BroadcastAsia 2009 maintains momentum

BroadcastAsia 2009 and CommunicAsia 2009 recorded 54,354 attendees at Asia’s largest media and infocomm trade event, held annually in Singapore. Of these, 49 per cent were from outside the host country, coming from countries and regions across Asia-Pacific, Europe, US and the Middle-East.

Spanning 58,000 square metres, the exhibitions featured 1,923 exhibiting companies from 60 countries and regions. The shows saw a total of 34 group pavilions, with countries like Belgium, Brunei Darussalam and Vietnam participating for the very first time.

“BroadcastAsia2009 and CommunicAsia2009 is clearly the most important platform in the Asia Pacific region for the industry to launch products, make announcements and network. We are encouraged by the positive feedback from exhibitors. Eighty per cent of exhibitors have already indicated that they will be participating in the shows in 2010,” said Stephen Tan, chief executive of show organiser, Singapore Exhibition Services.

Among the exhibitors at BroadcastAsia 09, Panasonic Systems Asia Pacific reported brisk business interaction opportunities with potential clients. “This year celebrates our 10th year at BroadcastAsia .. creating an unexpected increase in sales revenue for us,” according to Max Khang, assistant general manager for Panasonic’s Broadcast Regional Operation Centre. Panasonic’s presence at the show was marked by a full high-definition (HD) 3D mini theatre showcasing the screening of a 10 minute 3D movie in HD broadcasting.

At the Film Mall booth, the Canon-Wafian HD direct-to-disk tapeless workflow was on display. Wafian offers Direct-to-Disk HD video recorders that enable high quality recording and playback, massive storage, and efficient digital workflows for film makers and broadcasters. The Wafian HR-x recorder/player family now includes the HR-2-DS recorder, a powerful and affordable stereoscopic recorder for 3D production.

Another highlight was the Canon 5D Mark II camera that not only shoots stills but also HD movie footage. Visitors to the booth were given a preview of made-in-Singapore 3D movies. Film Mall also hosted three workshops, co-organised with the Media Development Authority of Singapore. The session titled An Introduction to 3D Production and Post was notably conducted by Jeff Youel, president and founder of Wafian Corporation, USA, who shared his expertise in 3D workflow.

AJA Video Systems displayed the award-winning AJA Ki Pro portable digital disk recorder. The AJA Ki Pro has the ability to record files to the Apple ProRes 422 codec directly from camera, allowing filmmakers, broadcasters and video professionals immediate access to 10-bit full raster edit-ready Apple ProRes 422 files.

At the Singapore pavilion at BroadcastAsia, more than 20 Singapore companies took part for the first time. One of the main features was interactive digital media, exemplified by the ‘Wish Singapore’ project developed by PGK Media. Making its debut at this year’s National Day, the gigantic floating LED cylindrical display will feature Singaporeans’ well wishes for its nation’s birthday.

The reinvention of IPTV was among the topics at the BroadcastAsia 2009 International Conference. The day long discussions, chaired by David Wood, head of emerging media at the European Broadcasting Union, covered business opportunities and technical issues relevant to IPTV.

In a keynote presentation, Scott Goldstein, external media director for President Barack Obama’s presidential campaign, shared secrets on how the team used social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and multimedia presentations through YouTube as an alternative broadcast mechanism to engage the public.

Held in conjunction with BroadcastAsia2009, CG Overdrive 2009 saw a line up of elite CG artists from world famous studios speaking at the conference and professional tracks, which are lecture-style workshops that impart specific skills to CG professionals. The sessions gave participants an opportunity to interact with industry big names from Pixar, Lucasfilm Animation Singapore, and even renowned concept development visionary and illustrator, Craig Mullins.

BroadcastAsia 2009 carried the theme Digital: The Journey Forward, showcasing the latest in digital and interactive media, addressing the value chain of content creation, management, and distribution.