2005
•  First digital camera with built-in Wi-Fi capability becomes available.
•  First subscription-based online digital music services and compatible portable devices become available.
•  First hard disk drive-based camcorders go on sale.
•  First consumer high-definition DVD player/recorders go on sale.
•  FCC requires mandatory inclusion of ATSC HDTV tuner in 50 percent of all 24-inch to 35-inch HDTVs by July 1.
•  CEA inducts its first class of Digital Patriots, honoring government and industry leaders for their positive impact on the rapidly evolving consumer technology industry.

2004
•  First U.S. 3G cellular network services and phones announced.
•  Single-year U.S. sales of consumer electronics surpass $100 billion.
•  Combination cable HDTV STB and HDTV DVRs and CableCARD-equipped DTVs go on sale.
•  First flash memory camcorders go on sale.
•  Discussions begin on inter-carrier push-to-talk cellular compatibility.
•  Dual-layer (8.5 GB) DVD recorders and media announced.
•  First city-wide Wi-Fi networks activated.
•  Cell phones equipped with video cameras and megapixel digital still cameras become available.
•  First cell phones capable of receiving live TV broadcasts available.
•  First portable HDTV recorder, using MiniDV tape-based HDTV recording format, announced.
•  FCC and FTC begin rules-making process to curb wireless spam.
•  1 GB flash memory cards available; new FISH (Flash Internal Semiconductor Hard drive) flash memory format announced.
•  First 5.8 GHz cordless phones go on sale.
•  First hard disk drive-based portable A/V players go on sale.
•  Professional Audio/Video Retailers Association (PARA) merges with CEA.
•  DualDisc, combination CD and DVD, introduced.
•  First portable digital music players with color LCD screens go on sale.
•  UWB (ultra wideband) wireless broadband technology capable of achieving speeds of up to 110 mbps commercialized.
•  More than 200 companies form DLNA (Digital Livingroom Network Alliance) to merge multiple wired and wireless, CE and PC standards into interoperable home network standards.
•  USB-equipped flash memory "thumb drives" go on sale.

2003
•  Local number portability (LNP) begins, allowing consumers to keep their mobile phone numbers when switching cell phone carriers or transferring landline numbers to a portable account.
•  First IBOC digital radio receivers announced.
•  First copy-protected CDs go on sale.
•  FCC adopts controversial anti-piracy "broadcast flag" technology.
•  Dolby Pro Logic IIx technology to up convert two-channel audio, matrixed Dolby Surround, and 5.1-channel audio into 6.1- and 7.1-channel surround announced.
•  Satellite radio reaches one million subscribers.
•  First HDMI-equipped HDTVs are available.
•  Broadcast video-on-demand (VOD) service combined with a hard disk drive capable of storing 100 movies is launched.
•  National HDTV DBS service launches.
•  Touchscreen tablet PCs introduced.
•  First DVI-equipped DVD players go on sale.
•  New PictBridge connectivity standard allows digital still cameras and digital camcorders to be directly connected to digital printers.
•  First Wi-Fi and Bluetooth-equipped PDAs available.
•  ExpressCard flash media format introduced.
•  First consumer 8-megapixel digital camera announced.
•  Commercial voice-over-Internet (VoiP) phone service begins.
•  PCs with built-in Wi-Fi capability go on sale.
•  Sub-$1,000 digital SLR cameras go on sale.
•  DBS TV service surpasses 20-million subscriber mark.
•  First 70-inch-plus HDTV plasma displays are announced.
•  CEA adopts CEA-2008 Digital Entertainment Network Initiative (DENi).
•  First FireWire 800 (FireWire IEEE-1394b)-equipped products become available.
•  Digital wireless home networking standard using 5 GHz frequency announced.
•  IEEE-802.15.3, a wireless 55-Mbps 2.4 GHz standard designed to coexist with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth devices, announced.
•  First PDA watches go on sale.
•  First flash media camcorders available.
•  Traditional PC makers such as Dell and Gateway enter consumer electronics product business.
•  First Blu-ray HD-DVD-R decks enter the marketplace.
•  FCC approves "plug-and-play" cable set-top box HDTV interoperability compatibility rules.
•  First HTiB systems with built-in DVD recorders announced.
•  HD-compatible PVRs available.
•  Eight consumer electronics companies form CE Linux Forum (CELF).
•  First HDTV camcorders enter the marketplace.
•  Development of four-color (blue, green, red, emerald) video CCD announced.
•  DVD-Audio recording specifications announced.
•  High-speed Wi-Fi 802.11g specification is published.
•  First xD-Picture Card flash memory format-equipped products on sale.
•  First consumer 64-bit personal computers on sale.
•  Distributed Audio Alliance merges with CEA.
•  Home Automation and Networking Association (HANA) merges with CEA, becoming the TechHome Division of CEA.
•  CEDIA and CEA announce joint membership benefits.

2002
• 5.8 GHz cordless phones introduced.
•  First legal online music sites launched.
•  First location-based E911 cell phones introduced.
•  First combination cell phones/digital cameras available.
• Blu-ray and red laser high-definition DVD recording standards announced.
•  High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) digital video connector format announced.
• FCC requires mandatory inclusion of ATSC HDTV tuner in 36-inch and larger HDTVs.
• TV manufacturers and cable operators announce "plug-and-play" specifications for HDTV set-top boxes and HDTVs.
•  FCC denies EchoStar-DirecTV satellite TV merger.
•  DVD-RAM/DVD-R compatible camcorders enter the marketplace.
•  FCC raises spectrum cap for cellular phone carriers from 45 MHz to 55 MHz.
•  First car-based digital music hard disk drives introduced.
•  Sony ends availability of Betamax VCRs.
•  D-Picture Card solid-state flash memory format introduced.
•  FCC begins limited deployment of ultra wideband (UWB) wireless data network technology.


2001
•  Satellite radio broadcasting begins.
•  First integrated HDTVs with FireWire available.
•  Microsoft and Sony introduce Internet gaming.
•  Next-generation, higher speed USB 2.0 and FireWire IEEE-1394b standards announced.
•  Nationwide two-way satellite Internet access becomes available.
•  First high-speed, next-generation cell phone networks activated.
•  The first solar-powered cell phone batteries debut.
•  Car-based MP3 burner introduced.

2000
•  First Bluetooth-enabled products launched.
•  Stephen King's "Riding the Bullet" is the first original book available for sale online before it hits bookstores.
•  SuperBowl and NCAA Final Four programs are broadcast in HDTV for the first time.
•  CEA and the cable industry agree on standards for transmitting digital television.
•  The first HDTV direct broadcast satellite dishes available.
•  FCC imposes HDTV labeling standards.
•  The first consumer recordable DVD players available.
•  The first DVD-Audio decks hit the market.
•  The first Super Audio CD players on store shelves.
•  First stereo audio component hard disk MP3 jukeboxes introduced.
• The first color screen personal digital assistants (PDA) introduced.
• The first CD players capable of playing MP3-encoded CDs are available.
•  The first portable audio hard disk drive players enter the marketplace.
•  The selective availability limitation is removed from the global positioning system (GPS), increasing the accuracy of locating a position from 100 yards to 10 feet.
•  The first HDTV VCR announced.
•  Secure high-capacity solid-state flash media formats and products introduced.
•  Combination cell phone/MP3 players available.
•  E-mail pagers available for the first time.
•  An HDTV-DVD player demonstrated.
•  The first camcorder to use recordable DVD-RAM discs available.
•  CEA inducts its first class of industry leaders into the Consumer Electronics Hall of Fame.