Henderson Engineers has been a longtime attendee of the 2022 NAB Show learning about the latest in systems design and technology each year. Meeting manufacturers and vendors, seeing demonstrations, and sitting in on sessions, the attendees get to learn about the latest and greatest. This year, three members of #TeamHenderson’s venue sector attended the conference in Las Vegas, Kevin Butler, Dan Keller, and Russel Goodwin. They brought back some insights on the continued advancements in broadcasting and entertainment.

Virtual Set Production

Multiple booths showcased continued advancements around Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), and virtual set production and workflows. Many workflows utilized Epic Games’ Unreal Engine (a real-time 3D rendering software). Combined with a direct view LED (DVLED) backdrop, advancements beyond a traditional green screen are possible with photo realistic results for virtual set environments. The industry is forecasting this technology will be expanding out of the high budget, production studio environment, reaching other, lower budget production levels.

Primary adopters will be video production facilities, but as content creation becomes increasingly important in today’s digital environment, this technology could become prevalent in any facility with a video studio space. We can assist with accounting for the increased cooling and power required when implementing a virtual set while also maintaining the required acoustic criteria within the studio space.

Continued Maturation of IP Broadcast

• • Continued maturation of IP network-based broadcast transport standards was prevalent throughout the show and is coming at various price and capability levels. Our takeaways: SMPTE 2110 is in full adoption.
  • [NewTek developed] NDI is proliferating.
  • Audinate’s Dante AV is gaining momentum as a possible contender.

Given the expansion of these transport options, Henderson plans to continue our push toward the preference of fiber and category-based infrastructure over coax distribution as it (hopefully) begins to sunset.

Cloud / Remote Broadcast Production

Continued advancement and adoption of cloud and remote production technologies was displayed across the NAB 2022 floor. A necessity during the pandemic, this continues to open the door for creative staffing solutions using remote resources. Dedicated services for use with this hybrid workflow are coming to fruition.

Implementing cloud and remote production technologies will allow owners of multiple venues to successfully complete broadcast productions from a specific location, as opposed to having a production facility at each individual venue. Hybrid approaches could be used to share or “contract out” portions of the workflow. This not only saves money on hardware, but also limits the number of staff required to service all the venues.

Programmable Camera Motion Control

Programmable and repeatable motion control capabilities were demonstrated within reasonable cost platforms. This technology will heighten production levels for a variety of end users, giving them smooth shots which historically have required advanced operators and/or film level equipment.

We are intrigued to see how creatives may utilize this technology as it becomes more accessible. The current use is in television and movie production, but House of Worship and entertainment shows, such as concerts and theatrical shows of all levels, may find ways to advance their production quality utilizing this technology.