I'm in Las Vegas this week attending NAB for the first and it's definitely interesting. First of all it's huge - more than 111,000 people filling 3.2 million square feet. And it's packed with some of the newest (and most expensive) professional video and audio equipment. There's a big push for HD Radio (the HD doesn't stand for high definition), the ubiquitous gigantic flat-screen televisions, and a big push for tapeless cameras. A few other things I've noticed:
What's Hot at NAB
- Windows Mobile - Why, I have no idea.
- Tim Robbins - I missed his speech and I'm really bummed.
"First, erase all diversity," he said. "You only need two opinions. Second, stay focused on sex scandals. We don't want any kind of reporting outside the soundbite. I don't know about you, but show me a drunk starlet getting out of a car with no panties on, and I think the world is a better place. Third, more distraction. The economy sucks? Chaos in Iraq? It is a moral responsibility to distract." - BlackBerry 8700s - These seem ancient to me, but I guess I'm living in a bubble.
- Hipsters - You've got to be ultra cool to produce content.
- ESL
- Big ass laptops - Because nothing is more pleasant than lugging around a 9 pound Alienware 'notebook' all day.
What's Not
- iPhones - Almost no one has one, not even the hipsters.
- Schwag - Maybe I'm not visiting the right booths, but for the most part the freebies are limited to candy and the occasional pen. It seems like it's all about the afterparties.
- Free internet - There are only a few places with wifi, and for a convention with more than 100,000 people, about a dozen places to sit at each.
- Mac Laptops - Nearly every booth has at least one Mac or Cinema Display, but I haven't seen a single Macbook, MBP or Macbook Air.
April 15th, 2008 at 2:48 am
And, bring up the bottom of the list in consumer interest is HD Radio:
http://hdradiofarce.blogspot.com
April 15th, 2008 at 6:40 pm
My favorite TIm Robbins quote is from my favorite book, Still Life With Woodpecker: "Rules are like buttons, meant to be undone when the moment is ripe." Too bad you missed him, but it sounds like a good time.
April 16th, 2008 at 5:03 am
And I just realized I got Tom and Tim Robbins confused…Tom is the author…Tim would be the actor…sweet.
April 16th, 2008 at 12:39 pm
@brandon: Yup, the actor, I was a little confused. There's a free talk by Harry Shearer today, which I think I"m also going to miss unfortunately.
@PocketRadio: Interesting site, a nice collection of resources. The HD Radio presence is surprisingly small there given it's Rehr's baby. I'll stick with my XM :)