LAS VEGAS — When we are all old and gray, looking back to the present day, we might remember 2023 as the year that artificial intelligence as a radio tool moved from something coming in the future to something here and now.
A quick scan of the “New” exhibitors list at the 2024 NAB Show will certainly validate (or not) that thought. But whether the show is an AI coming-out party or not, most of it will be the familiar old homestead of products, services, education, socializing and adventure we remember.
Set for April 13–17 at the Las Vegas Convention Center, along with numerous related events scattered across the city and its many hotels, the only people who think they can see the whole show are those who have never been to it.
Of course, the main draw is the show floor and its hundreds of exhibitors carrying any product or service a broadcaster could desire, and many you did not know you needed until you did.
Not to be forgotten are the pavilions sponsored by countries (or regions within them) that highlight product or service companies. Bavaria, France, the United Kingdom, South Korea and Wallonia (Belgium) are on tap this year.
The only people who think they can see the whole show are those who have never been to it.
Plus, there is no shortage of awards to be handed out, usually after hours. There will be inductees into the Hall of Fame, awards for individuals, radio stations and engineers, plus technology advances and products.
As always, many attend the show for its educational aspects. There are dozens upon dozens of sessions, summits, workshops and conferences covering topics including management, technology, programming, business, production, engineering, regulatory, and more.
The Broadcast Engineering and IT Conference provides a decidedly forward-looking focus emphasizing next-generation systems in the media ecosystem. It’s designed for broadcast engineers and technicians, media technology managers, broadcast equipment manufacturers and R&D engineers. Experts explore the evolution of broadcast technology and address opportunities and pressing issues relevant to today’s media professionals, including artificial intelligence, facility design, IP-based systems and emerging audio and video technologies.
Another prospective conference stop would be the NAB Small and Medium Market Radio Forum. Though U.S.-focused, many radio issues are the same regardless of country or continent. For the early birds, it will happen on Saturday afternoon, April 13.
There will also be gatherings on programming (Sunday, April 14) and streaming (Monday and Tuesday, April 15–16). The Content Delivery and Security Association will have a Saturday, April 13 gathering — CDSA’s Content Protection Summit — that will interest a growing group of broadcasters.
The Core Education series is a new addition that offers a wide variety of management, production and engineering sessions. You could spend the whole show in opportune congregations and still not make all the meetings you wanted to catch.
The Futures Park is always worth a visit. Visitors can see lots of exciting technology, often for the first time.
Last but certainly not least, the annual Nautel Users’ Group gathering, better known as NUG@NAB, takes place on Sunday, April 14, at The Flamingo. It could be called Engineer’s Heaven. This assembly of broadcast engineers gets to hear from very knowledgeable folks about the latest in tech trends for the radio industry. Sometimes prizes are involved, too.
Exhibition Floor Hours
Sunday, April 14: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Monday, April 15: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Tuesday, April 16: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Wednesday, April 17: 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
NAB 2024 Sessions Sampler
April 13
1:30 p.m. — Using Drones to Verify FM Antenna Performance
1:50 p.m. — Understanding Digital FM Asymmetric Operation
2:10 p.m. — AM Carrier Power Reduction in All-Digital Service Mode MA3
3:00 p.m. — Cybersecurity for Broadcasters
3:20 p.m. — Convergence of Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity, and Broadcasting: Understanding a New Way of Looking at a Legacy Service
April 14
10:00 a.m. — Generative AI for Media
1:30 p.m. — NABA: The Role of ITU in Broadcasting
3:00 p.m. — Radio Visual Content Delivery — Metadata Management
3:00 p.m. — Radio Topics — Discussing Screens in Cars and More
3:20 p.m. — The Hierarchy of Latency: How to Cope for Remote Audio Operations
3:40 p.m. — Why Worry About Your Air Chain?
April 15
10:00 a.m. — Modern Tools and Techniques to Maximize Your Broadcast Antenna Investment
10:20 a.m. — An Innovative In-Service Antenna Monitoring System to Protect Your Antenna and Transmission Line
12:10 p.m. — Speech Intelligibility and Audio Monitoring in OTT
1:30 p.m. — Digital Online Operations
3:00 p.m. — Media in the
Cloud: Fundamentals to Enable AI and Automated Workflows
April 16
10:00 a.m. — Building DC’s Largest Community Antenna System
12:10 p.m. — The Rise of Private 5G: A Challenger to Wi-Fi and Public 5G
1:50 p.m. — Broadcast Cybersecurity Precautions & Verification
2:10 p.m. — Solving Chaos in the Newsroom: Cloud-based Storytelling to Revolutionize the Media Landscape
3:00 p.m. — Content Credentials — New Requirements for Media Provenance Labels for Gen AI Content