CES 2009

This year's CES will bring the usual array of extremely large, easy-to-blog HDTVs, although we're not sure anybody will 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.

Philips' Eco TV, the 2008 Best in Show winner, heralds a 'green TV' trend in 2009.

(Credit: Philips)

Eco-friendly: Oil prices might be falling with the financial crisis, but with a new, more environmentally conscious president and general belt-tightening, the American public 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 Panasonic and Samsung that display news, weather, business information, and other Internet content onscreen. In 2009, we will see further interactive capabilities, perhaps including Netflix 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.

LED: Much more accessible than OLED, LED backlights combined with standard LCD technology will be out in force in 2009. We've heard that one manufacturer wants to create a separate market segment called "LED TV," to separate these more-expensive, better-performing models from their non-LED LCD brethren. Samsung, Sony, and LG, at least, will expand their LED lineups in 2009, and prices will definitely fall as production ramps up.

240Hz: As the marketing logic goes, if 120Hz is good, 240Hz has to be twice as nice, right? Not really, but that higher number sure looks impressive on a spec sheet, and Sony is already selling a 240Hz LCD in its KDL-52XBR7--which, in case you don't want to click through, did not perform twice as well. Nonetheless, Samsung and LG will likely up the Hz ante in 2009 as well.

Dejudder processing: Currently widely available in 120Hz LCDs, the ability to smooth out motion, known as "dejudder," will probably migrate in force to plasma, standard 60Hz LCDs, and rear-projection, too. If you like that smooth effect feel free to rejoice, but we'll probably stick with leaving it Off, thank you.

Ultrathin flat panels: Last year's CES included a number of even flatter flat-panel LCD TVs, like the Hitachi UT37X902, and we expect abuse of the phrase "thin is in" to grow during this year's show coverage. Ultrathin technology may also make its way to plasma models this year. Of course, the difference between the standard 3 or so inches thick panel and "ultrathin" models 1 inch thick or less isn't going to sway many buyers to pay extra, but that won't stop manufacturers from pushing thin anyway.

DTV transition: We'd be remiss if we didn't mention that about a month after CES the country will go through the transition from analog to digital TV. A few manufacturers will probably take advantage of the transition to market portable DTV-ready sets or even TVs with built-in DVRs that can record digital over-the-air programming. Seriously, if you have over-the-air TV, streaming Netflix and Hulu, why keep cable?

What new HDTV technology do you want to see announced at this year's CES? Let us know in comments.

Polk Audio's SurroundBar 360 was one of CES 2008's top home audio offerings.

(Credit: Polk Audio)

The 2009 Consumer Electronics Show will be the sixth consecutive CES event I've attended. And for most of those, we've had to write up previews of what we're expecting or anticipating at the show as a whole, or in one category. Looking back at those pieces, you can see how far a lot of the technology has come in just half a decade (2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008). Indeed, plenty of features, options, and product categories we take for granted today didn't really exist just five years ago. But you can also note how some predictions seem to keep resurfacing year after year--without ever really coming to fruition.

Perhaps the biggest vaporware offering in the home audio realm is wireless speakers. Several vendors have promised wireless surround systems in years past, but to date, mass-market-friendly solutions remain few and far between. We'll no doubt see several companies touting wireless loudspeaker solutions at this year's show, but just remember that true wireless speakers are pretty much a pipe dream--without some sort of battery power, the speakers themselves are still going to need at least one cable--the power cord.

Network audio is another perennial "next big thing" at CES. This one's actually entering the category of a maturing technology at this point. Plenty of standalone products--from the multiroom Sonos, the more affordable Logitech Squeezebox line, and even the Apple TV--have pretty much perfected the network audio experience, and Wi-Fi radios which can tune in online radio stations from around the world are well under $200. In addition to more dedicated network audio products, look for more network-friendly AV devices to incorporate audio streaming as a feature (such as Rhapsody on TiVo and Pandora of the Samsung BD-P2550 Blu-ray player).

Somewhat related is satellite radio. With federal approval of the XM/Sirius merger, the unified company can begin touting its consolidated programming offerings and--perhaps--begin to discuss hardware that can access content from both XM and Sirius satellites. But the fact that the company is now a penny stock will weigh heavily, as will the troubled U.S. auto industry--the sales from which traditionally drove satellite radio subscriber growth.

Being iPod- and iPhone-ready is another feature that went from a major value-added to a default bullet point over the course of the past decade. While nearly every home audio product now has an Apple-compatible dock built-in (or available as an add-on), look for companies to up the ante with tighter integration--such as using on-TV menus to navigate an iPod's video and audio directories, or using the iPod Touch or iPhone as a full-on remote control via Wi-Fi.

Blu-ray compatibility will undoubtedly be a buzzword in 2009. It was only about a year ago (CES 2008, in fact) that Blu-ray dealt a knockout punch to archrival HD DVD, becoming the default high-def disc format of choice. Last year, home theater systems with integrated Blu-ray were the exception to the rule. In 2009, look for it to the be standard in high- and even mid-level home theater systems--with full-on BD-Live functionality to boot.

Look for single-speaker audio and virtual surround products to again dominate the major brands' audio lineups. The '09 products will likely be offered at more accessible prices than ever before--probably starting at the sub-$500 range, instead of closer to $800 or $1,000. (Check out our current virtual surround champs--with with video connectivity and without.)

If you're noticing that nothing there is particularly new compared to previous years, you're absolutely correct. The home audio category remains the red-headed stepchild of the consumer electronics landscape, wedged uncomfortably between eye-popping flat-panel TVs and increasingly indispensable cell phones and portable devices.

I'm of the opinion that most of these product categories have plateaued to a large degree. That's why I'd really like to see the manufacturers get back to the basics. How about an AV receiver that's actually easy to set up and use? Yes, it could still be bristling with inputs and outputs, but give it an onscreen interface like the Apple TV. Or have an onscreen wizard talk you through the steps of connecting the cables, as seen on the Vudu, TiVo, or Sling products. (Sony porting its PS3-style Cross Media Bar interface to its receivers and TVs is a nice start, but I consider that to be the jumping off point.)

A home theater system that was easy to set up, easy to use, and had a menu system that was in plain English instead of technojargonese? That would be an easy pick for Best of CES.

Hey, there's always next year.

For the last few years, the format war between HD DVD and Blu-ray monopolized home video coverage at CES. Now that HD DVD is dead, we can finally get back to focusing on new technology, rather than which studios are backing which format. Blu-ray should have a big presence, along with its new competitors, Internet-powered video-on-demand boxes.

Blu-ray goes mainstream

Blu-ray isn't just for home theater geeks anymore.

It's hard to believe, but just one year ago, HD DVD was selling tons of $99 players, Blu-ray players cost an unreasonable $400 or more, and we were advising buyers to hold off going Blu because the format wasn't quite ready yet. Since then, Blu-ray has made huge leaps, with standalone players available for less than $250 and a feeling of inevitability in the consumer electronics world.

That trend is likely to continue, with Blu-ray becoming truly mainstream in 2009. We wouldn't be shocked to see a $150 standalone Blu-ray player announced or home theater systems with built-in Blu-ray hitting the $500-and-below price point.

On the innovation side, we have to imagine we'll see standalone players start including Wi-Fi rather than the standard Ethernet connection. This will make it easier to access not only BD-Live, but also any additional streaming services available, such as Netflix or Pandora streaming. 2009 maybe also be the year we see Blu-ray recorders hit the US, although if the rumors are true prices are likely to pretty high. Less likely, but still possible, would be some early attempts at portable Blu-ray players, allowing you to take your new movie collection on the road.

Netflix is everywhere

The end of 2008 has seen a string of new devices featuring support for Netflix's Instant Streaming functionality, including Blu-ray players, TiVos and even the Xbox360. This year we expect to see the Netflix Instant Streaming logo on nearly everything with a video output, including budget HTIBs and possibly even some DVD players. The biggest announcement in this area would be Netflix announcing substantial deals to get more titles available for streaming, but that's probably unlikely.

The $100 Hulu box

It's become obvious to nearly everyone that one of the next big things in the home video space is finding a way to make online video content easy to access in your living room. Around CNET offices, it's referred to as "the Hulu box" and we fully expect companies to roll out hardware that tries to accomplish this. While the SlingCatcher already does this to some extent, it costs $300--we're more interested in a low-cost ($100) solution, using something like the boxee software to get our internet video fix. We also wouldn't be shocked to see to see existing products like the TiVo HD or Xbox 360 get upgrades in this direction.

Wireless HDMI materializes from the vapor?

In our CES wrap-up blog last year, we speculated that "wireless in-home HD video is getting closer to the mass market." Oops. Aside from Sony's super-expensive DMX-WL1 and Samsung's "wireless plasma", basically all the products we saw last year never came to fruition. Given how little progress was made in making the wireless dream a reality, this prediction is probably more of a wish, but we'll definitely at least see companies promising this technology.