IFA 2009: A theory year

COMMENT: All talk and no hardware could be good for the industry

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7 September 2009 13:00 GMT / By Stuart Miles

As the dust finally settles on this year's IFA it is very apparent that it was a theory year. What do I mean by that? Well lots of talk from the industry but little physical product.

In "theory" gadget fans have plenty to look forward to. 3DTV was the main buzzword at the show with Sony and Panasonic making it the core of their keynote presentation. Sony offered multiple demos of what its Bravia TVs would and could be like "sometime" in 2010, while Panasonic embraced James Cameron's "Avatar" for demos.

But Sony and Panasonic weren't the only ones. Samsung and Toshiba had 3DTV areas on their stands, while Philips showed off a 3D version of its Cinema 21:9 screen - as a concept only, rather than a finalised product.

3D even broke out of the TV space with the Blu-ray Disc Association promising to standardise and add the format to Blu-ray, while Fujifilm touted their rather disappointing Fujifilm W1 3D camera.

Nvidia's promise of super fast graphics in laptops and MP3 players mustered just one device from Samsung, while tablet devices struggled to make any real inroads even though rumours are reaching fever pitch about Apple entering the market.

Toshiba and Samsung both had internet tablet devices on show, but they were by no means centre stage. As for phones, none of the big players where at the show in force, instead bundled onto a single tiny "Mobile" stand that shows how un-important they are to the show and to the launch cycle at this time of year.

Elsewhere Wireless HD was being touted by Philips and Toshiba included, although neither manufacturer could confirm a launch date for the technology that allows you to hide your set top box and Blu-ray/DVD player out of site.

Blu-ray, having beaten HD DVD in the format war was as to be expected everywhere, trouble was nobody, including Toshiba who has finally embraced the format, seemed that bothered. Even those that were, felt compelled to say that other technology such as YouTube support was being bundled with it. Both LG and Samsung released a bevy of players, but both failed to offer just a player with Blu-ray and nothing else.

LG even went as far as to twist words in an attempt to get journalists and consumers excited launching a "bordless" TV that still had a border. It's most exciting product? An 15-inch OLED TV that doesn't have a confirmed launch date or price.

Put simply, all the big players focused on the theory of what we could have tomorrow rather than what was coming today.

Get past the TVs and the IFA produced little. Sony, Samsung and MSI all launched ultra-thin laptops under an the same but different "X brands" suggesting it will only lead to mass confusion on the high street in the months to come. Sony's X series promised to be super thin, while the same words came from Samsung and MSI.

What does also the theory mean for you and I? It means two things. Either that thanks to the recession companies are playing it safe, or it means that they've been caught short by the trade show cycle and trade shows as we know them have little life and time left.

Consumers have been hit with a barrage of HD and Blu-ray marketing speak for the last couple of years. The terms came fast and now we've got to catch up. Technology isn't going to be growing at the fast pace that it has over the last couple of years, there is an appetite, but a niggling feeling that people won't buy too early. Nobody wants to know they bought the wrong tech.

That wrong tech could be 3DTV or an internet tablet. For either or both to work and be successful, either a leader needs to be found or a common format and standard decided.

The consumer electronics and home cinema/theatre market it seems has learnt from the Blu-ray HD DVD debacle and is treading slowly, gauging reaction to the technologies it puts forward rather than rushing in head first. A good thing in my mind.

The outcome of that however is that it means less physical product for us now, but the possibility of a better more connected and unified gadgets in the future. If that really is the case (and I hope it is), then the brief respite of IFA 2009 means that 2010, once consolidated should bring gadgets, gizmos, players and TVs that really are worth investing in, not just ones that need to be replaced the following year.