Exhibitors enter the grand hall of the Consumer Electronics Show at the Las Vegas Convention Center, Jan. 5, 2005. Competition for the emerging digital lifestyle was intense at the Jan. 6- 9 convention, where 2,400 exhibitors vied for attention as they showcased the year's hot products and technologies.
Audio players from different manufacturers are displayed at the Consumer Electronics Show at the Las Vegas Convention Center, Jan. 6, 2005. It was impossible to walk more than a few feet in the exhibition space without stumbling over a digital audio equipment display.
Workers at the Samsung booth of the Consumer Electronics Show adjust a 102-inch screen prototype of the world's largest plasma television, Jan. 5, 2005. The electronics company boasts the largest booth of all, commanding 25,000 square feet, or nearly 2 percent of the 1.5 million square feet of exhibit space.
Plasma televisions light up the Philips Consumer Electronics booth at the Consumer Electronics Show, Jan. 6, 2005, in Las Vegas. The industry generated an estimated $108 billion in U.S. sales in 2005, according to the Consumer Electronics Association. And that was just for hardware products like televisions, DVD players and music players. Companies are also eyeing the millions more that can be made from subscriptions and fees.
Hewlett-Packard Co. CEO Carly Fiorina delivers the keynote address at the show, Jan. 7, 2005. HP introduced a so-called media hub that will serve as a high-definition receiver, a TiVo-like DVR, a DVD recorder and a device to access digital music and photos from PCs. It will utilize three services: a programming guide; a music database; and automatic upgrades. It will be available in late 2005, any service fees have yet to be disclosed.
Sony Electronics showcases the QUALIA 017, a gold-plated MD MiniDisc player, at the Sony Qualia booth of the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Jan. 5, 2005. The MiniDisc audio system at the heart of QUALIA 017 produces sound quality that exceeds the limitations of MP3 and other compression-file audio players, with its construction made from a block of solid brass, marred by not a single weld, screw or hole.
The Sonos ZP100 Digital Audio Music System and CR100 controller is displayed at the Consumer Electronics Show, Jan. 5, 2005. The device lets you play your music all over your home, even different songs in different rooms, and control it all wirelessly from a handheld device.
The Pioneer iPod adapter, which allows drivers to connect the iPod to a car's sound system, is seen at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Jan. 6, 2005. Apple Computer Inc. - the company widely credited for invigorating digital audio with its iPod player and online iTunes Music Store - was conspicuously absent from the show and was likely have its own set of products to announce at the Jan. 10 Macworld Expo in San Francisco.
Microsoft Corp. chairman Bill Gates holds an iRiver music player as he delivers the keynote kickoff address of the Consumer Electronics Show, Jan. 5, 2005, in Las Vegas. Gates said digital audio is growing as quickly as PCs in the 1980s. At the show, iRiver introduced a portable player that can access content from AudioFeast, an Internet radio service provider.
Professional snowboarder Jermey Jones shows off a new state-of-the-art "wearable," Jan. 6, 2005, at The Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Due out in the fall, the jacket allows users to wirelessly listen to their iPods while also switching back and forth from their cell phones to their music.
Orb Networks demonstrates an NBA game video stream on a cell phone, at the Las Vegas Convention Center, Jan. 5, 2005. Orb lets users take any digital media, including TV shows that you receive in your PC at home, into a cell phone, laptop, PDA or other Internet-capable device.
A woman listens to a Delphi portable satellite radio receiver on display at the XM Satellite Radio booth, Jan. 5, 2005, at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. XM President and CEO Hugh Panero announced during the show the company has exceeded 3.2 million subscribers.
Sony Computer Entertainment CEO Kaz Hirai, left, shows the new Sony Play Station Portable to rap artist Xzibit at the North American launch of the product, Jan. 5, 2005, in Las Vegas. The black plastic PSP weighs about 10 ounces and boasts wireless functions for multiplayer games. It also can play digital music and movies on its 4.3-inch color display, using a proprietary 1.8 gigabyte format called Universal Media Disc.
Sony Pictures presents a Extreme XXX2 Ford Prototype Shelby Cobra at the X-plod car audio booth, at the Las Vegas Convention Center, Jan. 5, 2005.
Justin Campbell demostrates the Hot Seat at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Jan. 4, 2005. The gaming chassis features surround sound and vibration for an arcade-like experience in the home.
Intel CEO Craig Barrett holds a prototype portable personal media device as he delivers the keynote address of the Consumer Electronics Show, Jan. 6, 2005, in Las Vegas.