I'll be there showing the new SONY 8000X frame.  I'm trying to arrange some sort of after-hours seminar for those TD's who will be doing 3D either in the trucks or in the studio, but I don't know if we'll get the official go-ahead on it or not.  Even if it's not official, if there's enough interest I'd still like to try & do something on my own after-hours - there's a lot of interest in 3D production, & it doesn't matter to me what switcher somebody's on...we all need to learn the techniques to make 3D work.  So if this interests you, stop by & let me know - the more people who express interest, the better my chances of getting something together to support you.  But whether it's me at SONY, Ken at Snell, Colby or John at GV, or whoever - we all look forward to people stopping by...NAB is one of the occassions where we can catch up with the people we've worked with or had dealings with over the years.  Even if you only stop by & say hi, it makes our day.

As I usually do at this time of year, I'd like to take the opportunity of this thread to strongly suggest that all of you who are coming to NAB and are getting demos make sure that you do your homework.  All of those who are demoing to you (myself included) are being paid to make you believe that their products do things that others cannot do.  We all know that the truth is that a competent TD can fins a way to do almost anything on one brand that they can do on a complimentary product.  Don't be snowed by slick "sleight-of-hand" demos or graphic presentations that take the place of the real substance of a true demo.  Ask the questions that are important to you & don't let any demo artist sidetrack you from getting your answers with slick sales pitches or a pre-formatted routine.  To be fair, many if not most demos (especially on hot new products) are pre-booked; and those who can actually make purchases (or are involved with purchase-making decisions) understandably tend to get priority over those who are "just looking", are trying to get a leg-up on what they will be using in the future, or believe that NAB is a ticket to free training.  NAB is generally considered a sales venue, not a free training ground - so if you don't get as much time or attention with a demoer as you'd like because they have to address a pre-booked customer, don't take it personally.

You (and your management) may also want to check the health of the companies from which you plan on making a major purchase before you agree to invest hundreds of thousands of dollars with them.  While it's true that virtually ALL manufacturers have been hurting over the past year or two, some are in more trouble than others.  One of the things that I learned in Business School was that if  a company - ANY company - announces cutbacks or layoffs right before what is argueably the biggest sales & trade show of their year, it should make you think twice about any long-term commitments with them.  In today's economic climate, the long-term viability of your supplier is just as important as the quality of their product.  So watch the trade papers for the month preceeding a show like NAB to see what your favorite suppliers are doing.

I'll be there. Be sure to stop by the Snell booth and say "Hi". Plus you can check out the new Kahuna stuff that I can't tell you about yet. It'll make you say "Why didn't I learn that switcher sooner".  :-)                              Cheers,                                                           -= Ken =- 

Not going to make it this year. Are any companies planning any big announcements? Will be interesting to see the turn out this year, both venders and attendees.