Is CEDIA Becoming a Mini-CES?

Many have expressed the opinion that CEDIA EXPO is becoming like a smaller version of the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES). There’s no question that the focus is custom, custom, custom. But as the custom installation business increasingly involves things like home security, lighting, automation, and music streaming, the breadth of products and technologies on display has expanded considerably.

In fact, two of the most prominent product categories I’ve noticed on the floor this year are media servers, and home security. There’s someone offering up what they deem the latest and greatest in music servers on pretty much every corner on the show floor, from Harman Kardon, to Sony, and Sooloos. In terms of security, I’ve seen everything from the standard video surveillance system, to a neat system that includes a “magic mirror”. Place the mirror in your living room, and a talking genie pops up on its surface to verbally alert you when someone has arrived at the front door. Not only does the genie let you know that someone is a-knockin’, but a security camera outside displays a live feed onto the mirror, so you don’t even need to get up from the couch to see who it is. Nope, I’m not kidding.

The bread and butter of CEDIA EXPO remains custom audio/video. But as things like video cameras, computers, and interior design pieces like drapes, lighting, and furniture, are more often finding themselves part of a system design in the home, the show attracts new and exciting vendors. The consensus among those I’ve asked is that this year's show is better than last, with tons to see and experience.

Industry members, stay tuned to Marketnews Magazine for in-depth coverage of the show.

CEDIA EXPO Begins

This entry will be short and sweet, as I'm currently in Denver, CO attending the 2007 CEDIA EXPO, a trade show that caters to the custom integration market. Anyone into audio/video likely has some sort of "home theatre" at home, consisting of a flat-panel TV (or maybe even a projector and screen if your budget should accomodate such luxuries), speakers, and perhaps some other fancy-schmancy things, like home automation, music servers, and the like.

Anyone who has anything to do with custom A/V is at this show, learning, teaching, or just simply experiencing new products and technologies. These range from the high-end custom shops that cater to the rich and/or famous; to the traditional bricks-and-mortar retailers who have recently added "custom" to their regular floor sales offerings.

There's no question that custom is the direction the industry is moving as a whole. I think within the next 10 years, the whole idea of "custom" will be encompassed in the term "retail". Essentially, custom will swallow retail whole: if you aren't offering your customers some type of added value, whether it be to mount the flat-panel TV they just bought off your sales floor, or to connect that new media server to their Internet connection and music system, you might want to start looking in that direction.

Meanwhile, check out the Marketnews Website for some highlights of what's to come at the show, which officially begins tomorrow.