Sony Electronics

Samsung’s Dr. Youngkwon Lim receives the group’s highest honor, the 2022 Bernard J. Lechner Outstanding Contributor Award, while the Mark Richer Industry Leadership Medal goes to Sony Electronics for leadership in deployment of ATSC 3.0 technology.

Sinclair Broadcast Group thinks it has found a cost-effective solution in conversion technology that can take standard-dynamic range (SDR) content and transform it to high-dynamic range (HDR) content in real-time, a technology it demonstrated at last month’s NAB Show.

With less hardware to demonstrate and a much-reduced exhibition floor footprint, the first post-pandemic NAB Show pointed the way to a future where software demos of cloud, IP and hybrid environments have become the new norm.

With attendance predicted at around 60,000 with nearly 1,000 vendors, the NAB Show in Las Vegas next week will likely be down from its pre-pandemic numbers. However, vendors say that a more focused, less congested show might not be a bad thing.

Broadcasters are insisting on more from their cameras, from the ability to capture more cinematic-style video with shallow depth of field to 4K, UHD and HDR capabilities, remote PTZ abilities and ever-smaller sizes. Above, a JVC camcorder being used on location for Idol Chat, which premiered on Retro TV and The Family Channel.

As solo acts in the field, multimedia journalists are very particular about the kit they carry. From cameras to lights and audio, connectivity tools to editing software and apps, experience has taught them that flexibility and portability are among their gear’s most important qualities. Above: Sony’s remote production package, which includes the PXW-Z280 4K handheld camera, allows MMJs to remotely control, capture and transfer high-quality content in real time from any location.

Broadcasters are warming to using robotics for remote camera operations, having seen crucial improvements in camera movement, better object and face tracking, new movement patterns and stronger overall automation. Above, a camera operator stands behind Ross Video’s remote panbar system, capturing the action on the field at a college baseball game.

Networks, mobile truck companies and tech vendors agree the pandemic will impact HDR and UHD production through this year through a combination of equipment availability, complex new remote workflows and financial constraints.

California canyons and Arizona mountains prove no match for infotainment and non-real-time transmissions from local TV broadcasters with the robust automotive mode ideal for vehicle software and navigation updates.