The wraps are off…almost - Post Script - companies plan product introductions for trade NAB trade show

Post, March, 2003 by Marc Loftus

With the NAB show only a month away, many manufacturers are hinting of their Las Vegas plans, hoping to steal the product spotlight, or at least make sure they're not overlooked in a sea of exhibitors.

Back in February, JVC formally announced its NAB plans, the most interesting of which is a new hand-held HD camcorder that's priced around $4,000. That should excite independent filmmakers. The JY-HD10U is a I CCD (1.18 million pixel, 16:9) camera capable of shooting at three different resolutions -- HD 720/30p and SD 480/60p and 480/60i -- all on the common MiniDV format tape.

Panasonic has a bigger booth than last year and plans to show off 24 of its camcorders, along with its line of digital projectors. While it has no specific updates for its VariCam HD camera, VP of marketing Stuart English stresses the value of shooting on the format's $45 cassettes and the improved quality it offers over Digi Beta and 16mm formats. The company will also show a new SD camera -- the AJ-SDX900 -- which it considers an upgrade path for Beta SP users. The camera captures in the 480/60i, 480/30p and 480/24p formats. News on Panasonic's real-time graphics processor, which has virtual set applications, can be seen in this month's "Products" section.

Media 100 will demonstrate a number of advancements to its 10-bit 844/X editing/compositing system. Look for improved format conversion and color correction capabilities, as well as an HD upgrade path.

Rolf Hartley, GM for pro products at Sonic Solutions, says the company will be addressing the "business opportunities that are on the horizon for advanced, professional DVD creation." Blue laser technology, he points out, will allow for a significant increase in the data stored on discs.

And Pinnacle Systems will show two new additions to its Liquid line of PC-based NLEs. Liquid Chrome is a $25K turnkey system that will include Pinnacle's Commotion compositing tool, while Liquid Purple is a DV-based NLE that integrates DVD authoring capabilities, all for $1,500. The company says its "broad range of networkable products" -- both Mac- and PC-based -- will be on display. You can check out a Review of Chrome in Post next month.

The Post editorial staff will be in Las Vegas for the show and will be reporting on the latest news with daily updates to our Web site. Check it out on postmagazine.com.