Drones, robots and autonomous cars notwithstanding, it was difficult to find standout
announcements at CES, but there was a definite increase in the number of
companies solving particular problems, as well as improvements in burgeoning
technologies. For the cable industry, health monitoring is becoming more
viable, not just within personal devices, but in new products that can provide richer
and more technical interfaces for remote medical care. The industry still
tip-toes forward in consideration of privacy and security, but each year it
seems remote doctor visits and remote family care are becoming plausible, with
hopes that in the future cable operators will securely offer this important
service to their customers.
New IoT offerings
in home automation were highlighted alongside others that integrate devices,
protocols and dashboards within a single service. A challenge is the difficulty
of standardization, given the existence of Z-Wave, ZigBee, and other protocols
for sensor networking, as well as the emergence of new protocols, some of which
are designed for specific applications. Regardless, home automation continues
to grow at a rapid rate, with Samsung standing out for its integration
of their SmartTV with home services.
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As expected 4K Ultra High Definition (UHD) with High Dynamic Range (HDR) was
everywhere. This is good news for Operators like Videotron that, with the help of Alticast, already launched a 4K set top box. There were also numerous
announcements on content deals that will help accelerate UHD TV uptake. IPTV 4K delivery remains to be a challenge, the trick is ensuring enough continuous bandwidth over wi-fi or broadband for receiving this stunning content. Some solutions that deliver 4K content use Adaptive Bit-rate Streaming (ABR) which can fluctuate the resolution based on bandwidth availability, providing a non-optimal 4K experience.
Virtual
reality, a product of the 1980s, has come back with a vengeance, thanks to
better and more accessible technology. Press reports suggest it will be a moneymaker,
certainly for medical
and training, but for entertainment content it falls prey to the same
issues as 3D TV, requiring content that is expensive to produce and special viewing hardware. It will take time to see if it will proliferate
beyond gaming-type applications.
What does the
future hold for these technologies? In
the months ahead, the market will separate the sizzle from the sustainable. For
now, all of us can get back to doing what we do best -- innovate new products
and enrich the lives of consumers. And, of course, look forward to the
spotlight of CES 2017.
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