Behind the Scenes at CES 2012

3D and Televisions

TV LCD manufacturers had continually slumping sales this past year after the high-definition conversion two years before. Manufacturers pinned their hopes on 3D TV but there has been a lack of content and consumers aren’t eager to upgrade.  This may change this year as the Summer Olympic Games are to be broadcast in 3D.  Televisions are also becoming more and more connected to the Internet and Smart TVs are a new buzzword.  3D may eventually just become another checkbox for a high-end set.

3D gaming is more compelling than watching 3D TV.  “Immersion” is the keyword here and with the latest games developed with 3D in mind, depth perception actually gives the player some advantages in aiming and maneuvering.  There were many 3D Vision and HD3D capable notebooks being demoed and some of the smaller screen notebooks, tablets and netbooks do not require glasses at all to view content in 3D as with the image below using glasses-free 3D by MasterImage.

It looks like all of the next generation consoles will probably offer 3D.  However, Sony’s chairman made it pretty clear not to expect the successor to the PS3 this year.

Smart Television

Smart TVs were on exhibit from Samsung, Sony, LG, and  …  Lenovo.  Since Lonovo is a computer maker, they probably want to remake the television into a PC.  The important thing that all of the manufacturers realize is that it is crucial that everything – all connected devices – needs to work together in a platform that is convenient and easy for the consumer to use.

Cameras, Audio & Video

We see familiar names everywhere.  TV sizes are getting bigger and now the 80″ screen size have been introduced.  Organic Light-Emitting Diode (OLED) displays have been promising technology for several years and LG finally introduced a 55″ HDTV for sale later this year.

Kodak had a much smaller display this year where they demoed product.

Plantronics and Turtle Beach were among the many companies demoing audio solutions.

Internet TV looked more impressive than last year, considering the freedom that it brings from cable and satellite provider’s rising costs. There is a lot of free content available and increasing options for video on demand. All kinds, including projectors, completely wireless and even dupic screens were demonstrated. Interactive touch screens were available in all sizes. Bigger is always better and 80″ is now available.  And thin a profile TV will always be in.

Handheld and Wireless

Mobile-phone companies introduced a huge array of new devices and technologies at International CES 2012.  At CES 2010 was created a new “superphone” buzzword that still describes this industry’s direction in taking advantage of 4G broadband.

There is also a race on to gain momentum in the emerging e-reader device market space in a very crowded field. Brand-new and established companies are developing devices and accessories to meet what they hope will be a strong demand by consumers.   Amazon has certainly raced ahead.

Wireless connectivity

Of course wireless connectivity is big. Some companies were demonstrating full HDTV over wireless – up to 30 feet away from the transmitter with a totally clear picture and almost no interference. Some of these devices have the ability to transmit a signal through some walls.

The Wireless Carriers

The telecoms have increased their presence at CES. AT&T announced many 4G LTE products. Verizon Wireless expanded the size of its booth this year and also had the thickest carpet of any booth – very comfortable to walk and stand on.

With CES, the carriers have got a mainstream platform for themselves and Sprint Nextel and T-Mobile hosted parties at the conference.  T-Mobile had quite a bit to party about as Apple’s upcoming iPhone 5 will support T-Mobile’s network.  The chipsets in the new iPhone 5 will support the Advanced Wireless Services that T-Mobile uses.  Of course, this is a political decision as back in April of last year, the chipset already had these functions.

AT&T has a major presence at CES although it is held separately from the CES facilities at the Las Vegas Convention Center. This year they announced new 4G LTE devices and teased the Nokia Windows Phone, the Lumia 900, which Nokia introduced at its own CES press conference.

Qualcomm was at CES.

Blackberry by RIM maintains a presence there also.

We have just touched on a tiny portion of just one of the giant exhibition halls. Let’s head outside to Silver Lot number two and check out Satellite Internet.

Satellite Internet – by ViaSat

ViaSat Inc. will launch Exede by ViaSat high-speed Internet service on January 16, offering speeds up to 12 Mbps (megabits per second) downstream and up to 3 Mbps upstream beginning at a cost of $50 per month to subscribers. ViaSat is also working with JetBlue to create  in-flight broadband on the Ka band for commercial aviation, with a planned launch before the end of this year.

Although satellite Internet has been available for years and this editor uses WildBlue Satellite Internet Service Provider, ViaSat has completely transformed satellite broadband technology and now delivers a broadband experience similar to cable.  This is great news for the millions of rural Americans who are unable to access high speed Internet in any other manner.

Only the Satellite modem looks the same on the outside; everything internal has changed.  This editor was impressed by the demo and can easily see that this new service is significantly faster than his own current WildBlue Satellite.  Voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP) is now supported by this new service and is a great new feature of improved satellite technology.  Here is ViaSat’s new portable satellite that will appeal to news stations.

As you can see, the portable Satellite dish is no larger than current satellite dishes.

Dish Network has also partnered up with ViaSat and will begin to offer bundled packages of Satellite Internet to those without easy access to broadband.  This editor is looking forward to a complete evaluation of ViaSat’s new High Speed Satellite Internet service in a direct comparison of WildBlue’s when it is available in the Southern California high desert in early March.  Say tuned to ABT for the evaluation.

Let’s head over to check out Intel, AMD, Nvidia and some of their partners to see what they have new to offer consumers.