CEDIA Show: Custom Electronic Design and Installation Association

While many of us think of CEDIA as the home theater tradeshow, it certainly is more than that. First of all, CEDIA is an organization, and the CEDIA Expo, held each year typically during Labor Day week, or the following week, is its major tradeshow.

Essentially, CEDIA is about all types of custom solutions for the home. Those solutions include these, and more:

• Home Theater Projectors and Accessories
• Plasma Displays and LCDTVs for home, along with mounting equipment
• Home Theater related solutions, such as pre-fabricated theme designed theater rooms
• Home Theater Room accessories, everything from popcorn machines to wall sconces, to theater poster art
• Whole House Audio and Video systems, for pumping audio throughout a home, and more recently audio and video
• Music servers and Video servers
• Audio, low to high end stand alone audio - speakers, receivers, etc, as well as install products such as in-wall speaker systems
• Wiring - all kinds - basically anything that might end up in a home
• Security systems - alarm systems, child monitoring systems and related
• In-wall vaccuum cleaning systems
• Whole house control, everything from lighting to heating, to controlling pools and jacuzzis

And I'm sure I've forgotten any number of smaller categories.

CEDIA, the organization:

Offers training programs and certifications, awards for new products, has an industry outreach program, and one for government affairs (lobbying). In addition, the organization supports management seminars, career programs for members, and much more.

CEDIA Expo

With the housing boom of the last 15 years, combined with the advances in home electronics, it's no wonder that the CEDIA Expo tradeshow, once a very small affair, with only a few thousand attendees, held in Indianapolis, has grown rapidly each year, and most recently, the 2007 show drew almost 30,000 attendees.

Although the CEDIA organization itself is headquartered in Indianapolis, over the years, the show has grown faster than the Indianapolis metropolitan area could support it, with many attendees having to find accommodations as far as 30 miles out of town.

In 2006 CEDIA moved the CEDIA Expo to Denver, where it is doing a 3 year stint, then a year in Atlanta, and that will be followed by Las Vegas. CEDIA 2008 starts Sept. 3rd, with the tradeshow floor open from Sept. 4th through 8th, 2008.

In the spring of 2007 CEDIA launched a smaller Spring expo, held in Las Vegas. In 2008 that will be held in Dallas. The initial show was relatively tiny compared to the main fall event, with most of the major companies sitting on the sidelines.

Just a few of the top names exhibiting at CEDIA (and having some of the largest booths), include:

• Panasonic
• Sony
• LG
• Samsung
• Mitsubishi
• Stewart Filmscreen
• Epson
• Crestron
• DirectTV
• AMX
• Lutron
• Zigbee Alliance
• Digital Projection

The list, of course, could go on, and on.

CEDIA Expo Highlights:

The CEDIA Expo is known for huge numbers of new product announcements. For example in the one area of home theater projectors, at the most recent show, 2007, Epson announced 5 new home theater projector solutions, , Panasonic offered two new home theater projectors, Mitsusbishi had one new one, Sanyo showed their first 1080p projector, and many other home theater projector manufacturers announced their new fall lineups. Not everybody formally exhibits at CEDIA, for budget or other reasons, but still maintain a presence. Typical of that, InFocus was not an official exhibitor, but had a hotel suite where they showed off their first 1080p projector. Optoma and BenQ are two other home theater projector manufacturers that also were offsite, and unveiled new home theater projector models.

Shown below is one of the new home theater products from CEDIA 2007, Epson's Ensemble HD, a true 1080p home theater projector system in a box. The Ensemble HD includes a projector, screen with speakers, projector cradle with rear speakers, subwoofer, console with DVD player, and a full set of wiring. Just add installer, and enjoy!

It would be reasonable to say that over half of all the new home theater projectors released each year, are shown at CEDIA, for the first time. In addition, most of those new products are launched in the 3 months following the show, for the big "fall" shopping season.

The CEDIA Expo also highlights the hottest new products with their CEDIA Electronics Lifestyle Awards.

For information on new home theater projector related products shown at CEDIA 2007, click here

See you in Denver, for CEDIA Expo 2008.