I’ve been attending and writing about CES for about 25 years. Think back to what changes were taking place in the television industry and media in general back then: High definition video was in its infancy, there were no smart devices with 4K or better screens, the internet was used for email and still images mostly delivered over a dial-up modem and over-the-air digital television was just starting to roll out. Wandering around CES in those days finding companies touting their ATSC or DTV solutions and displays was easy.
Going to CES this year with a focus on ATSC 3.0/NextGen TV presented a different challenge in that with the exception of the ATSC booth in the Central Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC), the only written reference I could find on the exhibit floor was on a few of the information cards near displays. I was pleased that when I asked staff at most of the larger manufacturers whether their television displays included a NextGen TV tuner, there wasn’t that “deer in the headlights” look I have experienced in prior years. They knew what I was asking them about and if they didn’t know for sure if the display had a NextGen TV tuner, they found out from someone in the booth.
