consumer electronics

The annual consumer electronics bazaar offered an important stage for fledgling NextGen TV this week, while also allowing varied glimpses at 5G, anticipatory technology and acres of beautiful new screens including the Samsung Sero that shifts from a horizontal to vertical perspective.

The 10-year slog taking a new generation of digital television broadcasting from a mere concept to a complete system capable of delivering IP-based video and other services to receivers in the U.S. homes is ending as 20 NextGen TV receivers are debuting this week at CES — effectively closing the loop in the ATSC 3.0 ecosystem that long concerned broadcasters and fueled naysayers.

The introductions by LG Electronics, Samsung and Sony mirror the initial nationwide rollout of NextGen TV service, powered by the ATSC 3.0 broadcasting standard, planned for more than 60 markets across the U.S.

LG Electronics announced Monday that 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 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 NextGen TV will actually be able to seen by viewers.

Set makers including Samsung and LG will support the mode, developed to disable motion smoothing and display movies in the way the filmmakers intended.

The annual consumer tech showcase will be awash in shiny gadgets, but it’s what those products tell us about the future that matters most.

The CES tech show in Las Vegas aims to offer some answers, many of which boil down to more streaming and more efforts to glue you to your phone. The show’s keynote addresses, once dominated by computer and chip makers, will this year feature executives from TV networks NBC and CBS and upstart video services like mobile-focused Quibi and free streamer Tubi. Topic one will be the streaming wars.

Next week’s CES in Las Vegas will once again take over the Strip with a sprawling, frenetic glimpse into tomorrow’s consumer technology. This time, NextGen TV will make its show floor debut, and hopes are high consumers will notice.

TV manufacturer Vizio has debuted Vizio Ads, a new business unit that will let brands, agencies and advertisers purchase TV ad inventory across the Vizio SmartCast platform. Ad inventory will be available within the launch and discovery environment, partner OTT apps and throughout Vizio’s WatchFree service.

A Magid survey finds that the 3.0 standard’s new capabilities are seen as both an innovative service and a key feature for future consumer considering upgrading their TV receivers.

Samsung’s 2020 business strategy for TV sales is simple: 8K or bust. With its QLED 4K TV sales being undercut by budget 4K TVs, Samsung plans to shift the market again, to a format that has (so far) very few competitors, but also very little native content.

If you’re shopping for a new TV, a new acronym should be on your radar: HDR, or High Dynamic Range. Soon it’ll be everywhere, but here’s why it’s worth a look now.

A new Magid survey reports consumers find the most value in the combination of features, with the pairing of 4K enhanced video with high dynamic range and immersive 3D audio having the broadest appeal.

Phil Kurz: I’ve had a few “aha” moments over the past couple of months when it comes to ATSC 3.0 that have given me some much-needed peace of mind. While I do believe the ATSC 3.0 standard offers TV broadcasters a legitimate path forward to compete with the burgeoning world of digital media alternatives, I must confess I have had a nagging feeling for some time about consumer uptake of Next Gen TV.