Gearing Up for NAB

Available this fall, the GY-HM600 and GY-HM650 are just what TV stations need, JVC says. They are small, light and designed to speed delivery of raw video into the editing workflow. The GY-HM650 includes built-in WiFi connectivity that enables rapid transmission of footage relayed via smartphones, tablets or laptop computers.

While bonded cellular technology looks to be the future of ENG transmission, the ubiquitious live truck is still alive, but changing — to smaller, less expensive vehicles like this Frontline hybrid. And some are featuring new antennas to strengthen cellular signals.

Six companies — LiveU, Dejero, TVU Networks, Streambox, Teradek and DSI RF Systems — have emerged as pioneers on the cellular video frontier. A seventh, Vislink, is about to enter the market. Each manufactures a portable device that uses AT&T, Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile air cards to produce a signal capable of transmitting high-quality pictures.

Vendors of the competitive and fast changing weather graphics market will be out in force next month at the NAB Show. In many cases, the new products and features they will be promoting were developed in direct response to customer, and even audience, research.

Ross Video, Grass Valley and Sony will be showing the latest options in news production automation technology at next month’s NAB Show. With a majority of stations in the major markets already on board, vendors are turning their attention to smaller markets by offering new features including customization.

A host of tech players are introducing new integrated master control technology at this year’s NAB Show. However, the fast-growing technology is not yet for everyone. “There are many reasons why traditional automation is still very viable for a lot of companies,” says Miranda’s Scott Rose. “But integration is really the trend. It’s too early to say traditional automation has had its day. There are still a lot of uses for it. But I don’t know many station engineers who want more boxes in an even longer chain.”

Vendors of media access management products will be promoting their systems at April’s NAB Show to buyers who are increasingly interested in the savings and revenue-generating possibilities such systems offer. As Avid’s Jim Frantzreb notes: “Our customers perceive that asset management has gone from being a nice-to-have solution to something essential to any competitive media business.”

Now that the FCC has decided on tech specs for TV commercial audio loudness, broadcasters will be in a buying mood to get in compliance by the end of the year. A host of companies will be offering equipment and software  to monitor and correct any potential problems and document compliance.

Compatibility is key in the editing products that will be on display at April’s NAB Show. According to the vendors and their customers, editing systems should not only accommodate the ever-growing list of video formats, but also interact with competing platforms. Other hot button improvements include improved graphics and scalability, and around-the-clock access to tools from anywhere. And Apple hopes to win back customers with a new version of Final Cut Pro that restores many previous features.

As more and more stations adopt the one-man band approach to newsgathering, the camera manufacturers are turning out new units that are small enough and light enough to be managed easily, and big enough and heavy enough to be balanced for a steady shot. Plus, they’re inexpensive enough that any station’s budget can handle them, too. Among the options that will be featured at NAB 2012 are the Sony NX5, the JVC 150 and the Panasonic 250.