The screens of CES 2014: What researchers should be watching

For an event that is intended to show us what the future of technology will look like, there is something about this year’s Consumer Electronics Showcase (CES 2014) that already feels a little . . . last week.

I didn’t actually make it out to the Las Vegas Convention Center to see CES in person, but like anyone who follows the technology space I was inundated with a deluge of photos, breathless blog posts and considerable cynicism of what vendors chose to exhibit. That cynicism is there because, like the mythical “smart fridge,” so much of what gets shown at CES seems to remain in the prototype phase, rarely making an impact on what consumers actually purchase at their local Best Buy. One possible exception is screen technology, and while the emphasis at CES this year remained squarely on TV sets, researchers focusing on interactive display would do well to pay attention to what will likely become the building blocks of next-generation digital signage.

The Verge captured some of the best details of what the major manufacturers are focusing on:

At Panasonic’s booth, a series of curving 4K televisions are snaking along a wall, bulging in and out across their adjacent 55-inch panels. Sony, on the other hand, is one of the few manufacturers that isn’t showcasing its curves. It’s instead made a series of its 4K and HDTVs with thicker “wedge” designs, the sides of which are wide at the bottom and taper in depth as they rise, adding in enough room to include far more capable speakers than you’d normally find in a TV.

Most manufactures are focusing on curved displays though, and some aren’t even letting it stand at just that. Samsung and LG are both showcasing sets that can alter their curve with the press of a button, letting owners increase the display’s bend or even pull it back into a flat panel.

If vendors can achieve these kinds of designs for an individual household, how will that same technology be extended into public venues like offices, schools or sports arenas? In the home, curved screens seem intended to replicate the experience of watching a movie screen at the cineplex. That sense of immersion and intimacy is probably something users of digital signage want, too. A lot of digital signs on streets and even in buildings, meanwhile, are silent today, but as more room is added for audio equipment, what will the interactive displays of the future not only look like, but sound like?

Many of the academic papers I’ve been reading in this area lately are focused on experiments with relatively mature display technology. That may be because researchers lack the kind of access to future-oriented screens that the analysts and journalists attending CES enjoy. In the quest for ideas that will truly transform digital signage experiences and fuel the commercialization of innovation in Canada, however, there’s probably no better place to start than by getting closer to the sometimes-far-fetched products that get launched there.

In fact, it might help both the academic community and the vendor community if more researchers came directly to CES next year, took notes and asked questions that lead to groundbreaking discoveries back home. Yes, there’s always a risk they would walk away with nothing. But as gambling in Vegas goes, it’s not a bad bet to make.