NAB 2019 in Review: The Major Trends and Surprises From the Big Broadcast Show in the Desert SVG's editors parse their main takeaways from the event By SVG Staff Friday, April 19, 2019 - 11:41 am
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The 2019 NAB Show is in the books, and it was once again a whirlwind of activity and technological innovation. The SVG editorial team was once again out in full force on the show floor, visiting hundreds of vendor booths and chatting up sports-production leaders throughout the week. Below is a recap of key trends that our writers identified: notably IP and virtualization, increased 4K and HDR, the rise of AI and automation, and a lack of VR. Contributing their insights are SVG's Brandon Costa, Jason Dachman, Dan Daley, Kristian Hernandez, Ken Kerschbaumer, Karen Hogan Ketchum, Fergal Ringrose, and Will Strauss.
What were some of the key trends this year at NAB 2019?
KK: Across the board, it seems that NAB 2019 exhibitors are offering more-complete solutions and products than in the past few years. And that simply reflects the maturity of the technology and workflows (think IP, HDR, 4K) that have been incubating for some time.
FR: After several years of discussion (maybe more so on the U.S. side?), the ship of IP-based live production based on SMPTE 2011 has definitely sailed. We're on the move - whether for all-IP or hybrid IP-SDI operation. The key step-up I perceived in conversations is a new focus on orchestration - definitely my top buzzword of the show. In IP-based operation, that layer of network control and monitoring becomes critical. And this is new territory for broadcast engineers who have spent a lifetime in baseband operation.
JD: Although 12G solutions were much more prevalent at the show than I had expected, the migration to IP seems to be in full swing. If you're building a broadcast facility from scratch, it's a no-brainer today, and even those with legacy infrastructure seem to be moving toward hybrid IP-SDI workflows at a much faster rate than last year. Much of the credit goes not only to the maturation of SMPTE ST 2110 but also to broadcast vendors' finally shipping 2110-compliant products.
BC: This wasn't the level of Mobile World Congress, but 5G certainly made its presence felt at this show - if not explicitly written out on booth displays but in almost every conversation I've had. We're at that stage where it's the magical unicorn of a future that will open up everything for us - once it gets here. There's a duality between the hype and the desire for this industry to pump the breaks and sort out the real benefits for our business. This is more than just faster cellphones and more even than expediencies in sports venues like in the days when LTE first came out. For sports-production pros, 5G means significant advances in video contribution. It can further power the shift to at-home production. It makes the cloud even more significant in a live, real-time environment. Heck, even on the creative front, you can tap into things like user-generated content in venues and integrate that into your live production. Get ready to hear 5G hyped for many NAB Shows to come. When it will meet its full potential is yet to be seen.
JD/KH: ESPORTS! Nearly every single vendor cited esports as the biggest growth vertical in the industry right now. With countless more esports arenas and studios sure to launch in the next 24+ months, esports are likely to continue to be M&E's biggest bull market.
WS: For me, it was all about the influence of AI and machine learning (ML). Everyone was injecting their products and services with AI - or pretending they were. Everyone. I wouldn't have been surprised to learn that many of the caterers and bar staff were doing it, too. In direct relation to AI and ML was the subject of automation, though not as far as replacing people is concerned (although that is a factor). It was more about how automation can free up human beings to do other, less boring/onerous tasks. This was a general trend across lots of vendors.
KHK: The diversification of transmission offerings, especially from satellite companies. In addition to offering satellite, many are getting into other transmission options, such as IP, public internet, and bonded cellular.
DD: I definitely saw accelerated shifts to AoIP and immersive audio. Also, RF reallocation is finally behind us. Or is it?
KK: When it comes to the imaging side, 4K and HDR are the norm in cameras and lenses. And that means that (much as in the transition to HD when HD cameras became the norm) the industry is poised to embrace UHD and HDR. Still need to figure out how to get it to the homes.
JD/BC/KH: Traditional broadcast vendors showing how their gear can be used for at-home production. Sports broadcasters' rapid shift to at-home-production for live coverage was driving nearly every single major technology trend on the floor, including IP, virtualization, and the cloud. There seems to be a complete faith and confidence in it now, whereas, in previous years, there were still a few issues technologically to work out. At-home, REMI, home run, whatever you call it, it's the future of this business on a wide scale.
KK: Automated production systems are definitely on the rise, and those solutions will play a key part if sports broadcasters are expected to build a business around broadcasts of third- and fourth-tier events.
KHK/BC: IP workflows. In particular, KVM manufacturers (and similar vendors) showcased how their technology works in an IP workflow. On the point of IP, the battle over COTS-based switching is getting really juicy now. Also, in speaking with one vendor representative, one of the major challenges now, particularly in live sports production and operations, is finding engineering talent with a strong skillset in both broadca
