Musings From Chicago

I visited Chicago two weeks ago, specifically McCormick Place, for the first time in a decade. During the week of June 9, the National Cable and Telecommunications Association (NCTA) held its show at the old location for an event CE industry veterans may remember, the Summer Consumer Electronics Show.

Well first off, McCormick Place is not the same place that hosted Summer CES for all those years. If someone took me to the middle of the convention center blindfolded, took off the blindfold and let me look around I wouldn't have known where I was. There is a giant Hyatt Hotel (alas, no more McCormick Inn) and plenty of brand new exhibit space.

I was at NCTA to attend the TWICE/Multichannel News breakfast and panel discussion (see stories, p. 1.), which brought together representatives from CE retailing and manufacturing, a cable company and a content provider, called "Evolution, Revolution — The Move To HDTV."

The tenor of some of the panel discussion, and the musings in Chicago by cable companies, reminded me of where the CE industry was during 1996 and 1997 when the HDTV rollout began. Cable companies, and the rest of the interested parties, are now all excited about the potential profits that HDTV will provide their companies. Cable Labs and NCTA operated a HDTV Pavilion during the show. Well, bravo to them for finally seeing the light.

As many of you can remember, the cable industry was initially dead set against HDTV when digital TV first dawned. Too much bandwidth and all the old complaints, the main one being that they would have to buy all of this new production equipment.

Well it's six years later, the cable industry is, basically, our friends now and we are full of understanding. It was just interesting for this reporter to see how bullish many in the cable industry are about HDTV ? six years after it was introduced. Hopefully, with the FCC's help, we won't have to wait until 2005 to get true plug-and-play HDTV cable boxes for consumers to have the complete HDTV experience.

And speaking of trade shows, promoting your products, and all the rest, visiting McCormick Place and looking at TWICE's master event calendar for the month of June got me thinking. Summer CES died because manufacturers said, "Who needs another show in June? It's too expensive! We show all of our stuff at CES in January or at line shows in the spring!"

June got off with a bang with the Home Entertainment Expo in San Francisco, a mini high-end version of CES. After that the press has had a procession of manufacturers, the large ones doing New York press conferences and the small ones asking for one-on-one interviews to discuss their new lines. Some dragged out the same products they debuted at CES for "Christmas in June" events for the consumer press. And a couple outlined some new promotions and developments within their companies, therefore generating some real news.

Heck, even CEA, producer of the old Summer CES, held its CEO Summit in Vail, Colorado last week, feeling the need to touch base with the press, public and retailers at mid-year.

Not that I'm suggesting a revival of Summer CES, but if all these companies are going to all this expense to get attention at mid-year, some type of low-key, yet broad-based industry event might be called for. It's just a thought. See what a quick trip to Chicago can do to you?