The 'cloudy' haze of NAB

Post by Jonathan Moser

LAS VEGAS - Trying to navigate the broadcast geek-fest known as NAB in half-a-day is about as realistic as taking in the glories of the Sistine Chapel by looking at one fresco...but I'll try.

I have to confess it's been over 20 years since setting foot in the chaotic but exciting arena of the Las Vegas Convention Center's NAB Convention, showcasing the latest, fastest and brightest in technology and trends. (The last thing I saw at NAB in 1992 was a $40,000 HD monitor with little HD material to show on it.)

There have been profound changes not just in sheer size, but in what constitutes the new Broadcast Paradigms...so this report is seen through the smoky glasses of over two decades of change and is also limited in scope to what hit me as the most exciting trends skewed to the post production editing professional.

It became obvious I'd have to do a lot of mental filtering to try to see through the more than 745,000 square feet of exhibit space where almost 1,500 exhibitors spun their wares with me having less than five hours of time before flying back to LA.

Avid and Adobe had a huge presence. Apple wasn't on the show floor, but they did have a demo suite set up at the Bellagio showing the newest updates and partnerships.

Also clearly gone was any sign of tape as a broadcast medium... servers and other distribution methods were rampant and file-based and cloud were the whole reality. It's hard to get excited over storage solutions but there were plenty in sight. It also makes me realize that the days of tape libraries are almost over...now closets and shelves are populated with an infinite number of hard drives, data tape and optical disks...somehow lacking the warm nostalgia of film cans and videotapes. read more...