Cable-free televisions that stick to the wall, that roll up to be stored and go unnoticed, or that rotate to stand upright. They are some of the devices that have starred at CES, the largest consumer electronics fair in the world, in recent years. In this edition, which is being held this week in Las Vegas (USA), technological giants such as Panasonic, Samsung and LG have presented their most powerful and innovative televisions, with which they aspire to revolutionize the smart home.
These devices increasingly have larger screens with better image quality, as highlighted by Jessica Boothe, director of market research at the CTA (the association of technology companies of the USA, organized by the CES). Despite this, the expert insists that the television “is much more than a simple screen.” It has begun to take the first steps to become “a smart home center that goes beyond entertainment in streaming”.
“It is becoming an intelligent command center that will connect appliances like the kitchen and laundry room or access your security cameras to show you what they record,” he says. And it goes further. According to predictions, televisions will become an e-commerce platform that will allow consumers to buy products and services while watching programs.
Jakub Pesl, an employee at Panasonic, also believes that television will primarily be a home hub: “People will still sit back and enjoy quality entertainment, but they will also be able to control any device in the home.” “It is difficult to know what the television of the future will be like because everything is progressing so quickly. I imagine a screen where you can interact by video with your friends or see who rings the doorbell, but also a remote control with a button that allows you to order your autonomous car to approach the door.”
We will still have to wait to see if these predictions end up coming true. At CES, manufacturers demonstrate what their devices can currently do. Panasonic, which has invited EL PAÍS to the fair, has announced that starting in 2024 its televisions will have Amazon Fire TV integrated. In a demo given to this newspaper, a Panasonic employee has given some commands to Alexa: from playing a series to turning on the light or closing the curtains.
Although multiple companies are committed to turning televisions into the brain of the smart home, there are those who highlight the potential of these devices in other places. This is the case of David Gold, president of Hisense Americas, who believes that the reach of its screens “goes beyond home entertainment and covers multiple aspects of daily life, such as hospitals, classrooms, stadiums, offices and museums.”
Wireless and transparent televisions
If something is clear after visiting the fair, it is that manufacturers are looking for ways to surprise users. A man walks around the fair with a television on in his hands to demonstrate that he is totally wireless. He is Balaji Krishnan, founder and CEO of Displace, a company that made headlines in 2023 by manufacturing the first wireless television that sticks to the wall “as if by magic.”
“We have experimented with a lot of different technologies. For example, with roll-up, wireless and transparent televisions,” boasts Jennifer Solovey, an LG employee, who believes that over time “there will be markets for all these devices.” Transparent screens are actually not new. Several manufacturers have been showing prototypes for years.
But now LG has launched LG Signature OLED T, the first wireless television with a transparent panel, which in theory will go on sale this year. Hundreds of people have come to their space at CES to record this 77-inch panel with their cell phones. In it, a movie plays and it looks like a conventional television. Suddenly, a kind of black curtain slowly slides and the screen becomes transparent. The objective is that the device can be placed in the middle of a room and go unnoticed, although it can also show fish or other animations. Samsung does not want to be left behind and has taken advantage of the fair to announce a completely transparent micro LED television.
Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence is the main protagonist of the CES. Jong-Hee Han, vice president and CEO of Samsung, believes that this technology will allow connected devices to improve people's routines without being intrusive and always remaining “in the background.” Thanks to it, televisions can make personalized recommendations and interact with other devices.
This technology also serves to optimize image and sound. The televisions presented by Panasonic at CES – the Z95 and Z93 models – incorporate a processor that uses artificial intelligence to achieve a brighter panel with a higher level of detail. Apart from the image, sound is also especially important to identify locations or characters in films, reinforce atmospheres and evoke feelings. Samsung is working on Active Voice Amplifier Pro technology, a system that analyzes voice and background noise with artificial intelligence to optimize the listening experience and “be able to enjoy various content as if you were in the front row of a stadium or in a cinema”.
Achieving the most immersive experience possible is also one of the priorities of companies like Panasonic. Their televisions incorporate several speakers in the back to achieve this. In addition, they have a mode called sound focus which allows the sound to be directed to a specific place in the room. “Maybe one person is listening to the TV, while another prefers to be silent or sleeping in the same room,” explains Gabor Szegner, product marketing and communications manager for home entertainment in Europe at Panasonic.
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