Show review CES, LAS VEGAS


In the retail spaces of tomorrow, it’s not going to be enough to merely connect products. Consumers are going to expect to interact with them too


February 2018 ertonline.co.uk


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will be able to fast-forward or pause movies without having to use a remote control, thereby freeing up another hand to eat popcorn with. But Panasonic may yet be saving its biggest UHD player news for its upcoming European Dealer Convention. Blu-ray player chief engineer Kazuhiko Kouno implied that there is a fifth new player – a mysterious high- end flagship, in development.


Rival Sony unveiled a new OLED TV range, as well as fresh LED LCD models, during an upbeat conference held by CEO Kaz Hirai. Sony is anticipating its largest ever operating profit, £4.2bn, this year. A policy of ‘Kando’, producing products which offer a unique connection with consumers, appears to be paying dividends.


Sony’s incoming AF8 OLEDs, to be available in 55in and 65in sizes, offer a conventional take on the fast-rising display technology, with traditional pedestal and upright stance. But they boast comparable image quality to last year’s more esoteric A1, which continues in the range. Like that award-winner, the AF8 will feature screen-radiating Acoustic


Surface technology for audio, but without an integrated subwoofer. It will be interesting to hear how they actually sound. Sony’s XF90 LCD screens, which will ship in 75in, 65in, 55in and 49in


screen sizes, will also introduce a new technology, dubbed X-Motion Clarity, for cleaner motion handling. Both the AF8 and the XF90 ranges will support Dolby Vision, in addition to regular HDR10, as well as Amazon Alexa and Google Home voice control of power, channel selection and volume. Sony also announced its first Dolby Vision-compliant UHD Blu-ray player,


Panasonic FZ800 OLED TV


the UBP-X700. The deck, competitively priced at £270, will be joined by a low-cost 5.1.2 Dolby Atmos receiver, the £400 STR-DH790, along with a dedicated Dolby Atmos-enabled upward-firing speaker, to upgrade existing home-theatre systems.


The best example of nascent 8K technology could be found on the Sony stand. Its 85in prototype panel dazzled with 10,000 (cd/m2) nit brightness and a new iteration of the brand’s proprietary image processor, dubbed the X1 Ultimate. An LED LCD FALD (Full Array Local Dimming) display, this futuristic panel exhibited supreme, naturalistic peak brightness and amazing fine detail. While there’s no market demand for a 10,000 nit beacon like this, the benefits of the


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