersize displays. And we will probably see and learn more about micro-LED technology.

TWICE:CTA does research into what are the most (and least) commonly owned consumer technology products, from 4K Ultra HDTVs to wearables and in-car communications. Where are you seeing the biggest growth right now? Which categories are lagging?

Koenig: Based on CTA’s market research in 2017, some of the fastest growth categories in 2017 based on ownership include:

• 4K UHD TVs
• Smartphones
• Smart-home devices
• Smart watches
• Smart speakers (like Amazon Echo)
• Wearable activity trackers
• Wireless speakers (both portable and stationary)

Consumer tech categories that are declining include:

• E-readers
• DVD players
• Camcorders
• Portable game consoles
• Portable GPS devices
• MP3 Players
• Digital point-and-shoot cameras
• Cordless phones

TWICE:How do you interpret the growth of streaming video and its impact on shrink-wrapped product (DVDs, CDs, etc.) ... and where is that trend going?

Koenig: The growth of streaming media services (both video and audio) is a function of consumers’ on-demand expectations for access to content anytime and anywhere. That said, we still see demand for physical media for library content or high-quality versions (like 4K HDR). However, some consumers (typically older adults) still prefer physical media on principle.

TWICE: What about the decline in sales of TV sets?

Koenig: Year-to-date shipment volumes of LCD TVs through September were up 5 percent and we expect annual 2017 sales volume growth to remain positive. Where we are seeing decline in TV sales is in the under 40-inch size categories, which our current forecasts predict will fall 22 percent on a volume basis this year.

TWICE:Where do you see drone-technology headed?

Koenig: While we continue to see drones marketed in consumer sales channels for hobbyists and enthusiasts, drones are beginning to take flight in commercial and industrial applications to perform tasks with greater speed and efficiency than humans (like search/rescue operations or package delivery) or fill roles that are dangerous (such as building or bridge inspections).

This article originally appeared on TVT's sister publication TWICE. 

ARLINGTON, VA.—The Consumer Technology Association has opened up registration for CES 2018. The annual show that highlights a wide range of future technologies is scheduled to take place in Las Vegas from Jan. 9-12.

A new feature for this year’s show is that CES badges will feature a photo ID, so registrants should have a recent photo available to upload in the credentials section.

Another new step in registration is the requirement of a unique email address. When the process is completed, registrants will receive a verification email that is required for final confirmation.

Registration is available on the CES website.