See you at CES

The International CES is the world’s largest annual tradeshow for consumer technology and America’s largest annual tradeshow of any kind. It takes place during January in Las Vegas.

Produced by CEA, the 2008 International CES is the world’s largest tradeshow for consumer technology and returns to Las Vegas, Nevada, January 7-10, 2008. With more than four decades of success, the International CES reaches across global markets, connects the industry and enables CE innovations to grow and thrive.

The International CES is produced by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), the pre-eminent trade association promoting growth in the consumer technology industry. CEA represents more than 2,100 corporate members involved in the design, development, manufacturing, distribution and integration of consumer electronics products. All profits from CES are reinvested into industry services, including technical training and education, industry promotion, engineering standards development, market research and legislative advocacy.

This year’s show will feature the hottest product debuts from 2,700 exhibitors, covering more than 30 product areas, including the latest in content, wireless, digital imaging, mobile electronics, home theatre and audio. The 2008 show’s extensive lineup of more than 175 conference sessions is designed to help educate attendees on the latest consumer electronics industry trends.

Digital entertainment takes centre stage

The latest developments in the content and digital entertainment industries will take centre stage at the 2008 edition, with the largest exhibition of digital entertainment in show history on display, reinforcing CES as the global intersection for the content and technology markets.

New for the 2008 International CES, Sony Pictures Television will showcase its entertainment content together with its parent company’s electronics. This marks the first time Sony Pictures Television has exhibited its wide variety of content for all platforms on the show floor at the International CES.

The 2008 CES also will feature Content@CES, a new attraction on the exhibition floor highlighting the latest developments in the content community and the market’s impact on technology. Complete with meeting rooms and a lounge, CES attendees will witness the companies that create, deliver and distribute content in one central location among key exhibitors including EchoStar, Intel, Microsoft, Motorola, Panasonic, Philips, Samsung, Sony, Toshiba and TV Guide.

Also new for 2008, the John Lennon Educational Tour Bus will make a stop at the International CES. A mobile recording studio outfitted with traditional musical instruments as well as the latest technological advances, the Tour Bus will feature an interactive display where attendees can play music, write songs, engineer recording sessions and produce video using the latest audio, video and live sound equipment.

Additionally, 2008 CES will feature 20 market-specific TechZones on the show floor, focused on emerging developments and ground-breaking achievements, including the latest in content development. Key TechZones for content and entertainment professionals include the Discover Wireless Mobility TechZone, located in the LVCC South Hall 3, which will highlight state-of-the-art mobile devices and the latest in wireless applications, and the Mobile Internet & WiMAX TechZone, located in the Sands/Venetian, which will feature the entire mobile internet ecosystem.

To supplement the 2008

International CES conference program, CES partner programmes feature additional expertise and technical knowledge from some of the CE industry’s most credible names. Partner programmes consist of informative sessions on new and emerging technologies as well as hands-on training courses in digital media, mobile entertainment and gaming.

Top tech giants

Top executives from Microsoft, Panasonic and Intel will deliver keynote addresses at the 2008 International CES.
Bill Gates, Chairman, Microsoft Corp, will deliver a pre-show keynote address. Toshihiro Sakamoto, president, Panasonic AVC Networks Company, will kick off the 2008 International CES with an opening keynote, immediately following a State of the Industry Address by Gary Shapiro, president and CEO of CEA. Paul Otellini, CEO, Intel Corp will round out day one with a keynote address.

Content connect

New content developments from major players in the entertainment industry will connect with the latest distribution platforms at the 2008 International CES.

As CES’ first-ever “Official Broadcast Partner,” selected NBC Universal broadcast and cable entities will be broadcasting live from the CES exhibition floor, covering the many exciting product debuts and special events. In addition, NBC Universal, one of the world’s leading media and entertainment companies, will debut an interactive and multi-faceted show floor exhibition at CES, highlighting the wide range of digital programming produced by its television, cable and motion picture properties.

The Technology & Engineering Emmy Awards will take place for the second year, honouring achievements in two areas: Science & Technology for Television, which includes broadcast, cable and satellite distribution; and Advanced Media Technology, which includes interactive television, gaming technology, the internet, cell phones, private networks and personal media players.

Conference sessions with a focus on content and entertainment include:

Hollywood and the digital consumer:

How technology, content and services establish the next level of consumer entertainment experience – part of the Digital Hollywood Partner Programme, attendees will learn about the entertainment industry’s next “golden age” of production, and gain insight into how the industry is anticipating and responding to consumer needs in an on-demand, fully integrated world of television, film and gaming.

All video all the time:

Broadband, IPTV, DVD and mobile – In this Digital Hollywood session, attendees will hear predictions from industry experts on the future of IP delivery and its impact on the film industry.
Movies, TV and video for mobile: Original entertainment and information programming jump-starts the revolution – as consumers worldwide begin tuning into a mobile video universe, attendees will learn about the challenges facing the transformation of the communications world.

Audio strikes a chord

The latest technologies and products in audio will sound off, including home theatre audio systems, digital music, satellite radio tuners and audio networking solutions, and the latest in the high-performance audio category.
Some of the major high-performance audio companies exhibiting include Paradigm, Sumiko and Thiel Audio, Bose, Denon, JVC, Kenwood, Panasonic, Pioneer, Sony, and Yamaha.

Gaming technologies

The 2008 show will feature gaming hardware and software, in one central location, including advancements in online and PC gaming in conjunction with the entire range of consumer electronics products at its Gaming Showcase. The latest in gaming technology will be prominently featured, as the exhibit space for gaming expands by more than 65 per cent this year over 2007. Total revenues from the game category are forecasted to reach $18.3 billion in 2008, up from $15.4 billion in 2007.

CES’ major gaming exhibitors include: Commodore Gaming, Entropia Universe, Red Lion Interactive, Shuttle Computers and War Machine, all exhibiting at CES for the first time this year, along with CES veterans LumiSource, Red Beard and InterAction Laboratories. Microsoft and Sony will also feature the latest developments in the gaming world.

Industry insider sessions

The Consumer Electronics Association has announced several new programme additions to the Industry Insider Series at the 2008 International CES. The new Industry Insider sessions include the popular International Retail Power Panel, featuring the CEOs of both Best Buy and Circuit City, as well as two new programmes, “Technology Impact: Five Things Technologists Don’t Get About Hollywood,” and “Technology and Emerging Countries: Advancing Development Through Technology Investments.”

The first panel session, “Technology impact: five things technologists don’t get about Hollywood,” will discuss the collaborative relationship between consumer technology and the content and entertainment industries.

CEA’s Shapiro will moderate the International Retail Power Panel. Featuring Brad Anderson, vice chairman and CEO of Best Buy, and Phil Schoonover, chairman, president and CEO of Circuit City, the session will bring together the biggest names in the retail industry to discuss the latest selling technologies and the future of the consumer technology retail business.

“Technology and emerging countries: advancing development through technology investments,” will delve into the role consumer technology plays in long-term development and the future growth and sustainability of emerging markets. The programme will conclude with a keynote address by Nicholas Negroponte, founder of the One Laptop Per Child project and the MIT Media Lab.