NAB Show 2010 Preview: What to Look for On (and Off) the Show Floor

It's time to rock the broadcasters' favorite city once again. The 2010 NAB Show is upon us! If you thought a weak economy would mean nothing new to show, you are quite mistaken. Many manufacturers have introduced some of their products prior to April, but NAB will be the official unveiling for many innovations. Apple is sticking to its "no trade shows" policy and RED will host an off-site event, so, like last year, the show floor should actually be quite productive for those who attend.

Hot on the heels of Avatar's box office bonanza, stereoscopic 3D will once again be a hot topic. This year it's not only the in movies but also on television, as ESPN and Discovery are scheduled to launch their own 3D channels later in the year. The NLE manufacturers see this as a great opportunity—especially Quantel and Avid, who have integrated 3D workflows into their systems.

• 3D Dominates Tech Retreat, by Gary Arlen, TV Technology, March 22, 2010
• 3D: Hot Tech Ticket at NAB, by Glen Dickson and Paige Albiniak, Broadcasting & Cable, March 22, 2010
• Panasonic Clears the Path to 3D, by Tom Butts, TV Technology, March 25, 2010
• What's in Store for 3D Tools at NAB, by Carl Mrozek, TV Technology, March 26, 2010

Avid Technology introduced Media Composer version 4 last year, which features Stereo 3D, Mix and Match (the ability to mix frame rates) and AMA (Avid Media Access). I expect to see more development centered around AMA, an architecture designed to work with native camera codecs and metadata. Avid editors hope this will include QuickTime files (like ProRes) in order to level the playing field with the competition. That's uncertain, but I'm sure you'll see AMA support for additional formats beyond XDCAM, P2 and GFCam. At the very least, AMA is likely to include Canon's new MPEG-2 codec and Sony's NXCAM. Read more...