A TUNE-UP FOR THE DUAL TURNTABLE - ThaiHDbox

CEDIA 2010: Value(?) on
Display in Three Dimensions
By David J. Weinberg
CEDIA (www.CEDIA.net) claimed
20,700 attendees (the audited
count is not yet available), compared
with 22,000 last year, and that almost
20% of the attendees were at their
first CEDIA, which means that many
who attended last year did not return.
These numbers included exhibitors and
members of the press.
The show floor, with more than 450
exhibits (90 were first-time CEDIA exhibitors),
was never heavily crowded.
According to reports, many dealers
and custom installers were searching
for ways to expand their businesses beyond
their core offerings.
About 150 courses were offered,
with a special deal: instead of paying for
each course, you could attend all the
courses you wanted for $400. About a
third of the courses were business-related,
covering all facets of how to build
and manage your custom installer business
such as design/management/customer
documentation; how to relate to
and work with customers, architects,
builders, interior designers, and so on;
customer service; social networking;
and selling (“What Women Want—
Selling Home Entertainment Systems
That Benefit Her Lifestyle”).
Technical courses included basic
math for technicians, various aspects
of home theater and home control
design/build/adjustment, technician
certification prep courses, wired/wireless
technologies, troubleshooting, AC
power including grounding and conditioning,
and more. I attended about
half a dozen, none of which had attendance
as large as I perceived at previous
CEDIA Expos.
I learned that a second edition of the
CEDIA Technical Reference manual is
under development. I strongly suggest
waiting until that second edition has
been released. See my review of the
first edition in the May/April '10 issue.
CEDIA published a 2010 Electronic Systems
Contractors Licensing and Regulatory
Reference Directory, which delineates
by US state and Canadian province the
licenses needed to legally perform custom
installation work, and licensing organizations
that issue them.
There was no new hardware or software
that stood out from the crowd.
Display marketing focused on 3D. At
least one manufacturer had “universal”
3D glasses, but would not lend them
for a floor tour to see how universal
they were.
Naturally, 3D panels and projectors
were widely displayed. However, there
are four mutually exclusive 3D display
technologies under development, three
of which require each viewer to wear
glasses that only work with one of them.
Psychovisual focus-distance conflicts
cause headaches and nausea in some
viewers, which 3D-movie creators will
need to learn to avoid. Many consumers
have recently bought new high-definition
displays, Blu-ray players, and HDMI
cables, and they likely will be reluctant
to replace those so soon and at higher
cost than their previous purchases.
Thus, 3D is an unsettled landscape
that needs domesticating and standardization
before the risk of planting
the soon-to-be-rejected technological
seed in your home is low enough to
warrant the expense. Embedded computers
have become commonplace, as
has consumer acceptance of networks,
wireless audio and video, and so on.
PRESENTATIONS AND COURSES
The third annual Pre-Game Show
featured the dynamic duo of Michael
Heiss (CE industry consultant and member
of CEDIA’s technology council) and
Richard Green (integrator, and director
of CEDIA’s technology council). During
this preview session, Heiss and Green
discussed the show’s purpose and what
to look for on the show floor to keep
the custom installer/integrator businesses
healthy and profitable.
These businesses need to focus on
what they can offer that justifies the
extra cost at a time when most of the
equipment is commoditized and the
economy has severely limited corporate
and personal discretionary expenditure.
Businesses need to effectively
aim at the right market. Custom installers
can install those readily available
boxes and set them up to deliver the
multimedia experience that the consumer
can’t get by himself.
Heiss/Green agreed that for survival
and growth, custom installers/integrators
should focus on retrofits, commercial
jobs, and energy management.
Green said, “Energy is the new audio
[and] is what’s changing our industry.”
audioXpress December 2010 E1