During a demo for ZDNET at CES 2023, Displace mounted its new television on the window of a Las Vegas hotel. Image: June Wan/ZDNET.
Yes, I’m at CES and I’ve already lost count of how many TVs I’ve laid eyes on. Don’t get me wrong, all of these perfectly contrasting, colorful 8K demos are a joy to watch, but they’ve also gotten repetitive and, dare I say, boring. The one TV that raised my eyebrows this year — and one that deserves the limelight — is start-up Displace’s Wireless TV.
You heard it right: a TV that doesn’t depend on any cables or wires to power it. None. The method ? Four hot-swappable batteries that Displace says should give the TV a month of battery life, Wi-Fi 6E to sync your inputs to the separate base unit on the TV, and what the company (of six ) calls Active Loop Vacuum technology, which is two adhesive strips that seal the TV to virtually any surface without a backing.
The adhesive strips on the back of the Displace TV also prevent the back from scratching. Image: June Wan/ZDNET.
During the demonstration in a Las Vegas hotel room, Displace demonstrated the capabilities of its proprietary mounting system to a fabric-covered wall, as well as a glass window. Installation is simple. Simply press the TV under 10 pounds against the surface and let the adhesive do the rest.
How long can the screen remain attached to the wall? For all time
It emits a sound to signal the start and end of the process. How long can the screen remain attached to the wall? Balaji Krishnan, CEO of Displace, says the Active Loop Vacuum technology gets stronger from time to time to hold the TV in place. In other words: forever.
Display CEO Balaji Krishnan shows how his company’s new TV attaches to virtually any surface without a stand. Image: June Wan/ZDNET.
And if the wireless aspect isn’t futuristic enough, the other key feature of the Displace TV is gesture control. No remote control comes with this TV. Instead, the device has a camera on the top that detects hand gestures to navigate between channels and even copy and stream content from one Displace TV to another. This technology is similar to that which equips the Xbox Kinect and which was popularized by PrimeSense, an Israeli company acquired by Apple.
How to copy/paste with fingers? Imagine pointing your fingers at your TV, making a pinching motion as if picking up salt and sprinkling it at another screen. It is a magical experience.
What about the reliability of camera detection when there are several people in a room?
However, I wonder about the reliability of camera detection when there are several people in a room. This will likely depend on how good Displace TV’s machine learning is. Krishnan said Displace will also offer an app to control the TV from your smartphone.
According to Displace, the product will be released in late 2023 for $2,999 each. That’s a steep price for a 4K TV, let alone for a first-gen product. But after talking to the folks at Displace, I’m pretty reassured. I feel like this team knows what it wants to do. The team members have an impressive track record at TV hardware start-ups and tech companies like Apple, as well as a palpable enthusiasm for improving today’s TV experience.
They’re bringing a level of creativity and innovation to TV that no one expected, and their product is one of the most intriguing things we’ve seen so far at CES 2023. It’s particularly interesting to see how Displace is thinking about how to make televisions wireless and able to be quickly positioned in different parts of your home.
You can watch a short video showing how the Displace TV sticks to the wall on YouTube Short, Reel Instagram, or on TikTok.
Other CES 2023 announcements
Source: ZDNet.com