CEDIA Expo has reached a point in its history where much of the industry is showcasing evolutionary products rather than anything truly revolutionary in design or technical capabilities. Someone at the show referred to it as an “iterative phase” for the custom integration industry… and that’s OK!
Overall, CEDIA Expo 2024 felt busy and exhibitors were energetic about their products. The exhibit floor was not huge as companies continue to consolidate or reserve smaller booth spaces. CEDIA’s overall footprint at the Colorado Convention Center looked about the same as last year, but even the bigger booths felt too crowded and compressed.
I never like to single out products or companies from a trade event in a “best of” list, because rather than make those companies feel great, it usually makes the companies that don’t get mentioned feel worse. That being said, this year I’d like to point out the exhibits and products that were most memorable to me from CEDIA Expo 2024. I have covered some of these individually prior to the show and will cover a lot more not mentioned here, as well, going forward. For now, here’s my list of what I remember most about CEDIA Expo 2024 in Denver.
Bravas Sponsorship Banners. You expect to see a worldwide brand like Sony advertising with big banners at the front of the convention center, but it was surprising to see the multi-location integration brand Bravas right alongside Sony in the big windows by the big blue bear statue (pictured, right). I spoke with Bravas’ new chairman and CEO Mark Goldman, who told me that it’s part of his company’s initiative to help lead and elevate the industry as “Home Experience Designers,” rather than custom integrators, as the company goes through its own restructuring of sorts. Five years since their rollup, the wholly owned 15-location company is finally fulfilling its mission to truly standardize its locations with a new VP of People, training pathways, and core mission to serve the luxury and ultra-luxury markets. It’s not a franchise play like some other new names in the channel, but one big multi-location brand set on serving high-end smart homes early in the design/build process alongside architects and builders rather than as an after-thought subcontractor.
Theory and PRO Demo. CEO Paul Hales (pictured right) is a bit of a master at the art of the audio demo. With his spotlights aimed at which speakers are playing, focus on music only demos (no noisy gunshot movie clips), and dry humor, Hales makes you feel comfortable and keeps his demos to a strict 30 minutes. If you were at InfoComm, his presentation at CEDIA was a repeat of what you already saw, but I wasn’t in Vegas in June so it felt refreshing and fun. This year’s message all about how the company does a lot with a smaller number of SKUs, and the big reveal was the company’s new outdoor family of full-range landscape bollards and 12-inch landscape subwoofer, which Paul played from behind a curtain before showing us what it was. The speakers sounded great.
Epson Goes Upmarket. Epson has mostly played in the closer-to-mainstream priced front and rear projection markets, offering products that folks like me can actually afford. Industry veteran and all-around-good guy Charlie Boornazian, a long-time sales manager for Epson America, says that the new upmarket Q Series is exactly what his dealers have been clamoring for and now he can retire next month feeling good that he helped make it a reality. In their CEDIA Expo demo room, Epson’s $30,000 QL7000 all-new compact, high-lumen Q-Series projection technology was paired with the Stewart Filmscreen 180-inch Luxus retractable Phantom HALR Plus screen providing whisper-quiet performance in a high-ambient brightness room, while the new compact and efficient, high-lumen Epson QB1000 projector created an impressive and immersive cinematic environment at $15,000 plus $2,500 lens.
Future Automation’s Universal Backbox. This isn’t exactly the sexiest of smart home categories, but I could resist the enthusiasm from Future Automation’s Ollie French when he showed me what he’d been working on. Now, in addition to the whiz-bang automated TV lifts and smooth-as-silk flat-panel TV scissor mounts that have been his company’s bread and butter for years, his team has developed a universal backbox (pictured here) for storing streaming boxes, amplifiers, and cable connections behind TVs, lighting panels, and more. His pride at this efficiently designed solution is worth an extra look if you’re searching for an easier way to install a Samsung Frame TV or hide a lot of lighting control gear.
Skyworth’s ‘Artwork TVs.’ There’s something just kinda terrible about having to look at the “black mirror” of a powered-down TV in the middle of an otherwise elegantly appointed home. Now, there’s a less pricey alternative to the Samsung Frame TV from Skyworth, called the Canvas Art TV QLED TV, that also moves the connections and brains from an off-board device to inside the TV. Thanks to its special “Art Mode”, Canvas lets users display a virtual world-class museum’s worth of their chosen visual art favorites. The set comes pre-loaded with over 100 pieces of some of the world’s most cherished classical and Renaissance paintings to get started. Users can also upload other pieces or original work via Google. It’s always good to have more options and competition in such a popular and much-needed category.
Control4 X4 Home Screen. The big story from Snap One going into CEDIA was how their integration with new parent company ADI would appear on the show floor. The answer was that it wasn’t all that different, short of a few branding initiatives and messaging from product managers. Next year the two brands will be in one big booth instead of two, so expect even more harmony then. Product-wise, of the many things I saw at Snap One, the most noteworthy was the first major change to the Control4 home screen. Now, before handing off the system, a system’s integrator can leverage Routines to quickly set up basic automations for their customers. This saves time and delivers a great out-of-the-box experience. Once the customer starts using the system, they can easily tweak the specific parameters of the Routines to fit their evolving needs directly from the app. Users can also set favorites and shortcuts to provide quick access to frequently used controls and scenes, making daily interactions seamless. With these tools, end users can better manage their systems and set preferences.
JBL’s Gen Z Friendly Design. JBL Synthesis is the pinnacle of dedicated home theater audio, and Harman’s Bluetooth speakers are a lot of fun for the casual music fan. In between those two extremes are the JBL Modern Audio AV Receivers and Stage 2 Loudspeakers, which are meant to cater to the next generation of music and movie enthusiasts. These products, featuring white, glass front designs, are engineered for simplicity, scalability, and seamless integration, making them an ideal solution for consumers who desire an exceptional home theater experience without the complexity traditionally associated with high-end audio systems. The CI-focused features of the MA7100HP and MA9100HP included 8K HDMI, wireless streaming audio, two-way Bluetooth, EZ Set EQ, DIRAC Live Ready, Roon Ready, Works With Smart Things certification, and more.
GE Proseo branding for Savant. Savant is leaning into its GE branding by completely removing the Savant name from the lighting category. Together with the Savant app, the newly branded GE Proseo family of keypads and dimmers promise to deliver exceptional light quality and extraordinary flexibility to create the perfect vibe in any space. Proseo lighting solutions will run on Savant’s Sage Wi-Fi, Sage Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) and now Sage Low Frequency (LF) networks, and Sage LF can be deployed before Wi-Fi for standalone system operation or as part of a Savant whole home solution and features sub 1GHz communications, connectivity at distances that exceed 1km and the best possible reliability and signal penetration. Professionals can also integrate GE-branded Cync lighting and smart home products into the Savant ecosystem via the Sage communication network.
SANUS Mounts for Larger TVs. As usual, the Legrand booth offered a cornucopia of brands and solutions, but the product that stuck out for me was from another somewhat overlooked category. SANUS showcased its brand-new Advanced Full-Motion 4D + SHIFT TV mount, the VLF828-B2. Designed for 42-inch to 90-inch TVs, this mount introduces technology that provides a total of up to 8 inches of post-installation vertical height adjustment. This shift feature allows you to raise or lower the TV during installation for precision placement or at any later time when making system or environment changes such as adding a soundbar or making updates to decor. This feature can be especially beneficial, and a significant time saver for installers when facing pre-existing wall challenges such as outlet placement, allowing the installer to raise or lower the wall plate to avoid the obstruction, and then raise or lower the TV in response to achieve preferred positioning on the wall.
Sonance Demo Room. In the middle of the Sonance booth was an experiential demo room akin to what you may have seen from Lutron this year and last. However, instead of Lutron’s voiceover narrative, Sonance had attendees stand in a darkened room where a 7-minute video hosted by the company’s show room director walked you through their philosophy encompassing Design, Temperature, Lighting, Music. Within the Music section, the video host demonstrated the layers of sound that Sonance speakers can provide, fully immersing the the real-life audience in music, from small aperture in-ceiling speakers to invisible in-wall speakers and various different wall heights and in-wall subwoofers. It was cool to see concepts animated on-screen first but then reflected in actual practice within the booth’s demo room. For me, the best booths are the ones that, just like the best dealer showrooms, provide a magical experience rather than playing “at you” like a bunch of Ken’s in a Barbie movie.
Coastal Source Does Disney. In the outdoor experience space across the street from the Colorado Convention Center, Coastal Source created an outdoor lighting experience inside a darkened and air-conditioned tent. In the space, which was packed with potted garden plants and trees, a “voice-of-god” narrator guided visitors through the various layers of light that could go into a fully realized landscape lighting installation. Each layer was shown separately until all of the layers were turned on together in a final piece de resistance. It reminded me of Disney’s Epcot Living with the Land exhibit and was very effective in illustrating how one could make a property look even more impressive at night than it looks during the day.
RTI’s New Touchpanels. Don’t sleep on RTI, a company that just keeps making solid and elegant solutions for controlling smart homes and light commercial spaces. They have begun shipping the IST-10 and IST-5, which are 10” and 5” touchpanels, respectively, with the narrowest bezel on the market and an exceptionally low profile to the wall. Each features a fully customizable capacitive-touch screen with 1920×1200 (IST-10) or 854×480 (IST-5) resolution and true-black display filter for exceptional clarity. The thin bezel, low profile, and sharp display deliver both exceptional performance and elevated aesthetics. Both the IST-10 and IST-5 feature dual speakers and far-field microphone array and enable full duplex intercom and exceptional video streaming in h.264 or h.265 format. For privacy, each includes a mute button for the microphone, while the hi-res camera on the IST-10 ensures privacy with a physical shutter that can quickly cover the camera lens
Quantum is the Video Wall Leader. When it comes to video walls, there’s Quantum Media Systems and then there’s everybody else. Admittedly at the ultra-luxury end of the market, Quantum’s light-controlled demonstrations in Room 207 were better than any commercial cinema screen you will see today. The company’s founder Ken Hoffman showcased several new features and capabilities of his company’s enhanced XDR Pro Cinema Video Wall. To create an immersive home theater experience, a 20-foot-wide Cinemascope-format XDR Pro Cinema Video Wall was complemented by a full range of third-party products, including a high-end surround-sound system, acoustical treatments, media servers, power management system, and control system. I saw the first trailer for Gladiator 2, and I actually felt bad that I wouldn’t be able to watch the entire movie on an XDR Pro Cinema Video Wall when it comes out but that I would have to settle for my local multiplex instead.
Hunter Douglas Solar Charging. At the last two CEDIAs, Hunter Douglas showcased a concept called Aura, which added LED backlighting to the company’s motorized shades when they were closed. The idea was to create a feeling of daylight on an otherwise gloomy day or to brighten up a room at night during a party, perhaps. Aura is no longer an experimental display separate from the main booth, having moved to the heart of Hunter Douglas’ exhibit. The bigger news this year, however, was the addition of solar charging for Hunter Douglas rechargeable battery shades. According to the company, the Solar Charger works exceptionally well even in low-light, north-facing windows — meaning most rechargeable PowerView shades connected to a Solar Charger will not require manual recharging. This product offers significant convenience for users, especially those with multiple rechargeable shades, installations in second homes, or hard-to-reach windows.
Flex Frame from Leon. Leon’s solutions for elegantly trimming flat panel TVs and soundbars were all over the place at CEDIA. And now with Edge Flex Frame the company is making its design-centric solutions more affordable and easier to install. The Edge Flex Frame is engineered to fit any ultra-thin TV less than 2” deep. It is available in four curated designer finishes: Oak, Walnut, Matte Black, and Grain White. Featuring a “shadow-box” style reveal, Flex Frame’s thermo-laminated HDF molding and tight-to-wall installation combine aesthetics and durability to complement any decor. The Edge Flex Frame’s innovative bracket system ensures easy on-site assembly in as few as 30 minutes — with minimal tools required. All of this for half the price of its predecessor models.
Russound’s ‘Tapered-Ends’ Soundbar. I’ve been impressed with Russound’s progress over the past year, creating a consistent industrial design that harkens back to the company’s time working with the legendary Allen Boothroyd, who died in 2020. While the performance of its D-Series multichannel amplifiers is even more important than the way they look, another design feature stood out the most to me at the company’s CEDIA booth. Less flashy, but also demonstrating the company’s renewed attention to detail, was the CinemaBar 3.0 soundbar that features tapered ends, so it won’t hit the wall when attached to a pivoting TV mount. The passive soundbar is the perfect on-wall soundbar solution to pair with the Russound AVA-Series of mini-AVRs to improve the sound of any audio content, whether it be music, TV shows, or even the most dramatic cinematic moments of your favorite movies.
Just Add Power Video Tiling. Just Add Power’s Taft Stricklin was fueled up with multiple lattes the morning I met with him, so his mood was extra chipper when running one of my favorite technical demos at CEDIA. Taft always references his lack of interest in “sports ball” but acknowledges that most video tiling is done to create a sports bar effect at which JAP excels. The Just Add Power MC-QX MaxColor 4K60 Tiling and Warping Transmitter combines the company’s MaxColor technology, 4K network video tiler, and Warp Engine technology. It allows 4K60 source devices to be displayed on a single screen instantly, along with source rotation capabilities. Users can simultaneously watch up to four 4K60 video sources in multiple formats, including single-screen, video wall, or tiled video. With the MC-QX warping capability, installers can rotate any source image in a Just Add Power matrix — cable boxes, media players, game systems, cameras, and more — in 0.1-degree increments in real time with incredibly low latency. The rotated image can then be sent to an unlimited number of receivers in the network, allowing for the creation of massive artistic video walls using a single MC-QX. It was really great and seemingly super simple for the end user to control.
LG World of OLED. For a major video company, I really appreciated LG’s simple message, which was focuses on its dominance in the OLED video display category. But, the real winner for me was an 8K TV that has been available for three years. Somewhat hidden along the inner hallway of the booth, the display wasn’t meant to grab anyone’s attention, but it remained there as a reminder of what’s to come for the technology once content is available to support it. The helicopter video clip from above Times Square at night blew me away for its sheer level of detail of the people and objects at ground level. The nature footage in a wooded area felt almost 3D to me without the headache and glasses that come along with that technology. It was 3D, but the depth of focus was outstanding, and I had to come back for a second look just make sure I wasn’t imagining what I saw early. We’re still a long way from 8K being a story, but it’s going to be great once it is.
Nice’s Voice Genie. Nice has moved on from the transition of legacy brands (ELAN, SpeakeCraft, and Panamax) into one unified family of Nice North America products, to actually making great strides to “reskin” a control interface, the launch new touchpanels, 14 new in-wall speakers, and new video doorbell, and more, all with Italian design aesthetics. The company is literally looking more comfortable its own skin, no longer having to convince its dealers that everything is going to be OK from the new parent company. They even have their own voice assistant, who answers to “Voice Genie,” delivering native, natural language on the platform that customers have relied on for more than 20 years.
Kordz 100% Recycled Packaging. For a lot of companies, earth-friendly “green” initiatives are mostly marketing hype, but for Kordz CEO James Chen there’s been a lot of thought and effort put into how to supply his company’s connectors and cables in environmental-friendly shipping containers and packaging. One of the most tedious exercises that systems technicians encounter in network cabling is the removal and installation of dozens, if not hundreds, of individual patch cords from single-use packaging. Further impacting job profitability is the time and cost to freight, store, carry and dispose of traditionally bulky patch cord packaging. Kordz has solved all these problems and more with the patent pending BeltPak. This packaging solution comprises a compact 10-pack “belt” of Kordz’ best-selling patch cords in perforated, tear-off packs made from 100% recyclable paper. The format makes it quick and easy for systems technicians to count and carry the exact amount needed and sling them over the shoulder leaving hands free for other tasks, while the paper packaging is easily torn open and cleaned up for quick, enviro-friendly disposal. Available in black and blue this packaging is also 15% cheaper than previous packs.
Crestron Home Gets Smarter. Announced prior to the show for Crestron was OS4, which includes more than 20 new features and integrations. It was one thing to post a news item in August about these changes, but it really sunk in at the company’s booth going through each one. The biggest one for dealers will probably be the much-requested new smart home conditional sequences in Crestron Home OS 4 that add the ability to create “if-then, when” statements to the automation process to further personalize scenarios and create dynamic experiences that match the lifestyle of those in the home. The addition of conditional logic gives dealers the ability to create complex and nuanced automation scenarios with a defined set of conditions that must be met before an action is triggered. For example, a sunset sequence could be created so that when the sun is going down, and the light sensor in the living room falls below 30%, the living room’s lights rise to 80% to create a warm and inviting atmosphere that transitions seamlessly from day to evening.
