Linear Accoustic is showcasing the Upmax: Neo at NAB, but the 5.1 surround field synthesizer will soon be showcased in Beijing, as well. NBC Olympics has chosen the UPMAX:neo to upmix stereo sound to 5.1 digital for this summer’s coverage of the Olympic Games in Beijing.

Gordon Blau is heading up Chyron’s Creative Services Group. Part of Chyron's new Online division, the Creative Services Group is being set up to support the newly acquired AXIS line of products for both client graphics support operations and to provide original graphic design functions, as well as assisting other departments.

Brand new for NAB, Shure has unveiled its smallest bodypack transmitter yet, perfect for use in the sports world. The UR1M micro-bodypack transmitter weighs less than 3.5 oz with two AAA batteries inside, is sweat-resistant and is has a tamper-proof feature that ensures a lineman won’t accidentally turn off the mic on your mic’d up quarterback.

Like several other companies, Motorola is showcasing MPEG-4 encoding at NAB, but unlike those others, Motorola is taking steps to convert the MPEG-4 HD into multiple formats, allowing millions of viewers to access HD content.

Echolab introduced four new switchers and their NAB booth as well as a new replay system. The MultiPlayMD is a multi-channel instant replay system that offers 32 channels of HD or SD content.

Sony Creative Software (SL12413) has combined its efforts with Ensequence by integrating Blu -ray java technology into their interactive platforms.  On-Create utilizes “Blu-print” which enables disc authors to drag and drop and interactive environment into Blu-ray. “This is the birth of a new market,” says Matthew Brohn, product manager for Sony Creative Software.

Inlet Technologies, Andy Beach, director of product management, has written a new book, Real World Video Compression, published by Peachpit Press.

Akamai Technologies, Inc. is witnessing a trend toward higher definition (HD) video online.  Akamai, working closely with market intelligence firm Broadband Directions, recently conducted a survey of leading broadcast and cable TV networks, online publishers, sports leagues and social media sites. The results demonstrate that there is substantial near-term interest in launching HD broadband video, with a number of offerings already launched. Nearly 75 percent of respondents said they have plans to offer HD video content to their online audiences. In terms of timing, more than 80 percent of respondents with plans to offer HD content said they either already offered HD broadband video or intend to introduce it within the next 24 months. Fully half of respondents said they already offer it or intend to do so within the next 12 months.

The guys from Pace and the NBA returned to the content theater Monday, to wow 2008 visitors with Pace Fusion 3D technology. SVG who showcased 3D at last year’s NAB Show was happy the see the latest from the NBA. Mike Rokosa, NBA, VP of Engineering, along with Steve Hellmuth, NBA EVP, Operations and Technology, Dave Evans, director of broadcasting, Dallas Mavericks and Vince Pace, CEO, of Pace were on hand to demonstrate highlights of their 3D projects. Those included the 3-D HD telecast of the Mavs and Clippers, a playoff game with the Lakers and Suns and NBA All-Star weekend. Steve Stubelt, director sales & marketing Sony Solutions, SONY Electronics who moderated the panel said it best when he said; “I remember where I was when I first saw HD, I feel the same way about 3D.” Those who attended I think would happily agree with Steve.  

New for NAB, Yamaha has introduced Virtual Circuitry Modeling (VCM) technology to three consoles, the DM1000VCM small-format digital mixer, the O1V96 and the O2R96. The consoles bring the sought-after qualities of analog sound to the digital mixers.

New from Sennheiser at NAB is the EM 3732 receiver, a rugged piece of equipment with a 90 MHz switching bandwidth that makes finding available frequencies easier than ever.

ESPN Analyst Sal Paolantonio will be interviewed over HD video from the Glowpoint Booth from 1-3 p.m. PDT April 15, taking questions from reporters and show attendees regarding the upcoming NFL draft and other sports-related questions.

New for NAB, Audio-Technica is rolling out the AT 2020 USB studio microphone, a perfect solution for quick turnaround, on-the-road productions.

Panasonic is unveiling a gamut of new cameras, switchers and other cutting-edge technology solutions at NAB 2008, but for sports fans, the AJHPX 2700 camera is the top of the line. The 2700 utilizes P2 technology in a vericam format to create a camera uniquely crafted to answer the questions poised by sports production.

Chyron has broken a new boundary in online graphics creation by partnering its new AXIS online graphics system with the Associated Press. Chyron announced at NAB that the new collaboration will incorporate current news, entertainment and sports content directly from the AP into the AXIS system, offering producers the ability to immediately utilize AP content in their graphics templates. Chyron acquired AXIS Graphics in January 2008 and has since fully integrated Online’s feature set with its graphics portfolio for use in both online and television applications.

To kick off NAB 2008, Omneon announced that NBC has chosen multiple Omneon elements to anchor the network’s coverage of the 2008 Olympic Games from Beijing, China. In addition to the company’s already established MediaDeck media servers and MediaGrid active storage systems (v. 2.1 is new for NAB), Omeon has unrolled ProCast CDN, a transport engine that will create an efficient around-the-world workflow just in time for the Games.