LG Display demonstrated “the world’s first” 48-inch, bendable, 4K gaming monitor during CES 2021. According to LG, the monitor’s thin OLED screen features a curvature radius that allows it to bend up to 1,000 mm without impacting the display’s functionality. The company’s Bendable CSO (Cinematic Sound OLED) display is designed to serve as a traditional flat screen for watching television and easily convert to a curved screen for a more immersive gaming experience. The display also includes tech that enables it to vibrate and create sound without speakers. Continue reading CES: LG Presents 48-Inch ‘Bendable’ OLED Gaming Monitor

First announced in November of last year, Sony unveiled a drone at CES 2021 that the company says is the smallest of its kind capable of accommodating a Sony Alpha mirrorless camera for professional photography and producing video projects. While Sony did not reveal pricing or specs, the drone is is said to be shipping sometime this spring. The quadcopter design shown during the all-digital CES featured two landing gear extensions that are designed to retract during flight so they do not get in the way of shooting stills or video. Continue reading CES: Airpeak Drone Designed for Capturing Photos and Video

During CES 2021, LG provided a peek into its LG Rollable, the company’s first phone that transforms between smartphone and tablet form factors. One company executive said the LG Rollable — positioned as a strong alternative to existing foldable phones — will debut sometime this year. Meanwhile, TCL is developing a device based on the same approach, but the company reported it is only at the conceptual planning stage. But both LG and TCL did leak some information about the upcoming devices’ specifications. Continue reading CES: Rollable Tech Helps Mobile Devices Change Dimensions

During CES 2021, Samsung showed upgrades to The Frame, a so-called “lifestyle TV lineup” first introduced in 2017. The Frame now offers a thinner frame and can rotate to landscape and portrait orientations. Last year, Samsung showcased The Sero, its first rotating television, that was social-media friendly and doubled as a smart art display. A more elegant and slimmer version, The Frame is a 43-inch, top-of-the-line model. Netgear’s popular Meural Canvas smart art frames also swivel to offer both landscape and portrait views. Continue reading CES: The Frame TV From Samsung Can Rotate Its Orientation

Samsung debuted MicroLED TVs during last week’s virtual CES 2021, all offering 4K resolution, in fixed sizes of 110-inches, 99-inches and 88-inches, with the 110-inch version priced at $156,000. That compares to the launch at last year’s CES of the 292-inch MicroLED TV, made up of individual modules and custom-installed. In comparison, Samsung’s 98-inch 8K TV, which uses LCD-based QLED display, is priced at $60,000. MicroLED, the first new screen technology in 10 years, is closer to OLED than LCD and is said to feature improved contrast and response time. Continue reading CES: Samsung’s New MicroLED TVs Offer Improved Contrast

CES 2021 was the first-ever all-digital version of the annual confab produced by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA). This year’s show featured nearly 2,000 companies and more than 100 hours of conference programming. Despite its new virtual format, CES offered compelling keynote addresses by top executives from major companies such as AMD, Best Buy, General Motors, Microsoft, Verizon and Walmart who discussed plans for new products, services and business models, in addition to an array of changes underway designed to address a world facing a pandemic. Continue reading CES: Keynotes Address 5G, AI, Robotics, Pandemic, Security

During the all-digital CES 2021, lidar (light detection and ranging) technology was presented as a key tool for building autonomous vehicles, smart homes and infrastructure for smart cities. Lidar, which senses what an object is based on its shape, first appeared in the 1970s but, up until now, has been too expensive and complicated for broad industrial use. Seoul Robotics, Intel’s Mobileye and Blickfeld were among the companies at CES showcasing real-world lidar applications. Lidar is predicted to triple to an almost $3 billion market by 2025. Continue reading CES: Seoul Robotics, Mobileye Enable Lidar for Smart Cities

During CES 2021, LG Display showcased its latest OLED display: a 55-inch screen with 40 percent transparency, up from past transparent LCDs that only reached 10 percent transparency. This OLED display, with built-in Sound Solution technology speakers embedded in the frame, is intended to be placed at the foot of a bed where it can rise up — partially or fully — to show videos while still enabling a view of what’s on the other side. LG is positioning the set as a smart home device, although the company believes the technology has numerous public applications as a next-gen display. Continue reading CES: LG Unveils Transparent OLED Screen for Smart Homes

CES 2021 concluded last week in the wake of a challenging year marked by political unrest, social upheaval and a global pandemic that continues to impact our personal and professional lives. And much like all that we’re juggling in our current COVID world, the all-digital format of this year’s CES presented a number of unique challenges, most notably how to determine which products and services are most relevant to an M&E audience without the benefit of interacting up close in person. We’re still working our way through information from nearly 2,000 companies and will continue to report our findings on ETCentric. In the coming weeks, ETC will also publish a comprehensive overview of the show with a focus on four dynamic themes, rather than trends: Adaptation, Change, Snapback and Opportunity. In the meanwhile, we provide this snapshot of some of the key products, technologies, trends and announcements. Continue reading CES: Snapshot of All-Digital Show’s Announcements, Trends

During CES 2021, LG Electronics introduced Evo, its high-end OLED TV that features greatly improved light output. OLED TVs offer superior picture quality to LCD TVs, as each pixel can turn on and turn off its own light. But OLED TVs offer half that of the brightest LCD TVs, hobbling the overall picture quality. This year, LG’s Evo and Sony’s new OLED TVs offer more brightness. In addition to LG, only Sony and Vizio sell OLED TVs, all produced by LG Display. During CES, LG also showcased new QNED Mini LED and NanoCell TV models. Continue reading CES: LG Unveils Evo OLED Display with Improved Brightness

At the all-digital CES 2021, Razer’s Blade 15 gaming laptop was introduced with the option to add a QHD screen, one of a few manufacturers adding these screens to gaming machines for the first time. Gamers who use desktop computers favor QHD screens for their 1440p resolution, affordable price, multiple features and compatibility with high-end AMD and Nvidia graphics cards. Until now, gamers could opt only for a 1080p or 4K screen (which reduces frame rate to unplayable levels) — or output to a separate 1440p monitor. Continue reading CES: Razer and Acer Offer QHD Screens for Gaming Laptops

Microsoft president Brad Smith’s CES keynote balanced Microsoft’s global footprint with the opportunities, challenges and responsibilities of technology, government and people. Smith illustrated these themes with sections on massive data, environmental impact, cybersecurity, privacy, artificial intelligence, regulation, and a call for a 9/11-type commission to protect the future by understanding the threats of the present. Smith wrapped his remarks with the words of John F. Kennedy from 1962 when he said, “Technology has no conscience of its own. Whether it becomes a force for good or ill depends on man.” Continue reading CES: Microsoft Keynote on Promises, Responsibility of Tech

During this week’s CES 2021, Deloitte Consulting principal Dan Littman led an inquiry into how the 5G rollout fared in 2020, with AT&T Business chief executive Anne Chow and Qualcomm Technologies senior vice president of engineering Alejandro Holcman. “5G is a new-generation wireless technology filled with complexity of technology, ecosystems and government requirements,” said Littman. “And 2020 made everything a little more challenging.” He asked Chow and Holcman to describe how 5G has been challenged and/or accelerated during the year. Continue reading CES: Acceleration of Technology, Adoption in 5G’s First Year

Advertising on Connected TV (CTV), otherwise known as Over-the-Top (OTT), is a hot topic for advertisers who want to get their messages on any device, including TVs that can be connected to the Internet. According to eMarketer, upwards of 40 percent of the world’s population are “digital video viewers.” But advertising on CTV has enough pitfalls to discourage marketers from embracing it. During a CES 2021 session, DoubleVerify chief executive Mark Zagorski and chief product officer Jack Smith enumerated the challenges and proposed solutions. Continue reading CES: Advertisers Need Better Measurement to Embrace OTT

Two CES 2021 panels addressed the current state and anticipated advances in quantum computing, which is already being applied to problems in business, academia and government. However, the hardware is not as stable and robust as people would like, and the algorithms are not yet up to the task to solve the problems that many researchers envision for them. This has not stopped entrepreneurs, major corporations and governments from dedicated significant resources in R&D and implementations, nor from VCs and sovereign funds making major bets on who the winners will be. Continue reading CES: Sessions Examine the Potential of Quantum Computing