advertisement

Ask CNET Asia

Find Products

  • Brand
  • Price
  • TV type
  • Diagonal screen size
  • Filter »

Editors' Top 5s

CNET Features

 
 Print    Email     Bookmark     Share

CES 2009 preview: HDTV

By David Katzmaier, CNET.com
Jan 06, 2009

CES
This year's CES will see the usual array of extremely large-screen HDTVs, although we're not sure anyone can top the 150-inch Panasonic plasma from last year. More interesting is a group of new trends that, compared with items like 1080p and HDMI 1.3 from previous years, could actually prove exciting. OK, fine, they're nothing compared with Macworld, but they're as exciting as HDTVs get.

Eco-friendly: Oil prices may be falling, thanks to the financial crisis, but with belt-tightening, consumers may finally be ready to factor power consumption into a TV-buying decision. The new Energy Star ratings rolled out in late 2008 will help separate the wastrel TVs from the misers, but as with dishwashers, we expect most TVs to bear the little blue logo in 2009. More TV makers will market "green TVs" than ever, and with some of the technologies below, especially OLED and LED, they could improve efficiency even further.

Internet connectivity: 2008 saw a rash of TVs with the capability to stream video, music and photos over a network, along with some models from Samsung that display news, weather, business information, and other Internet content onscreen. In 2009, we will see further interactive capabilities, perhaps including Netflix movie streaming or access to online video sites like Hulu. Web video displayed on an actual TV seems like a no-brainer, and given the fractured market perhaps we're being overly optimistic. But it sure would be cool.

OLED: No display technology is cooler than OLED. Sony was first to market with a consumer OLED TV, the 11-inch XEL-1, and we expect the company to announce a larger screen size, perhaps as big as 30 inches, this year. Samsung will also join the fray. But don't expect these sets to be affordable or widely available anytime this year--or next.


Tags: 1080p, Organic Light-emitting Diode, Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., TV, online video
 

 
Dejudder processing »

    Talkback
neofreko says...
NetFlix already got a deal with LG. www.engadget.com...

And Samsung already hooked with Yahoo! us.rd.yahoo.com...

And that's yesterday ;)

Jan 06, 2009 15:02
 
 
To post comments, you need to become a member. It's FREE.
advertisement