Getting ready for Las Vegas? We have you covered. Today, check out an innovative keynote for a NAB Show 2024 discussion and brand-new products to make their NAB Show debut from Magewell, Grass Valley, Macnica, and Projective Technology.
[NAB Show 2024 News: 5 Booths You Won't Want to Miss]
How Generative AI Is Revolutionizing Content Production
Captivating narratives, stunning visuals, and life-like character interaction—artificial intelligence (AI) is disrupting traditional content creation and delivery. AI and computer-vision researcher Dr. Hao Li will dive into the world of generative AI during his keynote presentation at the opening session of the 2024 NAB Broadcast Engineering and IT (BEIT) Conference.
“Dr. Li’s insights into how AI is shaping the future of content delivery will be invaluable to conference attendees,” said John Clark, SVP, NAB Emerging Technology and executive director, PILOT. “This high-energy conference kickoff lays the groundwork for over 70 presentations and panels that will explore the rapidly changing media technology landscape.
Dr. Li is the CEO and co-founder of Pinscreen, a Los Angeles-based startup that builds the advanced AI-driven virtual avatars, as well as associate professor of computer vision at Mohamed Bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI) in Abu Dhabi. In his presentation, Dr. Li will peel back the layers of generative AI for production—including the latest advancements in AI lip sync technology, face swap and deaging, as well as the future potential of AI technology.
Dr. Li will present “Generative AI for Content Production: From Storytelling to Visual Effects, AI Lip Sync, and Beyond” on Saturday, April 13 at 10 a.m. local time at the NAB BEIT Conference Opening Session.
The NAB BEIT Conference will focus on the future of content delivery, next-generation systems and the opportunities and challenges at hand throughout its 70-plus sessions. The conference’s forward-looking focus is designed for broadcast engineers and technicians, media technology managers, broadcast equipment manufacturers and R&D engineers.
Magewell to Debut Modular Rackmount IP Conversion Family
Magewell's new Modator family brings the reliability and low-latency performance of the company's standalone encoders and decoders to a high-density, modular, rackmount form factor. The Modator family will make its debut in Magewell's booth C6816.
The new Modator 2U chassis is designed to fit standard rack deployments and has slots for up to 10 modules. Users can configure frame network settings and monitor the status of the chassis and installed modules through the integrated 4.8-inch LED touchscreen or browser-based web interface. Dual power supplies and optimized heat dissipation enable reliable 24/7 operation.
The hot-swappable Modator modules each offer their own network connectivity and can work independently to convert between baseband video/audio signals and IP streams. Each module features a web-based management interface, while the Modator 2U frame and each installed module can also be centrally configured, controlled and monitored through Magewell's optional Control Hub management software.
Macnica Brings New SmartNIC Solution to Las Vegas
Macnica will unveil the MEP100, a new 100Gb SmartNIC solution targeted for hardware and software product developers in the broadcast and Pro AV industries at booth C1726. Macnica will demonstrate the MEP100’s high-performance media processing, stream protection, and bandwidth benefits in an on-booth exhibit of an end-to-end ST 2110 4K/HD networking ecosystem.
Macnica has equipped the MEP100 SmartNIC card with resources to optimize performance and reliability of uncompressed media transport over ST 2110 IP networks. That begins with an FPGA hardware acceleration engine that offers product developers significant advantages over software-based alternatives. For example, ST 2110 IP packets are processed within the MEP100’s FPGA IP core architecture, freeing valuable CPU resources for the intended application.
The above means that the MEP100’s full ST 2110 stack can transfer video, audio and data directly to and from the host CPU and GPU memory and the SmartNIC card, instead of using CPU resources within the operating system. That full ST 2110 stack can include performance-focused IP networking applications including PTP timing (for synchronization), network path redundancy, and on-board JPEG-XS compression. The latter, available soon, will support visually lossless, low-latency media transport for greater channel density through the card.
The FPGA-driven architecture also ensures the lowest possible latency and maximizes network bandwidth efficiency for uncompressed ST 2110 transport, with robust stream protection afforded through SMPTE ST 2202-7 hitless merge. The ST 2202-7 specification supports reliable network path redundancy, with parallel streams borrowing lost packets from each other as they move through the network. Transport streams are fully reassembled upon reaching their destinations to maintaining optimal signal integrity.
Projective to Unveil True Cloud Post-Production in Real-Time with Strawberry Skies
Projective Technology will unveil its brand-new, cloud-first post-production project framework Strawberry Skies at booth SU3057. The solution empowers users to collaborate on creative projects in real-time, securely and flexibly, from anywhere. The Strawberry platform was designed to deliver intelligent project management, sharing, permissions, as well as comprehensive search capabilities and automation to customers worldwide. Skies pairs those capabilities, adds secure cloud access, and can now be fully hosted in the cloud.
Grass Valley to Unveil Live Production Solutions
Celebrating 65 years of innovation in production switchers and broadcast cameras, Grass Valley will unveil its latest advancements at booth C2308.
Grass Valley will showcase significant enhancements to the LDX 100 Series broadcast camera platform and the K-Frame video production switchers. The LDX 100 Series updates include advanced HDR/SDR operations, improved design for enhanced usability, innovative high-speed shooting, and a wireless camera version.
The K-Frame XP has also been enhanced with new features including advanced IP I/O boards, color mapping, and ClipStore II—a new generation of ClipStore offering up to 4-channels of playback and record in all formats including UHD 4K 2160p with both SDI and IP connections.
The company will also unveil the Maverik X, a software-based switcher/mixer designed for versatility across local, hybrid, or cloud computing environments, and supports both uncompressed and compressed inputs/outputs and full 10bit UHD HDR workflows.
From small corporate events to large-scale sports broadcasts, it offers customization and scalability, ensuring that producers and technical directors can tailor the switcher to their precise needs. Moreover, its compatibility with both PC and tablet devices, alongside the traditional modular Maverik switcher panel, introduces a level of operational flexibility that is unparalleled in the industry.
