CES 2011 – a look at the future – 3D, wireless and tablets

3D and Televisions

TV LCD manufacturers had slumping sales this past year after the high-definition conversion the year before. In America, over 110 million homes have at least one TV but only about 50 million have HD capable sets. So there is still a lot of room for future sales in regard to new things like, 3D TV, Skype, IPTV or iTV, and wireless connectivity.

I have seen the future and it is 3D. However, I am even less optimistic as last year about television transitioning as fast as it will for PC and for console gaming. With games, there is a bit of depth already programmed in and it generally works well with 3D as long as you can fine-tune it. However, with converting 2D to 3D there are some issues with action that still have to be worked out, in contrast to viewing still photos. Of course, to watch 3D TV requires that you purchase a new set that won’t be economical for quite awhile. It also requires a constant stream of quality 3D programming which appears will start with sports. And one must consider what the premium cost will be for 3D content from your provider.

Manufacturers do not seem to consider the consumer cost to make the switch. Consider that a single pair of active shutter glasses can cost $200. One just need picture the expense to equip a family of five just to watch a 3D movie at home together – $1,000 just for 3D glasses. And with kids and their friends, glasses break and will need replacement, in many cases out of warranty. We also saw the 120 MHz and 240 MHz LCDs that are required to use 3D technology cost a premium over last year’s models. How many people – except gamers – are willing to give up their big screen TVs and LCDs that they recently purchased for another big purchase of a 3D-capable TV?

And now there is even more uncertainty in the consumer’s mind as Toshiba introduces “Glasses-free” 3D TV.  Do you want to be the first on your block to invest many hundreds of dollars into a 3D TV set and glasses only to have it rendered completely obsolete in a few short years?  It is hard to believe that 3D TV will be disruptive to the industry for several more years despite many optimistic projections. And again the issue is not yet settled as to which 3D format will be chosen as a standard in the industry. Add to the negatives of 3D, the costs of a new Blu-Ray player for playing 3D content.

Of course there are the real pessimists who will remind everyone of the many previous failed attempts of the industry since the 1950s to convince people to switch to 3D.  However, it appears that 3D sports broadcasting will lead the charge in providing content for 3D TV.

This editor does believe that 3D is the future, but is waiting to see a compelling reason to switch to 3D TV quickly. For gaming, however, it is far more compelling. “Immersion” is the keyword here.   Here is a 3D vision capable notebook  being demoed – and you can easily switch back and forth from 2D to 3 D.  Some of the smaller screen notebooks, tablets and netbooks do not require glasses at all to view content in 3D.

It is absolutely crucial for 3D to succeed for consumers to have their own means of creating, storing and sharing 3D.  To that end, Nvidia recently launched their new 3D consumer ecosystem where 3D content may be shared.  Fuji was first last year with their $500 3D camera that has improved this year over the first generation – and also for $100 less.

Although you could not handle many of the displays, there were always helpful people to demonstrate their products.

One of the most impressive displays at 2010 CES was by Samsung. They went all out to make their huge space both artistic and spectacular – in contrast to many other displays that were traditional.  This year, so many others went the artistic route while Samsung seemed to to return to traditional.

Of course, Samsung had many 3D displays and mostly they required 3D glasses.  In contrast, Toshiba touted their “Glasses-free” 3DTV and people waited in long lines to see it.

Being “green” – energy savings –  is also important to to these manufacturers and their next generation plasma and LED HDTVs use quite a bit less electricity than previous models.

Audio, Video and Television

We see familiar names everywhere.

Cannon had a display where they demoed product and more importantly taught their product users how to take better photos.

Internet TV looked more impressive than last year, considering the freedom 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 70″ is in.

Thin will always be in.

We have just touched on a tiny portion of just one of the giant exhibition halls.  Let’s head over to check out AMD, Nvidia and some of their partners.