Unveiling the Magic of NAB Show New York 2023: A Blend of Innovation and NYC Energy

By Technology Editor, ProductionHUB, Mark Foley

I don’t know exactly how to describe it but there is a certain vibe when you put NAB together with New York City and the Javits Convention Center. NAB NY 2023 most certainly lived up to the hype — there were 50 new and different exhibitors along with some familiar favorites that made for an overall total of 275 companies to see and talk to. This made it a really fun and quite busy show that had something for everyone.

Some NAB NY Background Info

For those of you that have never had the chance to attend, NAB NY is a unique experience because due to its relative size, exhibitors seem to be just more accessible to attendees, leading to deeper and more engaging conversations. This leads to a better understanding for both exhibitors and attendees of what is currently trending in the production and broadcasting spaces that we call our work home.

Overall, NAB NY was a busy time! According to records, NAB saw an increase of 28% in attendance over 2022 with an estimate of over 12,000 attendees. Add in the excellent and well attended CINE+ LIVE LAB Sessions along with the AES (Audio Engineering Society Conference) in the adjacent hall, there were more than enough of products to see and learn about.

Let’s check out some of the products and services categories that got my attention at NAB NY, and then for even more coverage be sure to head on over to our very own ProductionHUB TV (coming soon!) for more video insights. Let’s go!

Who Is Switching the Game?

Having started out as a TD (technical director) working in live sports and concerts, I've always had a certain affinity for production switchers — or as our friends in the UK refer to them as “Vision Mixers” — and of course the talented professionals that can fly them. Switchers have always been at the heart of production. I look at today’s switchers as the “super brain” connected and having the power equivalent of a NASA or Space X rocket. Even the most basic switchers have so much capability. It's incredible! The choices of how you can switch or call a show or game now are mind blowing.

Here are just a few examples.

Panasonic KAIROS Live Production Platform

The next generation KAIROS Core AT-KC200 and AT-KC2000 offer improved functionality and performance, include better connectivity, improved video processing, and more file storage capacity. The KC2000 will support significantly increased content capacity with a 96GB RAM Player, 32GB Stills and an 850GB Clip Player, eliminating the need for a stand-alone clip player in many applications.

ROSS Ultrix FR12/Carbonite Ultra 60

ROSS continues to up their game in a big way with what they call Hyperconverged Solutions Platform that shrinks the broadcast infrastructure footprint in space, cabling, and power consumption. The new Ultrix FR12 combines 288×288 12G Routing, Audio Processing, Audio Mixing, MultiViewers, Frame Syncs and Production Switchers into one configurable package.

Attendees also got some hands on experience in the ROSS booth with the Carbonite Ultra 60, a totally new class of production switcher. Ultra 60 has the I/O capacity and layering functionality with the size, simplicity, and competitive pricing of medium Carbonite series. Its three full MEs and modular design make it easy to scale inputs up or down as requirements change.

Blackmagic Design ATEM Panels

Blackmagic Design was showing two new hardware control panels designed to access the full power of ATEM Constellation HD and 4K switchers. The new ATEM 1 M/E Advanced Panel 20 and 30 models feature the same design as the 2 M/E and 4 M/E Advanced Panels,but have a compact size to fit into any broadcast studio space. The new 1 M/E panels include up to 3 system control LCDs, buttons for control of 4 upstream keyers, 4 downstream keyers and 4 M/E rows as well as a joystick, and T-bar fader.

ATEM Advanced Panels feature the familiar M/E style layout. Each panel has built-in LCDs for menus, with customizable illumination color, a DVE joystick plus T-bar fader. The new 1 M/E Advanced Panel 20 features 20 input buttons and 2 system control LCDs, while the larger 1 M/E Advanced Panel 30 has 30 input buttons and features 3 system control LCDs.

JVC KM-IP8S4 CONNECTED CAM™ vMix Studio Switcher

Included among the JVC equipment being presented at the Broadfield Distributors booth was the company’s KM-IP8S4 CONNECTED CAM™ vMix Studio Switcher, which can manage a minimum of eight NDI inputs at 1080 60P using vMix 4K licensed software for Windows 11 Pro. The 2RU device is optimized for switching live programming in SD up to full HD 1080 60P and offers several output options, including one 3G-SDI, one HDMI, four DisplayPort and a Gigabit Ethernet network port.

Also being displayed is the RM-LP350G CONNECTED CAM vMix Control Surface, a desktop controller for vMix that works with the JVC KM-IP8 systems to enable traditional-style switching, along with the RM-LP5G CONNECTED CAM Compact Joystick PTZ Controller. This device is designed with a dual-axis joystick and zoom bridge, as well as a four-color LED multiscreen display for ease of setup and operation and is capable of managing up to five PTZ cameras.

FUJIFILM GFX100 ll

It just wouldn’t be a NAB if we didn’t talk cameras. FUJIFILM was on fire — the company sponsored a series of walkarounds at Hudson Yards, allowing participants the opportunity to shoot any model they had on hand. I had the chance to check out the new GFX100 ll. Wow factor way up with the 102 MP Sensor, Records Apple Pro Res internally, 8K/24p, and is Frame.io to Cloud ready.

Marshall Electronics PTZ Cameras

Marshall Electronics was very eager to showcase their PTZ cameras, including the new CV620-TBI/TWI auto-track and follow PTZ camera as well as its latest high bandwidth model, the CV730-BHN/WHN.

The CV620-TBI PTZ camera is designed to auto-track and follow presenters using more natural Pan/Tilt/Zoom movement methods with AI accuracy. The CV620-TBI uses new facial recognition technology and intelligently learns motion dynamics of the subject and anticipates movement. The CV730-BHN Full-NDI® PTZ camera incorporates the premium Full NDI® FPGA while also offering the benefits of NDI|HX3 and standard IP (HEVC/SRT) streams.

Blackmagic Design Cinema Camera 6K

Yes, I was super excited to check out even more technologies from Blackmagic Design including the recently released Blackmagic Cinema Camera 6K which was drawing quite the crowd in the Blackmagic Design booth. The camera features a full frame 24 x 36mm 6K sensor with wide dynamic range, flexible L-Mount for lenses and a built in optical low pass filter that's designed to match the sensor. Blackmagic Cinema Camera 6K features a full frame sensor with a native resolution of 6048 x 4032. The large sensor also lets customers work in true 6:5 anamorphic without cropping, making widescreen cinematic images more detailed and in a higher resolution.

What’s Next?

You might be asking now that we got through the switchers and cameras what’s next? Glad you asked. There was so much more tech at NAB NY than we can ever get to, but I am going to try.

Puget Systems Teams Up with Vū

During the NAB New York show at the Javits Center in New York City, a Vū One media server powered by Puget Systems showed an affordable solution for sophisticated Virtual Production workflows.

Puget Systems teamed up with Vū at NAB NY to demonstrate Vū’s newly launched turnkey, accessible virtual production platform, Vū One. ‘Powered by Puget Systems,’ Vū One delivers an interoperable set of creative and collaborative software tools and tightly integrated hardware for virtual productions in a single, integrated solution.

Last month, Puget Systems announced that they had been selected by Vū as its exclusive media server provider because of Puget Systems’ unique qualification and expertise in designing and building complex, high-performance systems specifically designed for demanding virtual production environments.

In the demo, attendees saw one of the major features of Vū One – the ability to remotely connect with, and manage, a virtual production stage from a different location. In this case, the Puget Systems Media Server will be connected live to a Vū studio in Orlando, Florida.

Pliant Technologies MicroCom 900XR Wireless Headset

Pliant Technologies was also at the show highlighting its latest products and innovations, including its new all-in-one MicroCom 900XR Wireless Headset. The new wireless headset combines the great sound quality, excellent range, and budget-friendly price point of MicroCom XR with the comfortable fit, exceptional noise isolation, and flip-up microphone muting technology of the SmartBoom PRO headset, but without the wire. Pliant will also present its new CrewCom IP-rated Radio Transceivers, the latest addition to the flagship CrewCom wireless intercom line, ideal for outdoor applications.

NUGEN AB Assist Quick Comparison Tool

At this year’s show, NUGEN featured its AB Assist quick comparison tool. Designed to remove subjectivity and biases, the plug-in allows users to compare multiple pieces of audio ― including different takes, plug-in options, mix revisions, versions of a master, and other elements. To remove any subjectivity or biases in the comparison, blind tests can also be conducted in ‘test’ mode.

In addition, NUGEN will preview VisLM 3, a major update to its VisLM loudness meter. The latest version will feature a variety of new innovations that will help users manage their loudness in both faster and smarter ways. These include user-defined program segments, the ability to support up to 22.2 channels, stem monitoring and loudness measurement for separate deliverables and more.

TAG Video Systems Content Matching

Have you ever sat down and seen some really deep content monitoring? Well, I had no idea until I did this sit down at NAB NY with the folks from TAG. If you haven’t heard the name before, TAG Video Systems provides software-based IP end-to-end monitoring, deep probing, and real time visualization solutions.

TAG’s Content Matching in action is driven by technology that identifies and detects similar content across two different streams regardless of resolution, bitrate, or framerate, to ensure correct and uninterrupted delivery. This new technology dramatically reduces workflow complexity and eyes-on-glass and enables media companies to deliver quality content with fewer resources and more confidence. This is WAY beyond your old school confidence monitoring especially in this day and age of the huge amount of date streaming across your network.

NAB Show New York and the HBO Camera Assessment Series (CAS)

NAB Show New York and the HBO Camera Assessment Series (CAS) worked together to provide show attendees a new educational experience that gave them access to top HBO creators and allowed them to explore hands-on, cutting-edge, cinematic technology.

As part of the NAB Show New York, attendees were able to screen The CAS, which is a meticulous exploration of the cinematic storytelling potential of today's leading cameras. The follow-up session, The Making of The HBO Camera Assessment Test (CAS) Seminar, took place at the Cine+Live Lab on the NAB Show New York show floor.

"These initiatives offer a unique opportunity for product discovery by upskilling the community to deliver enhanced viewer experiences," said Chris Brown, executive vice president and managing director, NAB Global Connections and Events. “Attendees will have the opportunity to engage with leading industry experts, explore new techniques and gain insights into the latest trends in cinematography and broadcast-style production.”

Closing Thoughts: NAB NY Comes into Its Own

NAB NY was a good show for a lot of reasons. It was just the right size for attendees to dig in and see some great products. It was also an opportunity to hear from industry experts, and of course, it was a great time to catch up with old friends all while making some new connections. Overall, it was just a really solid vibe and positive experience all around. If you saw something that really stood out for you at NAB NY or you have some thoughts on some gear or production story let me know. I would love to hear from you!

Don't forget to check out ProductionHUB TV and NABHUB for more show news and interviews.