When the NAB announced Jim Stenberg of American Tower as the recipient of the 2020 NAB Television Engineering Achievement Award, it was a reminder of the important role RF engineering plays in the day-to-day operations of over-the-air TV stations.

For nearly 35 years, Jim has risen through the ranks of a variety of antenna and RF companies that reads like a who’s who in the television business. Along the way he has been mentored by some of the visionaries that have helped advance RF and microwave technology.

Like so many in our industry, Jim’s love of broadcasting started in his teens when he moved to a new community in New Hampshire and discovered the wonders of ham radio. 

“I enrolled at a new junior high school and, not knowing anyone, I got involved in the ham radio club where all the geeks were,” Jim said. It wasn’t long before his interest expanded to antennas, culminating in the building of a 40-foot radio tower out of 2x4s with the help of his father (in the front of their house, no less).

Despite this, Jim says his first ambition was to become a commercial pilot. Unfortunately, after his doctor informed him that his eyesight was not good enough to pass a physical a week before starting at Daniel Webster college, he switched gears and decided to follow in his father’s and grandfather’s footsteps to study  engineering, while still gaining his pilot's license. 

After that, it was on to the University of Lowell where he received an undergrad in electrical engineering. Soon after graduation, he was tapped by Thomas Vaughan, of Micro Communications—recipient of the NAB Engineering Achievement Award in 1994—to direct their engineering on antennas and RF systems. 

“He was one of my mentors,” Jim said. “He provided a lot of input and then  left me alone to figure stuff out and get it done. I don't think that happens much anymore for a 25-year-old.”

Jim moved to Portland, Maine, in the  early 90’s to work for Spencer Smith—another of his mentors and founder of Passive Power Products—to develop combiners, supplying products to Comark and Harris, among others. In the mid-90’s he worked as a consultant, co-wrote a handbook on digital television implementation and then joined Jampro on the west coast to develop the company’s RF products.  

He eventually ended back in Maine to design, build and sell RF systems for Dielectric, working with several broadcast engineering stars there, helping them earn a Tech Emmy for filters. He helped design and build RF systems for hundreds of DTV transmitters and combined systems, including those for Sutro Tower, World Trade Center, Empire State Building, DTV Utah, Boston, Atlanta along with a patented “Shared Line Tee” system that allowed use of one line for two antenna feeds. It was also during this time that Jim worked on ATSC committees, developing and testing filters and antenna systems for the DTV transition, working with Jules Cohen, another mentor of his.

“Jules was an amazing force within broadcasting and a fount of knowledge,” Jim said.

In 2005, Jim struck out on his own to form a consulting/field service company and travel like crazy throughout the United States.

At American Tower Corporation since 2013, Jim serves as the principal RF broadcast engineer and subject matter expert on broadcast transmission systems on the company’s towers throughout the U.S.  

Currently Jim has been busy commissioning broadcasters on company-owned repack antenna systems, scheduled to wrap up this summer. It’s been among the most challenging projects in his career, “just for the sheer volume of work.”

“We built 15 new large multichannel systems in basically a year and a half,” he said.

After more than three decades in the business, what is it about broadcasting that drives him?

“I like working in the broadcast industry because it's something that you can quickly know you're making a difference,” he said. “I think that television over-the-air provides an important service to the public and we’re being shown that especially now.” 

Jim will receive his award online during NAB Show Express, May 13-14. 

WASHINGTON—It’ll be a global affair when the ball gets rolling on the 2016 NAB Show, as the National Association of Broadcasters has announced that it will host 697 exhibitors from outside the U.S. More than 60 international delegations will also be present at the conference, including first-time delegations from Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Cuba, Saudi Arabia and Zimbabwe.

The Show will once again feature 10 international country pavilions that will be present on the show floor. This year’s participants include Argentina, Bavaria, Belgium, Brazil, Korea, the U.K., Beijing, Israel and New Zealand.

The International Trade Center is set to take place in the North Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center during the show. The ITC is designed to offer onsite services for international guests and NAB Show exhibitors to discuss business opportunities. Federal and state officials will be at the ITC to discuss programs and grants available to U.S. suppliers looking at international business opportunities.

A number of international support organizations, like the Brazilian Society of Television Engineering, the International Association of Broadcast Manufacturing, and the Chinese Content Broadcasting Network, will host co-located events over the course of the conference. The NAB will also provide information on the 2016 NAB Show Shanghai, which will take place from Dec. 7-9.

The 2016 NAB Show will be held in Las Vegas from April 16-21.

The growth of 4K test gear in the past three years has been astonishing. More than ever, the test & measurement exhibitors at the 2016 NAB Show will showcase a wide array of solutions to check and maintain quality of 4K/UHD signals. With multiple program providers now delivering in 4K and millions of 4K-capable sets in the living rooms of consumers, it’s clear that 4K equipment is the hot trend in this category.

CONTENT MONITORING
Axon Digital will display its extensive line of transport stream analyzers, including the Smart DVB 90-series, which provides monitoring, analysis and display of transport stream integrity, and now includes black and freeze-frame detection running continually on all services as a background process.

Dektec will highlight its StreamXpert 2.0 HEVC decoder and analysis system, which also supports analysis of MPEG-2 and AVC video. On the audio side, StreamXpert 2.0 has an improved AC-3 and E-AC-3 audio decoder, as well as support for analysis of Dolby AC-4 audio.

Mediaproxy will introduce updates to its LogServer suite of products, now with advanced data monitoring panels in the Monwall IP multiviewer to facilitate real-time analysis and monitoring; advanced OTT monitoring at scale for HLS, SmoothStreaming and Dash sources/profiles; and support for 4K/HEVC sources. Also new is a native mobile app for real-time broadcast stream monitoring supported on iOS/Windows Mobile and Android devices.

Qligent will introduce several new features that simplify scalability of its Vision cloud-based monitoring platform,Qligent Virtual Probes, which can analyze IP-based streams from anywhere in the field and present that data on a centralized Vision dashboard in the cloud.

Nevion will highlight its network monitoring products, such as the TNS4200 broadcast monitor, which observes streams on IP/Ethernet and DVB-ASI, and provides fault detection and diagnostics with an easy-to-use user interface.

Rohde & Schwarz BMM-810 multiviewer and content monitoring solutionRohde & Schwarz will put the spotlight on the BMM-810 multiviewer and content monitoring solution for broadcast network and streaming platform operators. The BMM-810 allows visual monitoring of all service components and automatically detects content errors caused by playout, compression or transmission systems.

Sencore will show its AG 9000 UHD HEVC monitoring decoder, which provides HEVC 4K decoding for monitoring realtime linear distribution video feeds. The AG 9000 is a card that can be used in any Ross openGear frame, with up to 20 channels deployed in 2RU.

Torque Video Systems will feature the DVMon a monitoring platform for digital television networks. DVMon continuously compares required transport stream parameters and service attributes with what is actually there. In addition to its monitoring features, DVMon provides deep technical analysis of all transport stream parameters.

Triveni Digital will launch its new Broadcast Services Management Platform, giving broadcasters the ability to efficiently manage and deliver the necessary elements for ATSC 3.0 (and simultaneously, extensions compatible with the current broadcast standard as well). These include advanced service guides, hyperlocal advertisement, emergency alerts, interactive and dynamic media, addressable content, and efficient delivery of large-volume content. A key element of the platform is Triveni Digital’s new GuideBuilder XM signaling system, which offers unified signaling and announcement functionality per ATSC 3.0, along with support for legacy standards such as ATSC 1.0 PSIP and DVB-SI.

The company will also debut its Stream- Scope EM-50 enterprise-wide management system. In combination with StreamScope RM-50, the system proactively detects, isolates and resolves problems that degrade video services, and allows system-wide compliance auditing for key requirements, such as CALM and closed captioning.

Vidcheck will launch a fully scalable version of its Vidchecker automated quality control system. Vidchecker examines file-based video, audio and related metadata before and after distribution. It is also used by broadcasters to check files received from post-production and content distributors to ensure that file, video and audio parameters and levels are correct and ready for broadcast.

Video Clarity will demonstrate ClearView 8.4, the latest update to its ClearView line of video quality analyzers. In v8.4, ClearView 4K and 8K systems now provide new color-space-capable pictures as prescribed by ITU-R BT.2020 as well as support for high dynamic range.

Volicon’s Multiviewer option for the Observer Media Intelligence Platform unites recording capability with multiviewer functionality to give users access to multiple live or recorded programs. At the 2016 NAB Show, Volicon will demonstrate how an improved graphical interface for its multiviewer enables users to keep their eyes and ears on every channel in the broadcast delivery chain, including OTT feeds.

Blackmagic Design UltraScopeVIDEO TEST
Blackmagic Design will showcase Ultra- Scope, a card that mounts in a standard PC, features six different scopes for measuring all aspects of a broadcast video signal, including waveform, vectorscope, RGB parade, YUV component parade, histogram, audio phase and audio level meters, plus picture view.

Cobalt Digital will spotlight its BBG-1060- TG2-REF1 standalone, dual-channel test signal generator a desktop unit that generates 3G/HD/SD-SDI/NTSC/PAL SDI test patterns and trouble slides and is capable of performing two separate tests on two separate paths. The generator offers bi-level and tri-level sync or composite-video test-pattern output.

For users with traditional engineering requirements, the Videotek division of Imagine Communications has familiar waveform monitors with advanced capabilities. At this year’s show, Imagine will feature the Videotek TVM9150PKG waveform monitor and audio signal analyzer, which can display and evaluate up to four input sources in four different formats, simultaneously.

Leader Instruments LV5480 HD waveform monitorLeader Instruments will showcase the LV5480 HD waveform monitor that can be upgraded to 4K. The eight-input LV5480 has digital audio capabilities, eye pattern and jitter measurement functions, can also generate test patterns. It also includes Leader’s CINELITE II toolset (comprising CINELITE and CINEZONE) as a standard feature, allowing easy assessment of relative exposure and overall luminance during production.

Lynx Technik will feature its Testor|lite 3G portable test generator, with support for SD/ HD/3G 4:2:2 and dual-link video formats, and which generates two simultaneous outputs, as well as one sync output. In addition, the unit can generate 3D test patterns.

Marshall Electronics will highlight its V-R185-DLW, an 18.5-inch monitor with waveform and vectorscope display. The V-R185-DLW incorporates a 10-bit video path and displays four quadrants for audio levels, waveform, vectorscope and live video simultaneously. It has two inputs supporting 3G/HD-SDI and Dual Link.

Phabrix will display the Qx UHDTV1 and UHDTV2 combined generator/analyzers. With real-time 12G-SDI physical layer analysis (eye and jitter) toolset and automatic SMPTE compliance measurements, it provides comprehensive testing for 4K/UHD infrastructures. The PhabrixQx platform supports the next generation of both copper and fiber uncompressed SDI interfaces, including SMPTE ST 2022-6 over 10GbE for IP-based infrastructures.

A requirement of a hybrid SDI and IP broadcast infrastructure is the ability to synchronize the facility in a mixed frameand packet-accurate environment. At this year’s NAB Show, Tektronix will highlight its SPG8000A master sync and PTP grandmaster clock generator, a field upgradeable unit that provides PTP (IEEE 1588) support for both traditional SDI-based and IP-based media infrastructures.

Reliable robotic camera solutions for newscast production used to be expensive propositions that took years to deliver a return on investment. There is now a vast array of robotic systems tailored for a range of budgets.

TRACKING SYSTEMS
Ross Video will demonstrate SolidTrack, a Universal Tracking system that can be used anywhere, anytime and on anything. This includes environments such as small or large studios, indoors or outdoors. It is quick to set up and calibrate to save time, and is designed to work on any place a camera is mounted.

Telemetrics will demonstrate its Advanced Presenter Tracking System (APTS), a scalable, configurable tracking method using magnetic field position sensing. This technology allows simultaneous multicamera, multipresenter tracking within almost any scenario, independent of stage illumination. It does not require a presenter line-of-sight allowing flexible non-obtrusive camera and sensor location.

RUSHWORKS PTX Universal PanTilt HeadPAN/TILT HEADS
RUSHWORKS will debut its PTX Universal PanTilt Head, the successor to the company’s PT-MINI. It provides significant improvements in payload handling and speed, and supports the Blackmagic Micro Studio 4K camera as well as LANC-equipped cameras from Sony, Canon, Panasonic and JVC. DMX daisy-chain control protocol is also supported.

Shotoku SmartPedShotoku Broadcast Systems will introduce its SmartPed, a robotic XY pedestal offering cost-efficiency and high-end performance to professionals in live news, sports or current affairs studio productions. Also in the Shotoku booth will be the Free-d2 VR/AR tracking system, designed for VR/ AR, news, sports and current affair applications. It uses advanced video processing algorithms and simple ceiling markers to precisely determine pedestal position.

TRIPODS/MONOPODS
Cartoni will debut its FOCUS line of fluid heads, including the FOCUS 12, designed for cameras weighing from zero to 26 pounds; the FOCUS 18, for cameras weighing from 13.2–40 pounds; and the FOCUS 22, for cameras weighing from 6.5–48.5 pounds. FOCUS heads are compact and lightweight, and feature a continuously variable fluid damping system on both pan and tilt movements.

Libec will feature new RS-250D/DM and RS- 450D/DM Professional Tripod Systems with RH25D and RH45D dual-base design fluid heads with maximum payload capacities of 13 pounds and 26.5 pounds, respectively. Thanks to a new dual-base design, heads are compatible with Libec ALLEX sliders and other sliders with a 3/8-inch screw—great for video and DSLR applications. Heads are compatible with other brand photo flat-base tripods and 75mm bowl video tripods.

Polecam AutopodMiller Camera Support will feature its Compass 23 Fluid Head, an affordable entry into the 100mm ball leveling range. It is designed for medium-size, large sensor cameras and handles a range of payloads from 8.8–30.8 pounds. Also in the Miller booth will be its Cineline 2090, which features an HD Mitchell Base 1-Stage Alloy Tripod, HD Alloy Ground Spreader and Cineline 70 Fluid Head.

Polecam will introduce Autopod, a remotely operated programmable elevation unit for rigs, remote heads and cameras.

Sachtler Video 18 fluid head

Autocue iPad Prompter ProSachtler has upgraded its longtime favorite Video 18 fluid head, now with more load-bearing capacity. It maintains the Video 18’s damping mechanism, Speedbalance technology for swift weight compensation, and large load range. The head comes with Sachtler features such as temperature resistance, Touch & Go plate and illuminated spirit level.

TELEPROMPTERS
Autocue will introduce the iPad Pro teleprompter, aimed at broadcast professionals wanting to prompt on-location. At 13 inches and increased brightness, the iPad Pro steps up the readability of the prompter to 15 feet and beyond. It offers support for full-sized ENG broadcast and cine cameras, touted as the most flexible and capable iPad Pro solution available.

CueScript Ltd. will introduce its CSM Prompters, utilizing LED high-brightness screens with input for HD-SDI video. They incorporate the CueLock feature for swift, secure setup and integrated mounting for a talent monitor and/or time display. Also on display from CueScript will be its EMC prompters, designed for educational, middle market and corporate use. They also have CueLock for ease of setup and excellent scroll image.

Ikan PT-Elite v2

Mirror Image SF Studio SeriesIkan will present v2 of its PT-Elite, the newest upgrade to the company’s bestselling iPad teleprompter. It features an adjustable glass frame, quick release base plate and an overall lighter design for portability. Also shown will be the PT-ELITE-PRO, designed for larger tablets. This universal tablet teleprompter is designed to be even faster and easier.

Mirror Image will lift the curtain on upgrades to its SF Studio Series teleprompters, including doubling the screen brightness to 1,000 nits and adding SDI and HDMI input connections along with the standard VGA and composite (BNC) inputs. Also upgraded are the iPad and tablet teleprompters, with a larger tray for the tablet as well as removable sun shields.

CAMERA ACCESSORIES
ARRI will demonstrate its Pro Camera Accessories, designed to offer support for the latest digital cameras from Canon, Red, Blackmagic, Digital Bolex and Sony. These accessories render the cameras suitable for the rigors of professional filmmaking by making them compatible with ARRI support and all industry-standard matte boxes and follow focus systems.

Matthews Studio Equipment Infinity ArmMatthews Studio Equipment (MSE) will unveil its Infinity Arm, capable of mounting a payload as small as a GoPro and as large as an accessorized motion picture camera. It’s manufactured in the U.S. out of CNC’d tool steel and aircraft aluminum, and plated with military-grade anodize and electroless nickel phosphorus. The central pivot arm ensures strength and adjustability. The tips of the arm accept a variety of clamps (1/4-, 3/8-, and 5/8-inch, with more to come.)

Wooden Camera’s Alexa Mini Quick CageWooden Camera will unveil its Alexa Mini Quick Cage, a form-fitting cage plus 15mm lightweight baseplate for the ARRI Alexa Mini. It attaches by four M4 screws on top and four M4 screws on the bottom, making it extremely secure. The same M4 hole pattern found on the camera body is present on the cage top plate, allowing for attachment of ARRI brand handles and accessories.

STABILIZERS
Autel Robotics will demonstrate its Maverick handheld gimbal technology.

Ikan will debut the FLY-X3-GO (three-Axis GoPro Gimbal Stabilizer), designed to stabilize a GoPro camera in situations such as mounting on a monopod, boom pole or roll bar mount. It comes with an included extension cable that controls the yaw, pitch and roll, and is pre-programmed to use straight out of the box.

Amimon CONNEX MiniDRONES
Amimon’s CONNEX Mini is a small zero-latency HD wireless video link that provides plug-and-fly HD video transmission at distances up to 1,600 feet. Its 5 GHz transmitter has automatic channel selection for connectivity that is free from interference from unmanned aerial vehicle controls and 2.4 GHz radio links. A multicasting feature supports four screens simultaneously.

Aerialtronics will showcase its Altura Zenith, which can carry a Blackmagic Design Micro Cinema Super 16 sensor camera mounted aboard. The aircraft can carry a payload of up to 6 pounds and provides a flight time of up to 45 minutes. Users can program GPS-assisted flights into memory, or the aircraft can be controlled via a tablet along with an RF joystick.

Autel Robotics X-Star

DJI OsmoAutel Robotics will showcase its X-Star series of quad-copter drones. Its top two models, X-Star Premium and X-Star, come integrated with a 4K camera (4K30, 2.7K60, 1080p120, 720p240) and quick-release three-axis gimbal stabilizer. Also featured is the Kestrel, the first-ever fixed-wing, vertical takeoff and landing UAV.

DJI will showcase its Osmo, an integrated 4K camera and handheld three-axis stabilizer that connects to Apple’s iPhone for even greater control and capabilities. The device comes with a standard 4K, 12-megapixel camera with a 1/2.3-inch sensor and a 94-degree field-of-view lens.

All the changes that are in the air in our rapidly evolving media environment at the NAB Show will hit the fan, as it were, in editing and post production. You know something exciting is happening when buzz words are expressed just as initials, so look for plenty of HDR (high dynamic range) imagery, HFR (high frame rate) video and VR (virtual reality) immersive production experiences in new edit system capabilities.

EDITING
Adobe ’s Creative Cloud video and audio tools including Premiere Pro, After Effects, Audition, Media Encoder, Prelude and Adobe Anywhere will be seen with literally hundreds of updated features including native support for UltraHD, HDR workflows, and 4K video.

AJA Io Io 4K, AJA Video Systems’ latest evolution of capture and output hardware, now offers support for the latest 4K, UltraHD devices and HFR workflows. Thanks to Thunderbolt 2 connectivity, Io 4K can now handle formats from SD to HD, UHD and full 4K over both SDI and HDMI and even 4K at frame rates up to 50p/60p.

EditMate collaborative editing and project management system from Arvato Systemsl will show how every editor can access all managed projects from any editing station permitted by their configured access rights. EditMate administrators are able to provide templates to manage the selection of graphics, animations, audios, etc. for each project.

The latest versions of Autodesk’s flexible subscription-based VFX, post, and production management tools will be on display at the 2016 NAB Show, including Flame, Maya, Shotgun and 3ds Max, along with some innovative new creative workflows. At the Autodesk booth you’ll also get a behind- the-scenes look at creative work from studios around the world spanning film, TV and commercials.

Avid Media Composer 8.5 Version 8.5 of Avid's Media Composer NLE features better-organized tools for more efficient and intuitive editing. It also supports HDR workflows and enables editors to work with up to 64 audio tracks—250 percent more than before. Its hardware interface is designed to accelerate HDR video production including highres video ingest, editing, monitoring, and output.

axle Edit from axle Video now includes transition effects and support for videos and photos taken on a mobile device like an iPad as well as from the axle 2016 database. axle’s newest “radically simple” media management software, axle 2016, now has an Adobe Premiere CC plug-in panel which lets editors search all axle capabilities from with Adobe Premiere.

Blackmagic Davinci Resolve 12

Dashwood Cinema Solutions’ 360-degree virtual reality editing software suite This year’s NAB Show will be the first time that Blackmagic Design has asked to have their DaVinci Resolve 12 listed as a “professional NLE system.” DaVinci Resolve 12 combines professional nonlinear video editing with a highly advanced color corrector, allowing customers to edit, color grade and finish projects all in one tool without paying a monthly subscription fee.

We’re going to see a 360-degree virtual reality editing software suite at the Dashwood Cinema Solutions exhibit this year, featuring stereoscopic 360-degree slit-scan rendering and stereoscopic fisheye-to-spherical conversion. Dashwood has also added new plug-ins, including 360-degree XYZ-axis re-orientation, projection of 2D logos or video on 360VR, pan and scan output of “flat” video from 360VR sources.

EditShare will preview Flow Story, the first in the company’s new generation of content creation applications for collaborative and remote workflows. Flow Story utilizes the engine of EditShare’s Lightworks editor and provides remote and secure access to on-premise stored media through any Internet connection. No extra fees or upload times for additional cloud storage or editorial services.

Forscene offers video review, logging, editing and publishing entirely in the cloud and as SaaS (“Software as a Service”) through a Web browser. It can create sync maps and multicam sequences automatically from multiple sources and seamlessly transfer work-in-progress to high-end NLE systems.

Grass Valley’s EDIUS 8 In their large exhibit in the South Hall, Grass Valley will show v8.2 of their EDIUS NLE, which adds new EDIUS Pro features including a motion tracking filter to automate effects such as blurring, mosaic etc.; RAW support for Sony and Canon cameras will give editors more dynamic range; and the accompanying LOG/LUT tool will enable them to apply cinematic looks to their footage.

TriCaster Advanced Edition and NewTek NDI will be seen at the NewTek exhibit facilitating video production over IP. With NDI, you can send and receive real-time, frame accurate video from cameras and devices in different locations, all on a standard network infrastructure, and create a complete line cut using powerful macros.

SAM will introduce an edit timeline to their Go! remote production suite. Now, desktop, laptop and tablet users will have access to live and recorded content to build stories complete with timeline editing and voiceover. Finished edited sequences can be immediately published to social media, web and TV.

Rampant Design and iOgrapher LLC have partnered to offer iOS filmmakers and editors the Rampant Filmmaker’s Toolbox. Packaged in a 1TB USB 3.0 hard drive, the Filmmaker’s Toolbox includes more than 1,000 HD drag-and-drop Style Effects so editors can add professional visual effects, motion graphics and backgrounds to their videos. Since Rampant Design Style Effects are not plug-ins, they are not platform- dependent and work on all editing NLEs.

The powerful HDR-capable Mistika finishing and mastering post production system will be on display from SGO , now including VR, new universal keyer upgrades, and even more color grading features. Mistika empowers integration between grading, visual effects, conforming and editing, handling any project at high speed in real-time in all resolutions, including 8K.

The iPhone news editing package from Videolicious —currently being used by over 240 stations—will now be seen in an Android version. It also comes with new features enabling finished packages to be simultaneously submitted with graphics for social streaming and clean for broadcast.

GRAPHICS
There was a time when broadcast graphics were the sugar sprinkles on top of the ice cream cone. Now they not only dominate the cone, but with virtual reality and augmented reality becoming so popular, they make you wonder where the cone itself even really is.

AccuWeather will bring all new content capabilities in their StoryTeller Interactive Touchscreen system, complete with a newly-enhanced intuitive interface to integrate the power of user-generated content, breaking news, live audience polling, realtime social media, up-to-the-minute election results, traffic and weather.

AJT Livebook GFX Presenting their fourth generation Live- Book GFX Scorebug System with new SportApps and features, AJT Systems will demonstrate how their Baseball SportApp can give baseball and softball production teams the ability to broadcast high-end graphics with ease of use. With its new DVE OCR (Optical Character Recognition) broadcast template manager including lower third and full screen insert graphic support, Live- Book GFX offers premium features at an affordable price.

BTI Business Technology will feature their Election Voting Attendant software for 2016. It offers unlimited I/O and interfaces with any CG to automatically capture and configure local, regional and national election results for delivery onair, online and to mobile devices. BTI will also debut BTI ENGAGE, a new master control graphics platform with real-time information tickers never before possible with other brands and an easy new HML, at half the price of conventional CGs. BTI ENGAGE will let you automatically reposition reveals with emergency weather tickers and integrate candidate tweets from Twitter while election results are displayed.

Aston 3D, Brainstorm's 3D graphics and CG solution, will be seen manifesting a full integration with the company’s other star product, Infinity Set. Operators will now be able to edit Aston templates directly in the Infinity Set’s virtual set, which grants unmatched flexibility and speed to an already very adaptable system. Visitors to the Brainstorm booth will also see that Aston 3D is now fully compatible with both Photoshop and After Effects.

The merged Boris FX/Imagineer Systemsl team will showcase major new versions of flagship products Boris Continuum Complete (BCC) and mocha Pro. Major new tools for image restoration in BCC include motion graphics, integrated mocha masking, new transitions and a selection of new filters. We’ll also see the premiere of mocha 5, BorisFX’s tracking tool with new AVX/ Adobe/OFX plug-ins.

ChyronHego will demonstrate a fully integrated news production workflow powered by their CAMIO asset and data management system. This workflow integrates ChyronHego’s Lyric graphics creation and playout system, VidiGo Live Compositor for multicamera TV production and Metacast weather graphics system. ChyronHego will also introduce VidiGo Arena for end-to-end sports arena productions. Running on standard hardware, VidiGo Arena integrates VidiGo Live Compositor, ChyronHego’s Lyric graphics, SHOUT social media editor, and Hybrid robotic camera head control system.

From Cinegy we’ll get to see Cinegy Type as it supports 4K video and adds multiple layers of automation controlled, template-based titles, logos, animated graphics, plus a wide range of highly advanced effects and features. Cinegy Type also handles requirements from logo insertion to complex branding with templated information and animated video plates.

Celebrating its 30th-year anniversary, Maxon will showcase Cinema 4D Release 17 (R17), its latest version of 3D software that streamlines broadcast, motion graphics, film, games, visualization and interactive media workflows. Maxon will also show its new CV-VR Cam virtual reality plugin for Cinema 4D, which allows artists to create VR video content for YouTube and Facebook.

PlayBox Technology’s TitleBox NeoPlayBox Technology will introduce TitleBox Neo, a new graphic module for the company’s channel-in-a-box broadcast playout system. TitleBox Neo provides interactive on-air graphics and titling capabilities in UHD, HD and SD, which can be manipulated live. A core element of the PlayBox suite is the AirBox Neo playout server for UHD, HD and SD. Designed for 24/7 unattended or manual operation, it can also handle live-to-air throughput.

At its new exhibit location in the South Hall, Pixel Power will present their latest version of StreamMaster virtualized playout. Built on the Clarity 3D graphics engine, StreamMaster is designed to provide scalable facilities for anything from a pop-up channel to a full premium service. Pixel Factory will also add to its Clarity 3D graphics engine the ability to use templates for generating large numbers of sophisticated clips such as promos, trailers and other marketing content.

ProPresenter 6, the newest release of Renewed Vision's flagship CG and video playout server for Mac and Windows, will be seen introducing new features for broadcast and staging including a breakthrough new video engine, slide object transitions, moderated Instagram and Twitter, Telestration capabilities, Text tickers, and scheduling.

Ross Video will show XPression Motion Graphics including Trackless Studio purpose-built software for cost effective virtual production without camera tracking. They’ll also have the Clips Production clip server to deliver speed and flexibility for live productions, and 4K versions that bring UHD video and key graphics into production components such as video switchers.

Telestream and NewBlue’s Title DesignerTelestream and NewBlue have partnered to create Post Producer Titler Engine, an automated service for file-based title generation for the creation of animated titles, slates, and graphical elements as part of a Vantage Post Producer iterative content workflow. Post Producer Titler Engine is powered by NewBlueFX and runs on Telestream’s file-based content assembly service, Post Producer, which is part of the Vantage media-processing platform.

At the Vizrt booth, Reality Check Systems (RCS) will debut a specialized version of LaunchPad. Powered by RCS software and Vizrt’s Viz Engine, Launch- Pad enables integration of graphics directly into broadcasts via a switcher or on-set with an interactive touchscreen. It features an intuitive UI, an advanced web portal and optimized performance for creating, and displaying graphics, remote access through the RCS Navigator iPad app, and social media integration.

WASP3D introductions will feature a tracked virtual set with augmented reality and social media interaction. They’ll also have Wasp3D’s new Community Edition and the Frame Sting Server (FSS) for Tri- Caster and Caspar CG. The Wasp3D Frame Sting Server is an IP-based version of the Sting Server engine, producing an IP-stream serving as a source for graphics overlay by TriCaster.

The Weather Co. , an IBM Business, will unveil four new products. The only one they want to preview here is Max Engage Social, which allows weathercasters at TV stations to publish concise and contextual hyper-local weather and traffic information directly to mobile and social platforms. It will be worth visiting their booth to see the other three.