Las Vegas: Broadcasters must exploit every technology, create a signal for every platform and promote digital TV and radio as much as possible if they are to keep up with changes in the industry, said David Rehr, newly appointed CEO of the U.S. National Association of Broadcasters, during his keynote address at the NAB convention on April 24.

Rehr reminded the standing-room-only crowd at the Las Vegas Hilton that many Americans are still unaware of digital delivery, despite the approaching shutdown of analog signals in 2009, and cautioned that broadcasters cannot merely protect the status quo from the advent of new technologies.

‘I believe the NAB must move from an organization on the defensive to the offensive,’ he said.

Fittingly, Rehr’s remarks came on a day that also featured a speech by Brightcove founder Jeremy Allaire, in which he addressed the potential of TV syndication on the web, and on the opening of the NAB Multimedia World Conference, which included a forum on mobile video.

NAB also saw the debut of several new products during the pre-convention weekend. Avid unveiled its nonlinear workflow engine, Interplay, touting its ability to integrate asset management, workflow automation and securities in one system.

Interplay allows multiple users to work in tandem on a project, serving as Avid’s answer to a ‘creative content solution,’ according to company president and CEO David Krall. It also works hand-in-hand with Avid’s new Media Composer 2.5, also announced at NAB.

Sony, meanwhile, feted its dominance in the HD field while taking a few jabs at Panasonic, which remains a stiff competitor with its VariCam cinema camera line and other products. Sony debuted its cost-efficient HDW-F900R camera as well as the SXRD 4K digital projector, which played pristine images during a demonstration for the media.

Sony also announced a number of new deals, with the likes of the U.K.’s Sky, France’s Canal +, and many PBS affiliates, which will use Sony gear for HD broadcasts next year. Sony will also be outfitting the Robin Leach-led Vegas HD production studio – the first in the city, located on the Strip – fast-tracking toward a launch in 2007. Ninety percent of the products featured at Sony’s NAB show-floor booth were HD.

The pre-conference weekend also included a two-day summit on digital cinema, an event highlighted by a talk from director James Cameron, who made a strong case for 3D features on D-cinema screens and their potential to drive film audiences back to the theaters.

‘I am excited for the possibilities of 3D,’ said Cameron. ‘It might be the most important part of the digital cinema strategy.’

He used Polar Express as an example. The standard-def version of the animated feature grossed US$125 million in wide release over the holidays in 2004, yet brought in US$48 million on just 68 IMAX 3D screens over the same release period. Cameron also argued in favor of 3D’s ability to help curb film piracy.

John Fithian, president of the U.S. National Association of Theater Owners, joined Cameron in a discussion at the summit, confirming there may be as many as 1,500 digital projectors installed in U.S. theaters by the end of this year. There were only 80 in place at the end of 2004.

The 2006 NAB conference opened on April 24 and ran until April 27. after Playback went to press. Approximately 130 countries were represented among the estimated 100,000-plus attendees.

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