CES 2015: Television trends continue

Its no mystery that bigger and higher quality screens were a new frontier in the last five years as we moved from the old cathode ray tube screens we used to use, but the big flat screens that now dominate are still innovating and continue to grow in both size and quality.

Only a couple of days into 2015 and already several consumer electronics companies have showcased their new 4K offerings using new Quantum Dot technology, meaning better colour and sharpness. These improvements appear to be really dominating the CES announcements, well in front of internet-of-things appliances, wearables and VR.

Although it might seem natural that displays would keep getting larger and better, there is a growing concern from the companies and the consumers that content producers like the movies and games industry simply cannot keep up with these devices, and so the need for these improvements are being questioned. Many of the big TV makers seem confident that the lack of content probably won't be a problem given their bold support for 4K this year.

Samsung unveils an 88" curved 4k television at CES 2015, Las Vegas.

An interesting twist though is that these new televisions; just like our phones, are getting increasingly more 'smart'. They run full operating systems with internet connectivity, browsers, video streaming apps and complete development kits (like Tizen). As this unfolds and the performance and functionality of these devices improve, like built in gesture support and even pen support, there is a growing opportunity to make use of these screens for things other than just catching that latest movie or TV series.

Large format displays, equipped with browsers, like Google Chrome, or paired with a smart device like a ChromeCast make them naturally excellent presentation devices, that can simply blow viewers away like a projector once did. Their large surface and crisp resolution make them excellent to present Collusion projects, providing an astonishingly immersive experience.

Later this year, we expect Microsoft will also announce interactive televisions for commercial purposes (currently named Perceptive Pixel). Our tests have included additional interaction support over ordinary televisions, like stylus, multi-touch and tablet interoperability, ensuring these large screens will be useful as whiteboards and interactive presentation devices.

We at Collusion can't wait to get our hands on these devices to unlock their potential for productivity and help bring your content to these new displays.