The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) convention is right around the corner (April 20-23). As always, Videomaker will be hitting the show floor to keep you up to date with announcements of the latest video gear. Each year all the major manufacturers of video and audio production equipment coalesce in Las Vegas for an orgy of new gear, production seminars, and tech talk. In short it’s pretty much a mecca for video geeks like myself.

If you’re going to be at the show, feel free to stop us and say hello if you see us in our travels around the Las Vegas Convention center. However, if you can’t make it yourself, we’ll be there to help you out. If there’s anything specific you’d like to know more about from the show, whether a piece of kit from a specific manufacturer, or a general product category, reply to this post below and we’ll check it out for you. We’ll be updating this blog regularly from the show floor, so you’ll get the news right from the source. So take advantage of our sore feet, and give us some suggestions.

I read a story this morning on hometheaterreview.com discussing how the growth of the Blu-ray Disc format is probably limited based on how often player firmware needs to be updated. This is a side of Blu-ray Disc that I haven’t experienced in person yet since I don’t own a player yet and no set-top players have come through the building to date. (Any manufacturer reps reading this? Care to help us alleviate this condition? )

The problem is that new features, bug fixes and key revocations by the paranoid Hollywood movie cartel (who are actually very nice people… just paranoid) are causing the need for end-users to update their firmware. And firmware is not something that should be updated on a whim on anything–in the above-mentioned story, writer Jerry Del Colliano shares the experience of updating his Blu-ray Disc player’s firmware and having the machine croak… and since the player was out of warranty, he was SOL. If a guy who knows what he’s doing kills his player because of a firmware update gone awry, where does that leave the much-less-technically advanced users buying these players and getting burned by something like this?

Unless the answer is that everyone who wants to watch Blu-ray Discs gets a Sony PlayStation 3, the best-regarded (and cheapest) Blu-ray Disc player on the market? The potential problem is that would unfortunately make for dire times at Sony, who sells the PS3 at a loss in hopes that people will buy the expensive games to play on the console. The beauty part is that it’s very easy to update the firmware on a PS3, when it has to be done. But then you get into a discussion of economies of scale, supply and demand, etc. (No, I couldn’t get into a whole economic discussion at the moment… it’s been too long since I took an econ class, although I did enjoy microeconomics.)

I’ve often been asked what my opinion is on the best material to look at critically when learning about video. So I thought that I’d pose the question to all of you out there & see what you guys think? For myself, the best possible video to learn from are commercials. They are direct, tell the story in a very short amount of time and are the best example of the “shoot to edit” technique. Of course thats just my opinion, but commercials are out there to capture every type of audience. So there are many different types of ads that are done in so many different ways that it’s impossible not to find the answers to at least some of your video questions by watching them critically.  What do you guys think? What has helped you learn the most about video?

Sony announced the HDR-TG5V camcorder today. Designed for travelers and holiday videos, the TG5V has a rugged titanium body, and incorporates Sony’s GPS technology which allows you to geo-tag your video clips. It records AVCHD in 1080i, and includes 16GB of internal memory and a 10x Ziess lens. The sensor is a 1/5″ Exmor CMOS. It weighs only 90 oz., and is about 5 inches tall, so it’s easy to take around with you wherever you are.

Press Release Below:

SONY takes flight with HD CAMCORDER designed for SAVVY TRAVELERS
New Model Offers Embedded GPS, Durable Titanium Body, and Sleek Design

SAN DIEGO, April 1, 2009 – Designed for travelers who pack lightly, Sony today unveiled a new high-definition camcorder that combines powerful performance and simple operation into a sleek, portable body.

The HDR-TG5V Handycam® camcorder captures 1920×1080 high-definition video and four-megapixel photos. With a compact design, the model includes 16GB of flash memory (a portion of which is used for data management), embedded GPS, minimal buttons and a new intuitive user interface for the touch-panel LCD.
“Travelers are looking for high-quality products that focus on performance and portability,” said Kelly Davis, director of camcorder marketing at Sony Electronics. “This new model has a titanium body with a premium hard coating enhancing durability and it’s packed with high-performance features—like GPS and Smile Shutter™—that deliver the best combination for your travel experiences.”

The camcorder’s built-in GPS antenna and NAVTEQ® digital maps geo-tag your videos and photos so you can document your destinations on a map. Geo-tagged content is marked by a push pin at each shot location and can be played back on the camcorder map index display on the 2.7-inch (measured diagonally) wide LCD touch panel. You can also enjoy this feature on the PC using the included Picture Motion Browser software.

With 16GB of embedded memory, the HDR-TG5V camcorder holds more than six hours of high definition video footage (LP mode) so it is ready for capture right out of the box. You can also capture content onto Memory Stick PRO Duo™ media (sold separately) for additional recording time.
Ideal for the active explorer, a new graphical user interface helps personalize menus for easy operation and quickly sort through captured content.

Smile Shutter technology automatically snaps quality photos of traveling companions when they smile, even while recording video at the same time. To make sure your subject stays in focus, Face Detection™ technology recognizes and enhances faces by automatically correcting focus, exposure and color control.

In addition to a BIONZ™ Image Processor that works with an Exmor™ CMOS sensor for pristine imaging, the camera features a professional-quality Carl Zeiss® Vaio-Tessar® 10X optical zoom lens designed specifically for compact camcorders. For added clarity and detail, a built-in flash reduces shadows and improves still images in low-light situations.

Pricing and Availability
The HDR-TG5V camcorder will ship in May for about $1,000. An optional travel kit (Sony ACC-TCH5) with a battery, travel charger and pouch will be available for about $100. There is also a wide angle conversion lens (Sony VCL-HGE07TB) accessory for about $100.
All can be purchased at Sony Style® retail stores, direct at www.sonystyle.com, at authorized dealers and military exchange bases nationwide.