CES is a swirling mass of sensory overload this year, as it has always been. We spent 10 hours on the floor visiting with 26 different companies yesterday. As has also become customary, HDTV was everywhere, and large displays dominate many of the large consumer electronics companies’ booths. Displays are more stunning, and on-screen navigation appears crisper and easier to read and use. I noticed examples of companies capitalizing on the buzz of High Definition, offering other Hi Def capabilities such as Hi Def voice. If there’s any overarching theme that I could detect thus far, it’s that companies are struggling to figure out more and diverse ways to get content to the home and then to “sling” it around the home once there. Of course, the Internet and IP are central to most mechanisms for shuttling content to the home. Many companies announced ways to do direct downloads to their devices off the Internet, Sony being one of the most notable.

In the home, there are a large variety of high-capacity techniques for moving that content, from extended-reach FireWire (IEEE 1394), high speed HomePlug and wireless, MOCA and wireless HDMI (a way to connect a set top box to your HD display using no cables). It’s nice to see more ground swell of support for the OpenCable Application Platform (OCAP), with vendors bringing their expertise to the cable set top box, such as Tivo’s recent agreement with Cox Communications and Comcast. As well there was more support for the OpenCable Unidirectional Receiver (OCUR) which is a way to use a CableCard in a PC to receive digital cable in that device.

Jay Rolls is Cox's Vice President of Technology