Television makeover sets agenda at CES

The humble television is in for a radical makeover, with manufacturers promising higherdefinition sets and smarter TVs as they battle to stay at the centre of home entertainment.

Unveiling new products to the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas yesterday, companies such as LG, Toshiba and Sharp showed off a new generation of ultra-high-definition TVs that have up to four times as many pixels as their predecessors.

The new generation of televisions will be available in more consumer-friendly sizes, ranging from 55-inch to 84-inch screen sizes. Sharp also unveiled plans for 8K TVs, and announced enhancements to its smart television platform that include split screens that allow viewers go online while watching television.

Consumers may be wary of the new television sets for some time, however, as a lack of native content and the high cost of the new technology may dampen enthusiasm.

Smart TV platforms

Panasonic also showed off its plans for smart TV platforms, with facial recognition, voice integration and customised home screens for different family members.

Computers and tablets running Microsoft’s latest touchscreen interface Windows 8 are also expected in abundance at the electronics show, with Lenovo showing off a new line of touch-optimised machines aimed at both consumers and businesses.

Also featuring heavily at the show are connected smart devices that turn consumer data into useful ways to help improve health and lifestyle through devices that monitor activity, blood pressure, sleep patterns and even food intake.

The Consumer Electronics Show officially opens today in Las Vegas, with about 156,000 visitors expected to walk through its doors before it closes at the end of the week.

Major technology firms such as Sony, Panasonic and Samsung are among the 3,000 firms exhibiting at the event. This year’s show has grown in floor size (by about 740sq/m) to more than 173,000sq/m.

However, with some of the major technology firms scaling down their presence at the show – Microsoft is no longer delivering the keynote speech and some firms are abandoning the show floor in favour of holding meetings at the many nearby hotels – questions have once again arisen about its future and whether CES will continue to play as big a part in the tech industry’s calendar in years to come.