People attending the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), which started here today, will encounter a crowded and noisy stage where technology companies from around the world unveil their latest wares. They may well not see any of the big consumer electronics hits of 2008.

The convention has never been bigger. Around 140,000 attendees will trudge through 1.85 million square feet of exhibition space. But despite its size, or maybe because of it, the conference has become a challenging and sometimes ineffectual place to introduce products.

The show, which started in 1967, was once a springboard for the industry’s successes, like the VCR in 1970, the compact disc player in 1981 and the DVD in 1996. Now, electronics makers and industry analysts say the show has become so loud, sprawling and preoccupied with technical esoterica that for many companies, it is as much a place to get lost as to get discovered.

Part of the problem is that technology has wormed its way into so many products that it is hard to say what an electronics trade show should be about. “Everything has morphed into it,” said Michael Gartenberg, an analyst at JupiterResearch, who is skipping the show after attending for four years. “You’ve got a 150-inch plasma screen and next to it some guy selling electronic toothbrushes.”

Technology companies frequently introduce products elsewhere to reach consumers more directly. The Apple iPhone, the Nintendo Wii and other recent must-haves were not unveiled at CES. One of the industry’s biggest hits in 2007 was the Flip Video camcorder, an easy-to-use pocket-size device that sells for $120.

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