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
I have this “friend”, who loves his gadgets, and routinely wastes his money on them (hey, more power to him, he overpays for the stuff that funds the market which eventually brings the price down...). Anyway, last summer, he was all set to get a 3D TV. I argued that he was wasting his money, that he would be better off spending the money on a larger screen. But nooooo, he had to have his 3D. So he spent his money on a 42 inch 3D TV, instead of a nice 52 inch or so. Well, here he is, 6 months later, with a wittle TV that does a kind of cool effect, which is good for a few minutes until you tire of the glasses and the overwrought 3d effect, with all its quirks. He hardly uses the 3D anymore.
Not just that, but he insists on using the “motion flow” setting, which makes everything look stupid. sheesh..
