 |
SHOW AND TELL
Listed under: Top Story
Published: Friday, July 09, 2010
There seemed to be a renewed sense of vigour at the four-day training and product expo that made up this year’s CEDIA Home Technology Event 2010.
My last visit to the CEDIA Expo, as it was then, had been in 2008, and with the change in venue and the absence of certain exhibitors, this ‘inaugural’ staging of the re-styled CEDIA Home Technology Event 2010 couldn’t help but seem somewhat smaller in scale by comparison. The more intimate surroundings of the ICC’s Capital Hall did little to help matters, and there seemed to be a few notable absences among the exhibitors, particularly on the AV side, compared to before.
But what these initial observations fail to take account of is that this year’s event was very much shaped by Expo 2009 – the show that was organised during the onset of an almighty economic recession and against a backdrop of some considerable drama following the withdrawal of a certain major exhibitor (which we’ll come to later). This year’s event was all about focus, about bringing the right people together, getting them to do business with each other and welcoming valuable newcomers into the fold. A ‘Wired for Technology Conference’ developed alongside Professional Electrician magazine attracted over 80 electrical contractors keen to learn about CI business opportunities. This was one of several outreach initiatives at the event, the others managing to pull a hundred or so additional visitors from the architectural and interior design fields.
As ever, there was also around 100-hours of training laid on for delegates which for the first time took in courses dedicated to business and marketing alongside the usual technical sessions, seminars, workshops and round tables exploring the major issues currently affecting the industry.
Indeed, as Tuesday wore on, it soon became clear that there was more – a lot more – to see among the stands clustered inside the Capital Hall than first impressions might have suggested. There were enough screens, speakers, source components, cabling products, controllers, supporting furniture, automation and distribution systems to make taking in everything over a couple of days something of a tall order.
reaching out
To kick off our roundup of show highlights, we turn first to Crestron. After sitting out last year’s Expo, the home automation heavyweight was back in style with a sizeable stand and some headline-grabbing product launches. Among the goods on display were some new additions to its flexible and eco-friendly GreenLight residential lighting control system and the array of matrix switchers and input cards making up the powerful DigitalMedia distribution system.
The main order of business, however, was Crestron’s European unveiling of Prodigy - a comprehensive home automation solution geared towards the entry-level and mid-range markets. It was difficult not to be impressed as Prodigy Sales Manager, Mark Coombes, talked us through a sample home automation set-up based around a Prodigy controller that included two dimmers, facilities for controlling blinds in two areas and more besides that added up to a retail list price of £6380. Seeing how this attempt by a well-established, premium name to target a much broader group of installers and end users fares will be very interesting indeed.
On the other side of the hall, Expo veteran Sonos was once again showing off the constituent parts of its popular multi-room audio system, including the S5 ZonePlayer in black, and demonstrating its ease of use via the sleek Controller 200 dedicated remote and freely downloadable iPhone/iPod Touch app. Sonos are one of many companies that have embraced the ‘iDevice’ app phenomenon over the last couple of years, and this year of course, that story gained a whole new chapter in the form of the iPad.
A number of stands had one as part of their displays, but as it’s still early days yet for Apple’s ‘magical and revolutionary device’, most seemed to be running upscaled versions of existing apps. One notable exception was Naim Audio’s early preview of an iPad-specific controller app for its NaimNet IP-based multi-room control solution – though not yet ready for prime time, the prospect of homeowners being able to access the HVAC, AV and security features of their home via an intuitive, high-res plan view rather than the usual series of labelled ‘buttons’ seems an intriguing one. At this stage at least, it would appear that many within the CI industry are keen to embrace the iPad for its potential to engage their clients in a whole new way and possibly open up the home automation market to a wider audience.
thinking big
Another trend that was hard to avoid was the arrival of 3D displays – and nowhere more so than at the towering stand dedicated to AWE Europe. The veteran distributor was marking its 75th anniversary in grand fashion, with Panasonic’s almighty TH103VX200 103-inch 3D plasma screen serving as the centrepiece in a dedicated viewing area. When not being wowed by the £70,000 jumbo screen, visitors to stand D8/D10 were also able to get a good look at Panasonic’s comparatively modest 65-inch 3D plasma, peruse the Philips Pronto controller family in its entirety (which included an early look at the upcoming TSW9500 in-wall control panel) and get acquainted with the first fruits of AWE’s Kinetik Labs CI product range – the KLIR-SM1KIT surface-mount IR kit and the KLIR-IRE2 dual IR emitter.
Across the way, Pulse Marketing brought along a darkened room to show off an 80-inch, 16:9 format Series 2 projection screen from Screen Research, Runco’s new LightStyle LS-3 HD projector, some choice speaker offerings from Triad and the ever-popular D-Box motion FX system fitted into a pair of plush cinema seats.
On the speaker front, KEF was unveiling its latest ‘Ci’ in-ceiling line-up ahead its September launch – on display were the Ci200R 8-inch woofer and the Cil160CRds two-channel woofer, plus its revamped Q Series trio, all of which sported KEF’s new look ultra-thin magnetic bezels. Current Audio were also showing off some clever ergonomics of their own with a demonstration of the ‘FastLoc’ fitting system included in its FIT range of pivoting 2-way coaxial loudspeakers – the aluminium grilles can be easily detached and securely locked back into place in a similar way to camera lenses, making it easier than ever for installers to re-position the units’ adjustable woofers and pivoting tweeters when needed.
Artcoustic’s stand was meanwhile playing host to the launch of its elegant-looking and meaty-sounding Modular range, alongside a vivid illustration of what its revised Spitfire Cinema system is capable of with the assistance of a laptop DJ who seemed to spend most of the show dropping and spinning a series of what the kids might call ‘bangin’ tunes’.
looking ahead
With the 1080p/Blu-ray technical barrier now well and truly broken, there were some interesting developments on show in the media server category. Kaleidescape was proudly exhibiting the razor-sharp, high-def GUI of its Blu-ray-packing M500 player and drive-less M300 client player and making a persuasive case for the M500’s Blu-ray import function with the aid of several connected models. The disc had to stay in the drive of the primary player, but seeing the opening frames of Disney’s Up within 9-seconds of firing up the player from standby was still impressive to behold. The company’s forthcoming Blu-ray Disc Loader add-on can’t come soon enough.
Over at the Habitech stand I was shown the three-strong range of Blu-ray compatible servers manufactured by Fusion Research, dubbed Studio, Genesis/Genny and Cinema, which were distinguished by being the only Kaleidescape rival to rely on a metadata resource developed and maintained fully in-house. In contrast to the big K’s all-proprietary hardware, however, FR’s offerings can make use of standard NAS drives for storage – the same of which can be said of ReQuest’s offerings on display at Invision’s stand, which included an early showing of its ultra-compact MediaPlayer client device.
So, post-event, how did CHTE 2010’s numbers stack up? Well, the good news is that they were an improvement on last year, to the tune of 5195 visitors versus 5082, more than 170 CI brands represented at this year’s show compared to the 150 or so previously, and a greater proportion of first-time visitors than was seen 12-months ago. Those figures point to an event that has weathered some tough times of late, much like the custom install industry itself, but one which has taken stock, made some necessary changes and started turning things around.
Between the wealth of goods on display throughout the hall, the healthy crowds – particularly on the Wednesday – and those attendance figures, the overall picture seems to chime with the assertion made by Robert Hallam, CEDIA Chairman Region 1, that "the industry is back on track and looking forward to the future with greater optimism. This show remains the single biggest gathering for the industry in the UK and the best annual meeting-place for doing business.”
Indeed, the future of the CEDIA Home Technology Event would seem to be assured – CEDIA have already announced that next year’s show will be once again be taking place at the ICC London ExCeL between 20-23 June 2011. Hope to see you there.
Contact: +44 (0)1480 213 744
www.hometechnologyevent.co.uk
But what these initial observations fail to take account of is that this year’s event was very much shaped by Expo 2009 – the show that was organised during the onset of an almighty economic recession and against a backdrop of some considerable drama following the withdrawal of a certain major exhibitor (which we’ll come to later). This year’s event was all about focus, about bringing the right people together, getting them to do business with each other and welcoming valuable newcomers into the fold. A ‘Wired for Technology Conference’ developed alongside Professional Electrician magazine attracted over 80 electrical contractors keen to learn about CI business opportunities. This was one of several outreach initiatives at the event, the others managing to pull a hundred or so additional visitors from the architectural and interior design fields.
As ever, there was also around 100-hours of training laid on for delegates which for the first time took in courses dedicated to business and marketing alongside the usual technical sessions, seminars, workshops and round tables exploring the major issues currently affecting the industry.
Indeed, as Tuesday wore on, it soon became clear that there was more – a lot more – to see among the stands clustered inside the Capital Hall than first impressions might have suggested. There were enough screens, speakers, source components, cabling products, controllers, supporting furniture, automation and distribution systems to make taking in everything over a couple of days something of a tall order.
reaching out
To kick off our roundup of show highlights, we turn first to Crestron. After sitting out last year’s Expo, the home automation heavyweight was back in style with a sizeable stand and some headline-grabbing product launches. Among the goods on display were some new additions to its flexible and eco-friendly GreenLight residential lighting control system and the array of matrix switchers and input cards making up the powerful DigitalMedia distribution system.
The main order of business, however, was Crestron’s European unveiling of Prodigy - a comprehensive home automation solution geared towards the entry-level and mid-range markets. It was difficult not to be impressed as Prodigy Sales Manager, Mark Coombes, talked us through a sample home automation set-up based around a Prodigy controller that included two dimmers, facilities for controlling blinds in two areas and more besides that added up to a retail list price of £6380. Seeing how this attempt by a well-established, premium name to target a much broader group of installers and end users fares will be very interesting indeed.
On the other side of the hall, Expo veteran Sonos was once again showing off the constituent parts of its popular multi-room audio system, including the S5 ZonePlayer in black, and demonstrating its ease of use via the sleek Controller 200 dedicated remote and freely downloadable iPhone/iPod Touch app. Sonos are one of many companies that have embraced the ‘iDevice’ app phenomenon over the last couple of years, and this year of course, that story gained a whole new chapter in the form of the iPad.
A number of stands had one as part of their displays, but as it’s still early days yet for Apple’s ‘magical and revolutionary device’, most seemed to be running upscaled versions of existing apps. One notable exception was Naim Audio’s early preview of an iPad-specific controller app for its NaimNet IP-based multi-room control solution – though not yet ready for prime time, the prospect of homeowners being able to access the HVAC, AV and security features of their home via an intuitive, high-res plan view rather than the usual series of labelled ‘buttons’ seems an intriguing one. At this stage at least, it would appear that many within the CI industry are keen to embrace the iPad for its potential to engage their clients in a whole new way and possibly open up the home automation market to a wider audience.
thinking big
Another trend that was hard to avoid was the arrival of 3D displays – and nowhere more so than at the towering stand dedicated to AWE Europe. The veteran distributor was marking its 75th anniversary in grand fashion, with Panasonic’s almighty TH103VX200 103-inch 3D plasma screen serving as the centrepiece in a dedicated viewing area. When not being wowed by the £70,000 jumbo screen, visitors to stand D8/D10 were also able to get a good look at Panasonic’s comparatively modest 65-inch 3D plasma, peruse the Philips Pronto controller family in its entirety (which included an early look at the upcoming TSW9500 in-wall control panel) and get acquainted with the first fruits of AWE’s Kinetik Labs CI product range – the KLIR-SM1KIT surface-mount IR kit and the KLIR-IRE2 dual IR emitter.
Across the way, Pulse Marketing brought along a darkened room to show off an 80-inch, 16:9 format Series 2 projection screen from Screen Research, Runco’s new LightStyle LS-3 HD projector, some choice speaker offerings from Triad and the ever-popular D-Box motion FX system fitted into a pair of plush cinema seats.
On the speaker front, KEF was unveiling its latest ‘Ci’ in-ceiling line-up ahead its September launch – on display were the Ci200R 8-inch woofer and the Cil160CRds two-channel woofer, plus its revamped Q Series trio, all of which sported KEF’s new look ultra-thin magnetic bezels. Current Audio were also showing off some clever ergonomics of their own with a demonstration of the ‘FastLoc’ fitting system included in its FIT range of pivoting 2-way coaxial loudspeakers – the aluminium grilles can be easily detached and securely locked back into place in a similar way to camera lenses, making it easier than ever for installers to re-position the units’ adjustable woofers and pivoting tweeters when needed.
Artcoustic’s stand was meanwhile playing host to the launch of its elegant-looking and meaty-sounding Modular range, alongside a vivid illustration of what its revised Spitfire Cinema system is capable of with the assistance of a laptop DJ who seemed to spend most of the show dropping and spinning a series of what the kids might call ‘bangin’ tunes’.
looking ahead
With the 1080p/Blu-ray technical barrier now well and truly broken, there were some interesting developments on show in the media server category. Kaleidescape was proudly exhibiting the razor-sharp, high-def GUI of its Blu-ray-packing M500 player and drive-less M300 client player and making a persuasive case for the M500’s Blu-ray import function with the aid of several connected models. The disc had to stay in the drive of the primary player, but seeing the opening frames of Disney’s Up within 9-seconds of firing up the player from standby was still impressive to behold. The company’s forthcoming Blu-ray Disc Loader add-on can’t come soon enough.
Over at the Habitech stand I was shown the three-strong range of Blu-ray compatible servers manufactured by Fusion Research, dubbed Studio, Genesis/Genny and Cinema, which were distinguished by being the only Kaleidescape rival to rely on a metadata resource developed and maintained fully in-house. In contrast to the big K’s all-proprietary hardware, however, FR’s offerings can make use of standard NAS drives for storage – the same of which can be said of ReQuest’s offerings on display at Invision’s stand, which included an early showing of its ultra-compact MediaPlayer client device.
So, post-event, how did CHTE 2010’s numbers stack up? Well, the good news is that they were an improvement on last year, to the tune of 5195 visitors versus 5082, more than 170 CI brands represented at this year’s show compared to the 150 or so previously, and a greater proportion of first-time visitors than was seen 12-months ago. Those figures point to an event that has weathered some tough times of late, much like the custom install industry itself, but one which has taken stock, made some necessary changes and started turning things around.
Between the wealth of goods on display throughout the hall, the healthy crowds – particularly on the Wednesday – and those attendance figures, the overall picture seems to chime with the assertion made by Robert Hallam, CEDIA Chairman Region 1, that "the industry is back on track and looking forward to the future with greater optimism. This show remains the single biggest gathering for the industry in the UK and the best annual meeting-place for doing business.”
Indeed, the future of the CEDIA Home Technology Event would seem to be assured – CEDIA have already announced that next year’s show will be once again be taking place at the ICC London ExCeL between 20-23 June 2011. Hope to see you there.
Contact: +44 (0)1480 213 744
www.hometechnologyevent.co.uk
There are currently 0 comments - Have Your Say Today