By Chi Hang Lo
The NAB Show 2023 took place from April 15 to April 19 in Las Vegas, highlighting groundbreaking broadcasting hardware, software, services, and cloud services. With the theme, “From Idea to Audience, let’s Make it Real,” this year’s exhibition showcased various innovative solutions tailored for higher education. Key industry players such as Adobe, Amazon, Audinate, Canon, Epiphan, Microsoft, Panasonic, and Sony presented their latest developments to revolutionize captures, distributions, productions, editing, and cloud collaborations in the coming 12 months.
Adobe: Revolutionizing Production Workflows with Cloud-Enabled Solutions
Adobe showcased its cloud-based editing and collaboration tools suite at the NAB Show, featuring powerful editing and collaboration tools. The company highlighted its text-based editing features, cloud collaboration, and Frame.io integration, enabling seamless teamwork among students and educators. I also had the opportunity to check out the demonstration of Adobe Firefly, an AI-driven language-to-image generator. Adobe technology demonstrates the potential for future visual storytelling, design, and media production in higher education.
By integrating Adobe Firefly with the existing Adobe Suite, users can create visually stunning content more efficiently, enhancing the learning experience and streamlining the content creation process.
Amazon: Virtual production drive education innovation
Amazon Web Services (AWS) showcased its AWS for Media & Entertainment solutions at the NAB Show 2023, emphasizing content production and next-gen playout & delivery. These technologies offer efficient and reliable content distribution, transforming the on-campus and remote learning experience.
The live demo at the NAB Show 2023 featured a real-time digital product, combining a physical car with a virtual background, showcasing the potential of AWS for Media & Entertainment solutions in creating immersive learning experiences. By integrating AWS for Media & Entertainment solutions into the classroom, professors can develop interactive content to drive innovation, improve students’ learning outcomes, and better prepare graduates for careers in industries that require advanced technical skills and knowledge.
AWS Media & Entertainment could be an essential tool in shaping the future of higher education. By providing students with virtual production capability, AWS empowers students to succeed in their future careers and contribute to the growth of their respective industries.
Audiante: Cloud-based audio production workflow creates immersive and interactive learning experiences.
At the NAB Show 2023, Audinate showcased its Dante Connect and Dante AV solutions, which offer advanced audio networking capabilities and cloud distribution for audio. These technologies aimed to improve audio distribution and management in higher education settings, making the entire process more efficient for educators and students.
Dante’s cloud-based audio production workflows simplify the integration of various devices into educational institutions’ audio systems. This seamless integration, combined with the flexibility provided by cloud infrastructure, allows for future scalability and adaptability in response to evolving needs and technologies.
By incorporating Audinate’s Dante Connect and Dante AV solutions into their systems, higher education institutions can create more immersive and interactive learning experiences. This cutting-edge audio and video distribution approach ensures that students and educators stay connected and engaged, regardless of distance or the medium.
Canon: Foster creativity and inspire the next generation of education
Canon showcased its innovative solutions for higher education at the NAB Show 2023, featuring object-tracking PTZ cameras, high-quality media capture solutions, and AR integration with Unreal or Unity technology. These cutting-edge tools aim to enhance teaching and learning experiences by facilitating the production of immersive and engaging content.
The object-tracking PTZ cameras enable dynamic learning materials, while the media capture solutions help produce visually stunning content. AR integration with Unreal demo showcased the blending of digital and physical worlds for interactive and accessible exploration of complex concepts.
Canon’s commitment to developing advanced technologies for higher education promises to impact the future of learning, equipping institutions with tools to foster creativity and inspire the next generation of education.
Epiphan: Enable seamless integration with LMS and enterprise recording solutions
Epiphan introduced its Pearl ecosystem, featuring cloud-based hardware management and deployment solutions designed for streaming, recording, and distribution. The company emphasized its integration with Learning Management Systems (LMS) and enterprise recording platforms, such as Panopto, which facilitates seamless content delivery and management for hybrid teaching environments and asynchronous material development. This comprehensive ecosystem supports higher education institutions in delivering engaging and effective multimedia learning experiences.
Microsoft: Dedication to cloud-based production
At the NAB Show 2023, Microsoft demonstrated its dedication to cloud-based production and fan engagement by showcasing Azure, Microsoft Dataverse, and OpenAI integration. These platforms offer robust cloud-based content creation, storage, and distribution solutions, enabling educational institutions to deliver top-notch media experiences.
Integrating OpenAI into the Azure ecosystem allows school event departments to harness AI technology for media editing and fan engagement. By leveraging advanced AI capabilities, schools can streamline content production processes and create more personalized experiences for their audiences.
Microsoft’s commitment to providing robust cloud-based solutions for higher education institutions reflects its vision of shaping the future of media production and engagement. By adopting these technologies, educational institutions can foster innovation and empower students and educators to excel in the rapidly evolving media landscape.
Panasonic: Next-generation cloud-based video production and distribution infrastructure
Panasonic showcased the innovative Kairos Cloud and ST 2110 Production Ecosystem at the NAB Show 2023, offering scalable, cloud-based video production and distribution infrastructure. These solutions enable educational institutions to create and deliver visually stunning content for broadcasting and creative education purposes.
By adopting Panasonic’s cutting-edge technologies, higher education institutions can streamline media production processes and generate engaging content. The cloud-based solutions ensure flexibility and adaptability, positioning schools at the forefront of media production and distribution.
Sony: Spatial Reality Display offers interactive and immersive learning experiences
Sony showcased virtual production, cloud-managed display, and Spatial Reality Display technologies at the NAB Show 2023, highlighting immersive content creation. These innovations have the potential to transform how higher education institutions engage students by offering interactive and immersive learning experiences, revolutionizing content creation and delivery in education.
Cloud-managed displays allow technology managers to monitor display status and integrate different applications to service their spaces, such as digital signage and scheduling application.
Spatial Reality Display demonstrates the ability to leverage Unreal and Unity technologies to develop interactive content to engage students and provide an immersive experience in the classroom. Educational institutions can create engaging learning environments by adopting Sony’s spatial reality display technology, fostering innovation and improving student achievement.
In addition to these major players, the NAB Show 2023 featured miscellaneous highlights, including cloud-based media storage solutions, high-performance media editing computers, lighting, action cameras, mounting accessories, and virtual video production technologies.
The event provided unique opportunities for networking with higher education partners, exciting vendor events, and a diverse selection of items at the NAB gift shop.
Summary of NAB 2023
In conclusion, the NAB Show 2023 provided higher education institutions a unique opportunity to explore the latest content creation, collaboration, and distribution solutions. It stayed true to its theme, “From Idea to Audience, let’s make it Real.” The groundbreaking innovations presented by industry leaders like Adobe, Audinate, Microsoft, Amazon, Panasonic, Canon, Epiphan, and Sony bring ideas to life and engage audiences in unprecedented ways. These companies have demonstrated their commitment to revolutionizing the learning experience, enabling educators and students to create and share captivating content that truly resonates with their audience. As we look ahead, it’s clear that these trailblazing technologies and the transformative vision of the companies behind them will shape the future of higher education.
The NAB gift shop offered a fantastic selection of gifts catering to every technologist’s interests. The gift shop provided an impressive collection of books covering topics such as 5G broadcasting during the show.
I still have a lot to share, but due to the article’s length constraints, I’ve focused on the most crucial technologies that promise to make significant positive contributions soon. If you have any comments or feedback, please email me at chihang.lo@usc.edu or via my LinkedIn profile at linkedin.com/in/chihanglo. I look forward to hearing from you and discussing the innovations and trends shaping the future of higher education and the media landscape.
Connect with Chi Hang Lo:
Email: chihang.lo@usc.edu
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chihanglo
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ChiLo_SC