I  just got back from the CES show in Las Vegas. I thought a quick overview might be valuable for our clients. As usual feel free to call for additional information, My phone is always on. 612 868 6129 

In television it was obvious that Sony,Sharp and Samsung were improving their market penetration with LCD, while Panasonic and Pioneer were adding performance  upgrades to their plasma lines.LCD manufacturers continue  to implement 120hz refresh rate to more and more models. 120hz helps compensate for LCDs intrinsic slow response time to motion. Doubling the refresh rate from 60hz improves clarity in fast moving sequences dramatically! .

Plasma's black levels have reached the point where they are now  comparable to the best of the  CRT "tube" products that represented "state of  the art" for so long. Plasma just may have a small  edge over LCD in overall picture quality?
Pioneer's "Kuro" product line really shined in this regard.
 
Panasonic showed plasma's  size potential with a 150" diagonal plasma with a  4000 by 2000 pixel count; twice the current maximum of 1920 by 1080.Really great picture quality!  I am not sure how this products gets shipped or delivered however? It is huge and heavy!!
Both technologies showed the potential of very thin products 1.5" or so.Models including this thinner profile are  are due out later this year.
Prices on  both technologies would seem to be stabilizing somewhat after drastic reductions in the last couple of years
One new technology come to fruition with the Sony 11" XEL-1 OLED display. Now available for $2500.Around 1/4" thick!! It promises to provide the best picture quality ever seen in the home marketplace.Obviously there will be larger models and lower prices in the next few years.
I feel this product will  dominate if  developed in a reasonably quick fashion.
One technology losing momentum is the rear projection category. Both Sony and JVC have dropped out of this heavily competitive area. Samsung and Mitsubishi continue to support DLP based rear projection products however . Excellent value if you are willing to give up some depth. 73" Mitsubishi are  priced around $3000 or less.I also suspect Texas Instruments, the developer of DLP will want to keep this product category alive.
Speaking of Mitsubishi, they are  trying to fire up  interest in a new rear projection design using lasers! Super long life and gorgeous color would be the draw. Low power consumption as well.Available sometime this year.
Sony,Samsung and others promoted "content"with their flat panels.Internet connections required.I am having trouble getting excited about this? CNBC had a huge booth on the main floor promoting "content" however. I may be missing something? Time will tell .
Directv is continuing to promote their MPEG 4 receivers. Several new satellites have been  launched in the last couple of years.Add  MPEG 4 "space saving" channel distribution and more  than 75  new HD channels are available in  their lineup. I can testify that new programming makes owning HDTVs much more enjoyable!
Dish Network is also adding satellites and new HD channels.  Although, they are in a bit of a catch up mode with Directv at this point however. There are also continuing rumors about Dish Network merger with Directv.
Cable companies like Comcast have a  tough time finding full time bandwidth to add  a large quantity of HD channels. They are compensating by offering bandwidth friendly "HD on Demand" services.There could be thousands of available shows in this fashion.
In my opinion, competition among program providers is good for the industry! I recall cable companies being somewhat lethargic about upgrading or adding channels before satellite companies were added to the mix around 1995.

It looks like the battle for  High  definition disc formats is over.Just before CES,Warner Brothers announced  they were dropping support for Toshiba's HDDVD format. This gives Bluray a much larger selection of films to choose from.
Bluray wins!
I am glad it's over. The elimination of the stalemate should  make the product category pick up pace in both sales and selection.
 On a large front projection screen Bluray looks better than most commercial theater  presentations.
I love it.
Bluray adds improved audio too. Many new surround sound electronics incorporate the potential to decode these new audio formats. Both Dolby and DTS have competing systems.
Put the picture and sound together and things are looking and sounding very realistic in the next generation of  home theaters

I really enjoy strolling through the many audio exhibits. There are a ton of really good loudspeaker lines.One technology stood out for me. Audyssey EQ is a product designed to compensate for poor acoustics normally found in many if not most  home theater environments. Extremely well engineered.Years of research and testing were involved in it's development.Audyssey Equalization circuits can  now be found  in several manufacturer's home theater equipment.   Some of the best audio I have ever experienced at a trade show included "Audyssey" equalization.
GPS mapping systems were everywhere. I predict this year to be a huge year for GPS Navigation based products.Everyone has a need for these intuitive high tech  gizmos.Never be lost again!!!
Well my 20th Winter CES was overall a winner! Looking forward to another great year in consumer electronics!
Thanks Dallas Dingle