Las Vegas // The International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) has barely started and already the event is shaping up to be a battleground for South Korea’s LG Electronics and Samsung.

The companies are going head to head in the television market and smart home concepts by unveiling a bevy of new gadgets that are set for release this year.

One clear message is that size matters where televisions are concerned.

Both players claim to have unveiled the world’s first and largest 105-inch curved ultra high-definition (UHD), also known as 4K, television.

LG’s version has a price tag of US$69,999, while Samsung has yet to announce its prices.

Sales of televisions peaked globally in 2008 as countries switched from analogue to digital. In recent years, the growth has been far slower, prompting many analysts to question the future of the medium. Sales dipped 8 per cent in 2012 to 242 million units as sales of smartphones and tablets increased. The market inched up last year to 243 million units.

“We’re watching more content on more devices,” said Steve Koenig, the director of industry analysis at Consumer Electronics Association (CEA). “There are roughly three TV sets per household in America, the data suggests it is very important … but we can’t focus on one screen for too long, we need something to fiddle with while watching TV, a smartphone or tablet.”

The global television market is set to grow by 2 per cent this year to 247 million units sold, with 4K sets aiding growth. Samsung currently dominates the market with about 25.5 per cent followed by LG with about 14.7 per cent in the third quarter of last year.

Cheaper models from Chinese companies such as Hisense and TCL are rapidly gaining market share. Hisense has increased its revenues by almost 20 per cent over the past year to reach $15.3bn with profits of $1.1bn. It is currently the fifth largest TV manufacturer in the world and expects to reach the top three before the end of this year.

In the UAE, Samsung leads the category, followed by LG and Sony. Together, they account for some 90 per cent of all TV sales in the country.

“4K will blossom in 2014 as price points drop. TV prices on average drop 30 per cent per annum and the only time we see prices go up is when new technologies get released,” said Ashish Panjabi, the chief operating officer at Jacky’s Electronics. “This premium erodes as that new technology typically becomes the norm within a year or two.”

According to Zeeshan Gaya, a research manager at the tech consultant IDC, the TV market in the region grew quickly in 2012-2013 due to pent-up demand following a slowdown in the 2008-2010 period and also a host of new technologies being introduced. “IDC expects the Middle East market to grow 9 per cent year on year until 2017,” Mr Gaya said.

Sony also announced a new line up of 4K TVs, although its biggest screen size was 85 inches. All the manufacturers are now developing a “smart” version of their televisions in order to compete, providing greater connectivity and streaming options.

“TV is no longer the only screen, we want context for what we are watching. The Samsung UHD TV has a new multi-link screen. Someone watching a soccer game can have a new screen that shows search results, relevant YouTube videos and smart content shown alongside the game,” said Joe Stinziano, the executive vice president of Samsung America.

Besides greater content, both manufacturers are now ensuring that all their household appliances and gadgets can communicate with one another.

LG and Samsung have both created smartphone apps and messaging systems that enable appliances to communicate with users and vice versa.

The firms continued to flex their muscles in the field of smart homes by launching new smart fridges and dishwashers. Both are now ensuring greater connectivity among the devices they manufacturer. From televisions to vacuum cleaners and fridges, Samsung and LG are turning their smartphones into remote controls and hubs to control all the devices in the home.

For Samsung, users can tell their smartphones they are planning to watch a film and the smart home will know to dim the lights. For LG, its HomeChat service behaves like a butler. If a user messages the service and informs the house they are going on vacation, HomeChat will respond and ask whether to convert to vacation mode.

If the user replies in the affirmative then this virtual butler will turn on the refrigerator’s power-saving mode, set the robotic vacuum cleaner to sweep the floor at a selected time each day and set the washing machine to run a wash cycle on the day before the user returns.

thamid@thenational.ae