NAB Show soldiers on despite economic gloom

1 May 2009

The global economic slowdown was reflected in the lines outside the doors, which were not as long as previous years. But there was no let up in enthusiasm at the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB 2009), the world's largest electronic media show covering filmed entertainment and the development, management and delivery of content across all mediums.
The same familiar crowds gathered around the doors to the exhibition halls, just like in previous years. The hushed murmur in the hall at the beginning quickly grew to the customary din as attendees strolled up to booths and exhibits and began to ask questions.
"The NAB Show has been a phenomenal success by any measure in an otherwise challenging economy," said NAB executive vice president Dennis Wharton. "We appreciate the strong support of both exhibitors and attendees who continue to make the NAB Show the most important annual event for the electronic media marketplace."
The South Hall in particular was a hive of activity as a number of 3D demonstrations at DVS, ColorCode 3D and Numedia were held here. Many people were gathered around 3D displays wearing glasses and broad smiles. The buzz indicated that 3D is either making inroads as an imaging technique or is the fad du jour. If the smiles indicate success, 3D is here to stay.
At the AJA booth, the crowd swelled quickly and created a traffic bottleneck at one particular display. AJA makes products that convert signals from one form to another, and there were questions about Web streaming and uploading video.
Cost savings was a key marketing hook being used by companies throughout the floor. Fujitsu's video streaming solution using public Internet can save a client more than US$150,000 a year in satellite fees.
Streambox's software-based news gathering solutions gained interest from broadcasters and networks alike as its mobile video encoders (connected to WiFi, the Internet, WiMAX or other pipelines) could essentially replace an expensive production truck, delivering live location coverage without the usual expenses involved with equipment and additional crew.
Attendance figures released by NAB showed registered attendees at 83,842, while international attendees amounted to 23,232 and news media attendees clocked in at 1,246. Research shows that exhibitors generate more than $50 billion in sales as a direct result of the NAB Show each year.
"The NAB Show has been a phenomenal success by any measure in an otherwise challenging economy," said NAB executive vice president Dennis Wharton. "We appreciate the strong support of both exhibitors and attendees who continue to make the NAB Show the most important annual event for the electronic media marketplace."
NAB president and CEO David K. Rehr in his "State of the Industry" opening keynote said the NAB Show demonstrated that broadcasters are forging ahead, spurring innovation and creating multiple platforms to deliver content.
"The Web is transforming the way we perceive a community and how we engage in it. Social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter will continue to change the way we communicate with people and share information. And more people are going to the Internet to listen to radio and watch their favorite TV shows.
"But with more than one hundred million blogs, growing at a rate of 40,000 a day, and over two billion Web sites, those industries that are successful will have to cut through the clutter. And unlike many industries, we are in a unique position to do just that.
"From moving 3D viewing into the home to incorporating FM chips in cell phones to exploring all the possibilities of the Internet. We are planning for the future and seizing opportunities in this digital age. Our journey to this moment has been swift. Our confidence tested. But our focus, unwavering.

Rehr made clear the benefits of DTV – crystal clear pictures, phenomenal sound and more programming choices and HDTV in offering clarity of picture and sound.

He called on the industry to make use of its resources and announced a multiyear, multi-million dollar technology advocacy programme, called FASTROAD to explore, develop and accelerate the adoption of new broadcast technologies.
The FASTROAD programme is working with manufacturers and their sub-system suppliers to incorporate DTV reception in laptop computers so receiving digital television will be easier than connecting to Wi-Fi.