To refresh your memory, here’s where the list of CEDIA 2007 articles begins.

I am looking forward to seeing what developments in 3D video technologies will be shown in terms of Samsung’s 3D plasma, TI’s dual view technology on Mitsubishi and Samsung RP’s as well as what Sensio have to demonstrate in more final form than what they showed at CES.

In high end projection it will be interesting to see what additional manufacturers will show 4K models now that Merridian has come out with their 185K system, will Runco and Sony have home units to show in that space?

In terms of audio will we see shipping models with Dolby’s version of loudness control, THX now has it shipping in two Onkyo receivers.

What the status of THX’s Blackbird now called Media Director technology that utilizes the CEC data channel in HDMI.

On the HDMI front will Silicon Optics show TV’s with the new chip that they have released that will cut down on the time it takes all HDMI devices to recognize each other but more importantly get the display to change and lock the HDMI handshake the way the old Component and other analog sources did, i.e. instantly.

And a final related HDMI speed of locking issue is the ridiculously long start up and load times on most current Blue Ray players, Sony’s newest models at under 30 sec excluded.

It does not help an installer that a display and Blue ray player can communicate, turn each other off and on and select a specific input, when it takes up to two minutes for the Blur Ray Player to boot up and then start communicating on the HDMI CEC bus!

Andrew

2007 retrospective

The three 2007 CEDIA products/technologies that have managed to play a large part in our continuing business into 2008 are..

Niles ICS upgrades. HD Radio support/ additional iPod & Music server support.

Digital Projections introduction of a 2.35:1 Solution for the Titan series of projectors.

Pronto Script. Allowing the TSU-9600 and TSU-9400 to offer very high levels of control with instant feedback. Particularly impressive are the new Kaleidescape and Marantz modules.

Looking forward to CEDIA 2008

The new Niles ZR-6 allowing a very full featured distributed audio system including built in iPod control ad 12 channels of amplification and weather proof keypads for a sub 2k price point. (Looks very promising)

Looking for a CI friendly Blu-ray player with serial/direct ir input and discrete codes. (Sony you make great players step up to the plate here!)

Philips Pronto edit 2.0. I’m curious to see the entirely new editing approach that Philips has created.

Philips Pronto TSU-9800 the new flagship model with a larger screen will be very appealing to many of our customers.

I would love for someone ANYONE to come up with a rock solid method of transmitting 1080p HDMI with HDCP at 75-100ft. I’ll be keeping my eye out for the latest HDMI distribution options, be it over copper wire of fiber, with the use of a balun and multiple CAT/Coax lines or even some magical beam it through the air wireless technology. Simplay HD or Jeff Boccaccio, and his crew at InVisions Technology need to help us get to the Promised Land.

I’m curious to see more about the 3D technologies but I suspect they are many years from being a mainstream technology.

Derek Trulious
Dallas Extreme

I was really excited when Universal Remote introduced us to the KP-900. Many installers have commented that it is missing a numeric keypad, but I have found that this is what makes it great. It is easy to use and works great for multizone applications.
We have installed them for backyard audio. It gives the homeowner flexibility to have outdoor control anywhere in the yard, but also allows them to bring it inside to avoid the sun or rain.

The KP-900 works equally as well in a corporate conference room. We installed in a meeting room and was an inexpensive solution that provided macros and ease of use for the customer.

The product I feel has stood the test of time is the Pioneer Elite Kuro Plasma. Great picture quality and the recently updated models are even better!

Also, the Sonance Visual Performance series in-wall speakers, which will be copied by at least one vendor (Def Tech) provide a great subtle look to in-wall and in-ceiling speakers.

I am looking forward to seeing if Panasonic has the ridiculous 150” “LifeWall” plasma on display.

I’d also like to see if anyone will have a worthwhile iPhone solution for Crestron systems. It would be nice to have a simple app that doesn’t try to turn an iPhone into something it’s not.

The new ICS products introduced by Niles at Expo 2007 were home runs.  In a couple weeks, I would like to see Blu-Ray players that really perform and are built to last.  My clients will pay the tab and are very frustrated with what we’ve been able to offer them to date.

Hello Fellow Cedia Members,

Well, for the first time since Cedia began, I will not be attending this year. This economy has us making some very cautious decisions and I am saving the money. Although I am sending some key employees, we are forced to cut back and it’s a very tough decision. I am going to miss it!

If I was planning to attend, I think I’d be looking for a money tree! Actually, we will be looking at automation products and taking the great opportunity to meet with our key partners. And, of course get smarter by meeting with Julie Jacobson!

2.35 is getting a lot more attention, so we’ll have to do our research in this area.

Another emerging area is outdoor electronics.  TVs, speaker systems, and remotes to handle the environment will be researchable items for this CEDIA.

And besides Axonix, who’s loading BluRay onto a media server?  I’d appreciate any info on that….

Finally, I’d bet we’re all seeing an increased demand for motorized devices like mounts, lifts, etc.  More toys for the home, and we like to sell them!
Tom Ardolf
Cybermation, Inc.

With TV’s getting thinner, iPhone’s being integrated into everything, and Blu-Ray getting cheaper and hopefully faster soon, not one single thing stands out in my mind but I can’t wait to see what new heights these products will be pushed to at CEDIA 2008.

I am also hoping to finally see some two-way communications out of RTI Remotes thats been promised for awhile now.

See you in Denver

I am anxious to see the continued develoments of the Z-Wave platform especially regarding the remote controls.  I am also excited to see how the home automation solutions have advanced for the masses.  I think that this is a most critical category because there is alot of business to be done in the under $5K area.  There is still a gap integrating the software bassed products and the audio/video products.

Finally, its always good to renew friendships in this our tight knit community.

1.  Best stood the test of time:  iPod interfaces.  I can not think of another product, whether it be hardware, software, or firmware for iPods that people are more excited about.  We have a client that just spend $850 on an iPod interface, whereas he could sign up for Rhapsody for $12/mo and get more features.  He still went for the iPod interface and absolutely loves it.

2.  Most exciting this year: Movie servers.  With more people building larger collections of movies our number one interest at this year’s show is hard drive based movie/photo servers.