ShowEast '08 Hasn't Been a Must-See

The trade show floor at exhibition confabs like ShowEast 2008 tends to be dominated as much by tech displays as popcorn-and-candy vendors these days. Gloomily, floor traffic appears down at both this year. Vendors blame economy-slackened show attendance and competition from off-site movie screenings.

At one point on Wednesday -- the second day of operations on the trade show floor -- staff at a huge Sony Electronics booth outnumbered customers by about six to one. The situation elsewhere on the floor wasn't much better.

Just off the trade show floor in nearby demo suites staffed by DTS, RealD and others, there was scant evidence of any influx of prospective customers.

RealD and Sony Electronics announced a new product partnership Wednesday, through which RealD's 3-D equipment will be more easily integrated into Sony's digital projection systems. And Korean manufacturer MasterImage drew a good response from its special morning demo of its portable 3-D system.

By Carl DiOrio, The Hollywood Reporter