Embedded applications
Westinghouse designed what it calls “Pump Top TV,” a display meant for the top of a gas pump. This 19″ 16:9 television is already at gas stations in a few markets. These units wil essentially show advertisements for the gas station’s services, as well as services and products which the coordinating advertising agency places. Gas stations will get these units for free or for a small price.
Westinghouse also showed a 7″ portable HDTV, a 3D display, and a development board with a display attached.
Computer Monitors
New monitors include a 20″ (1600×900), 22″ (1080p), 23.6″ (1080p), and 26″ (1920×1200). The former three are 16:9 and the latter is 16:10. All will be available shortly at "affordable" prices. Westinghouse took it upon itself to build a program which it calls "MonitorSync." This program assists the user in connecting dual monitors and using them more efficiently through mirroring and expanded and virtual desktops. Westinghouse found this value-added package necessary because Windows—even the new Windows 7—lacks this elemental virtual desktop feature which Mac OS X has had for a few years and the major Linux desktop environments have had since their inception more than 10 years ago (I’m writing this article on Ubuntu, and have my pictures and text editor on one VD and the press kit on another!).
On exhibit were two very special displays, as well. One is a pair of larger monitors (30″ if my notes are correct, but they look larger in the picture) side by side on a studio mount. The connected computer is running CoolIris, a photo browsing program with flashy navigation.
More impressively, Westinghouse had a special 56″ monitor which had a resolution four times 1080p. It was absolutely sick. Like the U.S. military and a few business customers, you, too, could be the proud owner of one for $50,000.
Conclusion
Westinghouse certainly has some exciting products coming out this year. I’m particularly excited about the $1,500 55″ 120 Hz HDTV. Westinghouse is an industry giant and certainly has a certain degree of control of the market when they can be so ballsy as to offer such a unit at a price which undercuts competitors by hundreds of dollars, and even thousands of dollars in some cases.
I spoke candidly with my Westinghouse representative about the company’s pushing of secondary monitors. He said that it’s mainly netbook sales which he sees driving the secondary monitor market. Folks buy a netbook for its petite size, but will probably find a 7″-10″ screen to be cramped for day-to-day use. Westinghouse hopes that consumers will decide to pick up a monitor to use as either a primary monitor when using a netbook at home or as a secondary monitor in conjuction with the netbook’s built-in monitor.
ThinkComputers is excited to be working with Westinghouse this year!
Afterword
This invitation was particularly special for me, as it was my first "field trip" away from the show floor in the two years I’ve attended CES. The lobby of the condominum complex was quite impressive, as was the race car parked outside—which the driver of my taxi noted was not there when he was there eariler, indicating that someone actually drove it there.
