News from NAB

I didn't make it to NAB, the huge broadcast trade show, but am eagerly following the announcements from there.

Perhaps the biggest news for us online video folk were the competing announcements from Microsoft and Adobe. Microsoft is introducing a new media player, Silverlight, and Adobe is announcing the Adobe Media Player. Both are for web video and both will change our world.

From StreamingMedia.com, "Major announcements this morning at NAB 2007 from both Adobe and Microsoft find each one vying the lead in the ever-more-lucrative online video market. Adobe announced its Adobe Media Player, a standalone video player that gives Flash Video DRM for the first time, while Microsoft introduced Silverlight, a cross-platform, cross-browser media and application delivery plug-in."

Also announced at NAB, the Associated Press Online Video Network, with the ability to upload local content to the AP player, is no longer a beta product. From their press release, via LostRemote.com,: "With its initial year growth reaching 45
million unduplicated unique visitors, AP has completed beta testing and
today announced the next phase of its Online Video Network (OVN), which is
based on MSN technology. The release of the local contribution module
enables AP OVN affiliates to leverage AP breaking news video and national
advertising sales managed by Microsoft Digital Advertising Solutions. In
addition, affiliates can add local video and generate revenue from local
advertisers."

And from the Radio Television News Directors Association panel on News 2.0, Michael Rosenblum says to burn down the television stations:


If you're a masochist, the whole 64 minute panel discussion, including Amanda Congdon, is on Blip.tv

The other big news is from Apple: Final Cut Studio 2.0. Mix formats on a single timeline. Pro color grading. Flash files output from Compressor. It's awesome. So's their trailer: