Are TVs at CES getting too complicated?

On January 7, the 2015 International Consumer Electronics Show ( CES ) in Las Vegas was arguably the show where TVs have become too complicated. In order to stand out in a crowded market and give consumers a reason to buy a new TV, the world's largest consumer electronics manufacturers competed to add apps, streaming services, and personalized navigation services to their new 2015 TVs. They all claimed to make the consumer experience simpler, but in fact they did the opposite and made consumers more confused.

LG TVs are equipped with Web OS platform

As in the smartphone market, different TV manufacturers use different operating systems, and not every app or service is supported by every TV. Some TVs are also bundled with cable and satellite services, but this support is not universal, further confusing consumers.

At CES on Tuesday, all four major platforms showed support for YouTube and Netflix, but since those TV apps aren't expected to launch until later this year, it's unclear whether they'll support sports services like HBO Go, Amazon Video, MLB TV and NBA TV, or emerging TV services like Fox Now and ABC On Demand.

Four major competing platforms

Part of the reason for this is that many TV manufacturers want to prevent Google from becoming the dominant player in the TV market, as it did in smartphones. Google is one of the main competitors with its Android TV platform, but there are at least three other strong competitors. Breaking away from Google's control will allow TV manufacturers to put their own apps front and center on the screen and generate revenue from video-on-demand services.

Samsung bets on Tizen OS

As the world's largest smartphone and flat-panel TV manufacturer, Samsung fully supports the Tizen operating system in the TV field. This is the result of Samsung and Intel's joint research and development, but so far the market has achieved very limited results. Another large TV manufacturer, LG, also has its own operating system, Web OS, which was originally developed by American smartphone manufacturer Palm, and later sold to HP and then to LG. Panasonic uses the Firefox operating system developed by Mozilla, which has entered some entry-level smartphones.

Sony Android TV

Google will soon enter this market through new TV products from Sony and Sharp. TVs equipped with the Android TV platform can access content through the Google Play Store and run Android applications that have been optimized for TV screens. A Sony spokesman said that the TV will have an optimized dedicated application store, so not every Android application will be available immediately.

Sony TVs will also work closely with Dish Network, allowing users to quickly access Dish channels from the TV home screen. LG TVs have also reached a similar partnership with DirecTV and are also discussing cooperation with local cable TV services in Las Vegas.

Apple is not a spectator

Where was Apple as smartphone-style competition took hold in the TV space? The company launched the Apple TV set-top box in 2007, but then-CEO Steve Jobs called it a "sideline" from the start. The project helped Apple study how the internet and TV merged, but it never challenged cable or satellite TV. Apple stopped talking about a "sideline" until 2014, when it said the entire Apple TV business, including the set-top box and content purchases, had generated more than $1 billion in revenue in 2013.

Apple did not attend the CES, so it did not update its TV strategy, but if the TV market begins to undergo a major transformation, Apple will not sit idly by and may even launch its own brand of TV products.

As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.