CES 2012: 10 Burning Questions

tvpredictions.com ^ | Jan. 8, 2012 | Phillip Swann

[Las Vegas Dave]

Washington, D.C. (January 8, 2012) -- Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer will give the pre-show keynote address Monday night kicking off the 2012 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. With Microsoft saying it will be its last appearance at the gadgetfest, the Ballmer keynote likely will be more symbolic than one of substance.

Like Microsoft at CES, the CE industry is changing, reassessing past projects and future goals. Consequently, companies are getting more creative and entering fields they once feared. For instance, tablet/mobile king Apple is now facing stiff competition from a host of companies, even low-cost TV maker Vizio. And Apple itself is reportedly preparing to launch a company-branded HDTV. What was once black is now black and white.

And speaking of the TV category, manufacturers are desperately trying to morph the traditional TV by adding features like 3D and Internet capability to compel cost-conscious consumers to buy. While the new products have been met with mixed success at best, CE companies hope that better marketing and (perhaps) better versions of the devices will ultimately change consumer attitudes.

But always looking to plan B, TV makers are also rolling out new sets (OLED and 4K) featuring possibly revolutionary picture technologies. Although they will initially carry hefty price tags, TV makers believe they could boost consumer interest in televisions as a category, which could lead to greater sales of all sets.

What the CES attendees -- and the tech media -- say about these sets could go a long way to whether they succeed. Which is why, by Wednesday, you might see a few TV company executives walking around the show floor looking as if they've had a few restless nights.

[Las Vegas Dave]

So, as you make your way to the City of Lost Wages, here are 10 big TV questions that could be answered during the conference.

1. Will No-Glasses 3D TVs Be a Hit? Toshiba this week will showcase a new 55-inch 3D TV that does not require glasses to experience the 3D effect. Surveys -- and sales numbers -- have sent a strong message that consumers are not enamored with home 3D, particularly if they have to wear the specs. Toshiba is hoping that the glasses-free set might persuade folks to give the concept a second try. But if the tech media walks away from Toshiba's booth unimpressed, it could be another nail in 3D TV's coffin.

2. Will 4K HDTV Really Look 4 Times Better? Several TV makers, including LG, are expected to display new 4K HDTVs which purport to offer a picture resolution four times better than current HDTVs. But will that claim stand up on the show floor? Will attendees say "Wow" when they see a 4K HDTV? Or, just "Oh." With price tags likely to start at $10,000, 4K makers better hope for a lot of Wow.

3. Dish Network Unveils a New DVR; But What About DIRECTV? The two satellite TV services often engage in competitive sword play at CES, trying to out-top each other with new announcements. However, DIRECTV has been a bit quieter here in the last few years while Dish apparently still sees CES as a great forum to bring attention to new products. With that in mind, Dish reportedly will unveil here a new Broadband service and a DVR that can automatically record all major network programming in primetime. Will DIRECTV surprise us by offering something as interesting?

4. Will Apple Finally Introduce An Actual TV? No, not this week anyway. Apple skips CES every year. While there have been rumors that Apple will partner with a TV maker to introduce a set that comes with everything but the kitchen sink, it's likely that it will not launch until 2013.

5. Will TV Makers Introduce Lower-Cost TVs No. While consumers are clearly voting with their wallets and buying lower-cost sets over new feature-laden, expensive TVs, CE companies (and retail partners) make their profits from higher-margin products. At CES, TV makers will want to give the biggest spotlight to the biggest, most expensive sets they have a chance to sell.

6. Will the OLED TV Capture Everyone's Fancy? LG (again; busy folks these days) will showcase a 55-inch OLED TV. That may not seem like an exceptionally large set, but to date, the biggest OLED set has been Sony's 11-inch model.

An OLED set, which is based on the organic light-emitting diode (OLED) technology, is just one-eight of an inch thick, compared to today's Plasma and LCD flat-screen sets which measure up to four inches thick. The set promises to offer a better picture than today's Plasmas and LCD/LEDs as well. But because of its thin panel, TV manufacturers have had difficulty developing an OLED set at a size that would appeal to consumers.

The LG 55-inch set has been getting great media buzz prior to the show. If it emerges as a CES top attraction, it could set the stage for OLED to overtake LCD, LED and Plasma for the top spot in TV sales by 2014, or earlier.

7. Can Google TV Make a Comeback? Google TV, designed to make it easier to search for programming, has been a bust, largely because it hasn't made it easier to do almost anything. Users have complained loudly that Google TV's navigation feature is hard to master. But Google TV is back at CES with a slew of new TV partners and a promise that it has worked out the kinks. We'll see.

8. Will Microsoft Hand Out a Parting Gift? As we noted at the top, this will be Microsoft's last appearance at CES, at least in a formal way. So will the software titan surprise everyone by introducing a sensational new gadget of some kind? Hard to see the company just walking quietly into the sunset without doing something that will make people remember it. Right?

9. How Many Apps? With Smart TVs and other smart devices exploding onto the scene, app makers will be everywhere here, proclaiming to have the Next Big Thing. But will there will be a new app that indeed could revolutionize the Smart TV concept? That could compel consumers to overcome their technological fears and connect their sets to a home network?

10. Will There Be a Next Big Thing? Yes, will there be a new 'Next Big Thing' -- of any kind? In past shows, whether it was tablets, 3D, HDTV, some product always emerged with the tag, 'The Next Big Thing.' Pundits said the device would revolutionize the industry, if not the culture itself.

But this year, the early buzz has been that that product doesn't exist, at least not here. There is no 'Next Big Thing' on the horizon.

Somehow, I find that hard to believe. Something tells me that by week's end, the media will be talking about...yes, the Next Big Thing.

Swanni will be attending this year's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Come to TVPredictions.com often for his reports -- and check out his comments on Twitter at http://twitter.com/swannionhd

[Las Vegas Dave]

Pinging the HDTV list..

HDTV pings!

Interested in the HDTV ping list?
Please Freepmail me(freepmail works best)if you would like your name added to the HDTV ping list,(approximately 375 freepers are currently on the HDTV ping list).
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LVD

Note: if you search Freerepublic using the keyword "HDTV”, you will find most of the past HDTV postings.

[AlexW]

Brings back old memories of when I participated as an exhibitor, but that was over 30 years ago.

[Jonty30]

So was your 11 inch floppy disk drive a huge success?

[Jonty30]

I haven’t seen more than a half hour of anything for a good 5 years now.

The only thing that even remotely interests me about tv’s is video gaming. Otherwise they are of no interest.

And I’m too busy to even play video games.

[knarf]

Does anyone know where I can get a C124W tube for my old Philco ?

[AlexW]

“So was your 11 inch floppy disk drive a huge success?”
______________________________________

Computers were not even an issue then.
I was a rep for Hy-Gain Electronics, an old line antenna manufacturer that got caught up in the CB craze.
There was nothing even resembling PC then.

[Jonty30]

10-4, good buddy.

That’s cool. I wouldn’t mind attending these things, just to see the gadgets that aren’t going to be released for another 6 months.

[sneakers]

My father-in-law used to build tvs in the 50’s as a hobby. He saved a box of vacuum tubes that my mother-in-law is trying to get him to throw out. He is determined to hold on to them. Maybe I can get him to part with one! LOL!

[21twelve]

About 4 years ago an old friend of mine passed away. I helped his family clear out his house of 50+ years. He had been involved in designing and building scientific equipment.

I kept some of his old stuff for posterity. If I knew how much some of those old tubes were in demand (although I imagine you are joking) I would have kept the four large boxes of them that we took to the dump. He was also a Ham radio buff - one of his son’s took an old one he had as a memento.

[21twelve]

Just visited ebay to see how muck those old tubes I tossed might have been worth. Probably not much - 110 for $25 are listed.

Although he had some that were HUGE - 2 to 3 inch diameter and 10 to 12 inches tall IIRC.

[AlexW]

“Does anyone know where I can get a C124W tube for my old Philco ?”
______________________________________________

While I had some old four pin tubes, the C124 does not ring any bells.

I am sure there are dealers of old radio parts...Did you try just a simple internet search?
Type in “antique radio parts”
You will be amazed at the links.

[knarf]

I'm impressed ... I pulled that number out of my ... someplace ... and by golly, if a bunch of Freepers actually picked up on the possability.

I apologize, guys.

I was trying to be funny.

When I was in the Army, I was a radio-teletype operator and that was the last time I saw tubes .. circa 1967

[AlexW]

“When I was in the Army, I was a radio-teletype operator”
_______________________________________________

I did RTTY as a ham and on Army MARS.
I had some old model 15 and 19 machines.

[BigSkyFreeper]

That’s pretty cool, I’ve got a Hy-Gain antenna rotator on a 200 foot tower that turns a 3-element tri-band Yagi. Bought it used of course a few years ago, but it’s still working very well.

[AlexW]

“That’s pretty cool, I’ve got a Hy-Gain antenna rotator on a 200 foot tower that turns a 3-element tri-band Yagi.”
__________________________________________________

My last antenna was a HyGain TH6DXX.
I made it to “Top of the Honor roll” late 1980s, Having worked every country there was to work. DE W4EX.
My DXing ended when fire destroyed my station, as well as all of my house.

[RayChuang88]

I think the big thing will be LG’s 55” AMOLED (Active Matrix Organic Light-Emitting Diode) display TV, which will likely cost about US$8,000 when it hits retailers later this year. It’s supposed to have better “blacks” than any plasma TV, have a “refresh rate” that makes plasma’s 500 Hz seem slow, and have power consumption that makes LED side-lit LCD panels seem like power hogs in comparison. If LG can offer a 3840x2160 version within two years, they have a huge winner right there!

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Do they have 4 track prerecorded tapes for my Akai reel to reel machine ?

[BigSkyFreeper]

My antenna is the Hy-Gain TH3-MK4. DE AA7YA

[LibLieSlayer]

I have three HY-Gain rotors that are from the late 70’s and still turn big yagis just fine... I have three spares that I have never used. I have disassembled them and cleaned and lubed them and replaced a few parts over the years but they keep on trucking!

73,
LLS