Hot Take: NAB 2022 in Review, Part 1

自从全国广播协会成立以来，世界发生了很大的变化 (NAB) last held their convention in person in 2019. The COVID-19大流行以及随后的封锁和限制，几乎改变了一切， including 从活动摄像到影视的专业制作. Shows like the nightly news adapted more easily 比通常涉及大量工作人员、大批观众或有大量工作人员的演出场所的演出要多. Anchors sat a bit farther apart, and if the camerapeople in the newsroom weren't immediately replaced by robotic cameras, some were shortly converted. Talk shows migrated from $100 million studios to the hosts' home office, living room, or backyard, 有机器人PTZ摄像机和一名工作人员在现场.

Al尽管在过去几个月里，保持社交距离的限制基本消失了his year’s NAB show 反映了2020-21年事件对行业造成的所有变化.

New Cameras: Predominantly PTZs

My expectations for the show were already on the low side, 因为我没有像业内记者那样，在展会前得到铺天盖地的简报. I saw no new camcorders. I expected to see only two new cinema cameras, the Canon EOS R5 C announced in January, 以及2月份宣布的Blackmagic Design URSA Broadcast G2.

But new PTZ cameras were all the rage at NAB 2022. Panasonic has 3 lines of PTZ cameras with 9 models. Besides Panasonic, Sony, JVC, Canon, 和马歇尔都在展示新的PTZ摄像机和支持系统.

JVC's new PTZ, the KY-PZ510

Decentralized Postproduction Is Here to Stay

Next to the storm of PTZ cameras, 我看到了几家硬件和软件制造商的更新或新产品，这些产品旨在使后期工作中的远程协作更高效、更持久. 在与许多业内和行业外的人交谈时——甚至有些人认为他们会讨厌在家工作——我发现他们现在不想或不打算回到办公室.

编辑和其他后期制作专业人士很快意识到在家工作的成本优势:不需要购买汽油，也更少维护车辆, and for corporations, less office space to rent. 这些公司正在向Adobe等许多软件和硬件公司投资基础设施, OWC, Blackmagic Design, 另一些则是为了确保他们的后期制作团队可以分散在同一个城镇或世界各地, and still have access to edit their projects.

许多相机和软件公司正在实施“相机到云”的解决方案，一旦相机停止录制，就开始将代理剪辑上传到云.

MIA at NAB

What was also telling, 很多公司通常都是我必看的名单，但现在却不见了吗. 在NAB 2022展会上参展的公司名单如下:Avid, BorisFx, Yamaha, TASCAM, Azden, K-Tek, Manfrotto, LaCie, JVC, GoPro, and many others. 与我交谈过的参展商表示，许多人没有再来的部分原因是——就像拉斯维加斯的许多事情一样——在NAB预订展位已经变成了一场金融赌博. When the lockdowns shut down the last 3 attempted NABs, 参展商可以将25%的费用用于下届NAB, and lost 75% of their investment. Many couldn't risk another loss. 同样缺席的还有很多中国公司，这些公司通常会来这里展示一系列万向节，并对其他制造商的万向节进行逆向设计, cameras, tripods, bags, and other products at a lower cost.

While Sony, Canon, and Blackmagic Design booked their usual gigantic booths, 大多数其他摊位的平面图都是过去的一小部分. While NAB booths populated the LVCC’s new smaller “West Hall,整个南厅上下两层(面积相当于20个足球场)都没有使用.

也许最令人震惊的从节目中消失的是B & H照片和视频NAB展示目录，由带有QR码的薄小册子取代. 我们中的许多人把这些目录从一个NAB保存到另一个NAB，以便在闲暇时翻阅, “the old-fashioned way,” without swiping left or right. 我过去常常带一些多余的拷贝回家给那些不能来看演出的朋友. After 30 years of going to NAB, 当我递给同事们他们最喜欢的读物时，我再也看不到他们的笑脸了.

Last of the old-school B&H NAB catalogs?

我把NAB 2022看作是一个严重受伤后重返工作岗位的病人. 医生允许NAB工作，但仍未完全康复. Hopefully, it will be up to full speed in 2023, with all the missing vendors in attendance, 没有欧米伽病毒导致另一次关机或俄罗斯熄灯. In the spirit of having a more cheery outlook, as I microwave myself some “soylent green,” in Part 2 of NAB 2022, 我将讨论一些有前途的新产品，我发现在近乎昏迷的展示厅.