LAS VEGAS—TV Technology asked a cross-section of NAB Show-goers a series of five questions regarding what they considered the main themes, evidence of those, whether or not these initiatives will take hold, and what promising technologies from past NAB Shows did not see daylight. (A complete list of quotes from respondents and links to their full 5Qs is at “NAB 2016 in 21 Quotes.”)
Dennis Wharton, executive vice president of communications for the National Association of Broadcasters:
Q1.How many NAB Shows have you attended?
D.W. 28
Q2.What, in your opinion, were the main themes of the show this year?
D.W. Next-gen TV, Ultra HD, high dynamic range; drone explosion; virtual and augmented reality; IP-based content delivery.
Q3. What were some examples of these themes?
D.W. Ang Lee’s revolutionary 4K/3D/120 frames per second film trailer using immersive audio and HDR; Kaleidoscope VR Showcase; Virtual Reality Production Summit.
Q4.Do you foresee any or all of these technologies or initiatives taking hold?
D.W. Next-gen TV is off to a great start with the filing of the ATSC 3.0 petition at the FCC by NAB, CTA, APTS (public TV lobby) and AWARN (public safety group). That was followed up by a pledge from FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler to move quickly on the next-gen TV petition. [Editor’s note: Wheeler did so April 26. See, “FCC Puts ATSC 3.0 Out for Comment.”]
Ang Lee’s film screening was so compelling and “buzzworthy” that you have to believe this technology will be embraced by the movie-going public.
Once regulatory issues are settled, drones will unquestionably become a force in newsgathering and filmmaking.
Q5.What technology that impressed you most at a past show didn’t see the light of day?
D.W. For a variety of reasons, 3D has not been the success that many expected.
