NEWS
NAB 2008
Colossal Content Confab
Even Without Avid, NAB 2008 Looks to be Bigger Than Ever
by Dan Ochiva
 Some scenes from NAB 2007: the main entrance to the Las Vegas Convention Center Photo by Pam Malouf, A.C.E. |
For some people, the coming of another National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) convention draws grumbles. “It’s too crowded,” is one common complaint. The numbers bear that out. Second only to the Consumer Electronics Show (CES; see story) in size, this yearly exercise in excess fills the huge Las Vegas Convention Center halls with attendees (some 111,028 last year) and vendors (over 1,600 in 2007) that increase in number each year. The full NAB conference runs April 11-17, while the exhibit floor is open April 14-17. This year, the tagline is “Where Content Comes to Life.”
Why fight those crowds? That seems to be part of Avid’s rationale for not attending NAB 2008. As widely reported, the company won’t be putting up a booth. Instead, it plans to announce a series of “customer-focused initiatives” this year, with details being announced in February (no further information was available at press time).
The company, which introduced one of the very first practical nonlinear editing systems at NAB 1987, faces an increasingly competitive market in NLE software and hardware systems. Meanwhile, the Tewksbury, Massachusetts-based company announced layoffs last year, with a new CEO, Gary Greenfield, installed in December to replace longtime leader David Krall.
 A presentation by Adobe. Photo by Pam Malouf, A.C.E. |
But while there may be some turmoil at this leading supplier of high-end editing systems, Avid made a similar decision in 2000 when it stopped exhibiting at the IBC show in Amsterdam. Graham Sharp, who headed up Avid’s European video division before being appointed vice president and general manager of the video division in 2006, has said the company will instead spend its marketing dollars on smaller, more targeted customer events and training initiatives.
Over his years with the company, Sharp became an advocate of roadshows and targeted mini-conferences over large trade shows. Customer focus seems to be the company’s new mantra. This past fall, Avid announced a renewed emphasis on customer service, as opposed to the constant parade of new features and new products expected at NAB. Instead, the company plans to host meetings in hotel suites during the show.
While the promise of faster-better-cheaper will always be a magnet at such a big technology show, one-of-a-kind events remain a critical draw. For example, the Digital Cinema Summit, held on the opening weekend, attracts over 650 producers, directors, exhibitors and others working in the business, engineering and creative side of digital cinema production and exhibition.
The topics include digital cinematography, stereoscopic production, art direction, DI workflow, mastering for digital cinema, 2-D and 3-D distribution, issues in exhibition, anti-piracy and the progress of the standards process. One session, “The Production Pipeline: Digital Intermediate Takes Over,” attempts to answer the question of how 4K is changing workflow, and how compression might best be used to streamline the process.
 Get ready for 3-D posting. This camera system, designed by Burbank-based 3ality Digital, was used to shoot U23D. Expect to see solutions for 3-D post in major player's booths at NAB 2008. Photo by Dan Ochiva |
Meanwhile, the session “New Dimensions––New Challenges: Real World Experience with 3-D” presents the thorny details of stereoscopic production, as well as examples of how productions have come up with creative solutions. Want to understand how to prep a release for one of the 5,000 (and growing) digital cinema theaters worldwide? You’ll want to check out “Practical D-Cinema Mastering,” which aims to demonstrate how editors can make DCI-compliant distribution files using “readily available, inexpensive software tools.”
Be aware, however, that while you can always turn up a free pass for the exhibit floor (in fact, there is one enclosed in this issue!), attendance at the Digital Summit is strictly for those who can pay the tab. For a non-NAB member, the charge is $495––if you register before the show––or $625 at the door. For more information, visit www.nabshow.com/2008/conferences/dcs.asp.
Catching up on the latest in post-production software might make a trip worthwhile too. You’ll have plenty of courses to choose from: The Post|Production World Conference, conducted by training company Future Media Concepts, lays claim to being the largest production and post-production educational conference in the world.
According to the company, highlights include classes on Apple’s
Final Cut Studio, Avid’s family of products, Adobe’s CS3
suite, and an in–depth motion graphics conference. The courses
named “Boot Camp” offer intensive “fast start”
sessions on subjects such as Adobe Photoshop for Video Pros, working
with Apple Color, Adobe Flash Video and Autodesk Maya. For further
information, visit www.nabshow.com/2008/conferences/ppwc.asp.
Another useful training session is the Creative Storage Conference. The one-day
session (April 15) focuses on digital storage and storage applications for
the capture, editing, creation and distribution of entertainment and user-generated
content.
Don’t take this to mean, however, that there’s no reason to walk the aisles in search of new technology. The show is always the high point in any manufacturers’ new product plans. At NAB this year, expect to hear about the latest in cameras, software, storage, networking and graphics gear. Just don’t complain about it being too crowded.
Dan Ochiva is a freelance writer living in New York. He can be reached at dochiva@yahoo.com.
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What Editors Can Expect
Editors Guild Magazine asked a few of the top companies what they considered the most important themes for editors attending NAB 2008.
“We’re seeing a continual move from the video environment to
data. I think another trend to keep your eye on is the continuing move to
open, nonproprietary formats such as MXF and Open EXR, as well as standardized
file systems and formats such as DPX. High-speed networks are also becoming
more common, including Infiniband and 10 Gb Ethernet. Last year, we showed
a mixed SAN environment, demonstrating how costs are coming down when you
can ride the wave of off-the-shelf IT gear.”
Bruno Sargeant, TV industry manager, Autodesk
“Over the next year, expect to hear more about tapeless workflows, 4K
post, color space issues and better use of metadata. I think metadata will
be the single biggest issue facing producers and content creators. For example,
as more and more content moves on to the Web, it conversely becomes much more
difficult to find any one piece, since the metadata carried along is so minimal.
If you want to see what you produce succeed, you’ll want to craft a
solid plan to carry metadata throughout the whole production and post process.”
Simon Hayhurst, product manager, Adobe Digital Video Tools
“It’s all about understanding workflow and how well the technology
integrates into your facility. With the arrival of HD––and in
some cases 4K––into post, there’s a massive amount of data
to move around when finishing. It’s important to support standards like
the ASC’s CDL (American Society of Cinematographers’ color decision
list) from dailies through color correction and final finishing. As that happens,
expect DPs to show up during the initial dailies color grading sessions to
make sure what they shot turns up in post.”
Dean Lyon, director of marketing, da Vinci
Dan Ochiva
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