The 2018 edition of CEDIA Expo is now history. CEDIA is one of the two big annual trade-only shows covering AV gear. CES, held each January in Las Vegas, is the big Kahuna. Apart from every electronic gadget on the planet (and some not so electronic) the main event at CES is the launch of all the new Ultra HD TVs for the coming year (not to mention the 8K sets waiting for their close-ups). It’s a forest of video displays everywhere you look, and covering CES, with its attendance generally over 150,000, is a major challenge.
CEDIA, on the other hand, takes place in early September. It’s a moveable feast, spending a couple of years in one city before moving on to another. I’ve been to Denver, Dallas, San Diego, Atlanta, Indianapolis, and New Orleans for that event over the past 20 years. And while you’ll see some flat screen sets at CEDIA, they’re usually the current models. For video CEDIA is a projector show. It caters to custom installers, who nearly always feature a projector in their jobs. And since the attendance at CEDIA is a fraction of the CES glut it’s a far more laid-back event.
Video Everywhere The big projector news at CEDIA, at least on the relatively affordable side, nearly always involves Sony, JVC, and Epson. Sony launched true 4K projectors last year at near-popular (though hardly blue-light special) prices, but did a repeat this year with several new lamp-lit designs...
