What is CEDIA?
CEDIA (Custom Electronic Design & Installation Association) is a global trade association for the smart home technology industry. Every September, the annual CEDIA Expo trade show brings together audio, video and home automation manufacturers, dealers, distributors and installers to display and check out the latest gear, technology and solutions for home automation, whole home audio and video, and home theater.
Many manufacturers use CEDIA Expo as a platform to introduce and show off new products like TVs, video walls, projectors, speakers, processors and more. The show is not open to the general public, only to trade association members and manufacturers, as well as members of the media
CEDIA Expo attracts over 15,000 attendees and is usually held at the Colorado Convention Center in downtown Denver (as it was in 2025). Past events have been held in Atlanta, San Diego, Indianapolis and Dallas.
eCoustics senior news correspondent Robert Silva and I attended CEDIA Expo this year to check out the current state of the art in TVs, projectors and other home theater gear and report back on what components and systems caught our fancy.
While many of the products shown were outside the budgets of most people, there were a few affordable standout products that made our list. Note: this article is for “Best in Show” awards for video gear, including TVs, video walls, video sources, video processors, projectors and screens.
Check out Our Additional CEDIA Expo “Best in Show” Picks:
There’s a reason Kaleidescape media players were present in 47 different booths and demo rooms at CEDIA Expo 2025. Combining the quality of physical media with the convenience of instant downloads, Kaleidescape players offer the best way to watch (and demonstrate) movies, concerts and TV shows in outstanding audio and video quality. Last year, the Strato V player brought the cost of entry down to $3,995 (now $4,495), and the new Strato E brought the cost down even further to just $2,995.
The Strato E has room for about five 4K movies (the Strato V can store 10) and it omits the coax digital output from the Strato V. But otherwise the two players offer similar specs, including 4K resolution, HDR10 and Dolby Vision HDR support and fully lossless audio support for Dolby Atmos and DTS:X. The lower price point now makes it easier than ever for movie lovers to bring home that sweet Kaleidescape ecosystem.
The Strato E, like the Strato M, also released earlier this year, is significantly smaller than any Kaleidescape player that has come before it. It’s just 6.4 inches wide, 1.1 inches high, and 6.4 inches deep. This not only makes it easier to tuck away in an equipment rack than the larger Kaleidescape players, but it also allows you to pack one in your backpack or carry-on bag and take high quality movies and shows with you wherever you go.
Find Out More: Kaleidescape Finally Remembers the Middle Class with New Strato E Media Player
Best Disc Player: Magnetar UPD900 Mark II
For those who still have a penchant for those spinning digital discs, Magnetar unveiled an upgraded version of their flagship media player at CEDIA Expo, the UDP900MKII ($3,299). It supports just about every physical digital media disc known to man, including CD, SACD, DVD, Blu-ray Disc and UHD Blu-ray Disc. It also supports direct media playback from USB attached storage or distributed systems such as Plex.
The upgraded Mark II version of the UDP900 includes a redesigned audio processing system featuring dual ESS 9038 PRO DACs, paired with TMDS retiming on the dedicated HDMI audio port to “virtually eliminate jitter and preserve every sonic detail” (according to the company). Integrated XMOS USB audio playback supports high resolution audio formats up to 768kbps PCM / 512k DSD. The upgraded version also features expanded networking capabilities and refinements as well as support for Roon Ready certification.
While the new player wasn’t actively connected at CEDIA, past experience with its predecessor has impressed us so we expect equally good things from the upgraded model.
Best Video Processor: madVR Envy Extreme MK 3
Video processors tend to be boring black boxes that no one really notices. But a high performance video processor can make the difference between a very good display and an excellent display. The video processor that impressed us most at CEDIA Expo 2025 was the Envy Extreme MK3 ($15,995) from madVR. It was in active use in many of our favorite rooms at CEDIA Expo 2025 including the $1.3 million home theater system in Sound Room 7.
MadVR processors are known for their advanced HDR tone mapping which maps incoming high dynamic range content to the specific capabilities of your TV or projector. While movies are mastered for 1000 nits or even 4000 nits of peak brightness, few flat panel displays and virtually no projectors can match these peaks. Tell the madVR which display you have, or better yet, provide some actual brightness measurements, and the processor will adjust the incoming signal so those shadow details and specular highlights are still visible in even the darkest and brightest scenes.
But the Envy Extreme does much more than that. It offers several levels of MotionAI processing to turn that juddery mess of a camera pan into something more watchable without destroying the director’s intent. It also can intelligently move subtitles outside the masked area of a CinemaScope screen into the visible area and can even dynamically adjust the color of the text of those subtitles for optimum readability without detracting from the on-screen image.
It even has options for aspect ratio conversion in case you want to watch football on your 2.4:1 projector screen without wasting too much screen real estate. The madVR uses a combination of image cropping and variable stretch which I thought I would hate, before watching a demonstration. But it actually was much more subtle than I thought, and it fit an entire 16:9 football game screen onto a 2.4:1 screen. Fans of CinemaScope screens will definitely want to check out this feature for 16:9 content (and if you don’t like it, you don’t have to turn the feature on).
A less expensive version, the Envy Core ($5,795) offers many of the features of the Extreme, other than MotionAI processing.
Best TV – Sony BRAVIA 8, II QD-OLED
Having participated as a judge at the most recent TV Shootout, and having seen all four of the contenders individually (some for extended periods), I can honestly say I’d be happy living with any of the four OLED TVs that were involved in that competition (Panasonic Z85B, Samsung S95F, LG G5 and Sony BRAVIA II). But since LG and Panasonic weren’t at CEDIA Expo this year, and since none of the Mini LED TVs at the show could really rival the contrast and black levels of an OLED, my choice for best TV at CEDIA Expo 2025 was a bit easier.
Samsung’s S95F (which was on display at CEDIA Expo) is an outstanding QD-OLED TV, and its glare-free matte screen makes it a great choice for bright room viewing. But since I am quite capable of dimming the lights or closing the shades in my living room, it’s Sony’s BRAVIA 8 II that gets my overall pick as best TV at CEDIA Expo 2025. Its glossier screen means there is minimal diffraction of room lights on the screen to impact black levels and its lower peak brightness (compared to the Samsung) isn’t much of an issue in dark room viewing.
We’ve had the 65-inch BRAVIA 8 II in the labs for a few weeks now and its near-perfect black levels, lack of any haloing or uniformity artifacts and outstanding color saturation and accuracy make it a joy to watch. Whether it’s Thursday Night Football on Amazon Prime or “Blade Runner: The Final Cut” on Kaleidescape, the BRAVIA 8, II makes TV viewing highly enjoyable.
I also prefer Sony’s Google TV OS a bit over Samsung’s Tizen operating system, though Google TV’s bias toward YouTube content can be a bit annoying at times. I also appreciate the Sony TV’s support for Dolby Vision dynamic HDR as both my Kaleidescape system and most of the video streaming services I subscribe to support Dolby Vision content. Sony is also the only OLED TV that supports DTS:X immersive sound content on IMAX Enhanced movies (on Disney+) which brings home a dynamic punchy soundtrack on these films that you can’t get virtually anywhere else.
There are a few caveats to this choice, however. A 65-inch TV is the perfect size for my current living room but it isn’t the perfect size for everyone. If you prefer a 77-inch (or larger) TV, The BRAVIA 8 II is not for you (it only comes in 55-inch and 65-inch screen sizes). Also, with lower peak brightness compared to the other top OLED TVs available today, the BRAVIA 8 II is not the best choice if you have a bright living room. But otherwise, the BRAVIA 8 II is an excellent TV and seeing it again on the CEDIA Expo show floor only reinforced that opinion.
More Information: Check Out Sony’s New BRAVIA 8 II, Same OLED Blacks, Now 25% Brighter Than Before
Best Large TV – Samsung Micro RGB 115-inch LED/LCD TV
While my personal preference in TVs is OLED (those blacks!), I have been impressed with the latest innovation in LCD TV technology, namely RGB LED backlighting. With this tech, the traditional blue or white LED backlights are replaced with individual backlight elements for each primary color: red, green and blue. Moving to this type of backlight has several advantages: higher power efficiency, higher peak brightness and more accurate color reproduction over a wider color spectrum.
Samsung’s 115-inch Micro RGB TV ($29,999) was on display at CEDIA Expo and it looked quite impressive overall. It uses very small (less than 70 micrometer) red, green and blue backlighting elements, grouped in tight formation. This backlight density and color specificity nearly eliminates the haloing we normally see around bright objects on other LCD TVs. Samsung says the new set can reproduce up to 100% of the BT.2020 color gamut, which exceeds the capability of even the best OLED or QD-OLED TV.
We saw some shades of green and blue and red that we’ve never seen before on a consumer television thanks to this new backlighting system and the advanced color processing and color filter on the Samsung TV.
If you need a TV larger than 97 inches (the current largest OLED panel), and don’t want to spring tens of thousands (or more) for a MicroLED wall, Samsung’s MICRO RGB TV is an excellent choice.
Read More About It: Samsung’s 115-inch MICRO RGB TV Gets Official Launch – Here’s the Scoop
Best Art TV: Skyworth 100-inch CE1 Canvas Elite Art TV
Though I didn’t spend too much time with so-called art or frame TVs at CEDIA Expo, my colleague Robert Silva did and he really liked the look of the 100-inch Skyworth Canvas Elite CE1. While most art TVs like Samsung’s “The Frame” focus more on the aesthetic appeal of the cabinet and on how the screen looks while displaying artwork (rather than prioritizing picture performance), Skyworth takes a more picture quality-centric approach. The company uses MiniLED backlighting and local dimming to minimize the haloing and other picture quality artifacts endemic to most LED/LCD TVs.
The Canvas Elite’s OmniView Matte Screen technology, a proprietary three-layer screen surface co-developed with China’s BOE, gives it the look of painted artwork and its 100-inch size mean you can reproduce the murals of old masters like Giotto and Duccio at close to their actual size. The 100-inch version of the CE1 is expected to sell for $5,999 with an 86-inch model expected to sell for $3,999. A shipping date has not yet been announced.
Read More: Skyworth’s 100-Inch Canvas Elite Art TV Debuts a CEDIA Expo 2025: Who Needs a Wall Anyway?
While traditional OLED and LED/LCD TVs still max out in size at around 115-116 inches, MicroLED walls like the Quantum Cinematic XDR Micro LED Display can be configured with screens sized four times that or even larger. Comprised of multiple smaller MicroLED modules or “cabinets,” a Quantum Media Systems display offers the perfect blacks and rich color saturation we see on high-end consumer OLED displays but in much larger screen sizes.
What sets the Quantum Cinematic XDR MicroLED display apart from much of its competition is the lack of visible seams around the individual MicroLED modules. With its precision cabinet design and multi-day white glove installation and calibration service, the Cinematic XDR really looks like a single seamless flat panel. Be prepared to pay for that perfection however. The 20-foot wide model we saw at CEDIA Expo 2025 starts at around $350K and goes up from there, depending on options.
Find out more: My Favorite TV at CEDIA Expo 2025 was 20-feet wide and Sells for $350,000
Best Invisible A/V System: Alchimia
Those looking for discrete audio and video solutions usually opt for motorized TV lifts, disappearing projection screens and in-wall speakers. But a company called Alchimia hides the TV and speakers in plain sight. Whether working with stone, wood, brick or fabric, the company integrates both the TV and the speakers into the wall in a way that makes them virtually invisible.
For the TV, the company carefully cuts a hole in the owner’s wall, then uses a high resolution scanner to capture that stone in a digital image. The image is then displayed on the TV screen so the TV blends in seamlessly with the wall surrounding it. Four tiny light sensors installed into the wall surface adjust the image for ambient lighting so the TV blends in during bright daylight as well as in dim evening light.
For speakers, the company uses actuators to turn the wall surface itself into the speaker. Multiple drivers and high power amplification allow these speakers to reach very high SPLs. The only way to tell where the speakers are located is if you hold your hand to the wall and feel the vibrations.
Alchimia systems start at around $60,000 including installation for a display only. Larger screen sizes and in-wall speaker integrations can be priced significantly higher. The 65-inch display and 2.2-channel speaker system shown at CEDIA sells for approximately $170,000.
Best Projection Screen: Seymour Screen Excellence
I’m a fan of Ultra Wide CinemaScope projections screens. While giant IMAX screens are also impressive, a 2.4:1 aspect ratio screen really makes me feel like I’m in a movie theater, even when I’m not. But not everything that I watch is formatted for that wide screen. Sporting events and many TV shows are formatted for 16:9 and classic older films like “Casablanca” are presented in the old standard 4:3 aspect ratio.
On my current Stewart 2.4:1 Cinemascope screen, widescreen movies look great and take up the full screen, but 16:9 and 4:3 content use only the middle of the screen, leaving open screen areas at the edges that detract a bit from the visuals.
Auto-masking screens detect the aspect ratio of what’s being shown and automatically slide in (or out, or up or down) black masking materials to focus your eyes on the active screen area. But most automatic masking screens are usually prohibitively expensive (i.e., tens of thousands of dollars).
Seymour Screen Excellence showed up at CEDIA Expo this year providing the screen for not one, but two of our Best in Show home theater systems: the $1.3 Million system in Sound Room 7 and the $180K system in Sound Room 11. Their static mount TRIM screen in a 120-inch screen size ($10,523) was paired with a Digital Projection Inc (DPI) E-Vision 10000i 4K+ RGB projector, while their MFR (multi-format retractable) screen was mated to Christie Digital’s Eclipse G3 projector in a 180-inch diagonal screen size ($14,610).
In both cases, the screen detected the aspect ratio of the incoming video signal and adjusted its screen mask to exactly fit the active image. Both screens used acoustically transparent material. The TRIM screen was built using Seymour’s Radiant White material while the MFR screen used Enlightor-NEO reference screen material.
We found the MFR screen particularly impressive as it was able to do dynamic masking on a screen that retracted and disappeared up into the ceiling when not in use. If you’re looking for a truly disappearing home theater or A/V system, the Seymour Excellence MFR screen is definitely worth checking out. And if you’re trying to save a few bucks with a fixed mount automatic masking screen, then check out the TRIM.
All Seymour-Screen Excellence screens, are custom-made by skilled artisans in Iowa.
Best Bright Room Projector: Epson Q Series QL7000
While Epson retains its position as the top-selling projector brand worldwide, their share of the home theater market is not quite as strong. Generally known as the “high value” choice, the company expanded last year into the premium home theater market and has focused mainly on high light output projectors to take full advantage of 4K HDR content. Few home theater projectors can produce 10,000 Lumens of peak light output in both white and color brightness, and those that do generally sell for well over $50,000. Epson’s flagship QL7000 projector hits that 10K Lumen number for a suggested retail price of $32,999.
This year at CEDIA Expo, Epson did a projector shootout between several of their models and the top performing, comparably priced projectors from JVC and Sony. The QL7000 was clearly able to produce higher light output than the competition, which made for crisper specular highlights and an overall more dynamic image, particularly on 4K HDR content. This is not to say that either the Sony or the JVC projectors were poor performers. Both bested the Epson in black level performance, and both produced rich, nicely saturated colors. But once you turn the room lights on, those two projectors just couldn’t keep up.
Read more about the Epson Q Series: Epson’s New Q Series Projectors Light Up Even the Brightest Living Spaces
Best Budget Home Theater Projector: Epson LS9000
The Epson LS9000 ($3,999) debuted last month at Audio Advice Live, and made its second public appearance in Denver at CEDIA Expo. With full 4K resolution, 2200 Lumens, and a motorized lens with power zoom, lens shift and focus as well as built-in lens memory, the Epson ProCinema LS9000 makes an excellent pick for a budget home theater. In fact, Epson showed it off with an affordable Denon receiver and Polk speakers for a total system price of around $21,000 (not including installation).
The Epson ProCinema LS9000 supports 120Hz frame rate and offers a low input lag for gamers who want to play on a huge projection screen. It officially supports screens up to 120 inches diagonally, but in a light-controlled environment, you could probably increase that to 150 inches. It supports HDR10 and includes 2 HDMI ports, one with support for HDMI ARC/eARC for simple set-up with an external sound system or soundbar.
More here: Epson’s New LS9000 Projector Does 4K for $4K – We Like!
Best Home Theater Projector (Cost No Object) – Christie Eclipse G3
It’s one thing to be able to light up a 120-inch projection screen in your basement. It’s quite another to be able to effectively create an image on a massive 20-foot wide screen in a large home theater. Christie’s latest Eclipse projector, the Eclipse G3 ($400,000) produces a prodigious peak light output of 30,000 ANSI Lumens from its RGB laser light engine illuminating 6 discrete DLP chips to create its native 4K image.
The projector is fairly massive, weighing in at over 400 pounds and requiring a liquid-cooling system to maintain its peak performance. Better make room for a projection booth behind your home theater as this big boy is a bit too bulky and noisy for a traditional ceiling mount.
But it can create a bold, beautiful image. We watched a number of movie clips on the Ecplise G3 in the $1.3 million home theater system in Sound Room 7. It was almost as bright as a flat panel TV and offered a fully cinematic experience.
If you’ve got the space (and the budget), the Christie Eclipse G3 will definitely bring that premium movie theater experience home.
Read More: What Goes Into a $1.3 Million Home Theater? We Find Out at CEDIA Expo 2025
The Bottom Line
This year’s CEDIA Expo show had no shortage of cool video products to see, from flat panel TVs to media players, video processors, projectors and screens. Maybe now is the time to finally put in that basement home theater or upgrade your media room with a giant MicroLED wall?
Congratulations to all of our eCoustics “Best in Show” winners for video products. W we’ll see you next year in Denver.