MELVILLE, N.Y. — ADI joined together with many industry-leading vendors to host a special event to thank customers for their continuous support at CEDIA Expo 2009.

ADI also sponsored the CEDIA Learning Labs to provide attendees with hands-on experiences with the latest technology.

More than 1,300 dealers were invited to ADI's fourth annual customer celebration, held at the Opera Atlanta Event Center. Built in the 1920's, the Opera Atlanta Event Center retains the unique historical character and stunning architectural details of that period.

The event was sponsored by more than 20 leading manufacturers including Key Digital, Pioneer, Proficient, Russound, Honeywell, Peerless, Universal Remote Control, JVC, Monster and Sharp. Customers and vendors enjoyed an evening of first-class catering and entertainment by the popular band Soul Asylum, who captivated the audience with their alternative rock hits.

The CEDIA Learning Labs sponsored by ADI included four separate full-featured rooms equipped with the latest technology…

Many of us only spent a few days in Atlanta for CEDIA Expo 2009. It was the first time the show has been in Atlanta since 1997.

What did you think?

It was my first trip to Atlanta, and I entered with some preconceived notions that were mostly negative. I mean, CEDIA went out of its way to let people know security would be ramped up during the show. It’s not difficult to read between the lines.

But I liked Atlanta. It’s a cool city with nice people.

Whether or not it’s a good host city for CEDIA Expo 2009, well, that's a different story.

Pros

• It’s a big city with plenty of restaurants
• Security was everywhere
• Friendly people
• The aquarium and Coca Cola factory give attendees a reason to bring their family along

Cons

• Cab rides…

Crestron's nearly 10,000-square-foot booth at CEDIA Expo 2009, as you might expect, house the latest in control, automation and Web-based technologies.

What you wouldn't expect, however, is that the demo of Crestron's Procise line in the company's sound room was one of the best system demos at the show.

The Procise line includes the PSPHD Processor, PROAMP Amplifier, ADMS Server and ADC-200BR Blu-ray Disc Changer.

Crestron walked attendees through some of the system's features, which include:

• Interoperability with its control products
• Web-based streaming of content and metadata information
• Audyssey EQ
• Uncompressed audio processing
• RAID backup

Crestron then used a clip from "Iron Man" to prove it's capable of offering solutions outside its core line that are as good as those that come from traditional home theater manufacturers.

The sound room itself was also pretty impressive, engineered with acoustical treatments and supported by a nice array of screen, projector, and speaker products.

…

LED TVs certainly had a strong presence at CEDIA Expo 2009 in Atlanta.

Manufacturers are embracing LED TVs because they use a lot less energy and are much thinner than normal LCD TVs, providing consumers with a more energy-efficient display that also can be aesthetically pleasing.

You couldn't get away from LED TVs in Sharp's booth even if you tried, while LG's booth also had LED TVs throughout.

There were no OLED TVs on display at the show. A Sony spokesperson attributed its lack of OLED TVs to the fact that Sony had nothing new to show, while others manufacturers speculated OLED might never take off.

While the following is only a taste of what was on display, we round up LED TVs from the following companies:

• LG
• Samsung
• Sony
• Sharp
• Toshiba

Click here to view 7 LED TVs at CEDIA Expo 2009.

CE Pro's Jason Knott stops by Sencore's booth and talks video calibration and processing with Sencore and their partners.


View larger video here

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Russ Maynard, owner of Cinetouch, talks with CE Pro's Lisa Montgomery about their software product that eliminates the programming of AMX, and allows same day deployment of a whole house control system.

View larger video here

The CEDIA Learning Labs, which started as a gleam in the eye of CEDIA Education Council head Mike Creeden of M+R Digital Innovations, celebrated their one-year anniversary with some pomp and ceremony.

CEDIA leaders and sponsors gathered for some cookies and congratulations outside the lab rooms at CEDIA Expo 2009 in the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta.

The four hands-on training labs are a venue for dealers and their technicians to “get their hands dirty” performing some actual installation tasks while being educated at the same time. The labs were sponsored by ADI, which pulled together a myriad of manufacturers to help fulfill the vision.

The four labs were:

• Cable, Connectors and Testing
• Video Display Technologies and Calibration
• Computers
• Audio and Component Installation

Tom Polson, president of ADI, said that the distributor was committed to the bringing hands-on education to CEDIA. “I can promise you that we will continue to be here,” he said.

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Posted by Jason Knott on 09/15 at 08:39 AM
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