The big picture: Ultra HD getting a lot of looks at CES
2014 is the year of Ultra HD television.
Leading up to the 2014 International CES, trade show spokeswoman Tara Dunion noted that Ultra HD sets will be on everyone’s mind this week.
She seems to be right.
Through Friday, more than 150,000 people are attending CES at the Las Vegas Convention Center, LVH and The Venetian. And a good number of them are experiencing Ultra HD.
Called the next generation of television, Ultra HD has four times the resolution of a standard HD TV. As CES took off Tuesday, multiple companies showed off their incarnations. Here are a few of the biggies.
Vizio debuted its 120-inch version that will be released late this year, while Samsung showed off its 105-inch curved-screen UHD TVs, which give off a panoramic effect for viewers.
Samsung launched its first UHD TVs last year. By 2017, Samsung estimates, demand for Ultra HD TVs will reach 20 million pieces.
“Not all UHD is created equal,” said Joe Stinziano, executive vice president of Samsung Electronics America.
Samsung also exhibited its bendable TV, a flat-panel Ultra HD that has a button you press to transform it into a curved UHD TV.
“It’s all about giving customers control of their viewing experience,” Stinziano said.
LG’s 105-inch, curved wide-screen Ultra HD TVs have a 4.1 channel speaker.
In the Consumer Electronics Association’s most recent i3 publication before the 2014 International CES, association President and CEO Gary Shapiro said that Ultra HD “will shift TV viewing, making it an immersive experience.”
He added that “Ultra HD will be a megasuccess” and will be “better than the overhyped 3-D, a nice feature which some mistakenly viewed as a product.”
While touting Samsung’s product offering, entrepreneur Mark Cuban said, “UHD is incredible.”
He added that the extra pixels can be used for better video-gaming experiences.
Contact reporter Laura Carroll at lcarroll@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-4588. Follow @lscvegas on Twitter.
