As the annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas winds down, one of the  highlights of the show was the showing of Ultra HD TV sets.

"About 213 million high-definition televisions were expected to have sold globally by the end of 2012, writes Cecilia Kang in The Washington Post. "TV makers need to keep consumers coming back, so they are introducing Ultra HD televisions that make the HDTV of five years ago look outdated. Showcased by Samsung, LG, Panasonic and Sony, these televisions have 8 million pixels — four times the number of previous versions. The show organizers are calling the Ultra HD technology ‘4K’ and say it is meant to be ‘immersive’ television viewing. Or as LG says, ‘You’ll feel like you’re living, not watching, your favorite shows.’ "

The story continues, "Ultra HDTVs are also super-jumbo. Westinghouse is expected to unveil a 112-inch TV, and Sony, Samsung and LG will display 84-inch screens — so big that the screen seems like it draws in a whole room. That makes it harder to sell in many countries outside the United States, where houses are smaller and walls sometimes aren’t even that wide, analysts say."

The story also notes that "Samsung and LG are going super-small, too, with 5.5-inch flexible screens to be used in future e-readers, smartphones, and tablets for sports and military combat. They are more durable for commuters and can be knocked around in classrooms."

The article concludes by noting, "Analysts say many of the televisions and multimedia devices at CES this week won’t make it to retail shelves. For example, recent pushes for 3-D and Internet-enabled TVs haven’t appealed to mainstream consumers. ‘Device manufacturers are trying to drive a change in consumer behavior, which is a very hard thing to change,’ said Carl Howe, vice president of the Yankee Group."