Las Vegas: For those who thought all the talk about high-definition TV was still just a lot of hype, the attention it has received at NAB2004 strongly indicates otherwise.

‘Great advances have been made on the [digital] front, and the industry is leading the way,’ said Edward Fritts, president and CEO of the U.S. National Association of Broadcasters, at the all-industry opening ceremony. It is generally stated that as the American take-up of digital television goes, so too will the Canadian industry within two years.

For all their marketing efforts on the crowded NAB show floor, clearly the production, post and broadcast manufacturers believe the long-awaited HD explosion is here. Boxx Technologies, a Texas-based manufacturer of post-production workstations, reports that the demand for HD editing systems has spiked most dramatically in the past 12 months, as broadcasters have gotten ready for the switchover from analog.

‘[Before], they didn’t have the infrastructure to support it,’ says Greg Booth, Boxx’s chief software developer. Boxx introduced a new HD nonlinear editing system at the show.

But if TV is going to have full HD adoption, a scenario that may not be realized in the U.S. for another six to eight years, then producers and broadcasters at both ends of the spectrum are going to need to find the means to join in. And thus lineups were huge for NAB2004 sessions such as The High Def Desktop, which demonstrated how HD production and post can be achieved economically. Manufacturers were also eager to educate their clients on HD. Like Boxx, Montreal-based Matrox, which targets a cash-conscious clientele, was promoting its HD editing systems under the umbrella of Matrox HD. HD editing systems have dropped substantially in price; systems that sold for US$50,000 just a few years ago are now retailing around US$23,000.

As for those courting the medium-to-higher end, Apple provided HD editing seminars, while Montreal-based Discreet took attendees through the process of HD finishing, FX and grading. Also making its presence felt on the floor was Oregon-based Artbeats, showing off its HD stock footage collection. Obviously aware of the Canadian market, the company offered two volumes of HD Canadian aerial shots.

Post systems leader Avid Technology announced HD-related capabilities throughout its product line, while also introducing its Avid Xpress Studio suite, which integrates video editing, audio, 3D animation, compositing and titling at a price starting at US$4,000 for DV converts. This kind of ‘do it all yourself’ system may have seemed of interest only to the event videography crowd a few years ago, but recent box-office successes such as the U.S. documentary Spellbound, which was originated on mini-DV and made US$7 million at the box office, show that compelling commercial content can also be created this way.

In NAB2004’s keynote address, Carly Fiorina, chairperson and CEO of IT giant Hewlett-Packard, called the changes currently underway since the advent of digital the ‘most radical shift due to technology since the industrial revolution,’ adding, ‘Every process and content is going from analog, static and physical to digital, mobile and virtual.’ She said that content makers are benefiting from digital shooting by being able to do more with less, while most importantly, at the consumer end, we are witnessing ‘the complete personalization of media – watch what you want, when you want, on what device you want.’

She advised her broadcast audience to be pioneers rather than followers, likely alluding to the current mess in which the music industry finds itself due to its late take-up of digital distribution. ‘There is money to be made, money to be saved,’ she said. ‘But if you wait until the change that is required is obvious to everyone, it’s probably too late.’

Early reports had 90,000 attendees at NAB2004, a slight increase over last year.

-www.nabshow.com