Vision - November/December 2007 - (Page 33)

to HomePlug AV, features a built-in Webbrowser for fetching video directly from the Internet, says Bob Scaglione, senior vice president of marketing at Sharp Electronics in Mahwah, N.J. “Video ubiquity” is Sharp’s vision, Scaglione says. The company believes consumers should be able to enjoy content on any TV in the home. Wi-Fi also will proliferate next year in audio-video devices as well as in cell phones, says Karen Hanley, senior director of the Wi-Fi Alliance. The technology has been in a small number of CE products for several years, but the latest “802.11n” version offers bandwidth of 250 Mbps and can carry up to four HD video streams over a distance of 600 feet throughout a home—not just within a room. The final “N” specification will be ratified next September and, as a result, more CE products will take advantage of the technology’s speed and range in 2008, she says. This summer, Hewlett-Packard started selling a new MediaSmart LCD HDTV with built-in 802.11n technology. It can be used, for example, to play HD movies stored on the new MediaSmart Home Server, one of a new crop of “network attached storage” devices based on Microsoft’s Windows Home Server software that will debut at CES. CES will include more Wi-Fi-enabled devices, including mid-range audio and video devices, predicts Michael Greeson, principal at The Diffusion Group, a market research and consulting firm in Plano, Texas. Still, not everyone is enthralled with the idea of wirelessly networked TVs. “From a practical point of view, it doesn’t ring true to me,” says IDC’s Gaw. In the final analysis, he declares, a wired connection, like HomePlug AV, will be more reliable than a wireless link, particularly for video. hDmi Lastly, look for even more devices at CES to employ HDMI, an interconnect technology that carries high-quality audio and video on a single cable between a source device (such as a DVD player) and a display device (such as an HDTV). A number of contenders are working on “wireless for HDMI” solutions, including Monster Cable, Amimon and T-Zero, notes Les Chard, president of HDMI Licensing. But none of these solutions are interoperable with the others and their bandwidths are different, he notes. Still, declares Ross Rubin, director of industry analysis at The NPD Group in Port Washington, N.Y., “I wouldn’t be surprised to see a few product announcements at CES” centered on so-called wireless HDMI. • sizzling ces techZones nquestionably, the International CES is huge. Yet there is a simple way to see the latest and greatest technologies displayed throughout CES: Target the CES TechZones. They are showcases for market-specific technologies featuring emerging products in a wide variety of CE categories. At the 2008 International CES, there will be 22 TechZones located inside the Las Vegas Convention Center’s South and North Halls, and outside at LVCC’s Central Plaza and Gold Lot exhibit areas, as well as at the Sands Expo and Convention Center. Reflecting the CE industry’s commitment to environmental preservation, the new Sustainable Technologies TechZone features pioneering technologies that benefit the environment and sustain the global economy by contributing to the social and cultural development of underdeveloped and developing countries. This TechZone is connected to a CES program entitled “Technology Access for Emerging Markets”, which also includes a day-long conference at the show. Also new is the Advanced Display Technologies TechZone, which presents the latest developments in advanced display technologies, including a-Si TFT LCDs, LTPS TFT LCDs, AMOLEDs, PMOLEDs, PDPs, flexible, reflective and 3D displays. www.ce.org U These are the displays that will change the way everyone views entertainment and information in the future. The Gaming TechZone will be relocated to a more prominent position in LVCC’s South Hall (from an area at the Sands last year). Come to see gaming hardware and software in action along with related gear, including HDTVs, surround sound systems, power conditioners and home theater furniture. Discover cutting-edge home automation technologies at the NextGen Home Experience, two completely functional digital homes constructed on the Central Plaza. The homes feature Exceptional Innovation’s Life|Ware digital entertainment and automation systems integrating innovative products from leading CE brands, including audio-video and appliance makers. CE’s role in safer driving is demonstrated at the Vehicle Safety and Communication TechZone, in the Gold Lot. This TechZone features live demos of the latest technology in automotive active safety and warning systems, including collision warning, lane departure, curve over-speed and crash and incident response systems, as well as traffic and highway management systems. To make the most of your voyage through CES, zero in on the TechZones. • November/December 2007 33 http://www.ce.org

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Vision - November/December 2007

Vision - November/December 2007 Contents Shapiro's Spectrum In This Issue The Economist C4 Visionary Tech Speak Going Global Eye on Business Tech Policy Special Supplement: CES Unveiled 2008 CES Technologies to Watch Eastern Europe Embraces CE M&A Fest Displaying the Future CEA Newsline Market Insider Just the Stats

Vision - November/December 2007

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