Advanced Television

CES Diary

January 6, 2011

We’ve all been here I know, but that doesn’t make it less weird. My watch says it’s 10.15pm, but the arm wearing it – and the rest of my body – knows its 06.15am tomorrow. So here I am tapping away with one eye on the updating test score in Australia.

I arrived a few hours ago for my first CES; an outing I’ve been meaning to make for years. Impressions? First, if I didn’t know my way around from attending NABs I’d be completely lost. There are crews of people in yellow hats with ‘Ask me’ written on them, but you soon realise that unless you want to know the time, or have an OCD attachment to being told to have a nice day, then talking to them is useless – none knew a thing about where anything was or what was going on. When I stood under a banner that clearly said Press Registration and the women behind the counter asked why they kept sending her all the journalists, I felt the will beginning to seep away.

I was asking around partly because my first destination was the Sony conference and having entered the Hall where their stand is and on which the presentation was taking place, I was having a hard time believing it. The Hall was only a third built and power tools and forklifts were everywhere. Of course Sony’s stand – there are Swiss Cantons that cover less ground – was finished, but the backdrop of hammering and hollering can’t have been what Sir Howard had in mind for his big announcements.

And they were some announcements. Time Warner on Sony TVs? Not bad. Clearly Sony is deadly serious about being in the proprietary connected game, as are Microsoft and their funky new ‘wave at me’ TV guides.

It’s a major commitment for both, and it may come to nothing for one or both of them, but as the only players with the enough of the game to play in all parts of the park, thy’re both obliged to give it a go.

Categories: Blogs, Nick Snow