Daily Blog – Ross Jones – September 18, 2008: POST-CEDIA

Now that the buzz from CEDIA has faded (and I mean that in a metaphorical, not physiological sense), I realized it’s tough to draw any dramatic conclusions or mega-trends from the show. There is still a market for high-end, price is no object equipment. Consumers are getting tremendous value on the end other of the spectrum from trickle-down technology. Front projector manufacturers continue to tweak their products, and lower the entry-level price point for 1080p. In-wall and in-ceiling speakers are here to stay. IPod/iPhone integration products are everywhere. The PS3 still seems to be the Blu-ray player of choice, although many are looking forward to the new Oppo.

If anything struck me, it was that even at a time of economic uncertainty, attendees were still passionate about their products and the home theater world in general.  Stopping at booths, talking to reps and just people watching, it is obvious that the industry is filled with men and women who love the audio-video experience. I have a few friends outside the business who can relate to it, but put 25,000 professionals all in the same place, and you find yourself in a bar very late at night talking about the variables in subjective speaker evaluations.  And at the end of a long day, that’s what makes our world go around.