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What Are You Most Excited About From CEDIA 2014?

  • Immersive home-theater audio (Atmos, Auro)

    Votes: 71 49.0%
  • Laser & LED projectors

    Votes: 75 51.7%
  • Sony FMP-X10 4K server unlocked

    Votes: 14 9.7%
  • Whole-home wireless audio

    Votes: 6 4.1%
  • Ambient light-rejecting screens

    Votes: 10 6.9%
  • Other

    Votes: 14 9.7%

What Are You Most Excited About From CEDIA 2014?

4K views 36 replies 13 participants last post by  theoone 
#1 ·


This year's custom-install confab was full of exciting news. What got your AV motor running the most?

CEDIA Expo 2014 has come and gone, but the melody lingers on. I thought this year's show was exceptional, with no less than a dozen demos of Dolby Atmos, multiple projectors with laser or LED illumination, tons of whole-house wireless-audio systems, a bunch of ambient light-rejecting screens, and Sony's announcement that the FMP-X10 4K video server can now be used with displays other than those from Sony.

Whether you were there in person or following the news from the comfort of your computer, what did you find most exciting from the show? For this poll, I've listed what I consider to be some of the most important trends, and each one represents multiple products (except the Sony FMP-X10 item, which, all by itself, represents a big leap forward in 4K content delivery to most makes of UHDTVs). If there was a particular product or another trend you found especially exciting, I'd love to read about it in the comments.

Note: This is a multiple-choice poll, so feel free to select more than one item. As I said, this year's CEDIA was very exciting!

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#2 ·
Looking forward to Atmos, but disappointed by the dearth of Atmos Blu-ray announcements. Really, how many times can you watch Transformers 4? Hopefully we'll hear more as Christmas approaches.
 
#5 ·
I note somewhat bemused your statement that the Cedia Expo 2014 was full of exciting news. As a long time member of the AV industry and a frequent attendee of Cedia expos, which with respect to this year's I did not attend because of personal reasons, I found based on the reports of Cedia attendees and press coverage of the show and new products introduced and demoed at the show, very very little that I would call exciting and absolutely nothing that I would pry my wallet open for. I think this year's show was frankly very much less exciting than previous years'. Attendees and press members that I have communicated with after the show stated that I didn't miss much and that the level of excitement was not very high.

Of course your existing poll can be answered with a poll respondent's most exciting based on a respondent's baseline of practically no excitement.

Before the show I made an analogy to attending this year being like watching one great ice skating pair in a mundane competition. Atmos and Epson. I would eliminate uber expensive stuff, say at $50K and above of which there was quite a bit. Frankly, I am not excited at the first introduction of a relatively affordable phosphor/hybrid projector. I will be much more excited as this technology's implementation in projectors matures and competition among manufacturers using it grows. I just can not be excited by adding sound from above regardless of whether it is reflected or direct.

I fully believe you were excited.

I and others would be interested in a poll of AV Science Forum members as to how excited they were or are and compared to past years'. Perhaps I am just in the minority. But I think results would run the gauntlet.

So how about a well structured poll with two questions:

How excited are you? Extremely, Fairly, Somewhat, A little bit, or not really.

How would you rate your excitement to previous years? A lot more, More, About the same, somewhat less than before, a lot less than before, excitement, what excitement?

I personally think CES will be exciting and so will next year's Cedia Expo. A lot more projectors using non bulb technologies will be introduced and we should have the final 4K Bluray specs and some hardware and software. We should see a lot more new panels (OLED 2K and 4K), and 4K projectors. Also a lot more Atmos speakers.

Most respectfully submitted for your consideration.
 
#7 · (Edited)
I, too, am a long-time member of the AV industry (20+ years), and I've been to many CEDIA and CES shows. I was genuinely excited by the show this year, more than last year and obviously much more than you and anyone who thought it was a yawn. I'm stoked about the emergence of immersive sound for the home and laser/LED projectors. One of the most exciting things about the show for me was the opportunity to hear many different Atmos setups. Atmos for the home was made public only last June, and by September, many people had the chance to hear it in different rooms and configurations. I think that's pretty exciting.

I agree that much of the best stuff was out of reach for the vast majority of consumers, but at a show like this, I'm more interested in experiencing and learning about the state of the art regardless of price—and in my view, the state of the art took some significant steps at CEDIA this year. If you and others have come to a different conclusion about the show, more power to you.

Your poll ideas are good, but I don't know of a way to include two questions in one poll, so I'll have to run them separately, which is fine with me. Thanks!
 
#6 ·
Can I afford most of this, no. But then I can't afford a Porsche either.:D Am I glad to see this tech evolve, YES :). Announcements from Cedia may be more evolutionary than revolutionary this year, but evolution leads to products you can actually own. That is exciting. Cedia blew the doors off of CES.
On the poll I choose all the selections, all good stuff :)
 
#9 ·
I was most excited by Auro3D...the three layered approach is superb. Atmos was great too, but Auro really showed me what immersive sound was capable of with a spherical soundstage. Laser projection is also very exciting. I saw lots of potential in the Epson presentation. It was a very exciting CEDIA for me, and 'twas my first one, to boot.
 
#10 · (Edited)
I would be excited for Atmos but for two things...

1) We already knew it was coming, so it wasn't some grand revelation.
2) My current AVR is only about a year old, so I am loathe to replace it now, especially given that any Atmos capable AVR purchased now will likely need to be replaced again in 2015/2016 to fully support the new 4K/UHD blu-ray format.

So, I will probably wait a couple years before jumping onto the Atmos bandwagon. I am already looking at speaker options to make it happen when I am ready.

With the exception of the Epson models (which aren't true 4K), the projectors covered on the forums are well out of my price range, but I am still excited to see progress being made in terms of quality, capability, and affordability of the LED/Laser tech used.

The Sony FMP-X10 4K server being unlocked is probably the thing that will have the most direct impact on my purchasing decisions in the next year or two. This opens the door to buying a 4K/UHD OLED (e.g. the 65 or 77" LG) while still having access to the widest selection of native 4K/UHD content currently available. It should also mean that the video from the server can now be routed thru an AVR, which means no need to run two HDMI cables to the TV/projector anymore (one from the server and another from the AVR to pass the rest of your source devices).

Scott and Mark haven't posted much about the whole home wireless audio systems shown at Cedia, so I'm not sure if I should be excited or not. I am aware of the products coming from Denon, Definitive Technology, Bluesound, and Sharp's pricey WiSA media player. But, I haven't heard anything new about them from Cedia. Were any of these at Cedia and, if so, what are the impressions of those who attended? Can any of them really compete with Sonos in terms of number of services/sources supported and quality of the control app? Were there other products that I may not be aware of?
 
#14 ·
I would be excited for Atmos but for two things...


2) My current AVR is only about a year old, so I am loathe to replace it now, especially given that any Atmos capable AVR purchased now will likely need to be replaced again in 2015/2016 to fully support the new 4K/UHD blu-ray format.

So, I will probably wait a couple years before jumping onto the Atmos bandwagon. I am already looking at speaker options to make it happen when I am ready.
I hear ya. In my case I'm replacing an ancient (2004) 5.1 receiver, AND doing some renovations in my living room, so I'm lucky on the timing front. My original plan was to build a bulkhead for my screen, and incorporate 2 PLIIz heights, now they'll be front Atmos, add another two ceiling speakers in the back of the room, and Bob's my uncle!
 
#11 · (Edited)
I remember years ago being excited about a new projector mount. Probably got zero coverage in the press. The show is relatively large, number of exhibitor wise. Many products just sit on shelves or display tables. One is attracted to active demos. You have to know that xyz has made a break through in HDMI extenders and care about it to talk to xyz about it. There are show rags which give some free descriptive coverage of what each manufacturer tells them when they call seeking ads. Often they hire relatively attractive young women to hand them out as you walk into the expo center.

Then there is only so much time when you could peruse these documents. One goes to the show, comes home, and then later reads about something he/she missed or a lot that was missed. Some of the stuff, say a refrigerated cup holder built into a HT chair, might really excite you but you would have to go to all the chair manufacturers or at least hit by chance the one doing them.

Someone, me once, was very excited with a pop in IR controlled light switch/dimmer. Cheap. Really exciting.

If you attend a show, often there is no buzz and little trade traffic. You talk to other attendees who you know (and I am talking about talking to trade members and press, not consumers and hobbyist who obviously get talked with and much time spent socializing etc by me). The answer is not much. I thought X was interesting and you should see that new nuclear powered subwoofer that is making so much noise.

Not everything that might excite you will be reported.

I would bet the Scott and Mark got little sleep during their stay in Denver on show nights.
 
#19 · (Edited)
Of the 99 voters at this time, there are only 129 votes casts, that is only about 20% (given those that voted for more than 2), that selected multiple categories of things that excited them. It will be interesting to see how this might be reflected in the coming two excitement polls.

The number of voters is very small and is undoubtedly biased by the severe AVS posting addiction and interest in HT that the voters likely have. As a measure of excitement, a small sampling would not be very valid of the general population of those that attended Cedia or that seriously follow reports on the show.

Of those who voted that the LED and phosphor/laser hybrid projectors excited them the most, I wonder how many of those voters plan on purchasing such in the next year.
 
#23 ·
Of those who voted that the LED and phosphor/laser hybrid projectors excited them the most, I wonder how many of those voters plan on purchasing such.
For me it is extremely important to have a front projector where you don't need bulb's replacement.
...And I keep track of Laser's technology. ...Like others keep track of OLED's technology. ...Like me.
 
#25 ·
I'm hoping for movies with subtle Atmos soundtrack as opposed to
constantly-in-your-face action movies to be in Atmos.

Brave, Gravity, will be more of an Atmos showcase instead of Transformers.
You mean "constantly-over-your-head" action movies to be in Atmos, David. :)

* I agree; 'Brave' and 'Gravity', in 3D, and in Dolby Atmos, should more appropriately fit the "Atmos ticket".
 
#30 · (Edited)
Well its time to discuss the results of this very valuable poll. After all it has generated 30 posts of which 5 were by Scott and 8 by me and 126 people were excited enough to vote with about 25% or so casting votes in more than one category. I didn't vote because nothing excited me. Believe it or not, projectors edged out Atmos and the like. Though I bet only about 20 percent of the projector voters will buy an alternative to bulb projector over the coming 12 months while a much higher percentage of the Atmos and the like voters will install some additional speakers and add a new receiver etc to do their Atmos calling or the next year. AV Science forum has a huge number of members and a huge number who read and many who post. I think the number of votes cast is indicative of the rather unexcited state of the market even in a large community of people interested enough in AV to join the forum and participate.

Scott. I am trying to do my best to generate some more hits and posts in this thread. I have given up trying to be subtle for reasons I can't discuss here without violating forum rules. Besides, I just am a miserable failure at trying to be subtle.
 
#32 ·
Dolby Atmos* for me. We're clearly feeling our way there - there's not yet an affordable AVR/pre-pro with competent room correction - but the upfiring speakers are an interesting idea that I hope to hear for myself soon.

The projector/4k stuff is neat for someone who cares a lot about TV.

As for whole house wireless audio...I've been using Apple AirTunes/AirPlay for whole home wireless audio since roughly 2005. I don't see how any of the new stuff moves the ball over what Apple's been doing since the ur-Airport Express..


*Actually, the Dolby Surround upmixer. I doubt I'll buy any program material in Atmos. But if Dolby Surround advances the ball compared to Pro Logic II, I expect I'll regularly use it for music.
 
#34 ·
You illustrate my point, you will wait at least three years more until you buy a new projector because there are no 4K laser/hybrid projectors at this point anywhere near your price point and such are at least 2 years away with a 2nd generation one being at least 3 years away.

Honey, I am really excited!

Not tonight.

No. No tonight. Three years from now.

Three years from now?

Yea. That's when I will be buying us a new projector. Aren't you excited?

Maybe later. Not tonight.
 
#36 ·
Mark - I spent over $35k on computer hardware/software 1984-1997, sure I was single and my choice but I've learned to temper being early/1st adopter with a mature viewpoint of establishing some price points and expectations and seeing when the market meets that.

Heck - AVS has (had, I see they are gone) b-stock Sony HW30 that would kick my VW60's butt and all, $1.7k, but then I'd be buying "old tech" and still desire to upgrade to 4k...

That said, finally there is light at the end of the PJ tunnel, 4k and laser light engine tech coming to consumers "affordable".

Time flies, 2016 will be here, and CEDIA 2016 will seem like the late 2000's just before the great recession....
 
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