For decades, television manufacturers competed on making displays larger, sharper, and thinner. At CES 2020 in Las Vegas on January 8, that emphasis changed. Major companies including LG, Samsung, Sony, and TCL presented a new vision: the television’s primary role is no longer just displaying content but serving as a command center for the connected home.
The manufacturers unveiled super high definition models that integrate voice assistants from Apple, Amazon, or Google directly into the sets. These televisions are being repositioned as the central nervous system of the household, transforming from a passive appliance into an active hub for smart devices.
JH Han, President of Samsung’s Visual Display Business, stated that screens have become lifestyle products and that the changing role of the screen is evident. Hardware announcements at the show reflected this strategic pivot. Samsung demonstrated its “Sero TV,” which rotates between landscape and portrait modes to match the orientation of smartphones and tablets.
This feature targets the internet generation, who consume vertical content on mobile devices and expect their living room screens to adapt accordingly. China’s TCL introduced Vidrian Mini-LED technology for its 8K LCD panels, offering sharper contrast and bright luminance.
While this represents a step forward in display performance, the company’s broader strategy mirrors its competitors: create a screen so capable that it becomes the default interface for all home functions. The driving force behind this shift is market maturity. Television unit sales are not growing significantly, so manufacturers must sell premium products at higher prices to increase revenue.
Making the television indispensable beyond video content—turning it into a smart home hub, gaming console, and streaming platform simultaneously—is the industry’s solution. Artificial intelligence serves as the connecting element.
New sets use AI to manage video streaming and gaming, learn user habits, and automate device control. The television can turn off lights, adjust thermostats, and lock doors through voice commands or preset routines. This strategy carries risks. Consumer adoption of smart home ecosystems has been slow, and compatibility issues between devices from different manufacturers remain problematic.
The assumption that a television will always be on and central to the household may not hold for younger users who spend more time on phones than on couches. However, manufacturers are betting that integrating familiar voice assistants—Apple’s Siri, Amazon’s Alexa, and Google’s Assistant—will lower the adoption barrier.
The logic is that users who talk to their phones will talk to their televisions, and if the television can control the house, it becomes harder to replace. The CES 2020 unveilings were not solely about resolution. They represented a redefinition of what a television is.
Companies are no longer selling screens but lifestyle hubs, AI concierges, and portals to the internet generation’s preferred way of interacting with the world. Whether consumers accept this vision remains uncertain, but the direction is established.
