CES: Samsung Aims to Bring Its ‘Vision AI’ to TVs and Homes

Samsung has made a tradition of opening CES with a “First Look” event the night before exhibits open in Las Vegas. This year, that January 6 event introduced the theme “AI for All: Everyday, Everywhere,” with artificial intelligence allowing devices like TVs to intuitively (and sometimes autonomously) make choices that enhance our lifestyle. Samsung sees TV as “no longer just a screen, but a companion that enriches your home.” In addition to displays, Samsung also plans to introduce its “Vision AI” technology across various home appliance and mobile devices in 2025. Continue reading CES: Samsung Aims to Bring Its ‘Vision AI’ to TVs and Homes

CES: Xgimi Demonstrates 100-Inch Concept Projector Screen

Projector company Xgimi unveiled a concept projector screen called Ascend — “the ultimate home entertainment solution” — that was one of CES’s most talked about offerings. A motorized 100-inch (diagonal) Ascend screen that rises from the floor with two built-in Harman Kardon sound bars was paired with Xgimi’s ultra short-throw Aura 2 4K projector for display during the show, which garnered positive word-of-mouth for its sleek design. It was also appreciatively noticed for what Xgimi says will be an affordable price, though the Chinese company stressed the technology is still in development. Continue reading CES: Xgimi Demonstrates 100-Inch Concept Projector Screen

CES: Panasonic OLED is Competitive in Premium TV Category

Panasonic reinforced its 2024 reentry into the U.S. television market, introducing three new models including the flagship Z95B OLED at CES 2025. Some say the company’s new top-of-the-line torch bearer — with spatial audio and sizes up to 77 inches — is competitive with premium models from top manufacturers such as Sony, Samsung and LG. The Z95B features a “next-generation” OLED panel “with Primary RGB Tandem technology, which employs a four-layer emission structure that refines the wavelength of light and increases color purity, thus enhancing light efficiency by 40 percent,” according to Panasonic. Continue reading CES: Panasonic OLED is Competitive in Premium TV Category

CES: Hisense Introduces L9Q Laser TV with Compact Console

One of the new television unveilings at CES this year was Hisense’s L9Q, the latest evolution of the Chinese company’s L9 Series of laser TVs first introduced in 2014. Offering five immersive screen sizes ranging from 100 to 150 inches at 4K UHD resolution, L9Q touts the most compact laser TV console (as small as a 12-inch laptop). Its proprietary TriChroma triple-laser light engine emits up to 5,000 lumens with a 5,000:1 contrast ratio and is the first to achieve 1,500 nits full-screen brightness. Each L9Q is paired with one of the company’s Ambient Light Rejection (ALR) screens. The L9Q also supports Dolby Atmos, DTS Virtual X, and eARC for quality surround sound. Continue reading CES: Hisense Introduces L9Q Laser TV with Compact Console

CES: TV Industry Adapts to Expansion of Platforms and Devices

Fitting for a trade show long associated with the latest and greatest television sets, this year’s CES featured a panel titled “The Future of Immersive TV.” The panelists, led by moderator Rick Kowalski, senior director of business intelligence for the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), underscored the biggest current challenge for home entertainment is the fragmentation of platforms on which consumers view content. Multimodal content delivery is impacting production workflows and advertising services. From trends in consumer behavior to emerging technologies, the panel speculated about interactive TV, shoppable TV, and the need for consistent experiences. Continue reading CES: TV Industry Adapts to Expansion of Platforms and Devices

CES: Samsung Goes Wireless with mini-LED on The Frame Pro

Having commercialized the idea of a TV that displays art in its downtime, Samsung has faced some criticism for The Frame’s performance when it comes to displaying traditional video content. Now the company is attempting to silence the critics with The Frame Pro, a mini-LED TV that promises brighter colors, sharper contrasts and improved local dimming for deeper blacks. Powered by the NQ4 Gen3 AI Processor, “The Frame Pro offers unparalleled picture quality for both artwork and video content,” Samsung claims. It comes with Wireless One Connect, allowing a seamless blend with the environment. Continue reading CES: Samsung Goes Wireless with mini-LED on The Frame Pro

CES: Sony Introduces Interactive Experience – ‘The Last of Us’

During CES this week, Sony demonstrated a proof-of-concept experience based on the popular HBO post-apocalyptic drama “The Last of Us.” We were dropped into a six-person pod of newly enlisted defenders and assigned to a hardened defender who needed new recruits to combat a serious surge of zombie assaults that she was convinced could be overcome with our assistance. Armed with LED-enabled shotgun-like devices and tracked flashlights to assist our leader in discovering the concealed attackers, our combat leader led us with sharp and direct commands as she guided us through the terrors of the attack. Continue reading CES: Sony Introduces Interactive Experience – ‘The Last of Us’

CES: LG Wireless OLED TVs Boost Brightness, Include AI Tech

Extreme brightness, advanced AI and a 165Hz refresh rate for gaming are among the features of the LG’s 2025 OLED evo lineup. Powering the OLED evo M5 and OLED evo G5 series is LG’s freshly minted Alpha 11 Gen 2 processor, with improved power and AI capabilities to take it beyond last year’s G4 series in picture and sound. LG calls the line the world’s first wireless OLEDs, with the ability to transmit throughout the home. LG’s Brightness Booster Ultimate — offering “brightness three times higher than conventional OLEDs” — and the Alpha 11 Gen 2 processor enhance the package. Continue reading CES: LG Wireless OLED TVs Boost Brightness, Include AI Tech

CES: Hisense Goes Big and AI with New Micro-, Mini-LED TVs

Hisense is going high-end at CES 2025, with two XXL-size TVs that leverage new display technology. For 2025 the company has queued up a 136-inch micro-LED TV and a 116-inch mini-LED TV that uses RGB backlight for improved color. The Chinese company’s 2025 TVs all feature a new Hisense Hi-View AI Engine X processor that the company says is faster than last year’s and uses artificial intelligence to optimize the picture and sound, as well as energy consumption. The models also have built-in ATSC 3.0 tuners for NextGen digital TV broadcasts. No word yet on pricing or availability. Continue reading CES: Hisense Goes Big and AI with New Micro-, Mini-LED TVs

CES: TCL’s QM6K Series TVs Boost Brightness by 53 Percent

TCL’s new QM6K series of mini-LED TVs is turning heads at CES 2025 for its combination of high-end features, low price, and fact that it is available now, starting at $750 for the 50-inch model, going up to 98-inches for $3,500. Featuring a bezel-free design, the TV is powered by the company’s proprietary AiPQ Pro Processor, a Super High Energy mini-LED chip that TCL is using on all its 2025 mini-LED TVs. The company says the AiPQ Pro produces 53 percent more brightness and has 500 local dimming zones controlled by TCL Precise Dimming, debuting on the QM6K series. Continue reading CES: TCL’s QM6K Series TVs Boost Brightness by 53 Percent

CES: Google TV Integrates Gemini AI for a Conversational Feel

Google TV is incorporating Gemini AI to make it easier to converse with a voice assistant as well as generating helpful onscreen information. These new Google TV devices will also feature an upgraded, Gemini-powered voice experience capable of handling more complex voice commands. “You and your family will be able to gather together and have a natural conversation with your TV,” Google announced at CES 2025, where it shared a preview of the new capabilities. The Gemini model also lets Google TV users create customized artwork, control smart home devices and get an overview of the day’s news. Continue reading CES: Google TV Integrates Gemini AI for a Conversational Feel

CES: Comcast Debuts Universal Ads, Inks Media Partnerships

At CES on Monday, Comcast unveiled Universal Ads, an advertising platform aimed at being an “easy button” for small- and medium-sized businesses to buy ad time on traditional TV’s streaming businesses, with the goal of luring them away from social media and digital outlets. In addition to Comcast’s own NBCUniversal, additional partners include DirecTV, Fox Corporation, Paramount, Roku, TelevisaUnivision and Warner Bros. Discovery. CNBC Senior Media & Tech Correspondent Julia Boorstin moderated a panel with Comcast and some major partners who explained why they signed on to the new platform. Continue reading CES: Comcast Debuts Universal Ads, Inks Media Partnerships

CES: Industry Leaders Highlight Transformative Potential of AI

CES 2025 kicked off appropriately with a high-powered panel on AI’s impact in entertainment. Under the expert moderation of our friend, and former president of the Hollywood Professional Association, Seth Hallen, three of the industry’s most senior leaders spoke candidly about what the technology means to the industry: Samira Panah Bakhtiar (GM of Media and Entertainment, Games, and Sports at Amazon Web Services), Academy Award-winner Ed Ulbrich (Chief Content Officer and President of Production at Metaphysic), and Richard Kerris (GM of Media and Entertainment at Nvidia). Continue reading CES: Industry Leaders Highlight Transformative Potential of AI

CES: CTA Futurist Predicts the Impact of Latest Tech Trends

At CES 2025’s opening session on Tech Trends, futurist Brian Comiskey, the Consumer Technology Association’s senior director of innovation and trends, forecasted record retail revenues of $537 billion in 2025, representing a growth in hardware, software and services. He also enumerated the growth of AI as a continuing trend. Fueling this record growth is the dominance of Gen Z, which he dubbed “the first true digital natives.” Comiskey noted, however, that the incoming government proposal to establish tariffs threaten U.S. purchasing power for technology products. Continue reading CES: CTA Futurist Predicts the Impact of Latest Tech Trends

CES: Samsung and Google Team on Spatial Audio Standard

Samsung Electronics has teamed with Google on a new spatial sound standard, Eclipsa Audio, that could emerge as a free alternative to Dolby Atmos. On display at CES 2025 in Las Vegas this week, the format is rolling out across Samsung’s line of 2025 TVs and soundbars, and Google will support it on the content side by enabling Eclipsa 3D audio on some YouTube videos this year. Samsung has been a notable holdout on Dolby Vision HDR embracing instead the competing HDR10+. Now the South Korean electronics giant seems to be staking out its own turf in 3D audio, advocating for open source. Continue reading CES: Samsung and Google Team on Spatial Audio Standard