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The poetry of big-screen TV displays

Where do they get those things to show?

Michael Kanellos Staff Writer, CNET News.com
Michael Kanellos is editor at large at CNET News.com, where he covers hardware, research and development, start-ups and the tech industry overseas.
Michael Kanellos

How do companies decide what images to show on their huge TVs at trade shows like CES?

"You look for stuff that's challenging for a display. Fast motion, snow," said Bruce Tripido, senior director of the marketing entertainment products division at Sharp Electronics. "If you see images that don't move much, you know their screens can't handle it."

After you see a few hundred displays, however, they begin to blur together and form a new visual art form. It's a commentary on our times really. Here's what I saw in a brief walk:

A watermelon in a waterfall.

A close up of lychee nuts.

Istanbul at sunset.

Irish dancing and a violinist.

A woman walks through a hall filled with chandeliers and smiles knowingly. Later, she is happily startled by a vase.

A close-up of water droplets on a leaf.

People pointing at sedimentary rock

Soccer players reflected in a skyscraper.

A bike falling. A child runs inside.

A powerboat is lowered into the water with a crane. Onlookers appear amazed.

The Fast and the Furious 3: Tokyo Drift.

Two parrots on a branch. One keeps moving close to the other, which tries to escape.

A woman climbs a mountain in a ball gown. She looks like the vase woman, but the hair is different.

Ayers Rock.

A lady meditates in a baseball cap. Then her kids disturb her. Everyone laughs.