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printcontentsfull screenprint24 VIDEOMAKER >>> APRIL 2019
Tech
trends at
CES 2019
&
383 CES Wrap.indd 24 2/19/19 2:47 PM25
O
nce again, the annual CES
was held in Las Vegas and
the newest technology was
on display for the media
and industry insiders. The Las Vegas
Convention Center plus two offsite
locations were jammed with 188,000
attendees viewing everything from
robots to fl ying cars. We roamed the
giant halls totaling over 2.9 million
square feet, looking for the emerging
trends in video production. It is very
easy to get distracted among the more
than 4,500 vendors showing retro vid-
eo games or the newest smartphones.
(What do you mean the phone un-
folds to become a tablet?) But while
some of the major companies hold
off introducing video products until
April’s National Association of Broad-
casters Convention, held in this same
location, that does not mean that there
was nothing to be seen for videogra-
phers. CES is really about companies
teasing what they are working on. In
some cases, they have a small display
stuck in a corner, just daring you to ask
about it. In some cases, even company
reps had no idea.
For example, Tiffen had a booth
featuring their new line of drone cam-
era lens fi lters and that was getting
some attention. But stuck in a back
corner, they had their Lowel lights
on display. They were showing a new
LED version of their classic Tota-light
that is the same size and function as
their old tungsten fi xtures. They were
also displaying an LED head that fi ts
their Rifa light. This was a CES demo
only and no specs were available. It’s
also not clear when they will roll out.8K television is here
As you entered the center’s biggest
Central Hall, you were stopped,
and somewhat stunned, by a
wave of televisions. LG wanted
to capture your attention right
away with a group of monitors
that curved and wrapped over
your head — and perhaps blocked
your vision of anything else in the
hall. The video was mostly nature
scenes, and many people who entered
that way just stopped for a moment
to gaze, creating a huge bottleneck.
If you passed under the wave, you
wound up inside LG’s booth where
they featured a wide range of new
products. Most notable, however, were
the 8K televisions.VIDEOMAKER >>> APRIL 2019Television has long been the staple
of CES. In the past, this is where you
caught the fi rst glimpses of HD and 4K
displays. This year practically every
manufacturer was showing their 8K
models. Sony even jumped in with
their OLED display and, stuck in a
back corner, a note about how Sony
products could go 8K end to end with
their broadcast cameras.
Several companies had side by side
comparisons of 4K and 8K displays.
You could defi nitely see the increased
detail and color resolution. Don’t run
out just yet to pick one up at to your
nearest big box electronic store. Most
of these 8K televisions are “coming
soon” products, and very few of them
had retail pricing available. Samsung
was an exception with an 8K display
starting at $5,000 MSRP.AI in everything
There was no shortage of cameras in
use in CES products. Unfortunately,
most of these were cameras embed-
ded in products like self-driving cars
and robots that touted AI, Artifi cial
Intelligence, technology. AI was all the
buzz at CES 2019. One example was
at the Hyundai booth. They, like many
car companies, were demonstrating a
self-driving car. The Hyundai car fea-
tured a dash camera that focuses on
the driver and, using AI, can sense if
you’re tired or stressed and will adjust
the music and lighting accordingly.
One way that AI might fi nd it’s way
into video production was on view at
the Nikon booth. Along the back wall,
they had a display of concepts that
were in development. One new fea-
ture is an AI system of autofocus. This
may not sound innovative, because
even cellphones can identify faces and
adjust the shot. Nikon’s feature was
called “Eye-AF”. The camera doesn’t
merely fi nd faces, it fi nds the eyes of
the subject and adjusts the focus.
Speaking of Nikon, they announced
their Z6 and Z7 cameras late last year,
These are both full frame mirrorless
cameras that shoot in 4K. At CES they
unveiled their “Filmmaker’s” Kit. It
includes a Z6 with an Atomos Ninja
V monitor/recorder, a Moza 2 Gimbal
and RØDE VideoMic Pro. The package
was listed at $3,999 MSRP.360 video is still a thing
At fi rst glance, you might think that
the 360 video movement is coolingBY JEFF CHAVES
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