CEATEC Illustrates Changing Market
By Steve Smith -- TWICE, 10/25/2004
For the fifth time in 11 years, and the first time since 2000, I had the good fortune to visit Japan. Including this month's trip, four of the visits involved attending the CEATEC show in Chiba, just outside of Tokyo.
Including an earthquake in Tokyo and the beginning of typhoon in Osaka when I was taking off from its island airport, it was a memorable and eventful trip. Many changes were in evidence.
This event has traditionally debuted new technologies and shown actual products that would make their American debut at CES in January, within the next 12 months. On that score, CEATEC did not disappoint. The longest line at the show was for Toshiba and Canon's “theater” for their new SED flat-screen technology. And I saw and took too many pictures of all the Blu-ray decks at manufacturers' booths, as well as shots of proposed HD DVD decks at that format's show display.
But the change in worldwide distribution was the real surprise. For instance, Sony's 70-inch SXRD display, which debuted at CEDIA in September, was shown as a technology piece at CEATEC because it is not shipping yet, or may never ship in Japan due to its large size and the relatively small homes there.
At Sanyo I was told that a new 55W-inch LCD rear-projection set that was being introduced at the show was originally developed and has already begun selling in China and ships in Japan this fall.
The worldwide embrace of digital technology, and increased competition for traditional Japanese CE makers from China, the Pacific Rim, Europe and Silicon Valley are two major reasons for this distribution change.
Still two things in Japan don't change: the courteous hospitality of the people and the passion and love they have for baseball. About the latter it was somewhat disconcerting to see gigantic HDTV images of Hideki Matsui and the rest of the New York Yankees being broadcast live from Yankee Stadium and shown at the NHK Broadcasting booth.
For all my fellow Yankee fans in the Bronx, it was a Tuesday night playoff game vs. the Twins. For me it was late Wednesday morning. Seeing the Bronx live from Japan almost gave me immediate jet lag. For the Japanese, many of whom are Matsui fans and are probably relatively new Yankee fans, it was a time to stop and check the score, especially when their favorite son was at bat. Just like home.
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