NAB 2013: More than 1,600 exhibitors from across the production, post and content delivery spectrum will showcase their wares at the NAB Show on 6-11 April. Michael Burns previews the products vying for attention

  • CENTRAL HALL

Sony (C11001) will certainly be pushing a 4K message at its stand, demonstrating a complete end-to-end production workflow capable of managing dataintensive image formats. “Sony’s F-series cameras and the dedicated XAVC codec are already on the way to bringing 4K content to new and varied audiences across the globe,” says Sony Europe head of AV Media Olivier Bovis.

Meanwhile, on Arri’s stand (C4337), the Alexa XT range will replace all previous cameras bar the original Alexa.

The Alexa XT models come with the new XR Module, co-developed with Codex, offering a smaller, lighter and cable-free camera package that records Arri RAW inside the camera. Alexa XT cameras can now capture Arri RAW up to 120fps onto fast 512GB XR capture drives.

There is also likely to be a buzz at the Canon stands (C3628 and C4325), with expectation mounting around the release of another cinema camera. It’s rumoured to support both PL and EF mounts, and could be positioned between the C100 and C300 models or be a lower-cost addition to the Cinema EOS line-up.

Anton/Bauer (C6025) will introduce its newest lithium- ion battery: the Dionic HD for digital cinema cameras. Delivering up to 10 amps of power and weighing 40% less than a NiCad or NiMH battery, the Dionic HD will run a 30-watt camera, monitors and accessories for more than six hours.

For more specialist location work, Boxx TV (C7706) will introduce its lightweight Zenith transmitter on a remote-controlled helicopter for airborne filming in HD.

On the audio side, Calrec (C1746) will demonstrate the Artemis Light audio console. It has a compact processing rack dedicated to delivering digital signal processing and routing capabilities in a 4U enclosure, and can be integrated with existing Hydra2 networks.

DPA (C3036) will showcase the d:facto II vocal microphone. Aimed at live-music broadcasting, it offers a natural sound with high separation and extreme SPL handling.

MultiDyne (C10339) will release details of an advanced fibre-optic transport solution optimised for 4K digital TV. New to NAB are the HD-18000 CWDM multiplexer, the FS-18000 Fiber-Saver and 4K-4000 fibre optic transport solutions.

  • SOUTH HALL (UPPER)

Nevion (SU3117) is introducing Flashlink for integrated live media networking, encompassing all live production signals and formats. The configurable solution provides 10Gbps uncompressed video transport, Ethernet, data and communications over IP, asynchronous transport of multiplexed audio, plus digital sync distribution, with what Nevion claims to be the industry’s highest fibre utilisation and zero latency.

NAB will also host the first demonstration of the D1000 from IPTV vendor Visionary Solutions (SU6021). It’s a H.264 and MPEG-2 based decoder supporting SDI (3G/HD/SD), HDMI and DVI outputs, with resolutions up to 1080p60.

Ericsson (SU821) will be showing what it claims is the world’s first end-to-end LTE broadcast solution, including eMBMS, HEVC and MPEG-DASH technologies, and will hand NAB debuts to its Operator CDN, the Ericsson Media Delivery Network and the world’s first HEVC/H.265 encoder for the delivery of linear TV over mobile networks.

There will also be new Ericsson compression solutions for multiple codecs (MPEG-2/4, JPEG 2000), low latency mode and 4K UHDTV.

  • SOUTH HALL (LOWER)

4K is also expected to be the order of the day among the post-production vendors gathered in the Lower South Hall.

Quantel (SL2109) will be showcasing its revolutionQ and Pablo Rio in a state-of-the-art 4K theatre.

Digital Vision (SL14518) will be unveiling hardware described as ‘4K and beyond’, but it will also be demonstrating its new collaborative workflow, DVO Stereo 3D Fix tool, integration with MTI Cortex Dailies, and Nucoda Look, as well as its improved integration with Avid.

Debuting at NAB will be the Mac OS X version of Lightworks, the free, professional non-linear editor from EditShare (SL9010).

The company will also showcase a new intuitive interface for EditShare 7, as well as major new features for Flow media management and Geevs servers.

Vizrt (SL3305) will preview 4K rendering capabilities for the Viz Engine, its real-time 3D compositing system. Viz Engine also now has IP-streaming capability, allowing broadcasters to stream multiple formats and resolutions at the same time.

EVS (SL2416) is highlighting new extended timeline editing capabilities in IPDirector for fast-turnaround story-building. It will launch a new version of its EVS OpenCube suite, which has the ability to master MXF JPEG 2000 files in a mezzanine format for production and archive. It provides support for HD, 2K and 4K files, and faster-than-realtime JPEG 2000 encoding for studios, as well as full IMF format support.

Grass Valley (SL206) will be demonstrating its latest software release for the GV Stratus non-linear production solution. It includes tools to increase workflow efficiency through automated, rules-based file operations, and introduces the EDIUS XS nonlinear low-resolution proxy editor for the solution.

Rohde & Schwarz DVS (SL6316) is showcasing enhancements for the Clipster DI workstation, including support for AS-02 and IMF.

It is also now possible to master cinema films at up to 96fps (HFR 3D at 48fps) in high image quality. The company is also introducing Venice Element, an entry-level version of its Media Production Hub solution to meet the needs of live studio operation and playout.

  • NORTH HALL

Snell’s stand (N1820) will feature a 4K upgrade to the Kahuna 360 multi-format switcher, as well as enhanced graphics capability and an extension to four channels of HD for channel-in-a-box product ICE. New at NAB is the “low-priced” KudosPro MC500 motion-compensated frame-rate converter, a new range of IQ video format converter modules, and the IQQSM range of 3Gbps/HD/SD-SDI quad split monitors.

The company will also launch the Luna Series of 1-RU router control panels, including four LED models and two LCD models.

Making its debut at NAB will be Miranda’s (N2513) iTX Render Service for Adobe After Effects CS6, which automates and manages rendering of After Effects projects into fully finished graphics, ready for playout.

Other NAB firsts will include a frame sync input card for the Nvision 8500 series of hybrid routers and a high-density, streaming media encoder: the SME-1901.

Pixel Power (N2034) will unveil a file-based rendering solution that delivers the Pixel Power graphics engine in a softwareonly version that runs on standard IT hardware. It will render audio and video files using the same template-based system as Clarity hardware systems.

Ross Video (N3808) has joined forces with Unreel to offer a plug-and-play solution at NAB that has been designed to deliver network-quality augmented-reality graphics with integration into any broadcast environment, with no green-screen required. Also new is the company’s free Carbonite View- Control - touch-screen control technology that integrates Carbonite, XPression Graphics Systems and BlackStorm Playout Servers into a live user interface.

  • Key Speakers - NAB highlights

A Conversation with John Landau Location: S222 Sunday 7 April, 11.30-12.30

Academy Award-winning producer Jon Landau gives a keynote speech that will expand on the theme of using technology for storytelling.

Terrestrial UHDTV Broadcasting in South Korea Location: S225/226 Sunday 7 April, 14.30-15.00

Korean Broadcasting System senior research engineer In Joon Cho will speak about the broadcaster’s 4K trials.

Content acquisition, 4K-UHDTV content compression with HEVC codec, next-generation DVB-T2 transmission and the receiving technologies used during the trials will all be discussed.

NAB Show Opening Location: Paradise Monday 8 April, 9.00-10.15

News Corporation president and chief operating officer Chase Carey will speak with NAB president and chief executive Gordon Smith about his vision for the future of the media business.

Lowell McAdam: A Candid Conversation Location: Paradise Tuesday 9 April, 9.00-10.00

Verizon Communications’ chairman and chief executive Lowell McAdam will speak about how broadcast and broadband can co-exist for the benefit of viewers who want content on a variety of platforms.

Red Bull Stratos: Remote Production at the Edge of Space Location: S227 Tuesday 9 April, 13.30-14.00

Felix Baumgartner’s 128,000 ft skydive was one of the most talked-about live events of 2012, notching up the most concurrent live streams ever reported by YouTube. Technology firm Riedel provides an overview of the camera, communications and signal transmission side of the operation.