NAB 2014

FCC CEO Gordon Smith says such a plan is needed to balance the federal government’s “increasingly singular focus” on broadband. The FCC should take a “holistic” approach, starting with a thorough review of all regulations. “Where is the FCC’s gusto and determination to embrace broadcasting’s values and public service responsibilities?” he asks.

Panelists at a state-of-the-business session in Las Vegas say companies are too bogged down in building custom systems for broadcasters to focus on the innovation required to create better end products.

Sony introduced the PXW-X180 handheld camcorder with support for wireless LAN camera control and submission of proxy video at its 2014 NAB Show press conference on April 6. The new […]

Work on developing specifications of ATSC 3.0, the new TV transmission standard, should be done by late 2015, hopefully delivering broadcasters a giant leap forward in the kinds of services that stations will be able to provide generate money from.

ChyronHego is buying Norwegian WeatherOne and its Metacast live-to-air weather graphics and broadcast production system. The company also has taken a majority stake in ZXY Sport Tracking, a Norwegian provider of transponder-based sports tracking systems. ChyronHego will integrate the ZXY’s transponder tracking technology into its TRACAB optical-based player tracking system.

Harmonic intros VOS, a software platform for television production and distribution that leverages the company’s existing intellectual property for a future in which virtual machines replace purpose-built hardware.

Scott Bowditch, marketing product manager for OverDrive and Inception, while emphasizing that “there is no way a journalist can be successful without social media,” said news organizations must work hard to avoid the “Wild West” nature of the medium where traditional journalistic mechanisms promoting accuracy in reporting are largely unknown. By broadening their audience with social media, stations can build ratings and strengthen revenue with the more traditional commercial TV revenue model, he added.

The Associated Press will showcase its mobile version of AP ENPS, its multiplatform news production system, at the NAB Show in Las Vegas next week. Users can upload photos and video into AP ENPS along with stories using a smartphone, tablet or other mobile device and send to digital production or on-air broadcast.

Rich Chernock, chief science officer of Triveni Digital, is leading the effort to develop TV’s next-gen transmission standard, ATSC 3.0. At next week’s NAB Show he will provide updates on ATSC 3.0 developments as well as lead an IEEE/BTS discussion on next-generation compression. He talks about where the process is now and what’s in store in Las Vegas.

ExciteM, a San Francisco-based media company that develops and implements interactive TV participation campaigns based on its proprietary platform, will be a featured startup at the 2014 NAB Show. ExciteM’s interactive participation technology allows newscasters and audiences to interact in real time. It is designed for local and national television stations and powers social engagement for events ranging from local polls to the Sochi Olympics and Golden Globe Awards.

This year’s convention and marketplace in Las Vegas will cover a wide range of technology and engineering-related topics, with three of the most important at center stage — the FCC spectrum incentive auction and repack; next-generation digital terrestrial broadcasting; and Ultra HD formats like 4K and 8K.

The veteran journalist and host of Fusion’s America With Jorge Ramos news magazine will be honored during the NAB Show’s opening session on April 7.