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As CES, the biggest electronics trade show in the America kicks off this week in Las Vegas, US TV makers will be doing their best to convince consumers to press pause on HD television, and make room in their place for Ultra HD television. It's the latest gambit from an industry struggling with a shift in consumer spending from televisions, PCs and single-purpose devices such as camcorders to small, portable do-it-all gadgets like smartphones and tablets. Gary Shapiro, CEO of the Consumer Electronics Association, which organizes the annual event, expects to see the number of visitors this year nearly reach the 156,000 who turned out last year. Shapiro says there are certain gadget themes that will be in evidence this week. "The video screen is rapidly changing. We have Ultra-HD, which is four times the resolution of high definition. Plus we have connected smart TVs, as well as new types of TV technology like LCOS (Liquid Crystal on Silicon). So many things are happening here in a big way; audio is great, safety technologies and of course, health care. There is a 25-percent increase in health care at the show because health care is something where you don't always have to go to your doctor with technology." The Consumer Electronics Association estimates that device shipments to US buyers fell five percent in dollar terms last year, excluding smartphones and tablets, but rose six percent to 207 billion dollars, including those categories. | 
