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NAB 2018 Day One: IP, UHD, 4K, cameras, Stranger Things and more

TVBEurope rounds up some of the key talking points from day one in Las Vegas

NAB Show 2018 has officially kicked off in Las Vegas with topics under discussion ranging from new technology to a warning that cinematographers are losing “ownership of the image” because of digital techniques.

EVS began NAB by announcing a new server in their XT range, the most significant update to the XT series to date. XT-VIA allows content providers to benefit from improved UHD-4K resolution and IP performance, as well as integration with Via, EVS’s new modular service technology platform and workflow engines. 

Nicholas Bourdon, SVP Marketing, EVS, told TVTechnology the new server is “built to meet growing demand from those operating in higher-resolution live production environments.”

Meanwhile, Comcast Technology Solution has introduced an “enhanced” live services offering that includes a new live-to-IP capability that enables partners to reach consumers on a wide range of devices, reports Multichannel

The enhanced offering serves as a way for video content providers and operators around the world to deliver linear and live events using a turnkey system that ingests content via satellite, fibre or over the internet, manages and protects the content, and then distributes it to targeted end devices. 

Disney, ABC and Redrock Microsystems have teamed up to launch a hybrid and modular camera rig which they say merges the best elements found in gimbal, jib, Steadicam, drone and handheld camera technologies. 

The rig is aimed at solo operators and small production teams working in live and pre-recorded news, sports and other events, and can place the camera from ground level to more than eight feet (or up to 12 feet with an optional extension) in tandem with a time-time powered gimbal that keeps the shots smooth and steady. More details can be found on Broadcasting and Cable.

Away from the exhibitor floor, the team behind the visual effects on Netflix’s Stranger Things offered attendees a glimpse of how they go about creating the Upside Down in a panel discussion. 

The group outlined how they worked on the series’ tight schedule, building iteration after iteration of each shot for sign off or notes from the show’s creatives, led by the writer/director/creators Matt and Ross Duffer, before moving on to the next step. A full report on the panel can be found at NABShowDailyNews.

On the flip side, Oscar-winning cinematographer Janusz Kaminiski warned of an increasing worry within the cinematography community regarding the rise of digital processes changing images in post-production. 

According to the Hollywood Reporter, Kaminski said cinematographers are able to control how a scene looks when it is shot on film, but in this digital age, images can be altered in postproduction — colours can be made lighter, darker or altered altogether — in a way that doesn’t always reflect the cinematographer’s original creative intention.