CEDIA Expo Opening With Media Day

While the show floor of CEDIA Expo opens for business on Thursday, the first glimpses of the upscale technologies begin today, during media day in the Mile High City.

I’m not quite sure what the blue bear is doing, looking for a home theater system for his winter den maybe.

The long-running tale of the CE business is that when new technology is introduced, prices quickly get cut. And that’s true, except in the custom installation business where, traditionally, price tags and margins are higher. With more traditional retailers (nationals and locals) involved in custom installs, CEDIA Expo illustrates how there is still a market for sophisticated, high-end CE products even in this economy.

While we know some of what will be revealed later today in Denver, it’s suffice to say we will be seeing and hearing about some sophisticated (meaning more profitable) technology and SKUs from such companies as Panasonic, Toshiba, Sony, and Sharp, and the latest on A/V servers, multiroom audio systems, 3-D displays for gaming, upscale speakers and video displays with enough features to (maybe) entice more mass-market consumers than they ever thought they would on a video display.

Visit www.TWICE.com and sign up for our e-mail newsletter and blasts for breaking coverage.