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TVs grab spotlight at CES gala

Las Vegas

LG Electronics showed off a “wallpaper” thin television as TV makers vied for the spotlight ahead of the Consumer Electronics Show officially opening yesterday.

As in years past, the South Korean consumer electronics giant staked out the opening slot in a day rich with back-to-back press briefings by industry titans.

LG and rivals touched on hot themes at this year’s show -- including robots, appliances equipped with artificial intelligence, and self-driving car technology.

A surprise star of the presentation was a strikingly thin LG Signature OLED flat-screen television simply branded “W.”

The super high-definition TV measured just 2.57 mm thick in a 65-inch screen model. LG boasted that a larger screen model garnered a CES Best of Innovation Award.

“Why the ‘W’?” LG Electronics USA marketing vice president David VanderWaal asked rhetorically during the presentation.

“Wallpaper. Window. Wow,” he said.

The screens are designed to affix to walls with magnetic brackets, protruding less than 4 mm.

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Sony OLED shines

Sony used CES to introduce a stunning A1E series Bravia OLED television in a shift to image technology that had been  terrain ruled by LG in the US market.

“It renders every detail of an image,” Sony Corporation chief executive Kazuo Hirai said of the new flagship TV at the company’s booth on the CES show floor.

“You will see more than you every thought possible in a display.”

Sony eliminated speakers from the A1E series, creating technology that generates rich sound by making the screen vibrate in what Hirai boasted to be an industry first.

Google’s Android TV software for accessing internet content was also built into the screens, according to the Japanese consumer electronics and entertainment titan.

Hirai promised a rising sea of 4K resolution content for high-definition screens.

TCL out to grow

China’s fast-growing television maker TCL was at the show with a mission to expand its market.

TCL unveiled 25 new Roku-enabled TV models heading for North America, boasting improved high-definition imagery and enhanced audio.

“We are here today because we are investing in the future of technology, specifically smart TVs,” TCL marketing executive Ranjit Gopi said during a press briefing.

“We are, as of 2016, one of the fastest growing brands in the world.”

TCL partners include internet powerhouse Google and its Android TV offering.

Eye-grabbing screens

Samsung ramped up its smart TV platform with an offering tailored for sports lovers, and added a new entertainment application. Features in the new models included being able to recognize who is speaking while being commanded by voice.

The South Korean device maker also showed off a new television built with “Quantum Dot” technology.

 

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Hyundai Motor Co. senior engineer Dr. Dong Jin Hyun demonstrates the H-Mex Hyundai Medical Exoskeleton, which is used to assist people who have trouble walking.

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Hyundai Motor Co. Vice President Mike O’Brien speaks in front of a video image of the Hyundai autonomous Ioniq vehicle

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Royole’s flexible land phone is displayed. 

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The Toyota Concept-i vehicle

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The LG Airbot airport guide robot.

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The new Panasonic LUMIX GH5, which is unveiled today as the latest flagship model of LUMIX G DSLM cameras.

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The new Samsung FlexWash and FlexDry washer and dryer are on display.

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The Notebook Odyssey, SamsungÕs first-ever gaming laptop, is on display.