The head of the Consumer Technology Association said Friday (February 25) that it stood in solidarity with Ukraine and was fully behind the Biden Administration's export controls on communications equipment.

“The invasion of Ukraine is a tragic and illegal assault on the people and independent nation of Ukraine and an attack on democracy," said CTA President Gary Shapiro. "We call on Russia to stop its attack and end the needless loss of life and human suffering. As an American trade association, we believe in the power of democracy and the recognition of duly elected leaders. We applaud those who took to the streets in Russian cities to peacefully demonstrate against this action by their government."

As to the export sanctions meant to pressure Putin to stand down, Shapiro said: "The Consumer Technology Association fully supports tough sanctions on Russia. We will inform our members to comply with the new export controls issued in response to Russia’s actions. CTA is committed to serving as a resource for the administration during implementation.”

In addition to the restrictions on U.S. made telecom equipment, the sanctions package imposes "Russia-wide restrictions on sensitive U.S. technologies produced in foreign countries using U.S.-origin software, technology, or equipment, including on "semiconductors and telecommunications."

The Administration made clear that the sanctions are no short-term response. "The United States and our Allies and partners are unified and will continue to impose costs, forcing Putin to look to other countries that cannot replicate the financial and technology strengths of Western markets." ■

The Consumer Technology Association said Tuesday (Dec. 21) that its upcoming CES 2022 in Las Vegas Jan. 5-8 will host a record number of Senators, and they will be showing up in person rather than remotely.

All attendees and participants in the show have to be fully vaccinated and CES is recommending testing for COVID-19 prior to leaving for Las Vegas and within 24 hours of entering a CES venue.

Discussing tech policy issues at a Friday, January 7, panel will be a mix of high-profile senators from both sides of the aisle: Senate Commerce Committee Chairwoman Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) and Sens. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.). The session will be led by Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-Nevada).

Also from the other side of the aisle, House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-S.C.) will talk about universal, accessible and affordable high-speed internet on January 7.

They will be among more than 100 government officials, including a panel of governors featuring Govs. Asa Hutchinson of Arkansas and Chris Sununu of New Hampshire, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and FCC commissioner Nathan Simington.

In addition to in-person attendance, CES is offering a digital-only option, though it points out that “nothing can quite recreate the excitement, connections and spontaneity the in person attendees will experience.” 

Future, parent company of Next TV, B+C and Multichannel News, publishes the official CES Daily. ■

It is not clear yet who from Washington, D.C., may be making an appearance — in person or otherwise — but the Consumer Technology Association says the annual policy summit at CES 2022 is returning.

CTA made the decision to hold its iconic Las Vegas show (Jan. 5-8) in person next year.

CTA did say that attendees of the CES Innovation Policy Summit will hear from ”top innovators and policymakers about the future of tech policy around digital health, broadband access, self-driving vehicles, trade, competition, privacy, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and more.“

Historically, CES has attracted a sizable contingent from inside the Beltway. For example, a session at the 2020 summit included a majority of Federal Communications Commmission and Federal Trade Commission members, and their chairs, as well as three cabinet secretaries.

The Consumer Technology Association announced that CES 2022 attendees will be required to provide proof of vaccination against COVID-19.

"Based on today’s science, we understand vaccines offer us the best hope for stopping the spread of COVID-19,” said Gary Shapiro, president and CEO, CTA. “We all play a part in ending the pandemic through encouraging vaccinations and implementing the right safety protocols. We are taking on our responsibility by requiring proof of vaccination to attend CES 2022 in Las Vegas.”

Many companies are deciding what policies they should put in place as people return to workplaces after working remotely to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Some are also deciding whether or not to allow their staffers to attend industry meetings and conferences in person.

Also Read: Gray TV Requiring Employees To Be Vaccinated by Oct. 1

CES is scheduled for Jan 5-8, 2022.

For those unable to travel to Las Vegas, CTA will again create a digital event that will run at the same time as the in-person program. 

CTA is also looking at possible alternative requirements for admission, including proof of a positive antibody test. The association will share more details on alternative requirements later.

CES is one of the largest trade shows. Live speakers scheduled to address CES 2022 include General Motors Chair and CEO Mary Barra and T-Mobile CEO Mike Sievert. 

Total spending on streaming services and software is expected to reach a record $112 billion in 2021 (up 11% over 2020), with streaming services accounting for more than a third of that figure.  

That is according to the Consumer Technology Association's new biannual survey, "U.S. Consumer Technology One-Year Industry Forecast," based on shipments to the U.S. of over 300 tech products.

Of that $112 billion, $41 billion is video streaming service-related spending (SVOD--Netflix, Disney Plus and live TV streaming--fubo, Sling).

CTA said that $41 billion projection is because exclusive content--increasingly, new services are clawing back content for their own platforms, and cord-cutting are driving multiple subscriptions per household. That 41% is up 15% over 2020.

Also Read: Netflix’s ‘Ozark’ was Streaming’s Most Watched Original Show of 2020, Nielsen Says

On the gaming side, the report predicts the pandemic-sheltered populace will continue to play online games more than ever, both as entertainment and social connection.

CTA predicts the "video game software and services category" will hit $47 billion in revenue, up 8% from 2020.

And with TV's doubling for movie screens in a era of shuttered theaters, CTA predicts that households will continue to upgrade TV sets, as they did in 2020, a record year for set shipments.

CTA predicts some drop-off, of 8% to 43 million units in 2021, that would still be the second highest volume on record, with revenues declining just 1% to $22 billion. A big growth area, literally, CTA said, is TV's over 70 inches which it predicts will be up 6% to 3.3 million units, and 8K sets, up a whopping 300% to 1.7 million units.

The Consumer Technology Association has revised its estimates for streaming service growth upward, it told the FCC this week.

CTA was filing comments for the FCC's biennial report on competition in the communications marketplace.

It said the video streaming service growth in 2020 is expected to be 30-35%, while streaming multichannel revenue growth will be 40%.

CTA said that was based on the pandemic-related stay-at-home orders, with about half the country watching more live TV and online streaming more than before the pandemic.

CTA said millions of consumers cut the cord to traditional linear cable and satellite to opt for subscription VOD and over-the-top streaming services, and as streamers offer more content, "the number of traditional cable and satellite set-top boxes declines."

CTA suggested that advances in broadcast TV transmission could improve broadcasters position as a competitor to OTT.

It said that by the end of 2020, some 70% of the population will be able to access ATSC 3.0 next-gen TV transmissions over the air (though they will need a new set or adaptor do to so).

"By allowing consumers to access TV content on any device, from anywhere, any time, over-the-air TV will offer much of the flexibility previously expected primarily from streaming services," CTA told the FCC. "With the opportunity for third-party developers to build apps on top of traditional programming, next gen TV may lead to the development of many new TV features that are not yet."

With legislators in both parties suggesting it might be time to revisit, or even deep-six social media platform's Sec. 230 shield from liability over third-party postings, the Consumer Technology Association reminded Congressional leaders Tuesday (Oct. 15) of what it said was the section's "unique role in fueling innovation." 

That came in a letter to the leadership of the Senate Communications and Consumer Protection subcommittee in advance of an Oct. 16 hearing on that legal immunity, where execs from Reddit and Google are expected to make similar arguments for the value of preserving the protection. 

Related: Tech Groups Warn About Gutting Sec. 230 

In the CTA letter, CTA senior VP Michael Petricone said that Sec. 230 "establishes the common-sense principle that responsibility for online speech lies with the speaker, not the platform." 

Further, he said, and just as important, it allows platforms to remove offensive, obscene or hateful speech without liability. 

He also pointed out that Sec. 230 does not mean sites can host copyright-infringing material, or that they can host content that violates criminal law. 

Petricone "implored" the committees "to protect America’s startups and entrepreneurs by safeguarding and preserving Section [230]." 

CTA said that, without Sec. 230, social media platforms would have to over-moderate and take down controversial, but lawful speech. 

The subcommittees had invited U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer to testify at the hearing on the section and trade agreement, but he declined. 

Back in August, the bipartisan leadership of the committee asked Lighthizer, the Trump Administration's chief trade negotiator, not to "export" language mirroring the current Sec. 230 (Communications Decency Act) protection of websites from liability for third party content.   

Both Democrats and Republicans are pondering whether that liability protection should still apply, and they don't want it to be boilerplate in trade agreements struck by the Administration, in particular its current appearance in the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA).   

But Petricone begged to differ. He said it is "entirely appropriate" to include the vital section in trade agreements, including in the USMCA. 

"It is ironic that while competitors like China are spending billions to catch up with American technology companies, some in Congress are contemplating dismantling the very legal structure that makes our leadership possible," he said, pointing to author and cyber expert Jeffrey Kosseff, who called Sec. 230 “the twenty-six words that created the internet.” 

The reference is to the heart of the Communications Decency Act, Sec. 230 (c)1: "No provider or user of an interactive computer service shall be treated as the publisher or speaker of any information provided by another information content provider." 

Sling TV and Roku are getting an early jump on Black  Friday with deals and upcoming offers that arrive amid a forecast from the Consumer Technology Association that consumers will be buying tech-related toys and gizmos in record numbers starting next week.

Taking advantage of the fact that its service does not require an installation appointment, Sling TV said it’s offering gift cards at Walmart, Best Buy and GameStop stores around the country. Walmart stores will carry $25 Sling TV gift cards, while Best Buy and GameStop will offer them in increments up to $100. The cards, also offered at Sling.com and through  eGifter, can be redeemed online.

On the device side, Sling TV is offering Apple TV boxes for $89 (versus a retail price of $149) to customers who prepay for three months of service, and 50% off a Roku Premiere+ (usually $100) under the same prepay option. It’s also offering a free Roku Streaming Stick when subs pony up for three months of service.

Roku has some of its own deals on the way:

-Roku Streaming Stick at Best Buy and other major retailers starting Nov. 20 for $35.99 (down from $49.99).

-Price cut on the Roku Express+ exclusively at Walmart for $25 (down from $39.99) starting Nov. 24.

-The Roku 2 for $44.99 exclusively at Kohl’s starting Nov. 21.

-The Roku 3 for $49.99 exclusively at Best Buy starting Nov. 24.

The CTA said it expects a record 116 million Americans – or about 47% of the adult population, will purchase tech or tech accessories during Black Friday Week.

Its 2016 Pre-Black Friday Survey anticipated a 10% jump in the number of U.S. adults planning to buy tech products from the Monday before Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday (November 21-28, 2016).

“By all accounts, the 2016 Black Friday week looks like it will be a record breaker for tech,” said Shawn DuBravac, Ph.D., chief economist, CTA, in a statement.  “Even with delayed promotions from retailers and manufacturers, and signs of pre-election uncertainty, we expect consumer enthusiasm for technology purchases during the holidays to be higher than ever.”

CTA said the top 10 tech products shoppers plan to buy are:

1. Televisions 
2. Laptop computers 
3. Smartphones 
4. Videogame consoles
5. Tablet computers 
6. Headphones 
7. Tech accessories  
8. DVD or Blu-ray Disc players 
9. Digital cameras 
10. Wearables

Among other more specific categories, CTA expects 1.2 million drones to be sold in the U.S. during the Q4 holiday season, as well as 700,000 VR headsets, and 4.5 million 4K/Ultra HD TVs. 

Though the adoption of 4K video by programmers and service providers hasn’t occurred as quickly as some vendors were expecting, U.S. consumer adoption of 4K-capable TVs has been outpacing, and will continue to outpace, the transition to HDTV sets, according to the Consumer Technology Association.

RELATED: PlayStation 4 Goes ‘Pro’

CTA said Q4 shipments of 4K/Ultra HD TVs to the U.S. will hit 4.5 million units, driving total sales in the category for 2016 to 10 million, a 40% jump versus 2015. However, the CTA did acknowledge that current expected results will fall short of its earlier forecast that total unit sales for the year would reach 14.5 million.

CTA said the updated forecast reflects finalized Q2 data showing “a more gradual growth curve’ as TV makers shift to new models, "We also expected to see TV manufacturers move more quickly to a greater mix of 4K in screen sizes above 40 inches, which now appears to be shaping up as a 2017 trend," Steve Koenig, CTA's senior director, Market Research, said in a statement.

He added that the growth of the 4K market “continues to dwarf the transition to high-definition television.” To wit, cumulative sales of 4K displays are expects to reach 18.6 million units in the first three years of introduction, compared to 4.2 million for HDTVs.

The org said it expects 4K displays to account for 56% of all TV sales in Q4, and sees nearly half of total annual TV sales to be of 4K-capable sets.

RELATED: SES Expands 4K Cable Trials

Aiding consumer adoption is lower pricing, as CTA said the wholesale price of 4K TVs has dropped 22% since January.

"We've been bullish about 4K UHD since day one, and market growth continues to justify our enthusiasm," said Gary Shapiro, CTA president and CEO, in a statement, while also giving the nod to wider-spread use of High Dynamic Range and Wide Color Gamut systems.

2016, he said, has been a “banner year” for 4K, noting strong sales of other elements of the ecosystem, including the increasing introduction of 4K/UHD Blu-ray discs (much more on that part of the 4K sector will be featured in the Next TV section of the Nov. 14 issues of Broadcasting & Cable and Multichannel News) and 4K cameras. 

The Streaming Video Alliance, a group that counts Comcast and Charter Communications among its backers, and the Consumer Technology Association (CTA) said they are collaborating to develop industry-wide guidelines that will formalize metrics and terminologies related to streaming media Quality of Experience (QoE).

The CTA R4 Video Systems Committee has also established the QoE working group, WG 20, to bring visibility and accuracy to over-the-top (OTT) video metrics, they said. That working group will be chaired by Conviva, CTA said.

RELATED: Streaming Video Alliance Names Officers

“With the rapid growth of video streaming, on everything from mobile devices to 4K Ultra HD TVs, the importance of this initiative has never been greater,” said Brian Markwalter, CTA’s SVP, research and standards, in a statement. “Businesses rely on measurements to improve their services, and standardization will help enormously with the interoperability of analytics for improved visibility and accuracy of OTT video metrics. These measurement metrics will help everyone in the streaming video ecosystem move towards a more responsive, high-quality and seamless experience.”

“The Alliance has made great strides in solving important industry issues such as QoE to help advance the future of OTT video. We remain focused on fostering deeper ecosystem collaboration and promoting best practices across the streaming video industry,” added Jason Thibeault, SVA’s executive director. “We look forward to extending our collaboration with the CTA and other industry leaders to formalize guidelines for a uniform methodology every streaming video publisher can use for QoE.”

The SVA was formed in 2014.

With presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton on the record with a detailed technology and communications policy agenda, the Consumer Technology Association called on the other presumptive nominees to follow suit.

CTA president Gary Shapiro said he likes what he saw in the Clinton agenda, saying, "I am encouraged not only with the range of the issues she covered but an implicit awareness that our national strategy and economy require encouraging innovation through smart government strategy and free market principles."

But he didn't like that he had not seen anything from either of the other two presumptive nominees, Republican Donald Trump or Libertarian Gary Johnson.

"Where do they differ from Secretary Clinton?" he asked in calling on them to unveil their tech platforms. "Where is there common ground? Do they have any plans at all on spectrum, investment, broadband, training and education, and competitiveness? If so, when will their plans be released?"

Consumer Technology Association president Gary Shapiro said a new Senate bill mandating government access to encrypted information would eviscerate cybersecurity.

A draft was leaked last week of legislation that would be introduced by Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Richard Burr (R-N.C.), the Compliance With Court Orders Act, that would make it clear that communications companies have to provided unencrypted versions of encrypted user information, or help the government unencrypt it, when ordered to by a court.

Speaking at a Media Institute luncheon in Washington, Shapiro said the bill, or at least the draft, "is dangerously overreaching and technically unsophisticated" and would "essentially make effective cybersecurity illegal in the United States."

Shapiro said the bill would enable almost any government agency -- federal, state or local -- to demand encrypted information from ISPs, tech companies or software manufacturers.

Shapiro said the bill would push cybersecurity companies offshore, representing a huge hit on the U.S. economy.

"To be clear, if the government wants the authority to access private data in the interest of national security, investigators should turn to Congress, not industry," he said. "And in the absence of sane and sensible congressional action, Silicon Valley must protect and promote the responsibility tech companies have to their customers. That means making sure their customers’ data is secure. And they should be able to do this without fear of legal reprisal.

"We have to think long term about the benefits and challenges of data sharing," Shapiro added. "Is it better to create software which bad actors will likely obtain and exploit to compromise the security of our phones?"

The bill was prompted in part by the FBI's effort to force Apple to help it access encrypted info on the phone of one of the San Bernardino, Calif., shooters. While the FBI ultimately did not need Apple's help and dropped its court effort to compel that assistance, the government has other cases in which it wants legal help to compel decryption.

LAS VEGAS — Weather-induced travel snafus didn’t stop tens of thousands of techno-geeks from pouring into Sin City last week for CES, where the biggest corporate bets were placed on the Internet of Things, over-the-top video services, and 4K/Ultra HD.

If the the Consumer Technology Association’s annual gadget-fest had one big, central theme, it was the IoT, a market that spans home security and automation, OTT devices, and connected wearables, and even “smart” clothing.

CES Unveiled, an event that gives show-goers a glimpse of what was to be on display during the week, was dominated by dozens of IoT startups, all looking to cut their slice of a market that will create a record-setting $287 billion in retail revenue in 2016, according to the CTA’s latest forecast.

That’s the kind of market traction that would justify former Cisco Systems CEO John Chambers’s 2014 prediction that the IoT is poised to become a $19 trillion market over the next decade, with pickup by the private and public sectors, entire cities and, perhaps, entire countries.

Aside from the ongoing debate about data and device security, the big challenge in the years ahead will be securing IoT systems and building software that enables these multitudes of connected devices and sensors to work together. Panasonic is one of many companies taking a stab at that by introducing ÔRA, an “adaptive” smart home platform designed to work with connected products from a wide range of suppliers and underlying operating systems.

VR GETS MORE REAL

The market for virtual reality — including the technology that runs it and the content that will fuel it — is a small-yet-rapidly-growing segment, and its presence was felt strongly at CES.

Consumers appear to have an appetite for VR. Interest in new VR products will cause sales to surge 500% in 2016 and reach 1.2 million units sold, the CTA predicted. The trade group also said it expects VR to generate $540 million in revenues this year, up 440% from 2015.

Some 70% of U.S. consumers have played video games, an area expected to drive VR adoption, according to a new study from Frank N. Magid Associates, and nearly one-quarter of consumers said they are “very interested” in having a virtual reality experience at home. Another 23% said they were interested.

Those numbers are part of the reason why Comcast has been splashing cash on VR startups such as Baobab, Next- VR, and AltspaceVR, and why Discovery Communications has launched a division dedicated to VR content development.

The biggest VR news last week came by way of Oculus, the VR startup acquired by Facebook in 2014 for a cool $2 billion. Timed with the event, Oculus began to take preorders on its flagship VR platform, the Oculus Rift, on Wednesday (Jan. 6).

The company also set the starting price — $599 — for a package that includes the Oculus headset, sensor, remote, required cables, an Xbox One controller and two games.

Oculus Rift-PC bundles retail starting at $1,499. Oculus will offer its wares in 20 countries out of the chute.

By comparison, the Samsung Gear VR mobile headset (also powered by Oculus’s technology) costs $99, but must be paired with a compatible Samsung smartphone, which puts the all-in price in the same neighborhood as the single-purpose Oculus Rift.

There’s much more to come, as high-end VR platforms from Sony (for the PlayStation 4) and HTC (Vive) hit the market later this year.

“There’s nothing gimmicky about VR,” said Nick Woodman, CEO of GoPro, the maker of wearable cameras that’s working with Google on a consumer-focused, 360-degree camera array called Odyssey.

OTT SPREADS EVERYWHERE

Over-the-top video is no longer an emerging niche, but a mainstream phenomenon with an increasingly global reach.

For evidence of that look no further than Netflix, which last week said it had flipped the switch on its subscription OTT video service in 130 more countries, expanding to almost 200. Vietnam, India, Poland, Brazil, Russia and Saudi Arabia are among the countries that have joined the list, while China remains notably absent.

“Today, you are witnessing the birth of a new global Internet TV network,” Netflix CEO Reed Hastings declared in his CES keynote last Wednesday (Jan. 6).

The expansion will surely give a massive boost to Netflix’s subscriber base and the reach of its originals. Netflix, which was available in 60 countries heading into CES, has about 69.17 million subscribers worldwide, including 43.18 million in the U.S. Netflix will produce more than 600 hours of original programming this year, chief content officer Ted Sarandos said.

The adoption and reach of digital video continues to have a profound effect on the overall TV market, changing the way consumers watch.

“Digital will win the decade,” Robert Kyncl, YouTube’s chief business officer, said during his keynote last Thursday (Jan. 7). He predicted that digital video will “replace” TV, in part because it’s immersive in ways that traditional TV can’t be, is “endlessly diverse” and is inherently mobile.

“I don’t think digital video will grow linearly; I think it will grow exponentially,” Kyncl added, holding fast to a prediction that digital formats will present 75% of the total viewing pie by 2020.

Kyncl likened YouTube’s trajectory to the rise of cable TV, where networks such as ESPN, CNN, AMC and MTV first emerged as niche players but eventually expanded into original content.

YouTube is at a “similar inflection point,” he said, as it ups investment in originals for its new YouTube Red subscription service, which is also rumored to be seeking TV licensing deals.

But there are also some differences. YouTube “is a democratic platform … anyone can create something everyone can watch,” he said.

YouTube has yet to announce a multichannel TV offering that replicates pay TV, but others are pursuing services and strategies aimed at the small but growing cord-cutting trend.

Add to that list Vidgo, an Atlanta-based startup that hopes to crack the pay TV code by offering low-cost bundles of broadcast TV channels and VOD via an over-the-top distribution platform.

Taking aim at a market now targeted by services such as Sling TV and PlayStation Vue, Vidgo said it will offer a set of packages with live, linear TV and video-on-demand, including premium services, local broadcast TV and sports, to a range of smart TVs, tablets and smartphones.

Looking a bit like a virtual multichannel video programming distributor, Vidgo said its service will be free of credit checks or contracts. It plans to launch in 15 U.S. markets in the first half of 2016 (including New York, Los Angeles and Atlanta), and achieve national coverage by Q4 2016.

For now, Vidgo is keeping a lid on its channel lineups and pricing, noting it will release those details within the next 45 days. But the startup has some pay TV expertise behind it. Robert Kostensky, formerly of DirecTV, is Vidgo’s president and co-founder, and Shane Cannon, president of Cannon Satellite TV (a Dish Network authorized dealer), is its chief marketing officer. Vidgo’s parent company is Gotham Media, a company that runs a content delivery network and develops streaming apps for platforms such as iOS, Android and Roku.

TUNER TONNAGE

OTT services topped the video agenda last week, but traditional pay TV continues to fight for growth and relevance.

Dish Network used this year’s CES to unleash a super- sized whole-home DVR, the Hopper 3, a device that supports 4K video and packs 16 tuners and 2 Terabytes of storage.

Dish unveiled its latest flagship as the satellite-TV provider looks to amp up its pay TV subscriber numbers. It lost 23,000 video subscribers in the third quarter of 2015, ending the period with 13.91 million.

The Hopper 3 will carry forward elements from earlier-generation Hoppers, including integrated Sling Media place-shifting technology and AutoHop ad-skipping capability, but will sport a faster processor (the Broadcom BCM7445 Ultra HD TV Home Gateway chip) that will result in quicker response times for Dish’s coming “touch” remote, which is still in beta.

The 16-tuner device will enable customers to attach up to 6 “Joey” client devices, meaning that seven different shows can be watched in the home at the same time. Dish customers will also be able to watch and record up to 16 shows at once.

That capability also allows Dish to one-up Cablevision Systems’s multiroom DVR, as well as a multidevice X1 setup Comcast is testing that enables customers to record up to 15 shows at once. Verizon FiOS TV’s Quantum TV platform lets users record up to 10 shows at once when they combine the functions of two Arris-made Verizon Media Servers.

On the Ultra HD front, the Hopper 3 supports 4K content up to 60 frames per second. Early on, Dish will offer 4K fare from Sony Pictures, The Orchard and Mance Media, as well as Netflix’s 4K library.

Dish also has other apps in mind for 4K, as the Hopper 3 will let subs with 4K TVs stitch four live HD (1080p) streams onto the TV screen at the same time. That capability — something Dish refers to as “Sports Bar Mode” — decodes four HD programs and stitches them into one stream that can be displayed on the 4K screen.

Splitting and combining those screens is another way to “show off the power of 4K,” Vivek Khemka, Dish’s recently promoted executive vice president and chief technology officer, said.

Dish also introduced the Hopper Go, a $99 USB-connected device with 64 Gigabytes of flash memory that lets subs transfer up to 100 hours of DVR-recorded content for offline viewing on a mobile device. Dish subs with the Hopper 2 or Hopper 3 will be able to link up to five mobile devices to the Hopper Go via WiFi, and Android tablet and smartphone users will have the added option of connecting via a USB cable.

4K MATURING

There were also signs everywhere that 4K video is rapidly maturing as consumer adoption of the platform grows and the underlying technology ecosystem starts to wrap itself around standards.

About 34% of U.S. homes will have a 4K TV by 2019, according to research firm IHS. On the technical end, the UHD Alliance, an industry organization that includes DirecTV and Rogers Communications among its backers, launched a consumer-facing logo and brand that identifies services, content and devices that adhere to technical specifications that deliver a “premium” Ultra HD experience.

The group will use and license an “Ultra HD Premium” logo to identify those products and services that deliver agreed-upon metrics such as High Dynamic Range, peak luminance, audio, black levels and wide color gamut, among others.

The initial specs cover TVs (other devices are currently “under consideration”), distribution and content.

Panasonic’s DX90 series TV sets are the first to be certified with the UHD Premium label, Julie Bauer, president of Panasonic consumer electronics and chief marketing officer, said at a CES press event here.

Smartphones, TVs and tablets topped shopping lists as about 59.9 million Americans bought or planned to buy technology products over Thanksgiving shopping week, which includes the Monday before Thanksgiving through “Cyber Monday,” according to the Consumer Technology Association, the organization formerly known as the Consumer Electronics Association.

Online and mobile shoppers are expected to approach the number of in-store shoppers, the CTA said, citing the findings of a post-Black Friday survey. A combined 85% of consumers who shopped did so online or via mobile, compared to 94% who shopped at brick-and-mortar stores, the organization said.

CTA expects that Americans will spend $40 billion over the week, with consumers who shop spending an average of $319. That’s a 14% decrease over 2014, but higher than the numbers pulled in during 2013.

Overall, 27% of U.S. adults shopped on Black Friday, up from 24% in 2014, and 10% shopped on Thanksgiving, down from 14% last year.

Though final numbers are yet to be tallied, the CTA said the top 10 tech purchases during the week are expected to be:

1.    Smartphones
2.    Televisions
3.    Tablets
4.    Tech accessories
5.    Laptops
6.    Videogame consoles
7.    DVD/Blu-Ray Players
8.    Headphones
9.    Fitness activity trackers

10.  Digital media streaming devices

"For the first time, emerging tech products such as fitness activity trackers and digital streaming devices broke into the top ten most-purchased tech products over the holiday shopping week," said Shawn DuBravac, Ph.D., the CTA’s chief economist and senior director of research, in a statement. "The perennial Black Friday tech favorites such as smartphones and televisions dominated American's tech purchases again this year."