How to Talk Like a Gear Head at CES
By Leslie Ellis -- Multichannel News, 1/9/2012 12:01:00 AM
The Hot List'
What top industry technologists are looking for
at CES:
Jay Rolls, Charter Communications chief technology officer:
“Generally speaking, we’re interested in learning how we can best leverage CE devices in our efforts to deliver Charter services to our customers … As we see Internet integration impact more and more devices such as bathroom scales, refrigerators, lighting systems, thermostats and ovens — we know there are marketing, product and technology challenges and opportunities ahead.”
Don Buckley, Showtime Networks executive VP of program marketing, digital services, media and promotions:
“Mobile, social and connected TV. The three represent a fairly clear snapshot of what consumers are adopting, will be, or already have in significant numbers. The intelligence gathered at CES will help us sharpen our marketing focus.”
Chuck Pagano, ESPN chief technology officer:
“Our learning has shown us that our sports fans are some of the earliest adopters of all things techno-centric that allow them to consume and digest sports-related content and information. As our mission at ESPN is to serve our fans, we go to CES with our eyes wide open on what makes (or has a chance at making) our fans uttering those three letters that get our attention: ‘Wow!’ A couple of things that we’ll be watching: 4K TV [ultra high-defi nition] … This evolution in TV technology has our attention for tracking on where (or where not) it may be headed (also expect to see improvements in 3D from these sets). … New tablets: Looking here for trends on increased video quality along with new players in the market. Tablets are no longer a hype item but a real force in the industry that brings value and pleasure to our fans.”
Glenn Oakley, Discovery Communications executive VP of media technology, production and operations:
“At this year’s CES, we are specifically interested in tablets, phones and mobile devices, as consumers are increasingly using these devices to consume video. In addition, we are also interested in the evolution of the television, specifically smart TVs and 4K.”
Daniel Howard, Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers CTO:
“I think you’ll see high cable interest in the startups in the new Eureka Park TechZone [exhibit area], as well as the latest OLED [organic lightemitting diode] technology. Our industry will want to understand how robotics, energy, digital health, gaming and the other technologies in Eureka Park can impact broadband use, as well as the requirements on cable networks to support them. We’ll also want to see how new, larger and OLED-based displays impact the video quality goals we’ve been working on with cable operators. Finally, CES is always a great place to see what else can be connected via IP to the cloud through our broadband networks.”
Joe Ambeault, Verizon Communications director of product management:
“The first is broadband-enabled, video-capable devices, as we continue our commitment to providing customers expanded choices in the devices used for accessing FiOS TV content in and out of the home … The second is 3D video that doesn’t require eyewear … Last but certainly not least, we’re looking forward to seeing more broadband-enabled home appliances, such as lights, switches, cameras and door locks.”
Jay Rolls, Charter Communications chief technology officer:
“Generally speaking, we’re interested in learning how we can best leverage CE devices in our efforts to deliver Charter services to our customers … As we see Internet integration impact more and more devices such as bathroom scales, refrigerators, lighting systems, thermostats and ovens — we know there are marketing, product and technology challenges and opportunities ahead.”
Don Buckley, Showtime Networks executive VP of program marketing, digital services, media and promotions:
“Mobile, social and connected TV. The three represent a fairly clear snapshot of what consumers are adopting, will be, or already have in significant numbers. The intelligence gathered at CES will help us sharpen our marketing focus.”
Chuck Pagano, ESPN chief technology officer:
“Our learning has shown us that our sports fans are some of the earliest adopters of all things techno-centric that allow them to consume and digest sports-related content and information. As our mission at ESPN is to serve our fans, we go to CES with our eyes wide open on what makes (or has a chance at making) our fans uttering those three letters that get our attention: ‘Wow!’ A couple of things that we’ll be watching: 4K TV [ultra high-defi nition] … This evolution in TV technology has our attention for tracking on where (or where not) it may be headed (also expect to see improvements in 3D from these sets). … New tablets: Looking here for trends on increased video quality along with new players in the market. Tablets are no longer a hype item but a real force in the industry that brings value and pleasure to our fans.”
Glenn Oakley, Discovery Communications executive VP of media technology, production and operations:
“At this year’s CES, we are specifically interested in tablets, phones and mobile devices, as consumers are increasingly using these devices to consume video. In addition, we are also interested in the evolution of the television, specifically smart TVs and 4K.”
Daniel Howard, Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers CTO:
“I think you’ll see high cable interest in the startups in the new Eureka Park TechZone [exhibit area], as well as the latest OLED [organic lightemitting diode] technology. Our industry will want to understand how robotics, energy, digital health, gaming and the other technologies in Eureka Park can impact broadband use, as well as the requirements on cable networks to support them. We’ll also want to see how new, larger and OLED-based displays impact the video quality goals we’ve been working on with cable operators. Finally, CES is always a great place to see what else can be connected via IP to the cloud through our broadband networks.”
Joe Ambeault, Verizon Communications director of product management:
“The first is broadband-enabled, video-capable devices, as we continue our commitment to providing customers expanded choices in the devices used for accessing FiOS TV content in and out of the home … The second is 3D video that doesn’t require eyewear … Last but certainly not least, we’re looking forward to seeing more broadband-enabled home appliances, such as lights, switches, cameras and door locks.”
If you’re heading there, know going in that tablets and connected TVs will (again) dominate the scene. Beyond that, here’s a lingo guide to the larger CES trends, so that you can maneuver the whole scene with panache.
Let’s start with “OLED.” It stands for “Organic Light-Emitting Diode.” (People tend to say it as its constituent letters, thankfully.)
Think about what you draped around your tree, house or fence this season. LEDs, in general, are in a renaissance.
The “organic” in OLED doesn’t mean anything was grown in biodynamic soil or left to graze out of the cage. In this case, it’s about molecules and polymers, sprayed in layers on semiconductor chips. When electricity is applied, the polymers phosphoresce. (The gear-head way to say it: electrophosphorescence.)
OLEDs aren’t new. Sony and its ilk started showing them off five or more years ago — first with a phone-sized screen, then a laptop-sized screen. Small-ish OLED TVs dotted the CES scene last year.
This year, part of the buzz of the show is LG’s 55- inch OLED — biggest yet.
If you follow CES, you know that 55 inches is almost half the size of the “world’s biggest HDTV!” of years past, when we shouldered in to see the 100-inch-plus doozy on display from Panasonic.
Alas, the “world’s biggest!” hype lost its tech-sexy over the last few years, as reality hit about wall sizes and product weight. (As in: Wow, that is a huge TV — too bad it pulled the wall off your house!)
That’s why OLEDs are hot. They’re substantially lighter, use way less power, and ultimately can be rolled up like a scroll.
Also high on the gear-head meter at this year’s CES: connectivity. (Again.) Why? Vendor ecosystems collide around the best way for consumers to spill video back and forth between screens.
There’s a “DLNA House,” for instance, across from Central Hall, as well as the new-ish DIIVA effort (South Hall, No. 20656), supported by companies like LG, Samsung and Sony. Wi3 Inc. (Venetian, No. 73010) is out with a dongle-like thing that turns any coaxial jack on any wall into an Ethernet and Wi-Fi port.
DIIVA stands for Digital Interactive Interface for Video and Audio. In short, it’s about one cable that does HDMI, USB, Ethernet, power and copy protection.
And don’t forget to drop a little “4K x 2K” talk into your CES conversations. It’s the new-new thing in display resolution — 3840 by 2160 pixels, which is well beyond the 1080-pixel max of today’s best HDTVs. Great for 3D, great for medical imaging. It’s unclear how great that is for everyday TV viewing.
That’s a quick jargon guide for the 2012 CES. And remember, there’s a reason why The Wall Street Journal’s Peter Kafka refers to CES as “Pretendistan.”
Stumped by gibberish? Visit Leslie Ellis at translationplease.com or multichannel.com/blog.
Talkback
No related content found.
VIEW ALL GALLERIES
