SportsTech@CES 2017 Roundup: Alexa Is Everywhere, UHD TVs Go Ultra Thin, and Plenty of New Streaming Devices

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This year’s CES has once again been a whirlwind of buzz, technology, and fun gadgets — and the Las Vegas Convention Center show floor hasn’t even closed yet. In an effort to keep you in the know on everything from ultra-thin 4K/UHD TV sets to new streaming devices to virtual reality and Amazon Alexa EVERYWHERE, SVG has compiled coverage from around the Web. Whether you’re at the show or couldn’t make it out to the desert this year, here’s what you need to know about the CES happenings in Vegas.

First off, here’s a rundown of SVG’’s coverage from the show:

• Turner Sports Business Innovation Summit Panel Focuses on Social Media
• Samsung QLED Challenges OLED Claim to the Throne
• HDMI 2.1 Supports 8K60, 4K120, and More
• CTA’s Koenig Lays Out Global Challenges for CE Market
• CTA’s Shawn Dubravac on Trends to Watch at CES 2017 and Beyond
• LG’s W-Series Sets New Thin Benchmark; Expands HDR Support
• LG Intros Nano Cell Super UHD Sets
• NeuLion Launches CE SDK Version 9.0; Sony Integrates SDK into 4K UHD TVs

Alexa, Alexa, Alexa
Despite not having an official presence at the show, Amazon’s Alexa artificial-intelligence (AI) voice assistant is everywhere at CES. Alexa was integrated with a number of devices and products, including Ford cars, LG’s new refrigerator, Huawei’s Mate 9 smartphone, a new smart speaker from Lenovo, and multiple TV brands, including Westinghouse. (CNBC)

Amazon’s voice assistant is clearly the darling of CES 2017: you can’t walk the sprawling floor of the convention center without tripping over a speaker, an appliance, or even a robot or two that supports the system. (Wired)

Alexa is set to take over your living room. Amazon has teamed up with Seiki, Westinghouse Electronics, and Element Electronics to launch a range of 4K/UHD Smart TVs featuring the Fire TV experience and support for Alexa as a voice remote. In addition, Dish Network, in collaboration with Amazon, has announced plans to deliver Alexa voice control on its Hopper DVR. (Gadgets 360/NDTV)

Ultra HD TVs Go Ultra-Thin
LG’s new W-Series OLED 4K HDR TVs are so thin that they must be wall-mounted, and, more important, they’re downright beautiful. (SVG) (video via cnet)

LG also debuted its Super UHD TV line, which delivers better color through nano cells. (SVG) (video via cnet)

Samsung is arguing that its new QLED series improves on OLED technology as the highest-quality viewing experience. It will be available in three models: the Q9, Q8, and Q7. (SVG)

Sony revealed its XBR-A1E Bravia 4K OLED TV, the company’s flagship TV of 2017. The news confirms Sony’s rumored shift toward OLED technology. (The Verge)

Hisense rolled out a 100-in. Laser 4K TV with a short-throw projector, which projects a 4K HDR picture onto the included screen over HDMI or USB. The TV also features wide-color-gamut support and comes with a 5.1-surround channel system for $13,000. (The Verge)

Streaming Devices Galore
Nvidia updated its Shield set-top streaming device with new hardware that is 40% smaller than the original, a new Android 7.0 Nougat-based operating system, and a redesigned UI. It also handles 4K HDR content streaming and boasts the most sources available for such content of any set-top streaming device currently available. (TechCrunch)

Roku is showing off new 4K HDR TVs featuring Dolby Vision HDR, as well as a host of new Roku-enabled TVs from TCL, Hisense, Hitachi, Insignia, Sharp, and a newly announced partnership with Element Electronics to introduce new Roku TVs later this year. Altogether, Roku wants to offer consumers a choice of 150 TV sets from a variety of manufacturers in 2017. (Variety)

Dish Network officially launched its new AirTV brand with a streaming box and optional over-the-air (OTA) dongle that are optimized for Sling. The AirTV Player is an Android-powered box that combines the ability to stream online video services — including Netflix, Sling TV, and other apps available in the Google Play Store — and access live over-the-air TV channels. (cnet)

Mohu launched AirWave, a product with the goal of providing cord-cutters wireless access to live TV and streaming content. The AirWave is a wireless OTA and OTT device that integrates live local broadcast TV with free streaming channels on streaming devices. (TVTechnology)

With the launch of AirWave and AirTV, the world just moved one step closer to cord-cutter utopia. (Wired)

Virtual Reality Fails To Make Big Splash But Evolves Nonetheless
Surprisingly, there doesn’t seem to be much buzz or big news regarding virtual reality at this year’s CES. cnet’s Ian Sherr explains why he has been “virtually underwhelmed.” (cnet)

Lenovo brings you VR that won’t break the bank. The Lenovo VR headset, which doesn’t have an official name yet, will cost less than $400 when it comes out in the second half of 2017. (cnet and video)

Though not being shown at CES, Intel’s Project Alloy “merged-reality” headset combining virtual reality and augmented reality will hit production by the end of 2017, according to CEO Brian Krzanich. (Gadgets 360)

Qualcomm debuted its Snapdragon 835 VR headset, which showed that standalone VR can really work without a PC or mobile device. (PCMag)

At Qualcomm’s CES press conference on Tuesday, Osterhout Design Group showed off a pair of smart glasses running on Android and powered by Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon 835 powerhouse chip. ODG showed off two versions of its glasses: the R-8, designed for consumers, and the business-oriented R-9. (cnet)

HTC is keeping VR weird with toy guns, baseball bats, and fire hoses. (The Verge)