2011 CES Preview: Connected TVs

The Consumer Electronics Show this year is expected to help kick-start the transformation of the living room into the digital age.

Connected TVs are those that can change their functions via applications, receive content from the open internet, have an advanced user interface and connect with other networked devices in the home. Google, Apple and Sony are some of the companies that have rolled out products in the past year; others have followed or plan to do so in 2011.

Vizio has already introduced a lineup of connected TVs that it plans on previewing at the CES. Other connected TV providers, Boxee and Roku, are expected to demonstrate their latest set top boxes. A recent report from The New York Times said Google has told manufacturers to not display their Google TV devices at the CES, however, many in the industry expect it to be featured regardless.

The push towards connected TV is evident in the supply side. One company, Sunnyvale, Calif.-based semiconductor manufacturer Trident Microsystems, said they are planning on introducing a new system-on-chip (SoC) product designed for the next generation of Web enabled TVs.

Trident has transformed itself into a strong and global market leader providing the underlying technology to most of the top-tier TV and set-top box OEMs, Christos Lagomichos, president of Trident Microsystems, Inc, said in a statement. Our products are driving the capabilities that consumers will have in their home entertainment centers, and our CES demo suite showcases this technology and the complete ecosystem we have created around our hardware platform.

One of Trident's chip, the PNX 5130, will be the industry's first integrated 2D-to-3D conversion chipset the company says. It will provide 3D capabilities while also enabling a 3D TV to display the high volume of 2D content that exists today.

Another semiconductor company that also says it will be introducing products to power connected TVs is Broadcom. The company did not mention specifics, but did say it would showcase new chip technologies for connected TVs and other electronic devices.

Accessing the Internet from anywhere at any time and streaming and sharing content among multiple devices are driving consumers' desire for ubiquitous connectivity. No other company is as well positioned as Broadcom to enable the connected ecosystem and our technology on display at CES will showcase the latest advances and innovative features in a wide array of consumer electronics products, Scott McGregor, President and CEO of Broadcom Corporation, said in a statement.