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IFA - Internationale Funkausstellung
Internationale Funkausstellung
The Internationale Funkausstellung (IFA) is the
world's largest consumer electronics trade fair and one
of Germany's oldest trade shows.
An annual event held in September at Berlin's
Exhibition Center (Berlin-Messe),
it attracts over a
thousand exhibitors from around 40 countries and
about 225,000 visitors (2006 figures), with
over 2.5 billion Euros of orders being placed over the
IFA's six days.
Homepage: http://www.ifa-berlin.de/
2007
The 2007 IFA will take place between August 31 - September 5, 2007.
2006
The 2006 IFA, which took place between September 1 - 6,
was divided into six thematic sections:
- Television & Entertainment
- TV, Video, Home Cinema, Home Solutions, Media
- Personal Computing & Games
- Hardware, Software,Home Office, Edutainment
- Sound & CarMedia
- HiFi, HighEnd, CarHiFi, Navigation, Mobile Media
- Digital Imaging & Digital Music
- Recording, Processing, Distribution, Utilization
- Personal Communication
- Telecommunications, Broadband, Internet, Mobile Entertainment
- Satellite, Networks & Cable
- Terrestrial, Satellite, Cable, Digital Broadcast, Networks, Home Security
Highlights are expected to be HDTV, mobile television and internet
television.
History
The IFA began in 1924 as the "Große deutsche Funkausstellung"
("Great German Radio Exhibition") featuring mainly radio-related
products. It was held annually until 1939 and was used to showcase many
breakthroughs in electronics and media technology.
The IFA did not take place between 1940 - 1949. It was revived
in 1950 under the title "Funkausstellung" as a bi-annual event
rotating between Düsseldorf, Frankfurt am Main and Stuttgart, returning
to Berlin in 1970 where it was relaunched under its current name.
Although visitor numbers have fallen from the peak of over 500,000 in 1991,
beginning with 2005 the IFA has returned to being an annual event.
Past highlights and events
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1926 |
During the third Funkausstellung the Funkturm, one of Berlin's
iconic structures, was inaugurated (September 3). This was also the first year with live radio reports
from the exhibition.
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1928 |
An experimental television broadcast was demonstrated, with a 30-line picture not much larger than
a coin.
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1930 |
Albert Einstein made a live broadcast
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1932 |
The world's first car radio was demonstrated.
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1933 |
The Volksempfänger (VE 301), a Nazi-sponsored radio receiver design, was introduced.
100,000 units were sold during the exhibition.
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1935 |
A fire destroys the exhibition hall at the base of the Funkturm, destroying all the exhibits and damaging
the Funkturm's restaurant.
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1937 |
The first colour television was demonstrated.
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1939 |
The first affordable television set (Einheits-Fernseh-Empfänger or E1) was introduced.
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1950 |
The first post-war Funkaustellung was opened in Düsseldorf in West Germany.
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1967 |
Nationwide colour television broadcasts were ceremonially inaugurated by Chancellor Willy Brandt.
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1971 |
The Funkausstellung is renamed "Internationale Funkausstellung" and returns to Berlin.
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1973 |
The first binaural recording of a radio drama was demonstrated.
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1975 |
The first teletext (video text) broadcasts were demonstrated.
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1981 |
Compact Discs (CDs) were shown at the exhibition for the first time.
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1983 |
Television innovations such as video conferencing and digital receivers were
demonstrated.
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1985 |
Multi-format TV sets, satellite receivers and the Video Program System (VPS)
werde introduced.
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1987 |
Innovations included DAT recorders, large-screen TVs and the Radio Data System (RDS).
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1989 |
Innovations included car telephones and mobile telephones.
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1991 |
At the first post-reunification Funkausstellung Digital Compact Cassettes (DCC), Mini Discs
and rewriteable CDs were introduced.
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1993 |
Highlights included laser TVs and video programming technology such as "Show View".
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1995 |
Highlights included the 16:9/PALplus format, TV-/PC combinations and flatscreen TVs
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1997 |
Highlights included digital TV receivers, videophones, DVD players and digital cameras.
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1999 |
Highlights included plasma flatscreen televisions, MP3 players and mobile telephones with Internet access
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2001 |
Highlights included digital terrestrial broadcasting (DVB-T), DVD recorders and GPRS / Bluetooth enabled mobile phones.
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2003 |
Highlights included digital radio, LCD and plasma flatscreen televisions, harddisk video recorders and digital radio.
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2005 |
Highlights included ePaper, mobile phone TV and high-definition television sets (HDTV).
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