The adoption of 4K TV technology could be in the hands of console gamers, if the history of HDTV is any indication. In 2005, when few households owned HDTVs, due largely to a lack of available HD content, the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 helped transform the industry. “They gave people a reason to buy an HDTV and that gave content producers reason to invest in the formats it supported,” suggests Wired UK. Continue reading Could Success of 4K TV Be in the Hands of Console Gamers?

Sony demonstrated some impressive new technology at this year’s CES in Las Vegas. The company is using “nanoscale particles called quantum dots to significantly improve the color of some of its high-end Bravia televisions,” writes Technology Review. The particles increase the range of colors that an LCD TV can display by 50 percent. Continue reading CES: Sony Intros Modified LCDs with Quantum Dot Technology

The Sony Entertainment Network debuted on Friday in North America. Available to European territories since December, the new content hub has expanded to Canada, Mexico, Brazil and the U.S. The network collates all of Sony’s media offerings into a single online storefront, featuring full PS3 games, downloadable games, music, movies, TV shows, avatars, add-ons, season passes, special deals and more. Continue reading Sony Entertainment Network Now Available in North America

Indie films are selling impressively well, and for high prices, at this year’s Sundance Festival in Park City, Utah. According to Variety, there were five seven-figure deals “that came with the promise of a healthy run on big screens.” The reason, says former ICM international and indie film topper Hal Sadoff, is that “indies are rising to fill the niche the studios have all but abandoned.” Continue reading Sundance Draws Big Spending and Wide Release Commitments

Through an agreement with Comcast, 3net will begin offering its 3D programming to Xfinity TV customers starting on January 28. 3net is a joint venture 3D network from Sony, Discovery and IMAX. “3net also has carriage through DirecTV, Google Fiber and Service Electric as well as Netflix,” notes Carolyn Giardina for The Hollywood Reporter. Continue reading Comcast Deal Delivers 3D Content from 3net to Xfinity TV

CES traditionally does not feature many gaming systems, but the changing culture of the industry has allowed video games to find their way into the show. Sony made little mention of its video games in Las Vegas, and Microsoft didn’t have a booth, but other consumer brands helped highlight a new era of video game ecosystem — video games on consumer electronics products. Continue reading New Gaming Ecosystem Emerges: CE Devices Play Games, Too

Technicolor debuted its biometric-based content discovery and audience testing project at CES. As it transitions from research endeavor to commercial tool, the question remains, can it become a viable instrument for entertainment and advertising production? It has been successfully tested in Europe and the U.S., but several other companies introduced technology this week that could provide alternatives functionality. Continue reading CES 2013: Biometric Tech Aims to Revolutionize Entertainment

Since 2008, Sony has attempted to gain a foothold in the smartphone market, trying everything from a mobile gaming phone built on their PlayStation brand to enlisting James Bond to market the Xperia TL. The company’s latest offering in the flagship Xperia line, the Z, might not need 007’s help to take on Apple’s iPhone and make waves in the ever-growing sea of Android phones. Continue reading CES 2013: Sony Mobile Dunks 5-Inch Xperia Z Android Phone

Panasonic demonstrated its interest in 4K through the CES unveiling of a prototype 56-inch 4K OLED display and 20-inch 4K tablet. It is also focusing on production, previewing a proof of concept 4K x 2K camcorder that is aimed at prosumer applications as well as broadcast. The camera will offer a frame rate of 30 fps, but very little additional information was provided. Continue reading CES 2013: Panasonic Shows Proof of Concept 4K Camcorder

Kazuo Hirai — who last spring was named Sony Corp.’s president and CEO, succeeding Sir Howard Stringer — opened Sony’s press conference, noting that his focus remains on digital images, games and mobile, as well as turning around Sony’s TV business. As expected, Sony put emphasis on its commitment to 4K, highlighted by the unveiling of a prototype 56-inch 4K OLED display. It is also expanding its 4K TV line with LED displays up to 65-inches. Continue reading CES 2013: Sony Shows 4K OLED Display, Emphasizes 4K Efforts

Google’s new “send to TV” feature is starting to pop up on a collection of new TVs and devices from companies like Sony, LG, Panasonic and Bang & Olufsen. The feature turns a consumer’s Android device into a YouTube remote for the big screen, and also allows users to push videos from devices to Google-equipped TVs. These YouTube-friendly sets will premiere at CES this week. Continue reading CES 2013: Android Devices Are Now YouTube Remotes for TVs

Approximately 21 percent of U.S. homes now have a 3D-capable television set, after 5.6 million sets were sold in 2012, according to the Consumer Electronics Association. While 3D TV sales have fallen short of industry’s hopes, video viewing in 3D is on the rise, with 42 percent of 3D-capable HDTV owners watching at least five hours per week. “Consumer interest in 3D TVs and 3D content continues to grow as ownership rates increase,” says Kevin Tillmann, a senior research analyst at CEA. Continue reading CEA Study Indicates U.S. Adoption of 3D TV on the Rise

The smartphone continues to grow in popularity and power as the always-on processing unit of choice. Quad-core units, phones with screen displays of 1080p and outsized “phablets” are expected to take center stage at the 2013 International CES. There’ll be a wow-factor, like the 5.5-inch flexible screen Samsung prototype, and a now-factor, like wireless pocket chargers from Energizer and Lilliputian that provide up to 20x life. Continue reading CES 2013: Phones to Tout Quad Cores, 1080p and Flexible Screens

With entertainment spending growing to $18.7 billion according to IHS Screen Digest, the entertainment industry is reaping the rewards of offering consumers more choice and options in how they consume content. TV Everywhere’s multi-channel, multi-device approach is finally complementing rather than cannibalizing. The year saw strong growth in Blu-ray discs. UltraViolet’s 7 million households and 8,500 titles now position the format to grow significantly in 2013. Video streaming or SVOD tripled in the first three quarters of the year to an estimated $1.7 billion. And studios continue to experiment with their windowing strategies for electronic sell-through. In this environment, the CE industry continues to respond and innovate. Continue reading CES 2013: Entertainment Trends Drive New Technologies

The interest in 3D entertainment and augmented reality has inspired numerous new head-mounted displays and wearable technology. Using Bluetooth technology and wireless connections to offload processing, these displays come in a variety of shapes and sizes, but all have similar aims: to create an immersive entertainment experience or overlay relevant information onto our surroundings. We expect to see some compelling new products at CES. Continue reading CES 2013: Head-Mounted Displays and Wearable Tech