Live From CES: NextGen TV, 8K Screens, Emerging Streaming Platforms — A Roundup From the Exhibit Floor

Gigantic screens wowed attendees while tech and content providers worked through challenges of programming those TVs

The 2020 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas may have lacked some of its traditional mainstream juice this year, but there were plenty of advances worth noting for consumers (and producers) of video.

In the Las Vegas Convention Center, a horde of gigantic, super-high-resolution screens stopped attendees in their tracks, and important behind-the-scenes work (the NextGen TV transmission standard, most notably) has been done to ensure that quality content hits those screens when they make their way into consumers’ homes.

In the South Lower Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center, Skyworth garnered attention for an 88-in. 8K OLED screen that rotated to accommodate vertical video.

If you were unable to attend the show, here are some highlights and perspectives from around the media industry, spotlighting key developments that will have an impact on sports-video production and distribution.

NextGen TV (formerly ATSC 3.0) Steps Into the Limelight
It has taken the better part of a decade for ATSC 3.0 (now known as NextGen TV) to deliver a next-generation television transmission standard. At CES 2020, NextGen TV took a step out into the spotlight and made strides in answering industry questions as to what it all means. Sinclair Broadcast cooperated by demonstrating it on the floor. In addition, the format saw significant adoptions by many of the largest consumer-television manufacturers. The standard still has plenty of work to do to become mainstream, but this show was certainly a positive step forward.

NexGen TV Turns Heads (And Sets) At CES (TVNewsCheck)

Twenty 3.0 Consumer Receivers Coming In 2020, Says ATSC President (TV Technology)

TVs: Bigger! Brighter! Vertical?
Nothing generates headlines (and drops jaws) at a show like CES than the flashy hall-to-hall displays of futuristic television screens. 8K and OLED were the buzz terms of choice as many of the big consumer manufacturers looked to wow attendees with size, color, and clarity. Samsung and Skyworth were among those bold enough to even dabble in the idea of a vertical television screen, pondering the potential for re-creating the smartphone experience in the living room. Will consumers be intrigued, or will it go the way of the curved TV?

TVs of CES 2020: OLED, 8K, Giant Screens and Other Trends of Absolute Excess (CNET)

Best TVs of CES 2020: The Finest New Screens We Laid Our Eyes On In Las Vegas (TechRadar)

TVs at CES: Bezel-free, Smaller OLEDs, and More (Ars Technica)

Samsung Sero TV Rotates to Portrait Mode For Vertical Vids, Like a Giant Phone (CNET)

Skyworth Shows Off 88″ OLED Rotating TV (SVG Twitter)

Streaming Wars: Can Quibi Silence the Doubters?
Much was expected in the form of headlines from the streaming wars at this year’s CES. NBCUniversal made its presence felt, touting the soon-to-launch AVOD/SVOD platform, the Peacock and WarnerMedia sharing a few details on the loaded streaming service to come. But Quibi dominated the news with its bold choices aimed at shortform content. There were plenty of doubters in the media room and on social media (looking at you, Twitter), but can Quibi prove them wrong?

Quibi Unveils “Turnstyle,” Its Flagship Mobile Video Format (Axios)

Quibi Versus The World (The Verge)