Podcast #408: CES Roundup

We decided to once again make the trek out to Las Vegas to get our own impression of all the hype coming out of CES.  We didn't go last year, and we missed it a little, so we had to go this year.  By far the biggest theme of the show this year was 3D.  Some of what we saw was really good, some was really bad and of course some was just downright strange.

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Today's Show:

News:

• Walmart may buy VUDU, return to online video sales
• Wii gets Netflix, Nintendo boss says standard-def just fine

Iomega ScreenPlay Director HD Media Player (More Info)

 

1. Watch HD movies stored on internal/external drives or on your local network
2. Buy or rent movies from Cinema now
3. MPEG-1; MPEG-2 (AVI/VOB); MPEG-4 (AVI/DivX® /XViD); H.264; WMV; ACVCHD
4. No built in Wi-Fi. Adapter required
5. HDMI
6. One TB model goes for $250

XstreamHD (More Info)

The XStreamHD whole home entertainment solution is powered by one XStreamHD Media Server connected directly to your home network. The XStreamHD Media Server collects, stores and organizes your pre-fetched movies, music and games in your Virtual Personal Library.

As a whole-home solution, the XStreamHD Media Server can deliver multiple streams of content throughout your home to any television equipped with a compact XStreamHD Media Receiver or any DLNA Certified™ device – from computers to next-generation television and game consoles.

The HD Media Server is loaded with up to 4 TB of removable internal storage with additional access to external storage via an eSata connection. Further, the XStreamHD Media Server includes a built-in Network Video Recorder that uses three HDTV (ATSC) tuners to capture all of your favorite broadcast HDTV programs from start-to-finish.

1. XStreamHD Fast Start  MSRP $399 XStreamHD Pro Start $499
2. Using a small outdoor antenna, multiple streams of studio master quality HD entertainment are delivered direct-to-home via satellite to your XStreamHD Media Server
3. Simultaneously access multiple streams of Full HD content throughout your home from one HD Media Server
4. Three HDTV (ATSC) tuners and a Network Video Recorder allow you to simultaneously record up to three broadcast HDTV programs.
5. Up to 4TB of removable internal storage with additional access to external storage via an eSATA connection.

Boxee (More Info)

1. Watch thousands of popular TV shows and movies for Free
2. Very cool RF remote with QWERTY keyboard on back side
3. SD card Slot
4. Wi-Fi built in
5. Facebook and Twitter support

JVC (More Info)

1. Real-Time 2D - 3D Conversion
   • Interesting concept, and it kinda worked, but not perfect
2. Thin LEDs
3. 3D LCoS projectors
   • We opted not to wait in line, but were told that the demo was amazing
   • JVC makes great projectors, from a 2D perspective we know they're great
   • We'd assume their 3D is the same as everyone else's

 LG (More Info)

1. In years past, LG has pushed the envelope with really big screens, this year they had really thin ones
2. They showed an "Ultra Slim LCD" - very nice
   
   • 6.9mm
   • local dimming
   • LED backlit
3. Magic TV remote
   • Uses gyros and accelerometers like a Wii remote
   • Cool idea, but a little more of a gimmick than a mind blower
4. 3D
   • LCD was the same as everyone else.  Not good, not bad
   • Ara really liked the 3D plasma.  It gave Braden headaches.

Panasonic (More Info)

1. 152-inch 4K x 2K Quad HD 3D plasma display
   • Thing was huge
   • It looked good, but the content didn't really show it off
   • We didn't see any 3D on it, but supposedly it could do it
   • No pricing or availability ... but they can get you a 103" unit right away
2. Panasonic's 3D plasma won best of CES 2010
   • Ara really liked how plasma looked in 3D
   • Braden thought it was the most natural looking, but it gave him headaches
   • Used active glasses, which we all know are expensive
3. Showed what they claimed was the world's first Full HD 3D Blu-ray player with WiFi
4. Showed a portable Blu-ray player

Samsung (More Info)

1. Were not allowed to take pictures. These two were taken before we were admonished
2. Samsung Plasma:
   • 3D compatible
   • 2D-to-3D conversion system
   • slim 1.4-inch deep panel
   • Interactive capability with Samsung Internet @ TV and Samsung Apps
3. OLED 3D - Did not look very good

Toshiba (More Info)

1. Cell TV - supposed to be the most powerful TV ever
   • Cell processor can upconvert 2D to 3D, we didn't see it
   • TV can rip Blu-ray and DVD movies - pretty cool
   • Supports IPTV - not Skype
   • Showed a split screen of HD and HD upconverted to 4K - we weren't blown away
   • It could eventually become self aware
2. Big focus on "green" technology
3. No focus on Bu-ray

Sharp (More Info)

1. Quad pixel technology
   • Big theme was the color yellow - Coldplay did not perform as far as we know
   • TVs looked good, but not mindblowing
   • Unlike most things at the show, they should ship in 2010
2. Had a bunch of "connected" Blu-ray players
   • Netflix (of course)
   • Vudu
   • Pandora
   • Special Aquos Pure mode knows the player is connected to an Aquos HDTV and makes movies look better (uses deep color)

Dolby (More Info)

1. Dolby Volume
2. Dolby Mobile
3. Dolby Pro Logic IIz

SONY (More Info)

1. 3D OLED
   • Not good, but not as bad as Samsung
2. 3D LCD
   • Pretty much the same as everyone else's

The only analog set we saw ...

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Comments

[Jeff]

Thanks for the great coverage...I almost feel like I've been there myself.

[Kevin Wilson]

From CES - if you didn't see if or don't already have it in your CES show notes, check out and give a shout to the Samsung C9000's Remote with the "slave" TV screen on it. Explore the question - could a generic manufacturer like Logitech have a chance of making such a feature-rich remote? Are feature rmotes like this going to take all of us to two remote - the all-in-one remote ("enable the wide to watch a movie") remote + the TV-specific "hold while you're watching stuff" remote.

I would buy the C9000 just for the remote. Thinness I can live without. I only need a TV to be thin enoght to reduce the weight the point it's easily movavble.

Kevin W.

[Herb B]

I agree with just about everything reported about products that I saw at CES except for the Sony 3D OLED. They were showing a 3D clip of an aquarium and, if I did not know better, I would have told you there were real fish in there. I was blown away.

I saw the Panny 3D demo on the 152" plasma. Wow. Panasonic definitely deserved CNET's best in show award for their 3D TV. It was the only one I saw that was "ready for prime time."

Toshiba's cell TV was all hype and no substance. Their on-the-fly 2D to 3D conversion looked terrible.

[Paul W]

Thanx for the pix guys.

Here's another link to CES from a mobile fone centric attendee..

http://www.mobile-review.com/index-en.shtml

[Rob H.]

If I'm not mistaken, I heard that the 3D plasmas were using a refresh rate of 96 Hz (48 Hz per eye). This might account for Braden's headaches as he might have been able to perceive the flicker.

[DP - San Diego]

I bit the bullet and put triple, and in some cases quad, cat 6 to each room. One for internet, two for 1.3 HDMI, one for composite video + stereo. I put an ethernet patch panel in a center closet to direct the flow of video.

[Rick K.]

You poor guys. All the way to Vegas for two alphanumerics: "3" and "D".

The biggest disappointment for me would have been the lack of full-sized booths for receiver manufacturers.