NAB SHOW 2012: The Final Numbers & Highlights

In 2012 the NAB Show in Las Vegas underwent a profound transformation – shifting from a previously cautious stance towards new media distribution models wherein the “heads” were bracing themselves and erecting contingency plans for dealing with the new paradigm, this year the chatter was all about embracing the transmedia model, thinking outside the box and reconfiguring nearly everything.

“The Great Content Shift” was this year’s theme and it could be felt everywhere.  An entire session schedule was devoted to cloud computing, for example.

In the post-production world, there were more sessions about shooting with DSLRs, creating video podcasts and capitalizing on social media marketing than ever before.

On the show floor, Technicolor had a little booth set up to show the new $100 software they will be launching in July 2012 to help preview looks created by their technicians in realtime.  The software then writes the metadata to your assets’ header file for later recall.

Adobe was all about showing off the new CS6 – a meta-data driven suite of applications designed to be a part of the workflow from the very first typed word of a screenplay through analyzing metrics on distributed content. In CS6, Photoshop is capable of video playback, and the interface has been fully redesigned. Meanwhile Flash Catalyst has been phased out and folded into other applications in the suite.

SONY was showing off a prototype design for an auto-stereoscopic screen lay-over. Suggested street price is about US$150.00 for the plastic attachment and software. In other words, you may soon be able to watch things in 3D without glasses.

Blackmagic Design, once makers of only video i/o devices and cards acquired Da Vinci and its top-of-the-line color correction technologies several years back, but took things to yet another level at NAB 2012 by showing what is arguably the next generation of DSLR/low-budget image and motion capture device with its astonishing “Cinema Camera”.

Starting as low as $2995.00, The Blackmagic Cinema Camera features a machined aluminum chassis, interchangeable optics, high resolution 2.5K sensor, 13 stops of dynamic range and 12-bit RAW uncompressed and compressed ProRes and DNxHD file formats! Includes sun shield, power supply, carry strap, UltraScope waveform monitoring software and a full version of DaVinci Resolve Software for Mac OS X and Windows. Whoa…

In addition to the above, Betty White and Gary Marshall were inducted into the NAB Hall of Fame for their lifetime contributions to the entertainment industry, among others.

For more in-depth coverage of this year’s conference, check out our podcast.

As far as the number of attendees – here is the official report from NAB:

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The National Association of Broadcasters today released preliminary figures for the 2012 NAB Show, the world’s largest electronic media event covering filmed entertainment and the development, management and delivery of content across all mediums.

NAB reported an uptick in exhibitor participation and an almost 10 percent increase in size. The event comprised 1,600 exhibitors spanning 815,000 net square feet of exhibit space, up from 1,550 exhibitors occupying 745,000 net square feet in 2011.

• TOTAL REGISTERED ATTENDEES: 92,112
• INTERNATIONAL ATTENDEES: 24,928
• COUNTRIES REPRESENTED: 151
• NEWS MEDIA ATTENDEES: 1,652
• The 2011 NAB Show final attendance was 91,932.

International and news media attendance figures are included in the overall registration number. All numbers are based on pre-show and onsite registration and subject to an ongoing audit.

About NAB Show
NAB Show, held April 14-19 in Las Vegas, is the world’s largest electronic media show covering filmed entertainment and the development, management and delivery of content across all mediums. With more than 90,000 attendees from 151 countries and 1,500+ exhibitors, NAB Show is the ultimate marketplace for digital media and entertainment. From creation to consumption, across multiple platforms and countless nationalities, NAB Show is home to the solutions that transcend traditional broadcasting and embrace content delivery to new screens in new ways. Complete details are available at www.nabshow.com.

About NAB
The National Association of Broadcasters is the premier advocacy association for America’s broadcasters. NAB advances radio and television interests in legislative, regulatory and public affairs. Through advocacy, education and innovation, NAB enables broadcasters to best serve their communities, strengthen their businesses and seize new opportunities in the digital age. Learn more at www.nab.org.