Somewhere out there, you might not have noticed that the 2009 edition of the NAB Show is this week in Las Vegas. Attendance this year was WAY down as might be expected.
We made our dutiful rounds through the array of "Dealer Principle" meetings. Those are the gatherings where manufacturers go to great lengths to remind dealers that we need to sell more of their stuff no matter how much our customers refuse to purchase their product. If there is one constant in the universe, it is that most manufacturers have yet to figure out how to get the most out of their dealer network.
Monday morning started off in the best of spirits. Beautiful sunny morning, a quick easy ride to the convention center on the shuttle and no big lines. Our first stop was at the Canon booth. In years past, the announcement that NAB 2009 was now open was met by a huge pile of humanity blasting through the doors. This year, we were two of about six people at our door when the show opened. A liesurely stroll down the isle, a big hug from Stephanie and the show was underway! It really wasn't until about noon that the show began to have a noticeable number of people wandering around.
I'm sure that a lot of show organizers where very disappointed by the number of people who stayed home this year. I think they are seeing a glass half empty. The people who came to NAB this year came with a purpose, an intent and a plan to do business. All of our manufacturer reps we talked to all agreed that attendance was way down, but they were really happy with the quality of customers coming in their booth. I found the same to be true. I had customer meetings on Monday afternoon and that was it. In past years, customer meetings went for three days. This year, three hours. But they were a very productive three hours and worth every minute.
Having only three hours of customer meetings opened up my schedule to do something I haven't had the luxury to do for about four years and that was go look for new products and spend some serious time learning about new products. All of Tuesday was dedicated to covering South Upper, South Lower, Central and North Halls. We saw a lot of good friends who were pleased to see that PVT is alive and well and with the lower attendance this year, we had the time to actually talk about what kinds of products to focus on that our customers will need in the next year. By far and away, this has been the most productive NAB I have ever been to. This is the year that reminds all of us that we can't be fat, stupid and lazy. This is the year of disipline and strategy.
Before I sign off, what NAB rant would be complete without a list of cool things found at the show? I can't possibly bring myself to let you down (nor can I pass up the chance to keep typing!)
Cool Things at the Show:
Sony HXC100 Camera. For all of us who have been rewarded by the ultra-reliable DXC-D series of cameras over the years, Sony has finally seen fit to bring the next generation to market. High Definition, 2/3" CCDs, Digital Triax, Camera and CCU - $49,900.00 List Price.
JVC GY-HM700 Camcorder. JVC has yet another hit camcorder. While their external design isn't going to make them cool enough to become an Apple product, JVC keeps focusing on functionality and listening to what their users want in a camcorder.
Panasonic AG-HPX300. Great classic "shoulder mount" camcorder design, traditional layout, untraditional performance. This camcorder will convince you that you don't have to have 2/3" sensors to get a great picture.
Tiffen Infra-Red Filters. We all know that CCD's love UV light. Who knew that CMOS sensors love IR light? Everyone who buys any camcorder with CMOS sensors will see a marked improvement in contrast (noticably better greys) by installing an IR filter. Tiffen launches the filters this summer.
Sennheiser 2000 Series Wireless Mics. For those of us wanting a bit better performance than what the Evolution Series offers, but aren't ready for the 3k-5k price tag, Sennheiser offers the new 2k series. Designed mostly for installed application, the dual receiver includes antenna distribution and an IR port to program the transmitter! Find an open frequency, hold the transmitter up to the receiver's IR port and instantly re-tune the transmitter. Too cool.
Lectrosonics OCTOPACK. What the field audio guy has been impatiently waiting for. Drop up to four SR receivers into the frame and get up to 8 channels of audio out. The frame includes the antenna distribution, so you only have two antennas to contend with.
International Supplies Purosol Molecular Screen Cleaner. 100% natural, 100% green, 100% free of alcohol or ammonia. Using a blend of plant based enzymes, this stuff cuts right through the dirt and grime. Two formulations: Optical for lenses and Plasma for, well, Plasma and LCD monitors. The Plasma version has an extra enzyme to help repel dust after you clean the screen. I used it on my laptop screen and it is the only cleaner I have ever used that actually lifted off all the fingerprints and greasy stuff. The one ounce bottle with micro-cloth is only $12.00 and every shooter should make room in his/her camera bag for this. PVT will have this in stock by May 1st.
Blackmagic Design The Whole Damn Booth. Here's a company that really has their act together! Always expanding, always looking for a new way to get the job done. The UltraScope gives you over $20,000.00 worth of test and measurement for under $700.00. Put the card in your computer, attach a 24" screen and get six displays including 5.1 surround audio. For $700.00 you will get about 97% of all the measurements you would ever want to make on a SDI stream.
Enterprise Video Hub Router. 144x288 for $30k and it's less than 3" deep including the cooling heat sinks! Using switch fabric from telco routers (and telco companies get just as cranky as broadcasters when their routers fail), it's time to get your head out of your rack and realize that there is a better way to get source A to destination B. With all the money you save your company, they will be thrilled to let you come to NAB next year and stay in the Presidential Suite at Ceasers!
It's been a great show and I'm looking forward to NAB 2010.
Brian
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Sounds like a positive NAB. I always thought that NAB hosted too many tire kickers.
ReplyDeleteWith the economic slow down have you seen many vendors vacate their spaces in an attempt to cut cost? Avid and Apple come to mind in 2008.
Every year some vendor catches the eye of the audiance, such as Newtech, Red, etc.... Did someone stand out this year?
Sure, some vendors bailed out of this year's show. For the most part, I think most of the vendors were present along with some new vendors testing the "broadcast" market for their products. A lot of vendors like to complain about the cost of being at the NAB show, but if you look at the cost of the booth divided by the number of potential customers you get in front of, NAB is still a pretty cheap date when you look at the cost per customer.
ReplyDeleteI didn't really see a booth that had a lot of people all buzzed. I think the attendees at NAB this year had their schedules and knew what they needed to get done. The lack of "tire-kickers" made getting around the show very efficient.