Hi-tech heaven puts future on display

FLAT-PANEL televisions with built-in digital video recorders. Pocketable satellite radio receivers that can bookmark songs for online purchase. High-definition TVs engineered to play video or display photos from any computer on your home network.

The new offerings from LG Electronics, XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc. and Hewlett-Packard are just a tiny sampling from this year’s International Consumer Electronics Show, an annual showcase of technologies soon to hit the market.

Spread out over 28 football fields of real estate when the doors open today, the show will be a dizzying array of new products from small start-ups, dot-com boom retreads and such longtime players as Sony, Toshiba and Panasonic.

Cameras, MP3 players, DVD recorders, giant plasma screens and accessories for all the above - you name it and, chances are, it will be on display at the Las Vegas City convention centre-turned-electronics mecca for this hi-tech event.

The portable gadgets on display are bound to be smaller but more powerful. Laptops will boast longer battery lives. TVs will be bigger and sharper, but cheaper. And many devices will have the ability to connect to the internet, a home computer network, or to each other - with more ease than ever before.

In the home appliance arena, Samsung will showcase a refrigerator with four convertible compartments that can switch between being a freezer or a fridge, depending on the user’s needs. LG will debut a washer and dryer system that lets users monitor the laundry cycle from a small remote control.

Satellite radio, climbing in popularity, is becoming more and more accessible and a growing number of portable and home devices - like LG’s new five-disc DVD player - have the feature built-in.

Digital music players from Samsung and Pioneer will not only play live XM radio but also integrate the Napster music download and subscription service, so users can “bookmark” songs heard on XM for purchase.

“We’ve seen millions of MP3 players sold and millions of satellite radio products sold. Now, we’re marrying them together and will hopefully create a new market,” said Chance Patterson of XM Satellite.