Believe it or not, the 2014 edition of the International Consumer Electronics Show is about to begin, and companies far and wide are solidifying launch plans when things kick off in Las Vegas. Samsung is amongst the first to offer a teaser, showcasing its 2014 Smart TV line. Samsung’s voice interaction service, which understands natural languages, is currently available in 11 countries. In 2014, the service will expand into 12 new markets, making the service available in a total of 23 countries worldwide. Users can change the channel in one step – by simply saying the channel number. They can even open a website or app using shortcuts. For reference, 2013 models require two steps to change TV channels: ‘Channel Change’ and ‘Channel Number.'


Another major step forward is the integration and improvement of motion control. For 2014 models, a "finger gesture" mode has been added, enabling users to change the TV channel, adjust the volume, find and select what they want to watch just by using their fingers. They can also go back to the previous screen and stop the video by motioning their finger counterclockwise. In many ways, this is Samsung integrating some of the aspects that have made Kinect so useful in the living room, and we suspect that a lot of other TV manufacturers will be following suit.

We'll have to wait until the show floor opens before we know more about what's powering these sets, but at a glance, televisions could be lined up for quite the surge at CES.