Steve Koenig, director of industry analysis for the Consumer Electronics Association, presented the organization’s annual “State of the Global CE Industry” press event at CES. Koenig explained that worldwide sales of consumer electronics grew 3 percent last year to a new record of $1.068 trillion, but growth is expected to remain flat or decline by 1 percent in 2014. Sales of smartphones and tablets have tapered off in major markets and Ultra HDTVs are not expected to gain significant traction until at least 2017. Continue reading CEA’s Steve Koenig on the State of the Global CE Industry

Seiki has come up with a unique and effective way to offer consumers a high quality 4K viewing experience at a mass market price. The company pairs good, low-end 4K displays made in China with an HDMI 1.4 cable that contains a high-end up-res converter chip. The booth rep freely said that the 55-inch 4K set (MSRP $899) has a mediocre built-in up-res chip. They licensed Marseille’s high-quality up-res tech and built it into the Seiki-branded HDMI 3.0 cable (MSRP $49) to provide a superior experience at a low price point. Continue reading Seiki Pairs Low-End 4K Displays with Up-Res Converter Chip

A recent tech demonstration at Dolby’s offices in Burbank, California revealed the company’s new high dynamic range TV imaging technology that is said to beat UHD TV in terms of quality. The demo showed off 1080p HD with rich, clear color and “better pixels,” rather than just more pixels. Dolby will reveal the name for the technology at CES in Las Vegas next week, and execs are saying it is not only better than 4K, but less expensive to produce as well. Continue reading Dolby Expected to Demo High Dynamic Range Tech in Las Vegas

During the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas next week, LG Electronics is planning to unveil its 31-inch “Real 4K” 31MU95, the company’s first 4K PC monitor. While manufacturers such as Asus, Dell and Sharp already sell 4K monitors with 3840×2160 resolution, LG’s first offering will tout 4096×2160 resolution at a 16:9 aspect ratio, the ultra-wide 4K resolution favored by the film industry. LG’s 4K monitor is intended for professionals in visual industries including design and film. Continue reading LG to Debut its First Ultra HD PC Monitor at CES Next Week

Samsung is releasing its 110-inch Ultra HD TV — first unveiled during last year’s CES — in South Korea, China, parts of Europe and the Middle East, starting at about $142,000 for the basic edition. The news follows December’s announcements that both Samsung and LG will demo 105-inch curved 4K TVs at next week’s CES in Las Vegas. While pricing and availability has yet to be announced for the U.S. market, details are expected to be revealed at CES. Continue reading Samsung Releases Pricey 110-inch 4K TV on the Eve of CES

Silicon Valley startup Meta is aiming to take on Google Glass with its augmented reality computing platform. The company has developed a wearable computing device in the form of aviator shades that it claims offers 15 times the screen area of Glass. Founder Meron Gribetz envisions Meta as the first pair of smart glasses that sport a more fashionable look with greater computing capabilities. Meta Pro, the first consumer set of specs, is due for shipment in June. Continue reading Meta to Ship Full-Fledged Augmented Reality Aviator Shades

A virtual reality headset by Avegant could hit the mainstream market in 2014. Glyph, Avegant’s $499 Virtual Retinal Display headset, looks like a pair of headphones. In fact, it is a pair of headphones, but when flipped forward over your eyes, it becomes a high-res display that’s comparable to watching an 80-inch TV. Glyph, however, doesn’t have a screen. It projects images directly into your eyes using two million micromirrors, which reportedly do not cause eye fatigue. Continue reading Avegant Glyph Virtual Retinal Display Doubles as Headphones

At January’s 2014 International CES in Las Vegas, the ETC reporting team will be looking at how vendors are positioning 4K UHD TVs, including what features they consider compelling, and how they are building out the full consumer experience with an ecosystem of products and services. Features we’ll be watching for include resolution and pixel count, extended dynamic range, wider color gamut, a “director’s intent” setting, the latest in 3D, advances in audio, and more. Continue reading CES 2014: Exciting Possibilities for Future of 4K Ultra HDTV

Amazon Studios, the film and TV production arm of Amazon.com, announced this week that it plans to shoot all of its original series next year in 4K Ultra HD. Amazon plans to debut five new comedy and drama pilots in 2014, from producers and performers such as Chris Carter, Roman Coppola, Jason Schwartzman, Michael Strahan and others. Viewers will help determine which pilots should be produced as exclusive series on Prime Instant Video and LOVEFiLM in the UK. Continue reading Amazon Studios to Shoot Original Programming in 4K Ultra HD

Google-owned YouTube reached an impressive milestone when it passed the one billion user mark earlier this year. Now the popular online video service is poised to achieve another milestone by crossing the five billion dollar mark. According to recent estimates by eMarketer, YouTube is expected to generate $5.6 billion in gross revenue for 2013, up 51 percent from last year. That figure would represent 11 percent of Google’s total advertising revenues. Continue reading YouTube Expected to Earn $5.6 Billion in Revenue for 2013

Twitter has announced a plan to run experiments on some of its users. While there have been rumors of Twitter becoming more involved in messaging, it is probably more accurate to say that Twitter is interested in conversations. With Twitter’s experimental apps, conversation is moved to the forefront. Namely, the way you send and receive direct messages, monitor your friends’ behavior, and participate in public conversations are all a lot more obvious. Continue reading Twitter’s Experimental Apps Focus on Fostering Conversation

Organic light-emitting diode (OLED) displays may soon replace LCD displays if the manufacturing kinks can be worked out. These energy-efficient, flexible, vibrant displays can now be produced more easily and economically on giant ink-jet printers. Though mass production still faces challenges, equipment maker Kateeva says it has a solution that curbs the amount of wasted material and unwanted defect-causing particles that are common to the traditional vacuum chamber approach. Continue reading Is Ink-Jet Printing the Solution for Next-Gen OLED Displays?

Samsung revealed new design plans with investors Wednesday at its Analyst Day event in South Korea. The company will now design its own custom 64-bit core for mobile chips, and it’s working on even higher resolution displays. By 2015, Samsung projects it will bring 4K displays to phones. Also in the works are flexible AMOLED screens. It’s a big transition for a company that seems to want to possess greater control of its own products. Continue reading Samsung to Manufacture its Own 64-Bit Core for Mobile Chips

Google’s Android-powered Nexus 5 is now available with many of the features that were leaked prior to its release. The new smartphone includes an upgraded 4.95-inch 1080p display, Corning Gorilla Glass 3, 2.3Ghz quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor, and 2GB of RAM. It shows off the latest Android 4.4 technology, also known as KitKat, and it can be purchased on the Google Play Store today in 16GB ($349) or 32GB ($399) models. Continue reading Google Nexus 5 Smartphone Now Available for Android Fans

Owners of the Google-powered Moto X phone had an unexpected cinematic experience waiting for them on the home screen earlier this week when a red sombrero icon appeared. Motorola teamed up with Pixar to create an animated narrative for the mobile device that flaunts the company’s newest platform with high-level technology. And the intention is to not only redefine what it means to create a narrative, but how and where users experience it. Continue reading Moto X Owners Treated to a Pixar Experience on Their Phones