Panasonic hosted its CTO Eisuke Tsuyuzaki, Fox Filmed Entertainment CTO Hanno Basse and director, writer and actor Danny DeVito Wednesday for a panel on the intersection of technology and entertainment. The two CTOs covered the 4K push, the future of 3D and the relationship between electronic manufacturers and content providers, before making way for DeVito to discuss his view of technology in media production. Continue reading CES 2013: Panasonic and Fox CTOs Discuss the Future of 4K

Notable guests convened for a panel discussion on the state of innovation, called “Argue the Future 2: Return of the Future.” Moderated by Joshua Topolsky, editor-in-chief of The Verge, panelists included Walt Mossberg of the Wall Street Journal, Hulu’s Andy Forssell, Lytro founder Eric Cheng and Nilay Patel, managing editor of The Verge. The discussion addressed the role of hardware and software, and which plays a larger role in today’s tech landscape. Continue reading CES 2013: Panel Looks at Hardware, Software and Innovation

The Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA) launched a format extension study task force in late 2012 to evaluate the potential of emerging developments including 4K, 8K, High Frame Rates (HFR) and expanded color resolution. Each technology is being evaluated to determine tech feasibility, market demand and the potential impact on the installed base of Blu-ray players. Continue reading CES 2013: BDA Format Task Force is Exploring 4K and 8K

Inside Lenovo’s tent, visitors challenged each other to a virtual game of air hockey on the company’s new IdeaCentre Horizon Table PC, which doubles as both an oversized tablet and desktop computer with a smart hinge system. The company also unveiled a sleek new 5.5-inch smartphone with an HD display and powerful cameras alongside a new ThinkPad convertible and IdeaPad ultrabook. Continue reading CES 2013: Lenovo Debuts Table PC, Android Phone and Laptops

Polaroid is reaching out to the next generation of digerati with a 7-inch Kids Tablet. Rugged and rubberized, it’s a three-button unit that won’t make parents’ hearts skip a beat when it’s dropped. The $149 model comes with 8GB of memory and a 2-megapixel rear camera. Parental controls round out the picture on the Android device (which is being unofficially marketed as “easy enough for an adult to set up!”). Continue reading CES 2013: Polaroid Launches Kids Tablet and Opens Fotobars

The future of content recommendation and even of editing movies could be at the tip of your finger. Technicolor is demonstrating an R&D project that detects a viewer’s emotional response to content by way of a small sensor worn against the skin of the hand. Biometric data, including heartbeat and temperature, helps measure viewer response. Continue reading CES 2013: Emotion is the Future of Content Discovery

A consortium first launched in 2011 to address secure memory needs has established an LLC. Formed January 2, NSM Initiatives LLC is making its first appearance at CES. NSM, or Next Generation Secure Memory, is a developing content protection technology that will enable the transfer and viewing of HD content into a mobile environment. A consortium including Panasonic, Samsung, Sony and Toshiba is developing the technology. Continue reading CES 2013: NSM Group Forms LLC for Secure Memory Tech

“Technology is a continuum. All the technology that you see in those halls will be in a landfill in 10 years,” said Marc Benioff, chairman and CEO of Salesforce.com, at the CES Brand Matters keynote. “We’re all in this industry because we love disruption.” He and a panel of chief marketing officers talked about how technology has changed marketing, noting the various challenges and opportunities as companies transition over to the cloud. Continue reading CES 2013: The Cloud and Digital Disruption in Marketing

T-Mobile USA, Inc. has entered into a deal to become the “Official Wireless Sponsor” of Major League Baseball (MLB). The multi-year, multimillion-dollar partnership will see T-Mobile working with MLB and its digital subsidiary MLB Advanced Media L.P. (MLBAM) to create value-added capabilities that will enhance presentation of the games and appeal to MLB fans. Continue reading CES 2013: T-Mobile Swings for the Fences with 4G Deal

Pushing forward its goal to “Live Connected, Drive Connected,” Kenwood demonstrated in-dash Wi-Fi-embedded connected receivers, which leverage Wi-Fi-enabled smartphones or mobile hotspots to bring content from the Internet, the cloud and connected devices to your car’s dash. The Excelon DNN990HD system uses text-to-speech and speech-to-text technology to enable hands free operation of email, Twitter and Facebook. Continue reading CES 2013: Kenwood Expands Wi-Fi Connectivity in the Car

While Google and Lexus work on driverless cars, Audi set up its “Piloted Driving” simulator at CES, a technology it expects to roll out by the end of 2020. Unlike competitors with bulky sensor equipment, Audi’s system looks like a normal car and still requires a driver. The company also featured new high-beam headlight technology that won’t blind pedestrians and oncoming traffic. Continue reading CES 2013: Audi Unveils Piloted Driving for Traffic Jams

Delphi wants to get rid of charging cords in the car, redesign the dashboard to display more than just MPH, and to help drivers track their vehicle’s health. The company is showing wireless charging tech, which it hopes will go into production in one to two years; functions such as navigation and phone calling through its digital dashboard partnership with NVIDIA; and its soon-to-be-released Vehicle Diagnostics device, developed with Verizon. Continue reading CES 2013: Delphi Demonstrates Cloud Connectivity for Your Car

The car is undergoing a transformation from humble hardware device to cloud-connected smart room that will soon be driving itself. Speaking at the Samsung keynote, President Bill Clinton described getting into a staff member’s Ford and being invited to ask it something. “I asked ‘Where is the nearest Chinese restaurant, and I immediately got a list, a map and GPS directions. I didn’t know that about the Ford! Driving has become a high-tech experience,” said Clinton. Continue reading CES 2013: Automakers Drive to New Heights in Las Vegas

The International 3D Society and 3D@Home Consortium hosted a series of 3D sessions that sent a message that 3D has arrived. Conversations included 3D coming to CE devices such as TVs and mobile devices (MasterImage’s Matt Liszt showed a tablet playing 3D content). Speakers asserted that 3D is not just for entertainment, citing as examples education and medical applications. And speakers shared their views on how 4K fits into the 3D dialogue. Continue reading CES 2013: Stakeholders Share Their 3D Observations

The days of stereo 3D mirror rigs could be numbered quicker than you think if new trifocal camera technology being developed by the Arri Group, the Fraunhofer Institute and Walt Disney Studios comes to fruition. If all goes according to plan, Disney will use the new system in action on a feature film production in the near future. Continue reading CES 2013: Disney Tests Trifocal Camera for 3D Production