If your electronics don’t stream content directly to your living room, they’re just plain lazy.

TV, Blu-ray player, receiver and media server manufacturers are pairing up with content providers to cut out the middleman — that being the consumer who actually has to go to a store to get movies or music.

Manufacturers at CEDIA Expo 2009 announced partnerships with Netflix and Vudu, showing off the fruits of their collaborations.

Vudu had a huge presence in LG's booth. LG kicked off the show by announcing that it's BD390 Wireless Network Blu-ray Player now has Vudu access.

Vudu, along with Netflix, YouTube and Yahoo Widgets, can also be streamed via LG’s line of Broadband TVs. The following components represent just a sample of the digital streaming products at CEDIA…

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.

A new LED TV line was the centerpiece of Sharp’s CEDIA Expo 2009 booth.

And why not? “Eventually, we’ll probably be all-LED,” said spokesperson Melissa Non.

Sharp’s Aquos LED LCD TV Series, which began shipping in August, flanked a waterfall at the entrance of the booth. Attendees could take a closer look at the 32-, 40-, 46- and 52-inch models.

Demoing its LED technology, Sharp showed a stripped down TV with the “UltraBrilliant Full Array LED backlight” exposed. It was part of an emphasis on energy efficiency.

Sharp says its LED approach provides uniform brightness and color purity with higher luminance per watt so less power is needed. It adds that the series is mercury-free and exceeds the EPA’s Energy Star criteria for power consumption by up to 67 percent and has a long lifespan of 100,000 hours.

There was…

LG Electronics kicked off CEDIA Expo 2009 by adding Vudu to its BD390 Blu-ray player.

Vudu isn’t new to LG. The on-demand movie rental service was recently added to LG’s Broadband TVs, a line that also includes Netflix, Yahoo Widget and YouTube streaming.

So between the BD390, the Broadband TV line and a demo of the Vudu interface, LG’s booth had Vudu pretty well covered.

LG also showed several LED TVs, including the SL90 line that is slated to ship in October, featuring 42- and 47-inch models with Edge LED lighting and depth of only 1.15 inches.

OLED TVs were one thing missing from LG's booth. It was recently reported that LG plans to launch a 15-inch OLED in Korea and that a 40-inch model is planned for the “not too…

Since CE Pro broke the news on Crestron Prodigy, we've had an unprecedented behind-the-scenes look at the new low-cost control system from the company best known for pricey products.

During a recent tour of Crestron, led by CEO and founder George Feldstein, I got to see all of the little goodies that will comprise a Prodigy home automation system.

First of all, Crestron wants to make it perfectly clear that the company did not launch Prodigy to "go after" Control4 or any other low-cost home automation provider, according to executive VP Randy Klein.

"We developed a line that is consistent with what we've been doing," he says. "Prodigy broadens the market."

Klein acknowledges that some Crestron dealers also offer lower-cost lines. "We would love to have them use us," he says.

Klein believes Crestron can beat out other players in the world of affordable automation because of the company's heritage.

CEDIA has named the 33 finalists for its annual Manufacturer's Excellence Awards.

The winners, which will include one for Best New Technology and 10 for Best New Product, will be named at the Electronic Lifestyles Awards Banquet at CEDIA Expo 2009 on Sept. 12.

The Designer Awards and the new inductees into CEDIA's Product Hall of Fame will also be revealed at the banquet.

The Best New Technology category, which honors products that will be released after Sept. 30, 2009, are based on:

• Innovation
• Value to the technician
• Value to the business
• Impact on the client's lifestyle

The Best New Product category honors those released between Sept. 30, 2008 and Sept. 30, 2009 and is based on the same criteria.

Click here to view the finalists. Editor's Note: All photos and captions provided by CEDIA.

Click here to…

Attendance numbers were down at the recent CEDIA Expo 2008 in Denver.

But that wasn't the only sign of recession at the September event.

Vendors were shunning costly hotel rooms, and camping out at their booths; booth personnel could barely afford clothing; and exhibitors were peddling foamcore "products."

We've rounded up some of the most telling signs of recession from the show.

Click here to view 10 Signs of Recession.

Frustrated by existing loudspeaker vendors, a CE Pro Top 100 dealer has launched its own speaker company.

The integration company is Advanced Electronic Solutions (AES), El Cajon, Calif. Its principals Sean McDermott and Rich Apgar have joined two other partners in founding Current Audio, which made its debut at CEDIA Expo 2008.

"Other manufacturers have had to adjust for them to remain profitable," says McDermott, who is president of Current Audio. "As they have adjusted, they have not taken into account how it affects installers. … First they cut their reps, then R&D, and then the quality of their speakers."

McDermott says his company won't fall into that trap.

As integrators themselves, the folks at Current say they really listen to installers. Indeed, "installers" are the key, McDermott asserts. "We're not just asking the presidents of [integration] companies," he says. "We're asking the people who do the…

RealNetworks is causing quite a stir with a new DVD ripping program called RealDVD.

Big deal? The software appears to be the first from a studio-friendly, name-brand provider, and the company claims it is entirely legal.

From the RealDVD FAQ:

Is it legal to save movies with RealDVD?
Yes, provided that you are the owner of the original DVD and you use your saved copy solely for your personal use.

I'm not sure where this stipulation comes from – certainly not the DVD CCA (Copy Control Association), which licenses the decryption software to RealNetworks for DVD playback.

Even so, RealNetworks says it is abiding by the DVD CCA's licensing mandates because the ripped DVDs maintain their copy-protection wrapper (and, by the way, everything else about the DVDs including the extras).

Kaleidescape Part II

Sounds a lot like Kaleidescape, which has been

There were some stylish products at CEDIA Expo 2008.

Some of the more sleek units included seating from Cuddlebag, the Jet Rack ladder mounting system, Key Digital's new Hercules line and Earthquake's powerful subwoofer series.

Maybe it had something to do with the beautiful booth babes on hand at each of the aforementioned booths.

You've seen the worst. Now it's time to show you the best.

Click here to check out the best booth babes of CEDIA Expo 2008.

Let us know who your favorite is in the comments below.