Televisions stole the spotlight at the consumer electronics show

Televisions were among the most talked about items at the 2013 International Consumer Electronics Show last week in Las Vegas, Nevada. They were bigger and better, with some of the most advanced technology ever. Some of the TVs used a new technology called Organic Light Emitting Diodes, or OLED. They were thinner, lighter, offered better color and were brighter than traditional LEDs.

Ultra High Definition TVs were also popular. Most of those on display used 4K technology, which has a resolution that is 4 times that of traditional 1080p HDTVs. Sharp Electronics showed off an 8K UHDTV. Its resolution is 16 times that of standard HDTVs.

Smart TVs this year were smarter. Many offered technology that let users have a more personalized experience. One such TV from the electronics company TCL uses sensors and voice recognition to determine who is watching. It then offers programming based on the specific user. Another TV from Panasonic offers a similar personalized user experience.

In addition to television technology, size also played a major part in CES 2013. Televisions varied in size from big to bigger, with at least two companies -- Samsung and HiSense -- exhibiting TVs measuring 110 inches.

The yearly Consumer Electronics Show is the biggest technology trade show in North America and one of the biggest in the world.

Gary Shapiro is president and CEO of the Consumer Electronics Association, the group that organizes CES. He gave one of the keynote speeches on opening day.

“Now of course you know that CES is more than a trade show. It’s a gathering of the brightest minds and the top leaders from many industries and those seeking a glimpse into the future.”

That glimpse into the future included a look at digital health and fitness devices, which were also big at CES 2013. There were devices that track your activity and others that measure blood pressure, heart rate and weight. There was even a fork that tells you when you are eating too fast.

Cars , smartphones, tablet computers and PCs also made news. And a 27-inch table computer drew quite a bit of attention.

CEA President Gary Shapiro says there was much to see but not nearly enough time to see it all.

“You cannot see the show in the four days that you have. We have over 3200 different countries showing over 20,000 new products in about 26 miles worth of exhibit space. It’s absolutely incredible.”