OPINION: By the point you’ve learn this, CES will likely be winding down for one more yr and the services introduced on the occasion will proceed to shuffle alongside as they head in the direction of their launch dates.
CES is at all times an fascinating time because it provides a clue as to what firms will likely be focusing their time and assets on, in addition to the important thing battlegrounds that may emerge over the course of the yr.
With so many bulletins issued, I’m not going to bombard you with tonnes of notices however quite the important thing AV highlights from CES 2023.
OLED TVs are curing considered one of their largest weaknesses
There have been two core points that detractors of OLED expertise have at all times pointed a disapproving finger at. One is picture retention, a difficulty that’s nonetheless prevalent however now pretty manageable due to preventative expertise inside TVs. The opposite problem has been an general lack of brightness.
Clearly, OLED TV producers are conscious of this, as current years have seen TV manufacturers go down the route of making an attempt to extend the luminance output of OLED panels. LG’s OLED EX panels and OLED Evo software program have helped, whereas Samsung’s QD-OLED screens have additionally assisted in boosting peak brightness to over 1000 nits.
The brand new expertise designed to help brightness is the Micro Lens Array display screen that’s supported by the LG G3 and Panasonic’s flagship MZ2000 OLED. Micro Lens Array is claimed to spice up brightness by 150%, which suggests someplace within the area of 2000 nits for peak brightness, with the set’s common brightness additionally boosted.
It will assist in a number of methods, firstly in producing a good higher wide-angle viewing expertise by way of retaining that top brightness, and secondly it’s going to assist make OLED screens extra watchable in brighter environments (at present OLED works greatest in dimly lit rooms). In fact, this may come at higher expense and can initially be obtainable on the flagship fashions, however it’s an encouraging signal of what’s to return.
DTS isn’t laying down in its battle with Dolby
In what looks like a very long time in the past, I wrote about how Dolby’s supremacy within the streaming market was pushing DTS in the direction of the periphery. Dolby’s shiny and environment friendly streaming codecs are the selection of many video streaming providers, and that’s had the knock-on impact of soundbars specializing in Dolby expertise, shutting DTS out within the course of.
Issues appear like they’re about to alter nevertheless. I attended a digital briefing for LG’s TV and audio vary in the direction of the top of 2022, and the corporate made point out of supporting DTS audio, particularly IMAX Enhanced audio for its 2023 soundbars. It was intriguing, since at the moment no service had dedicated to providing IMAX Enhanced audio.
Now LG is bringing DTS:X help to its 2023 TVs later this yr, and in accordance with Xperi, the corporate that owns the DTS model, it’s anticipated that Disney+ will carry DTS:X help to its streaming platform this yr; whereas the variety of manufacturers lining as much as embrace IMAX Enhanced audio embrace Vestel, TCL, Sony, and Hisense. All it takes are a number of dominoes to begin falling for folks to take discover, and it appears to be like as if DTS is placing on its greatest “let’s go” face because it strains up for a battle with Dolby.
There’s a rising viewers for wi-fi streaming document gamers
CES and streaming turntables appear to dovetail properly with one another. A couple of years in the past, Cambridge Audio revealed the primary wi-fi streaming turntable within the Alva TT (and if reminiscence serves accurately, used the platform to announce the sequel in 2022). Victrola additionally used CES to announce its newest effort within the house with the Carbon Onyx.
A sequel to the Carbon Stream from 2022 and piggybacking on the vinyl revival that’s brought on a surge of curiosity within the format, this wi-fi streaming turntable affords comfort and ease. Flip it on, fiddle with the settings, hook up with your audio system and also you’re nearly there.
More and more I hear from speaker manufacturers that whereas conventional hi-fi stays their bread and butter, they need to faucet into the youthful viewers who aren’t au fait with the trimmings of hi-fi and discover it a bit of too complicated to understand with. There’s a rising quantity of people that need issues simplified, and issues don’t get a lot easier than taking part in music to a speaker straight from a smartphone. The Carbon Onyx slides simply into this groove, as do audio system from the likes of Sonos and PSB, whereas the Bowers & Wilkins Formation collection was meant to capitalize on wi-fi connectivity.
Actually, whichever space of the TV and audio market you’re keen on, count on the promise of wi-fi interconnectivity and streaming inside the residence to turn into an ongoing proposition.
