NAB highlights for broadcast engineers

NAB Broadcast Engineering Conference Keynote
9 a.m. — 9:30 a.m, Sunday, April 18
Las Vegas Convention Center N112
Gary Shapiro, president and CEO of the Consumer Electronics Association, will keynote the NAB2004 Broadcast Engineering Conference. The title of Shapiro’s talk will be “Broadcasting in the Balance — A Consumer Technology Perspective.”

Shapiro has been an early and active leader in the launch of digital and high-definition television. He co-founded and chaired the HDTV Model Station and served on the board and executive committee of the Advanced Television Test Center (ATTC).

The High-Def Desktop
10:45 a.m. — 12:00 p.m., Monday, April 19
Las Vegas Convention Center S219
The demand for high-resolution video content will grow exponentially over the next several years, driven by digital television, electronic signage, electronic cinema, etc. Advances in computing, storage, acquisition and distribution are making HD production on the desktop an emerging reality. Join executives from Adobe, Microsoft and STEAM as they guide you through the myths and realities of desktop HD production.

FCC Chairman’s Breakfast
7:30 a.m. — 8:45 a.m., Tuesday, April 20
Las Vegas Hilton Barron Room
Michael Powell, chairman of the FCC, is questioned by Sam Donaldson of ABC News.

PanAmSat presents: Global Satellite Update 8:30 a.m. — 10:30 a.m., Tuesday, April 20
Las Vegas Convention Center N250
Broadcasters, fiber and satellite service customers are invited to enjoy breakfast and participate in a panel discussion with Mike Antonovich, senior vice president, global sales and marketing and other PanAmSat executives on global communications solutions for 2004 and the future.

Among the topics: HDTV Neighborhood, PASport, Sales Channel Partner, Summer Olympics Update and Quick SPOT — DAMA SNG.

The Future of Broadcasting
10:30 a.m. — 12:30 p.m., Tuesday, April 20
Las Vegas Convention Center S224
What does the future hold for broadcasting? Join Ken August, leader of Deloitte’s Media & Entertainment Practice in the Pacific Southwest, as he moderates a panel of industry leaders to discuss changing business models, their causes and consequences; new technologies and their impacts; changes in audience demographics and viewing habits; security and rights management; and shifting regulatory landscape; as well as the impact these are having on the future of broadcasting, and how the industry should be responding.

Technology Luncheon
12 p.m. — 1:45 p.m., Wednesday, April 21
Las Vegas Hilton Barron Room

Keynote speaker is Donald A. Norman, Nielsen Norman Group, Northwestern University.

Topic: HDTV arrives with excess baggage: 16:9, 4:3, 480, 720, 1080, 5.1 surround, interlaced or progressive. And multiple remote controls. PVR, DVD, CD, MP3, streaming video, home networks. Hey! We’ve learned the wrong lessons from the PC industry — will viruses be next? The consumer is overwhelmed, and quite rightly so. Your assignment, should you choose to accept it, is to fix this mess. Simplify. Agree upon industry standards that will overcome the trauma and bring us back to the good old days, where people can buy, install and, above all, enjoy.

The luncheon also features the presentation of the NAB Engineering Achievement Awards, first established in 1959, for significant contributions that have advanced broadcast engineering. Glynn Walden, senior vice president of engineering, Infinity Broadcasting, will receive the award for radio. Ira Goldstone, vice president/chief technology officer, Tribune Broadcasting, will receive the award for television.

Back to the top