CES 2019: What to expect when it comes to SmartTVs

Ready or not, we are on the eve of CES 2019 and, for technology lovers, it's practically Christmas, only in January. In fact, happiness can be summed up in one simple word: TV.

This is because the event is a full plate for the eyes and hearts of lovers of these devices, a showcase for everything that is new for televisions, even if they are not fortuitous. But let's face it, even a mistake is a hit in this industry.

So what can we expect from CES 2019? We don't want to give spoilers, but what we can advance is greater technology, definition, and, why not, malleability?

malleable OLED?

One of the coolest news came with an ad that was quite unusual: a TV so thin that it is capable of disappearing through a crack, rolling out of a box. Predictions point out that the curious device arrives later this year.

The question that remains is: “Why? What is the need for that?”. We answer: one of the big problems with televisions is their immutable rigidity when turned off, stuck forever to the wall. It's not the case with the new OLED da LG, which can improve display technology in a way that encourages the market to follow the trend.

8K on sale 

A Samsung started selling its first 8K TVs in the United States with no less than 85 inches, while LG presented its bet for the sector, an 88-inch television at IFA 2018 in Berlin. Both models hit the market in 2019. As expected, there are even more models to be announced by the two companies at CES 2019, as Sony, Vizio, TCL and Hisense. 

Of course, it's still speculated that all models will be salty and don't expect that there's much beyond image quality to justify the skyrocketing prices. But don't despair, just like its 4K predecessor, televisions will gradually start to feature display technology in more modest inches, such as 55 inches. 

The company's big bet for CES this year are The Frame 2019 and SERIF TV, both with a focus on 8K and with the proposal to also become a design item. 

Bigger is better 

Still talking about big screens:

“The main trend is clearly big-screen TVs. Really big screens continue to be a growing part of the market,” says Stephen Baker, vice president of industry analysis at the NPD Group. “And of course, you might have seen some of that during Thanksgiving with the 65-inch TVs that Walmart was selling.”

Still focusing on numbers, it is worth mentioning the spontaneous growth of TCL in the last year. The Chinese company always tops Amazon with its Roku TVs, making it the most sought after item in the industry on Black Friday and the holiday season in general.

In this regard, Baker is not shy about sharing numbers: TCL has grown by around 60% in the last two years, while Samsung remains consolidated at the top, even if it has faced small drops in recent years, 2% and 4% respectively, indicating that they sold less at the end of the year.

Vizio was the company that, in terms of falls, faced the toughest penalties, both in sales and in market value, 8% and 9% in both. Competing directly with the TCL (both focus on simple televisions), the CES 2019 it is a platform for the company to put its cards on the table and show its stratagem to circumvent the competition. 

talking TV 

Alexa e Google Assistant focused on producing smart remote controls in recent years, but their efforts are aimed at developing software that minimizes their use, emphasizing voice control if you have speakers like Google Home, Echo, Sonos One or any other.

And in this regard, Alexa is taking the lead. Toshiba says that a large part of the market will invest in the company's technology. It seems like a natural step for the Amazon Fire TV Edition too, considering how well Amazon's Fire TV Cube can listen without being affected by the TV's speakers. In other words, the feature is no longer a bet, but a guaranteed trend. 

AI meets image quality

It's hard to sell image quality. It seems ironic, but the topic that attracts the most attention when it comes to televisions is AI, or, better said, artificial intelligence. The point is no longer how beautiful the image can be reproduced on your TV screen, and now what matters is how smart it can be. 

LG has already sealed a partnership of its patented artificial intelligence with Google Assistant, but the next step is to show buyers that the algorithms also favor in terms of image quality. It is the marketing strategy of Samsung in this regard: the company wants to make it clear that the transition from 4K to 8K is only possible thanks to the artificial intelligence involved and, once said by Samsung, the market will follow in the same vein.

MicroLED, the not-so-new novelty

Since CES last year, the MicroLED remains a hot topic in the market. This is largely due to the resounding success of The Wall, the Samsung television that was the big talk in Las Vegas in 2018.

Which seems natural, considering that its predecessor, OLED, has been responsible for most of the sales in the last year. And it can stay that way for a while. This is because, like 8K technology, MicroLED is only available for televisions with a large number of inches, which makes its mass sale unfeasible, as it directly compromises on price.

But what about HDMI 2.1?

It is to be expected that TVs this year will finally surrender to the latest update in this regard. But, spoiler: it doesn't make much difference unless you're willing to invest in an 8K. Companies are not interested for now considering that HDMI cables are quite sufficient for the requirements of 4K available on the market.

Therefore, technology will be, for now, more focused on computers than on the TV sector. Who knows in a few years? And only with CES 2019 that we can more clearly predict what will come next. For now, speculation and expectations remain. Come soon, CES!