AUSTIN, Texas—Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton today announced lawsuits against Sony, Samsung, LG, Hisense and TCL Technology Group Corp., accusing them of secretly recording what Texans watch in their homes.

Hisense and TCL are both based in China, which Paxton’s office says raises serious concerns about consumer data harvesting. The situation is exacerbated by China’s National Security Law, which allows its government to collect data on U.S. consumers.

At issue is the use of Automated Content Recognition (ACR) technology, which Paxton alleges unlawfully collects personal data. ACR software can capture screenshots of a user’s TV display every 500 milliseconds, monitor viewing in real time and transmit that information to the company without the knowledge or consent of viewers, the AG’s office said.

Consumer electronics companies can then sell the consumer data ACR collects to target ads across platforms for a profit. The attorney general alleges that the practice puts sensitive consumer information, such as passwords and bank information, at risk.

“Companies, especially those connected to the Chinese Communist Party, have no business illegally recording Americans’ devices inside their own homes,” said Paxton. “This conduct is invasive, deceptive and unlawful. The fundamental right to privacy will be protected in Texas because owning a television does not mean surrendering your personal information to Big Tech or foreign adversaries.”

The lawsuits against Sony, Samsung, LG, Hisense and TCL are available online.

SAN JOSE, Calif.—Roku has announced that the first smart projector using its Roku TV operating system, the Aurzen Roku TV Smart Projector D1R Cube, is now available in the U.S.

The projector is currently discounted from $249.99 to $179.99 on Amazon.

Roku said that the Aurzen Roku TV Smart Projector D1R Cube is designed for both indoor and outdoor use, on any wall or screen.

With a single Roku remote, along with integrated auto focus and auto keystone, the projector supports variable screen sizes, giving users the flexibility to enjoy immersive entertainment at home or on the go, the company said.

“Whether you’re camping, grilling, or setting up a home theater, projectors have always promised a big-screen experience, but they often lacked the simplicity and smart connectivity that today’s viewers expect,” said Tom McFarland, vice president, Roku TV. “The Aurzen Roku TV Smart Projector changes that—combining Roku’s award-winning OS with effortless setup and access to thousands of movies, TV shows, and live channels.”

Roku described the key features as follows:

• The Roku experience users know and love in smart projector form, featuring an intuitive interface, guided setup, auto focus, and auto keystone correction.
• Snappy performance with a built-in Roku OS for a seamless streaming experience and access to thousands of premium titles, Roku Originals, 500+ live TV channels, and more.
• Wireless compatibility to effortlessly connect with Roku wireless speakers, soundbars, and subwoofers for a full home theater experience.
• Bluetooth headphone mode pairing that allows users to enjoy their shows and sports without distractions.
• Seamless integration with the Roku ecosystem, including Roku’s mobile app for voice command capabilities and remote control functionality, and Roku Smart Home for on-screen notifications and easy monitoring.
• Apple AirPlay compatibility to effortlessly stream music, videos, photos, podcasts, and games from any Apple device.
• Brightness: 330 ANSI lumens
• Resolution: 1080p Full HD
• Projection size: 40 – 150 inch
• Smart features: auto focus, auto keystone
• Audio: dual 5W speakers
• Connectivity: WiFi 2.4 and 5 GHz, Bluetooth 5.2, HDMI, USB, 3.5 mm audio out.

ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J.—LG Electronics (LG) is reporting that its efforts to add more news content to its LG Channels free streaming platform over the last year has been “a key driver” in producing double-digit increases in viewing year over year.

LG did not supply specific viewing figures.

As part of the effort to add more news content, it also reported that starting this month LG Channels news content can be accessed directly from the home screen via newly introduced News Portal. Rolled out via Q-Card in the U.S., on TVs running webOS 25, the hub for free streaming news channels is expected to expand to more platforms later this year.

Users can also still access news channels through the Electronic Program Guide (EPG) on their LG Smart TVs.

"Our goal with LG Channels has always been to make high-quality, relevant content accessible to everyone," said Chris Jo, head of the webOS Platform Business Center at the LG Media Entertainment Solution Company. "By working with trusted news providers and powerful broadcasters across regions and continuously improving how users discover and access content, we are making local and national news more approachable, timely and meaningful within everyday viewing."

The News Hub is made possible through partnerships and streaming agreements with such companies as NBCUniversal, Disney, Fox Television Stations, Bloomberg Media, Warner Bros. Discovery, Allen Media Group's Local Now, E.W. Scripps, Sinclair Broadcast Group and others.

LG Channels also provides localized content from Local Now channels, Allen Media Group's free news streaming service, which delivers over 220 local channels in every U.S. ZIP code.

Expanding its offerings for Spanish-speaking viewers, LG collaborated with NBCUniversal News Group earlier this year to introduce Telemundo Station Group's 24/7 streaming news channels. These channels – Telemundo Noticias California, Telemundo Noticias Texas, Telemundo Noticias Florida and Telemundo Noticias Noreste – deliver regional news coverage.

SAN JOSE, Calif.—Roku has announced that its 2025 Roku Select, Plus, and Pro Series televisions are now available in the U.S.

Designed for a high-quality experience, the new lineup of Roku-made TVs delivers seamless setup, fast performance, stunning picture quality and intuitive features such as a built-in remote finder, the company reported.

“Since launching our first Roku-made TVs two years ago, we’ve focused on creating products that marry our easy-to-use software with thoughtfully designed hardware to give our customers the best possible experience—something simple that both looks and sounds great,” Paul Nangeroni, senior director of product management at Roku, said. “Our 2025 lineup furthers that commitment with performance upgrades and intelligent features designed to take the guesswork out of getting the best picture and sound, no matter what you’re watching.”

The Roku Select Series will be available in a range of 24-inch to 85-inch sizes. Roku Plus and Pro Series are available in 55-, 65- and 75-inch sizes. Roku-made TVs are available nationwide at retailers including Best Buy, Walmart, Target and Amazon with prices beginning at under $130.

Roku described the features of the 2025 Pro Series as follows:

• “Life-like content: Roku is making its most premium TV line even better with a focus on improving the realism and accuracy of the content on the screen. With the majority of TV viewing now being streamed, Roku worked closely with content providers and supply chain partners to make streaming content more life-like, enhancing both the image processing and manufacturing quality of the latest Pro Series TVs.
• Roku’s most advanced video ever: The 2025 Pro Series features the next generation of Roku Smart Picture Max, Roku’s in-house image processing suite, which automatically adjusts picture settings on a scene-by-scene basis—improving motion clarity, correcting compression artifacts, and intelligently selecting the best picture mode for the content on screen. Complementing the software is a re-engineered Mini-LED backlight that produces sharper highlights and minimizes blooming with 75% higher dynamic contrast than the previous model, all with precision tone mapping and factory-calibrated color for lifelike images and video. Altogether, this results in Roku’s most advanced video pipeline to date, performing over 100 billion operations per frame to enhance detail, optimize picture quality, and deliver an inspiring viewing experience.
• Mini-LED with QLED color, a 120 Hz refresh rate, HDR10+ Adaptive, and Dolby Vision IQ deliver a brilliant picture with dazzling highlights, deep blacks and accurate color—now with 75% more dynamic contrast.
• Refined Roku Soundstage Audio, featuring side-firing Dolby Atmos speakers and enhanced tuning for clearer dialogue and deeper bass.
• Snappy performance with Wi-Fi 6 and a streamlined OS for quicker app launches and smoother navigation.
• Hands-free voice control for quick actions, easy streaming, and finding your lost remote.
• Game-ready features, including AMD FreeSync Premium Pro, ALLM, and 120-Hz refresh rate elevate the Pro Series experience.
• Headphone Mode with Bluetooth pairing lets you enjoy shows and sports your way—ideal in shared spaces or during quiet moments.
• Thin, modern, shadow-box aesthetic designed to flush-mount to the wall like a picture frame—transforming your TV into a work of art with Backdrops showcasing a free, curated catalog of digital artwork.
• Slim-profile Wall Mount Kit, an optional accessory designed by Roku with hinge and kickstand, for easy access to TV ports and cables.
• Streamlined setup with tool-free stands, integrated cable management, and a placement guide for easier wall mounting.
• The Roku Voice Remote Pro with backlit buttons, customizable shortcuts, a rechargeable battery with USB-C, and a remote finder built into the TV.”

Roku described the features of the 2025 Plus Series as follows:

• “Some of the best Pro Series features—now including Smart Picture Max: The 2025 Roku Plus Series brings many of Roku’s most celebrated Pro Series features to a broader audience, delivering high-end performance at an accessible price. Now equipped with Roku-tuned mini-LED backlighting and enhanced QLED color, the Plus Series delivers deeper blacks, better contrast, and life-like vibrancy. Smart Picture Max, previously a Pro Series exclusive, is now also available on the Plus Series, providing intelligent scene-by-scene adjustments that make everything from live sports to dramas look their best—no manual setting adjustments required.
• Smooth performance and a refined user experience: The Plus Series also adds thoughtful upgrades, such as an on-TV remote finder button, the same streamlined cable management introduced with the Pro Series, a new processor-and-memory architecture for faster navigation, and a built-in subwoofer for richer audio.”

All Roku-made TVs will ship with the latest software, including new features such as Daily Trivia, short-form content rows for effortless browsing, award badges for seamless discovery, personalized sports highlights and game-time mobile notifications. Additionally, the 2025 Roku-made TVs now support Bluetooth Headphone Mode for seamless private listening. Thanks to Roku’s refined software and optimized components, even the Select Series feels faster and more responsive, the company said.

With a wide range of sizes and thoughtful design upgrades, Roku-made TVs offer a perfect fit for every room—from bedrooms and kitchens to home theaters. Across the lineup, updates such as simplified cable management and clearly labeled, easy-to-reach ports make setup more intuitive than ever. This year, Roku’s helpful placement guide is available on all Pro Series models, as well as on Select Series TVs 65 inches and larger. The latest Select Series includes HD, FHD, and 4K models, now available in sizes up to 85 inches, with Dolby Audio on all models and HDR10+ support on 4K models, plus compatibility with expandable wireless surround sound.

For more information, please visit https://go.roku.com/roku-made-tvs.

Consumer spending worldwide on televisions and TV peripheral devices will buck the overall trend that will see a contraction in CE expenditures by $5.3 billion in 2024, according to newly released data from Stocklytics.com.

While overall spending on consumer electronics will fall 0.5% this year, consumers are expected to spend $4.6 billion more year-over-year in 2024 on TVs, radios and multimedia devices, such as digital cameras, headphones and speakers, reaching a total of $195.1 billion, the forecast said.

The biggest loser worldwide will be smartphones and landlines with an expected decline of $11.6 billion from $498 billion in 2023 to $486.7 billion this year, Stocklytics.com said citing a projection from Statista.

The second biggest loser will be desktop PCs, laptops, tablets, keyboards and monitors, which are expected to see a sales decline of $500 million from 2023 levels, to $314 billion, it said citing Statista.

Stocklytics.com also looked at where people will buy electronics. Worldwide nearly 78.3% of all consumer electronics sales will come from a brick-and-mortar store, the same as in 2023. Online sales will account for the remainder, it said.

By market, China will see the biggest revenue decline, a drop of 5% to $218.6 billion this year. There also will be a downturn in the United States. Revenue will fall 0.5% to $160 billion. Japan will see a decline of 1.2%, or $44.1 billion, and Brazil will experience a 0.6% drop, or $35.5 billion, according to the Stocklytics.com forecast.

India is the only market where spending on consumer electronics is expected to grow, with a 5% jump from $69.5 billion in 2023 to $73.1 billion this year, it said citing Statista.

More information is available at Stocklytics.com.  

SAN JOSE, Calif.—In the run-up to CES 2024, Roku has expanded its line-up of TVs with the announcement that it will begin offering Roku Pro Series TVs in the U.S. in the spring of 2024. 

The move expands the existing Roku-branded television lineup beyond the Roku Select and Plus Series TVs.

The Roku Pro Series, which will be available in the U.S. in spring 2024, are being offered in three sizes, 55”, 65”, and 75” and will be priced at under $1,500. 

“Roku Pro Series’ picture and audio quality, polished design, unique features, and ease-of-use bring the market leadership and innovation that Roku is known for to a TV made for streaming,” said Chris Larson, vice president, retail strategy, Roku. “As we hit 10 years of the Roku TV program, we believe this new line of TVs will set a new standard for an elevated streaming experience.”

Roku also announced that Roku Smart Picture, a new set of features, will come to the Roku TV program in spring 2024. 

Created by Roku’s Picture Quality Tuning Team for all Roku TV models, including the Roku Pro Series, Roku Smart Picture identifies what type of content is on a screen through methods including artificial intelligence, machine learning, and data from content partners to automatically adjust the picture for an optimized viewing experience – ensuring that consumers are getting the best presentation of their favorite content every time, the company said. 

For more information, visit: https://go.roku.com/pro-series. 

CORONA, Calif.—The consumer electronics maker TCL has announced it has been named the Official TV Partner of the NFL. 

The multi-year sponsorship partnership is part of TCL’s efforts to strengthen its brand as one of the top TV brands in North America and promote its big-screen TV lineup to the NFL’s massive fanbase. 

It also reflects the importance of sports viewing as a driver of sales of large-screen TVs. 

"As TV and sports have long been a winning marriage, becoming the Official TV Partner of the NFL gives TCL a strategic partnership to affirm its formula for success - high quality, unmatched performance, and exceptional value among consumers who expect the best," said Chris Hamdorf, senior vice president, TCL North America. "As we just proved at CES, our brand has grown globally and as our product offering expands beyond home theater, we are confident that aligning with the NFL will bolster our brand recognition and are thrilled to have them as a key partner to kick off this next chapter for TCL."

"The NFL is excited to welcome TCL as our Official TV Partner and look forward to our fans enjoying their technology through a superior television experience. Our broadcasts can only look as good as the TVs they're displayed on which makes TCL's products truly meaningful to the NFL experience," said Nana-Yaw Asamoah, senior vice president of partnership strategy and new business for the NFL. "The NFL spends a lot of time evaluating potential partners to ensure their products, performance, and culture match our standard for excellence and TCL is a perfect fit. We look forward to helping them continue to grow their brand recognition and business."

LONDON—Omdia's latest Display long-term demand forecast tracker indicates that the demand for flat panel displays for TVs and other devices will grow by 6.2% year-on-year (YoY) in 2023 after slumping to below normal levels in 2022. 

Display demand in 2022  fell by 6.9% year over year, making 2022 the first year in the history of the flat panel display industry in which area demand recorded negative growth, the researchers said. 

Panels for TVs account for about 80% of the demand, Omdia said.

Omdia expects that softened inflation and slowing interest rate hikes mean that the plummeting demand for flat panel displays has bottomed out, however. That will help the industry rebound to more normal levels of demand by the second half of 2023.

Ricky Park, senior principal analyst in Omdia's Display research practice noted that there are signs that global inflation has slowed and the economy is bottoming out. "Panel prices and retail prices that have fallen for more than a year can stimulate consumer sentiment, especially the recovery speed of demand for ultra-large sized TVs, which have seen a sharp decline in prices,” he said. “This will lead to a fast recovery in area demand."

Omdia expects OLED TV displays will increase its market share by improving image quality and reducing price. The over-70-inch TV market is expected to grow by more than 15% from 18 million units in 2022 to 21 million units in 2023. They are expected to exceed 20% of the total TV display market in 2023 for the first time. 

TV display takes around 80% of the total flat panel display market and TV display demand recovery influences total flat display area demand forecast, the researcher said. 

DURHAM, N.H.—New consumer research from Leichtman Research Group finds that watching video on connected devices is now a daily habit in many homes, with two in five adults (39%) watching video on a connected device each day but the usage, which jumped during the pandemic, is leveling off. 

The survey also found that the habit is widespread, both among pay TV subs and people without a pay TV service. About 35% of adults with a pay-TV service watch video via a connected TV device daily, compared to 50% of pay-TV non-subscribers.

Overall, 60% of adults watch video via a connected TV device at least weekly. That is about the same as 2020 (59%) but notably up from 52% in 2019, 40% in 2016, and 10% in 2011.

“Use of connected TV devices levelled off over the past year after being pulled forward due to the coronavirus pandemic last year,” said Bruce Leichtman, president and principal analyst for Leichtman Research Group, Inc. “Still, 39% of adults watch video on a TV via a connected device daily, and 60% at least weekly. Over 80% of TV households in the U.S. now have at least one connected TV device, with a mean of 4.1 devices per connected TV household."

Younger individuals are most likely to use connected TV devices. Among all ages 18-34, 54% watch video on a TV via a connected device daily, compared to 43% of ages 35-54 and 22% of ages 55+.

About 55% of TV households have at least one stand-alone streaming device, up from 49% in 2019, 33% in 2016, and 3% in 2011

In addition, about 43% of all TV sets in U.S. households are connected smart TVs, an increase from 32% in 2019, 19% in 2016, and 7% in 2014. 

But as usage has increased, spending on new sets is down as consumers are able to buy larger sets for less money. The survey found that spending on a new TV was about $530, down from $795 in 2016.

These findings are based on a survey of 2,000 TV households in the U.S., and are part of a new LRG study, `Connected TVs 2021.’ 

This is LRG’s eighteenth annual study on TVs in the U.S.

SAN BRUNO, Calif.—YouTube is growing its presence on TVs, as the video platform has shared that more and more people are streaming YouTube content on their connected TVs. Last December, YouTube reports that more than 120 million people in the U.S. streamed YouTube or YouTube TV on their TV screens.

YouTube says that while mobile still makes up its largest percentage of how its content is consumed, the TV screen has become its fastest growing viewing experience. The 120 million people tallied in December is up from the 100 million per month YouTube reported on in June 2020.

Additional details shared by YouTube include that younger viewers prefer to watch YouTube on a TV screen; also, December saw a quarter of logged-in YouTube CTV viewers in the U.S. watch content almost exclusively on the TV screen.

The move toward watching YouTube on TV screens is also impacting advertising, YouTube shared. As a result, for the 2021/2022 upfront season in the U.S., advertisers will be able to measure their YouTube CTV campaigns with Nielsen. YouTube also reported that 41% of all ad-supported streaming watch time in the U.S. happens on YouTube.

“All of this makes clear how CTV has opened a significant new chapter for video on YouTube and beyond,” the YouTube blog reads. 

LONDON—As stay-at-home orders sent streaming through the roof over the past 12 months, the TV remains the centerpiece for home entertainment. A quarter of all TV viewing in North America is now from streamed services, according to Nielsen. Households also upgraded their TV sets, setting a record for TV shipments in 2020, according to the Consumer Technology Association, which expects steady demand for displays in North America through 2021. An estimated 43 million units shipped this year will be sets over 70-inches and/or those with 8K UHD. 

TV vendors have had a tough time in recent years as consumers tended to pay more money, more frequently for smartphones. Greater attention from consumers on the value of the main screen and the maturation of a number of technical ingredients, which—combined, make for more immersive viewing experiences—has opened the window for TV makers with CES as ever the perfect place to launch a sales pitch. 

“The killer app for TV is TV,” is how Madeleine Noland, president of the ATSC, put it during a CES panel session about NextGen TV. ATSC research reveals that home viewers want higher resolution and enhanced audio (from built-in 3D speakers to sound bars and 21.1 channels). 

They also want higher dynamic range, higher frame rates and bigger displays and Filmmaker Mode, a button that sets a film’s color-palette, contrast, aspect ratio and frame rate supposedly as the director envisioned. In fact, they want the whole package to which can now be added “smart interactive personalization.” 

“What is exciting is the synergy between these consumer desires and today’s TVs, which are bringing these features to life,” she said. 

It’s been a while getting here. Michael Davies, senior vice president, field and technical for Fox Sports said on the same CES panel, that while visiting Japan last year he was “embarrassed” to admit that Fox was still broadcasting 720p SDR when the Japanese were talking about 8K. 

“We’ve been living with HDTV for 20 years,” he said. “It’s been a pretty slow roll from there. We had three 8K cameras at Super Bowl LIV but that pales beside the other 120 cameras we had there.”

AI AND UPSCALING

CTA predicts 8K TV sales will grow by 300% in 2021 albeit comprising a relatively small 1.7 million units. 

“Even in 4K there is limited content today,” acknowledged Grace Nolan, vice president, integrated marketing at Samsung. “It will be a little stretch to get to 8K on a more mainstream level—[but] we won’t get there unless the industry is pushing. It’s encouraging to see 8K games consoles [PS5 and Xbox Series X support 8K gaming] coming out. We will catch up with Japan.” 

In the meantime, vendors are relying on upscaling technology to make incoming lower-resolution pictures “8K-ish.” “We lean hard on AI and upscaling tech,” said Nolan. “The more data that is input into the TV, the better the processor is able to work to produce a more beautiful upscaled image.” 

Aside from UHD, HDR and enhanced audio, the other near universal component of TV hardware 2021 is applications for gamers. Larger, brighter screens with higher refresh rates and special gamer-only features as well as tie-ups with cloud gaming vendors should help TV brands shift more gear. 

Decoding the barrage of branding and acronyms, which go hand in hand with new TV launches is a minefield, and two in particular make for confusion this year: MiniLED and MicroLED. 

MiniLED could overtake LCD to become the main illumination source for the bulk of consumer electronics, let alone flat panel displays if news of recent developments comes to fruition. Apple is widely-rumored to be using MiniLED panels in its upcoming iPad Pro and MacBook upgrades. 

By siting tens of thousands of LEDs behind an LCD panel, combined with “dimming zones,” this technology helps deliver more precise differentiation between bright details without the light spilling into surrounding dark areas. Black levels, of course, have a direct impact on accurate color representation in SDR and HDR images but overall brightness levels are superior to those produced by OLEDs. 

MicroLED, the more expensive solution to manufacture, involves assigning microscopic LED arrays to individual pixels, therefore allowing even greater control over the picture brightness. Like OLED, this technology allows true blacks to be shown by switching any pixel off, but unlike OLED, MicroLED can deliver much brighter dynamic range and more impressive contrast. 

Compared with LCD technology, MicroLED displays offer better contrast, response times and energy efficiency. MicroLEDs form the basis of Sony’s Crystal LED screens, which it is now marketing to film and TV productions wanting to shoot on virtual sets. 

SAMSUNG

Samsung, the world’s largest TV seller, has made MiniLEDs the backlight system for its range of new NEO QLED TVs. By shrinking the LEDs to a 40th of their traditional size, Samsung is upping both brightness and black levels while allowing for more precision and less bleeding of bright areas into darker spots. 

The flagship 85-inch Neo QN900 comes with a bezel-less screen similar to the infinity screens of its Galaxy smartphone. It’s less than a centimeter thin too with the speakers embedded behind the screen. No price was given but this could cost north of $10k. 

An interesting feature is a “game bar,” which enables quick access to settings such as refresh rate and aspect ratio when attached to a PS5 or Xbox Series X. The aspect ratio can be changed from 21:9 to 32:9. It also supports 4K at 120fps, which is another must-have for gamers. 

Samsung’s CES headline generator though is its new MicroLED TVs, which come in 88-, 99- and 110-inches. Reports suggest that the largest one costs $156K and it’s only 4K. Two years ago Samsung was demonstrating this technology in an 8K 150-inch version called “The Wall” and directed at the business-to-business market. These consumer-grade monsters come with a “Multi View” feature that enables the screen to be split into four separate 55-inch pictures. Each of the four sections have their own separate volume control too.

LG

The world’s second best-selling TV brand is also introducing MicroLEDs into a range of displays it is calling “QNED.” The “Q” refers to sets’ uses of tiny “quantum dot” crystals to display colors. “N” refers to “nano cell” particles used to absorb unwanted light wavelengths to improve color reproduction and viewing angles; the ‘ED’ refers to “emitting diodes.” 

LG is packing 30,000 of these tiny LEDs into the back of its largest 86-inch screens to produce a contrast ratio of 1,000,000:1 when paired with up to nearly 2,500 dimming zones and advanced local dimming technology,” the company claimed. 

In a video presentation the company said, “The only way for LCDs to get bigger is for details to get more precise—hence ‘Mini-LED.’ Blacks that are deeper and more precise than any other of our LCD TVs.” 

However, LG’s premium picture quality will still be found in its OLED “Evo” range, which now comes with a new processor. During its press conference, LG said the Evo benefitted from “a new luminous element” that would deliver “punchy images with high clarity, detail and realism.” 

Gaming is a focus for LG too. It has a new partnership with Google, which will see Google Stadia run on its TVs while Amazon Twitch has earned a prized position on LG’s "magic" remote control. 

A prototype of a 48-inch OLED capable of bending 1000mm from a conventional flat screen into a curved display for greater immersion also targeted gamers.

PANASONIC

Panasonic majored on OLED and also zeroed in on gamers with its 55-inch and 65- inch JZ2000. The model is billed as having low latency and support for HDMI 2.1 variable refresh rates as well as frame rates up to 120fps. 

An AI processor can automatically detect what you’re watching or playing as well as the ambient light settings of the room you are in and calibrate settings including Dolby Vision IQ and HDR10+ Adaptive for optimal viewing. 

As an example, Panasonic said it can detect a football game and adjust the picture accordingly to help accentuate things like the grass on the field or how players look. The AI system will also give you a sound setting that feels like you’re in the stadium, Panasonic said. 

Alongside Dolby Atmos support, the TV comes with side and upward-firing built-in speakers, which create what the company calls 360-degree Soundscape Pro. 

HISENSE

Hisense is adding an 8K up-rezzing chip to its flagship ULED TVs later this year and will promote this through its official partnership with the rescheduled Euro 2020 soccer tournament. 

Bigger news from the Chinese vendor, though, was the unleashing of a massive 300- inch version of its TriChroma laser TV. These are laser projectors that use short throw technology to display 4K images on walls but Hisense has added a smart platform—AI cameras to support interaction like online karaoke and fitness and a TV tuner. 

“Laser TV is the only TV category which experienced growth in China last year,” said CEO Fisher Yu, who added that sales had rocketed 288% outside China in 2020. 

Since launching the first laser TV in 2014, Samsung, Sony and LG have followed suit with their own ranges.

WASHINGTON—2020 proved to be a banner year for TV shipments in the United States, topping the annual average by more than 6 million units and foreshadowing a couple more years of above average growth—the same timeframe NextGen TV will be approaching a consumer adoption inflection point, said Steve Koenig, vice president of Research for the Consumer Technology Association. 

Speaking during an Advanced Television Systems Committee-organized virtual CES conference Jan. 12, Koenig predicted what he called a “massive tailwind” for NextGen TV. 

“If there’s one truism in the TV market, it is that it is hypercompetitive,” he said. With more than 20 NextGen TV models shipped last year by LG Electronics, Samsung and Sony, the stage is set for more vendors to join in. Once they do, “the dominoes are going to fall very, very quickly because the market is so competitive,” he said.

According to CTA data gathered for its biannual industry forecast published in January and July, NextGen TV shipments in the U.S. will approach 25 million units by the end of 2024, Koenig said, adding that an aggressive rollout of ATSC 3.0 by broadcasters could encourage TV manufacturers to hasten their launch plans for NextGen TV models. “I think there’s a lot of potential for these sales to be pulled forward [in time],” he said.

Koenig was one of five panelists during the virtual “ATSC 3.0 At The Consumer’s Fingertips” session moderated by ATSC President Madeleine Noland. The others included Mark Aitken, senior vice president of Advanced Technology, Sinclair Broadcast Group; Alfred Chan, vice president of TV and Smart Home Business Unit, Mediatek; Nick Kelsey, CTO, SiliconDust; and John Taylor, senior vice president, LG Electronics USA.

NEXTGEN TV INFLECTION POINT

The predicted NextGen TV inflection point, which Koenig expects to occur sometime in 2023 or 2024, will follow what he described as “a historic year by a number of measures” for U.S. television shipments in 2020 when 46.4 million units were shipped—a dramatic increase over the annual average of 40 million units. 

“2020 just saw massive COVID-19 effects [on TV purchases],” he said. The “stay-at-home-culture” thrust upon Americans in response to the pandemic motivated consumers to upgrade their “flagship displays,” and buy additional TVs for others in their households, he said. 

Some parents even constructed online classrooms for their children using large screen TVs, and many employees forced to work from home purchased TVs—especially in March and April 2020—in place of hard-to-find computer monitors, he added.

“All of these reasons combined for an epic peak year in terms of shipment volume,” he said, adding that elevated shipments are expected for the next couple of years.

4K, 8K AND NEXTGEN TV

The CTA data also predicts the share of 4K Ultra HD television shipments will decline moving forward as 8K resolution sets capture a larger piece of the pie.

A “perennial dynamic” of the TV market is the reason, said Koenig. Consumers have demonstrated they want bigger and bigger TV screens, as long as they remain within their budget. “We see 8K evolving along with those so-called ultra-large displays [70-inch and larger],” he said.

Koenig noted that 2020 was the first time U.S. shipments of 70-inch or larger TVs crossed the 3 million unit mark. Shipments are expected to reach 3.3 million this year and approach 4 million annually in 2024, when 8K unit sales will reach a crest.

However, that’s not the case for NextGen TV. While currently both 8K and NextGen TV are positioned in the market in the premium tier of television features, unlike 8K, there is an opportunity for NextGen TV to be “democratized so that the size constraint is really not in play …,” he said. 

BEYOND TV SHIPMENTS

Sinclair’s Aitken updated attendees on the station groups’ NextGen TV progress, including the availability of a broadcast app, which is essentially a 3.0 browser of broadcast television, making Advanced Emergency Alerting and Informing available to viewers and offering additional information—like news, sports and weather—targeted at individuals.

Sinclair also has integrated its STIRR over-the-top offering with NextGen TV, offering three channels of video-on-demand and bringing that into the broadcast environment through the broadcast application, enabling viewers to navigate between live broadcast content and OTT content, he said. 

The broadcast group plans to launch eight more ATSC 3.0 markets in Q1 2021 and 12 more in the second quarter, with more launches anticipated throughout the year, he said.

SiliconDust’s Kelsey discussed the company’s HDHomerun 4K NextGen TV gateway. “The thing that’s really unique here is this is a gateway, and a gateway beats a set-top box,” said Kelsey. Rather than every TV in a household having a set-top box, a single HDHomerun 4K gateway delivers NextGen TV to every TV in the home.

In March 2021, the company plans to launch the HDHomerun Scribe 4K, a multichannel gateway with a whole-home DVR. DVR storage is easily expanded by dropping in more memory, he added.

Mediatek’s Chan discussed the company’s complete solution for ATSC 3.0, including its 3.0 demodulators and ATSC 3.0 middleware. Mediatek, which shipped about 107 million television system-on-chip (SOC) chips in 2020, is participating in trials of its 3.0 technology with major TV OEMs and expects the tests to be completed in Q3 2021, said Chan.

“Right now, I am very happy to tell you that we are absolutely ready with the demodulator second generation cost reduction,” he said. This generation of demod chip is cost efficient, smaller and consumes less power.

“The [SoC] platform is ready, and we see many cities—32 cities—on air now based on your [ATSC’s] website, and 2021 will be a remarkable year across the U.S. From the East Coast to West Coast we see deployments,” said Chan. “We think it is a very exciting time, and we’re ready for launch.”

LG Electronics’ Taylor echoed many of the observations of CTA’s Koenig. “2020 of course was a very challenging year for many reasons,” said Taylor. “But despite the pandemic, it played into the wheelhouse of ATSC 3 in many ways.” People were more focused on home entertainment and television played a central role in entertaining them.

Taylor praised broadcasters for their efforts during the pandemic to accelerate deployment of NextGen TV around the country. “We think the stars are aligning for 2021 being a NextGen TV tipping point in many ways with more stations on-air,” he said. 

A recording of the session is available on demand on the ATSC website. 

SAN FRANCISCO—People around the world are looking to enhance their entertainment experiences at home as many seek to maintain a connection with family and friends by sharing those experiences via technology as a workaround of orders that limit personal social interaction due to COVID-19, according to a new research from Wakefield Research conducted for Dolby Laboratories.

The survey found 86% of respondents, among the 5,000 people polled from the United States, China, India and France, engaged in activities like talking on the phone (45%), texting (44%), video chatting (43%) and having live chats (41%) while streaming the same entertainment. [The total adds up to more than 86% because some respondents used more than one method.]

Eighty-seven percent of those who engaged virtually in a shared experience noted this was the first time they ever did so, the survey shows.

“Despite all of the challenges of this past year, this study has illustrated the power of entertainment in bringing us together with those that are most important to us,” said John Couling, senior vice president, Commercial Partnerships, at Dolby Laboratories.

The survey also gave TV broadcasters considering launching NextGen TV service a reason to take heart. It found consumers are willing to pay more for enhanced picture or sound quality. A total of 82% of respondents plan to buy a new device in the next six months to upgrade their viewing experience, it found. 

Sixty-four percent report they are planning to upgrade their living room entertainment experience with the purchase of a new TV, soundbar, home theater speakers, receiver or streaming device. By generation, 73% of millennials plan to upgrade the living room experience, 68% of Gen Xers, 58% of Gen Zers and 50% of baby boomers, the survey found.

The survey also revealed that despite the proliferation of devices upon which to consume entertainment, TV still plays a huge role among older generations, especially in the U.S., where 65% of baby boomers say TV is their primary entertainment device. In France, 52% of baby boomers consider TV to be their No. 1 entertainment device. 

Spending on content over the past six months is also growing, the survey revealed. Gen Zers and millennials around the world are increasing what they spend on content, with U.S. millennials increasing spending by 38%. Taking a longer view, 97% of respondents from India say they increased spending on content of the past year, while 94% of respondents in China, 72% in the U.S. and 55% in France report the same, the survey found.

A total of 64% say they upgraded to a premium content service within the past six months. Reasons cited include using entertainment as a way to relax (62%), the social experience of watching with others (44%) and escapism from current events (33%), the survey found.

Wakefield Research conducted the quantitative research study between Oct. 1-16, 2020, among nationally representative adults 18 years old or older. Two thousand were surveyed in China and 1,000 each in France, India and the United States with quotas in each market to ensure accurate representation of adults 18-plus years old.

More information is available from Dolby Laboratories.

PORT WASHINGTON, N.Y.—It is often said bigger is better, and Americans are affirming that belief when it comes to their TVs, as a recent NPD Group research report finds that more U.S. consumers are opting for bigger TVs. The report also finds that consumers are taking less time between buying a new TV.

According to NPD’s “TV Ownership Trend Reports,” the number of installed TVs in the U.S. that are 60 inches or larger has increased to 15% from 11% from NPD’s previous report. Also, when consumers are buying a new TV, the average size of the replacement has gone up from 49 inches in November 2019 to 51 inches.

As far as how frequently people are updating their TVs, NPD found that the average age of installed TVs is 4.9 years, compared to 5.4 years in 2019.

Through November 2020, per NPD, TV sales were up 19% compared to the same period in 2019; this includes the percentage of TV sales for bigger models. TVs coming in at 65 inches were up 27%, while 70-inch and above TVs were up 82%. Combined, 65-inch and above TVs accounted for 21% of sales, up from 18% in 2019. NPD expects that number to increase by 2022 to about 27%.

There are other factors that consumers factored in when purchasing a new TV. HDR reportedly impacted 13% of replacement TV sales, while the availability of apps were a factor in 31% of sales, up from 23% in 2019.

“This year consumers saw the value in bigger screens and newer, more modern technology to support their entertainment needs,” said Stephen Baker, vice president, industry advisor for The NPD Group. “This commitment to new technology and the value it can provide to the consumer will be key for the continued growth in larger screen TVs in 2021 and beyond.”

Like most things in 2020, the pandemic also had an impact. As John Buffone, executive director, industry analyst with NPD’s Connected Intelligence, detailed, with people advised to stay at home and spending on other forms of entertainment (live events, movies) almost non-existent, U.S. consumers shifted that spending to improve their at-home experiences.

For more information, visit www.npd.com.  

DURHAM, N.H.—The last decade has seen a substantial increase of connected TV devices in U.S. homes, as Leichtman Research Group has shared new consumer research that 80% of U.S. TV households have at least one internet-connected TV device, up from 24% in 2010.

LRG identifies connected TV devices as smart TVs, stand-alone streaming devices, connected video game systems and/or connected Blu-ray players. The 80% mark is up from 74% in 2018.

As far as viewing habits surrounding connected TV devices, 40% of adults in U.S. TV households watch video on a TV via a connected device daily. That is compared to 29% in 2018, 12% in 2015 and 1% in 2010. Age range does impact use of connected TV devices—18% of adults 55 and older watch connected TV devices daily; that stat is 48% for those 35-54 and 55% for 18-34 year olds.

PLUS: Connected TV Usage Keeps Momentum as Traditional TV Viewing Normalizes

Additional findings from LRG include that of those with connected TV devices, 64% have three or more, with an average of 4.1 devices per household. Breaking it down be device, 58% of homes have at least one connected TV, while 56% have at least one stand-alone streaming device.

LRG says that there are now nearly 400 million connected TV devices in U.S. TV households, up from 250 million in 2016.

The full “Connected and 4K TVs 2020” study is available on LRG’s website. 

LONDON—The outlook for TV manufacturers does not look as rosy as it once did, as new display panel purchases could see a slump related to a potential coronavirus-related recession. This is according to a new study from Omdia.

There was the expectation that major upcoming sporting events, led by the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, would help lead to a boost in display panel sales, particularly among South Korean and Chinese TV manufacturers. China was anticipating a 5% increase in unit purchases in the second quarter of 2020 after they experience a 6% decrease in the first quarter of the year.

“Now these companies are growing increasingly apprehensive that the coronavirus pandemic will spur a global recession—an event that would impact television demand,” said Deborah Yang, director of display supply chain at Omdia. “As a result, TV makers need to revise their purchasing plans to accommodate potentially drastic changes in the level of demand.”

Such changes will first include supply chain disruptions that occurred as a result of coronavirus, like labor and component shortages, logistical problems and rising costs. Then, starting in April, per Omdia, they will have to take action to try mitigate the impact of the demand downturn.

Chinese TV makers were beginning to ramp up production of TV panels again, with most TV production expected to be completely resumed in the second quarter. 

Korean TV companies, meanwhile, were looking to push aggressive shipment plans in 2020, hoping to gain market share from industry rivals more impacted by the pandemic, Omdia says. But the spread of coronavirus in Europe could lead to Korean companies having to cut panel demand in the second quarter to reduce the risk of rising inventory.

“The question for TV makers is whether the market will recover quickly, or if it will face a persistent downturn,” said Yang. “TV display supply chain participants will need to prepare countermeasures for potential worse case scenarios now. Coronavirus has now become the most important swing factor influencing everything from demand, to supply, to the evolving TV competitive landscape.”

More information is available at Omdia’s website. 

LAS VEGAS—LG Electronics today announced it will offer six premium OLED TV models supporting ATSC 3.0 in 2020, ranging in size from 55 to 88 inches.

The announcement, made the day before the official opening of CES 2020, answers the question in the minds of many industry observers about whether or not ATSC 3.0 consumer receivers would actually make it to market in the United States, and offers one more indication for broadcasters that a voluntary transition to Next Gen TV will actually be able to seen by viewers.

“Speaking of futureproofing, another key change in 2020 is the official U.S. launch of Next Gen TV,” said Tim Alessi, director of new products for LG Electronics. “Next Gen TV is the new ATSC 3.0 broadcast standard, co-developed by LG, which is the world’s first internet protocol-based television standard.”

During the LG Electronics press presentation at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center, the company laid out several key strategies it is pursuing, including leveraging AI to enhance the lives of customers, and partnerships.

The Next Gen TV rollout is timed with this year’s expectation that more than 60 local TV stations covering around 70% of the U.S. viewing public will launch ATSC 3.0 service in 2020.

Briefly explaining the standard, as a marriage of broadband and broadcast, Alessi laid out how ATSC 3.0 will enable broadcasters to deliver 4K UHD, multidimensional sound and interactive content “among many other potential benefits,” he said.

All of the new 3.0 models will carry the Consumer Technology Association’s new Next Gen TV logo, he added.

While the announcement is a major step on the road to 3.0 success, reaction to the news among the mostly consumer electronics press in attendance was rather low-key.

Their interest was focused on the company’s new G10 OLED Gallery Series 65-inch OLED. With a thickness of only 20mm, the new television mounts flush to the wall without the need for a separate connection for source signals.

The company is also extending its lineup of 8K televisions with six new models, leveraging AI to scale content, touting the use of its new televisions as displays for gaming and supporting the UHD Alliance’s Filmmaker Mode to ensure what a filmmaker intended the audience sees is actually displayed on its televisions.

For a comprehensive source of TV Technology’s ATSC 3.0 coverage, see ourATSC3 silo.

LAS VEGAS—CES 2020 officially kicks off on Jan. 7, but Samsung offered a peek of what attendees will see on the show floor in terms of their new TV offerings. The lineup includes new models featuring MicroLED and QLED technology, as well as Samsung’s Lifestyle TV, the Sero.

Saying that it is home-ready, Samsung’s new TV model with MicroLED technology comes in 75-, 88-, 93-, 110- and 150-inch displays and feature next-generation screen technology with customization capabilities, the company says. With the 88- and 150-inch models, Samsung used a ultra-slim infinity design that virtually removes all four sides of the bezel so it looks like it blends into the wall. Customers can also connect multiple MicroLED panels together to create new combinations and adapt the TV to a specific space. Samsung also touts the models’ high resolution and peak brightness of 5,000 nits.

The company’s QLED offering will come in the form of the Q950TS QLED 8K TV. One of the new features with the Q950 model is the “infinity screen,” which produces a screen-to-body ratio of 99%. The TV is also equipped with the AI Quantum Processor 8K for 8K AI upscaling and deep-learning capabilities that can automatically upscale non-8K content to 8K. The AI Quantum Processor also powers Samsung’s open smart home platform, Tizen.

Additional image features for the Q950TS include Adaptive Picture to optimize the screen for both ambient conditions and individual images, and the adoption of AV1 codec to enable better compression rates and support HDR10+ technology, image dimensionality, brightness optimization and contrast ratio. The model also has new sound features like the Q-Symphony, Object Tracking Sound and Active Voice Amplifier for a more immersive and dynamic sound experience, per Samsung.

It was also announced that Samsung's 2020 QLED 8K TV lineup will offer ATSC 3.0 tuners.

Samsung also has its Lifestyle TV line, which at CES will be headlined by the Sero. Sero means “vertical” in Korean, and this model lives up to its name by having the ability to pivot between horizontal and vertical orientations. The model’s display orientation connects with users’ mobile devices to display content in the appropriate way. Having launched in South Korea in 2019, Samsung will roll out the Sero to global markets in 2020.

“As our lifestyles continue to evolve, the TV screen is evolving with them to provide consumers access to their favorite content and real-time information whenever and wherever they want it,” said Jong-hee Han, president of Visual Displays at Samsung Electronics. “As part of our vision of ‘Screens Everywhere,’ we’re thrilled to deliver a more vivid and connected at-home viewing experience by incorporating AI-enabled features and 8K technology into our displays.”

Samsung Electronics will showcase all of these TVs at their booth, GL-14.

More than a website, Instagram is becoming the go-to platform for creative portfolio work and giving potential customers a real look at who they might consider for their video project. The session “Instagram for Video Producers” will be presented at The Video Show, a two-day event in Washington, Dec. 4–5.

Today’s social media is all about engagement. Are you engaging correctly? Cinematographer Rob Adams will show you how Instagram's features can help you generate new leads, market your “storybrand” and give you an edge over your competition. He will share ways you can leverage Instagram to build your video business.

The Video Show caught up with Adams for just a minute ahead of the show.

The Video Show:What’s the most common misperception that people working in video may have about Instagram and how to use the platform for their business?

Rob Adams: This is a great question because I don’t think many people in the video business have given enough consideration to the power of Instagram overall, let alone form any misconceptions. However, I think the biggest misconception among those who have dabbled with Instagram is that, in terms of image professionals, Instagram is a platform for photographers. They couldn’t be more wrong.

Instagram, and Facebook for that matter, both favor video posts higher over still photo posts in their algorithms. They get more organic reach and better organize engagement than photo-only posts. That is, of course, how the algorithm is active at this point in time. That means these platforms are actually inclined more toward video posts.

Instagram and Facebook each have created video-only platforms with IGTV and Facebook Watch, respectively. Add in the fact that Instagram (and Facebook) Stories allow you to post 15-second videos in an endless string of vertical, temporary posts for instant reach, placement and tagging, and you have what it essentially is a video-centric platform. This creates boundless opportunities for business marketing and letting customers and clients see something video-wise about you and your product(s) 24/7.

TVS:You’ve done a great deal of work in weddings (and are speaking at The Video Show in a separate session on that theme). How has your work in weddings informed your work in other areas of video, and what can others learn from that?

RA: Filming and editing weddings and doing it well is one of the most under-rated, under-valued skills in all of video and filmmaking. Think about it this way: I have no script. I have no actors. No storyboard. I have minimal crew. I have no control over sets, lighting, sound and, most of all, I have zero control over time. And I still have to create an amazing product that people will spend thousands of dollars for.

This places me at a severe disadvantage in trying to create videos that have a Hollywood quality or even look like something more than a run-and-gun mess of footage. Where I’ve excelled in weddings at anticipating action, working and thinking quick on my feet with the deck stacked against me has made my scripted, storyboarded shoots so much easier. They’re a luxury. It’s also made me a far better editor. It’s one thing to be handed a bunch of amazing footage from a nicely scheduled, thoughtful shoot and have a plan for postproduction. But to have to take footage that essentially abides by an “It is what it is...” mentality, I’ve learned to edit sequences that are completely born in post, but surprisingly, work amazingly well in a creative context.

We have been able to formulize some things, but overall, you never know what you’re going to face with every shoot. Good wedding filmmakers have great insight into how to solve problems on-set, how to create beauty and drama where none exist and tend to be amazing storytellers. We also are forced to be people-pleasers and cannot sit back idly and wait for a director to call “Action!” In any business that is valuable knowledge and has helped me tremendously in my small- and large-scale commercial jobs. [Adams will also present the session “How Not to Screw Up a Wedding Video.”]

The Video Show will feature more than 100 sessions on nine presentation stages, as well as a dedicated screening room, demo areas, streaming studio and dynamic exhibit floor. Want to hear more about this topic? Visit thewebsiteto learn more and register.

SEOUL—Samsung is hopping back into the OLED market, the company’s CEO, Lee Dong-hoon, confirmed recently to The Korea Herald. “The company is making good efforts” to launch QD-OLED panels in the near future, Dong-hoon told the publication.

QD-OLED refers to "quantum dot organic light-emitting diode" panels, a hybrid of the quantum dot technology found in Samsung’s QLED TVs with OLED design from LG. When commercialized, these panels are expected to be used for TVs.

The technology is reported to use blue OLEDs as a backlight source, with red and green quantum dots printed over the top of the blue OLED layer.

While the company has not confirmed any investment plans as of yet for QD-OLED panels, it is expected that their production will come via converting recently shut down LCD production lines.

“With the LCD production cut, Samsung would accelerate commercialization of QD-OLED in order to maintain its leadership in the high-end display market,” an industry official told The Korea Herald.

No time table has been announced for when Samsung is expected to roll out QD-OLED TVs.

SAN FRANCISCO—How much would you be willing to pay to stop having to dig through your couch to find the TV remote? According to a new report from the Natural Resources Defense Council, the cost may actually be more than purchasing a smart speaker to hook up and control the TV.

In its report, “Energy Impacts of Smart Speakers and Video Streaming Devices,” the NRDC does find that most smart speaker (i.e. Amazon’s Alexa) and video streaming devices are energy efficient. Despite being turned on at all times, most only consume $1.50-$4 worth of electricity annually as smart speakersuse less than 2 W of electricity while they are in standby mode waiting for a command, while streaming devices (Roku, Google Chromecast) consume 3 W or less in standby.

But that conservation can be made moot if consumers are linking smart speakers to some TVs to access voice commands. When connected with some newer TVs, pairing a smart speaker with the TV can result in standby mode generating 1 W to more than 20 W, possibly doubling a TV’s overall annual energy use and add about $200 in energy costs over a TV’s lifetime. More broadly, such energy increases could have an impact on the annual national electricity consumption could increase by three to six coal-burning power plants’ worth of electricity. As a result, $1.3 billion to $2.5 billion could be added to U.S. consumers’ electric bills each year with one-fourth or half of TVs connected to smart speakers.

To address this, NRDC says that TV manufacturers must address this problem with updated designs.

“Our report should be a wake-up call for all TV manufacturers to improve their products to support hands-free operation without needlessly sucking massive amounts of energy as the next big energy vampires in our homes,” said Noah Horowitz, co-author of the report and director of NRDC’s Center for Energy Efficient Standards. “Up to $2.5 billion in extra electricity costs would be an appallingly high price for consumers and the environment to pay just to wake our TVs with a voice command.”

The full report is available here.

ARLINGTON, Va.—Thursday marks the tip-off of the 2019 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, more commonly known as March Madness. The first days of the tournament are a seemingly never-ending stream of buzzer beaters and upsets with fans sitting back and enjoying it all.

One key piece of that enjoyment though is the way in which people watch the games. Recent reports from the Consumer Technology Association indicate that people are upgrading their viewing experience with the latest models of TV sets offering bigger and better pictures.

In its 2019 Sales & Forecast report from January, CTA estimated that more than three-quarters of LCD TV shipments in 2019 will be for sets 40-inches or larger; TVs 65-inches and larger will account for about 18 percent. As for high-resolution technology, 4K TVs are expected to make up half of all TV sales—which is fitting with some of the tournament games being broadcast in 4K this year on DirecTV—while an estimated 1.35 million OLED TVs will be sold this year.

Cord-cutting continues to be a trend amongst consumers, but that doesn’t mean they want to miss any of the tournament action. Consumers are projected to spend up to $18.2 billion on live TV streaming packages, as many of those services have begun to offer packages that include live sports. For last year’s tournament, the NCAA reported a 28 percent increase of streams of the tournament and a 14 percent increase in hours watched.

Plus, March Madness is a great time to get TV deals.

The NCAA Tournament beings Thursday, March 21, and runs through April 8.

ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J.—LG will begin shipping its 2019 line of OLED and NanoCell TVs this month, although it didn’t provide pricing as of this posting.

The company also announced that the TVs, first unveiled at CES in January, will receive a midyear upgrade to support Apple AirPlay 2, Apple HomeKit and Amazon Alexa.

Features of the W9 (model 77/65W9), E9 (65/55E9), C9 (77/65/55C9) and B9 (65/55B9) include Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos, while select models support HDMI 2.1 for 4K viewing at 120 fps and have 4K high frame rate, automatic low latency mode (ALLM), variable refresh rate (VRR) and enhanced audio return channel (eARC).

They also feature LG’s second-gen Alpha 9 intelligent processor and deep learning technology, said to “recognize” content source quality and determine the best upgrade method for visual output. It also analyzes ambient conditions to achieve the optimal level of screen brightness, according to LG, as well fine-tunes audio and dialog settings.

While the TVs will receive support later this year for AirPlay 2, HomeKit and Amazon Alexa, they will ship with support for Google Assistant.

Sizes for the NanoCell TVs range from 49 to 86 inches.

LG’s OLED models will make up 20 percent of the company’s high-end TV portfolio, it said. It estimated that demand will reach 3.6 million units this year, 7 million units in 2020 and 10 million in 2021.

ALEXANDRIA, VA.—A new study finds the Trump Administration’s proposed tariffs on TVs from China would boost the price Americans pay for sets, costing an estimated $711 million next year.

The study, commissioned by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA) and National Retail Federation (NRF), finds the proposed tariffs will increase the price of TVs from China by 23 percent and increase prices for all TVs by 4 percent.

"These proposed tariffs are bad for the economy, businesses and American consumers," said Gary Shapiro, CEO and president, CTA.

The study relies on a model that reflects shifts to other sources that would occur if the tariff on Chinese products in four product areas –televisions, monitors, batteries and printers—were imposed.

[Read: The Top 10 Tech Trends For 2018: Juniper Research]

The results “show that, even accounting for alternative sources of supply, the proposed tariffs would have a negative impact on American consumers,” the study said.

As relates to TVs, the tariffs would result in U.S. consumers cutting back on television purchases by 7.8 percent, it found. “The net impact on the economy (the value of U.S. producer gains plus tariff revenues to the U.S. government, minus the value of consumer losses) is a hit of $322 million,” it said.

"China's unfair trade practices must be addressed, but as this study shows, tariffs aren't the answer and will punish U.S. consumers in the form of higher prices," said NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay.

NEW YORK—A new batch of acronyms are being used to describe the latest models of TVs that are dazzling and perplexing consumers. QD, QUHD, SUHD and ULED are quantum-dot technology that are currently available for TVs and our making their move to be the future of TVs, not the previously believed-successor OLED. IEEE takes a look at what is special about this new quantum-dot technology and how it is going to make the promised future of televisions finally a reality.

Read the full story from IEEE here.

NEW YORK—In 2008, LCD TVs outsold CRT model TVs for the first time and ever since the technology has been fading away into obscurity. There are some, however, who are taking on the responsibility of preserving and in some cases restoring these bits of TV history.

The full story can be found on The Verge.

Click on the Image to Enlarge

LYON, FRANCE—Consumers now have a range of devices that they can ingest content through, but rather than replacing one with another, a recent study from ReportLinker indicates that consumers in the U.S. are amassing a multitude of screens in their homes.

According to the report, the average U.S. household owns 7.3 screens. TV remains the most popular, with 93 percent of respondents saying they have one; digital devices are also becoming more prominent in homes, such as smartphones (79 percent), laptops (78 percent) and tablets (68 percent). Desktop computers (63 percent) and video game consoles (52 percent) also showed up in a majority of responders homes.

The study took a particular focus on children’s relation with certain devices in the home. The report showed that TV remains the most popular device overall with 62 percent of mentions, but that tablets are actually the most popular among children 10 and younger, with 47 percent of respondents said their children used tablets; a reported 58 percent of children five and younger use tablets. “This device has the potential to unseat TV as the favorite of future generations,” ReportLinker wrote in its summary.

To see the other results from the study, visit ReportLinker.

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.

AURORA, ILL.—A new line of outdoor TVs has been announced from Peerless-AV. The UltraView Outdoor TVs are weatherproof televisions available in 49-, 55- and 65-inch models.

55-inch UltraView Outdoor TV

The UltraView TVs are equipped with an LED backlight that provides full 1080p resolution. The TVs feature built-in weatherproof internal speakers and are capable of operating in temperatures that range from -24-degrees to 122-degrees Farenheit. It also comes with a waterproof and dustproof remote.

The 49-inch and 55-inch models are now available from Peerless-AV; the 65-inch model is slated to be released in July.