Home > CES 2012: State of the Gadget Nation

CES 2012: State of the Gadget Nation

What top industry technologists are looking forat CES:Jay Rolls, Charter Communicationschief technology officer:“Generally speaking, we’re interestedin learning how we can bestleverage CE devices in our efforts todeliver Charter services to our customers… as we see Internet integrationimpact more and more devices suchas bathroom scales, refrigerators,lighting systems, thermostats andovens — we know there are marketing,product and technology challengesand opportunities ahead.”Don Buckley, Showtime Networks executive VP of program marketing,digital services, media and promotions:“Mobile, social and connected TV. The three represent a fairly clearsnapshot of what consumers are adopting, will be, or already havein significant numbers. The intelligence gathered at CES will help ussharpen our marketing focus.”Chuck Pagano, ESPN chief technology officer:“Our learning has shown us that our sports fans are some ofthe earliest adopters of all things techno-centric that allow them toconsume and digest sports-related content and information. as ourmission at ESPN is to serve our fans, we go to CES with our eyes wideopen on what makes (or has a chanceat making) our fans uttering thosethree letters that get our attention:‘Wow!’ a couple of things that we’ll bewatching: 4K TV [ultra high-defi nition]… This evolution in TV technology hasour attention for tracking on where (orwhere not) it may be headed (also expectto see improvements in 3D fromthese sets). … New tablets: Lookinghere for trends on increased videoquality along with new players in themarket. Tablets are no longer a hypeitem but a real force in the industrythat brings value and pleasure to our fans.”Glenn Oakley, Discovery Communications executive VP of mediatechnology, production and operations:“At this year’s CES, we are specifically interested in tablets,phones and mobile devices, as consumers are increasingly usingthese devices to consume video. In addition, we are also interestedin the evolution of the television, specifically smart TVs and 4K.”Daniel Howard, Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers CTO:“I think you’ll see high cable interest in the startups in the new EurekaPark TechZone [exhibit area], aswell as the latest OLED [organic lightemittingdiode] technology. Our industrywill want to understand how robotics,energy, digital health, gaming andthe other technologies in Eureka Parkcan impact broadband use, as well asthe requirements on cable networksto support them. We’ll also want tosee how new, larger and OLED-baseddisplays impact the video qualitygoals we’ve been working on withcable operators. Finally, CES is alwaysa great place to see what else can beconnected via IP to the cloud through our broadband networks.”Joe Ambeault, Verizon Communications director of productmanagement:“The first is broadband-enabled, video-capable devices, as wecontinue our commitment to providing customers expanded choicesin the devices used for accessing FiOS TV content in and out of thehome … The second is 3D video that doesn’t require eyewear …Last but certainly not least, we’re looking forward to seeing morebroadband-enabled home appliances, such as lights, switches, camerasand door locks.”