By most accounts, CEDIA Expo 2009 was a disaster. Exhibitors were fewer and farther between and overall attendance was way down. Part of it had to do with the economy, which was in the worst part of its tailspin. The other had to do with its location:
Frankly, given my experience last year (I sided with those who gave
So what is CEDIA Expo 2010 like overall? Surprisingly, it’s not too bad. Now that we’re used to
The show itself is held in the same location, the
What’s perhaps most disappointing is the product selection -- there just isn’t all that much new stuff here, at least not that I could find so far. There are certainly no groundbreaking technologies being shown (3D television, the big thing last year, is old news now), and there’s very little that’s new on the electronics front. Most of the new products seem to be speakers, affordable ones, which ended up forming the bulk of the first day’s product coverage.
With the first day through, I’ll no longer be wondering what the show itself is going to be like. Instead, I’ll have a camera in one hand and pen and paper in another to report on whatever new products can be found. More speakers? Perhaps. But hopefully I can find some other great stuff that will have A/V enthusiasts excited. After all, even if the economy recovers fully, most consumers aren’t going to be willing to spend much money unless they can find something really interesting to buy. So, check back tomorrow when the second day’s coverage is online because if there’s something interesting to be seen at this year’s CEDIA Expo, you’ll find it online here first!