April 17
NAB is like a warren of shows within shows. Tonight’s little sideshow is called ShowStoppers, which basically is one ballroom at the Encore stuffed with a number of smaller firms, and open only to the media.
DJI was there, and screened off part of the ballroom with a cage so they could fly their latest offerings indoors (there’s a big cage on the show exhibit floor that multiple drone companies share; I’m starting to dream of drone cage fights ;~).
But I was more interested in finding products that are little more mainstream to this site’s user base. I found three. One, the SpectraCal monitor calibration system I’m going to wait to cover in any detail, as they’re sending me an evaluation unit to try, and I was already going to take a look at the new ColorMunki. So consider this foreshadowing: I’ll have a new article on calibration soon, and I’ll be putting a couple of mini-reviews at its core.
I will say it was refreshing to talk to the VP and get a rather broad-minded view of calibration. Basically, he said something I agree with: “for the most part it doesn’t matter what you calibrate with; but everyone needs to calibrate.” Of course, he went on to say that he felt their solution provided some depth and capabilities that others don’t, but it’s refreshing to hear someone talk mostly to the general need and not solely about their product.
At the next stand over was G-Technology, makers of the popular G-Raid drives. Their new product to be announced at the show (tomorrow, I believe) is at the top end of what this site’s reader base might need: the new G-Rack 12 network shared storage. You pros that are running studios or are deep into video production probably already have a NAS or are contemplating one. G-Rack follows G-Technology’s usual vented aluminum styling and looks like a solid entry into that market. If you’re just downstream of needing a full-fledged shared solution but need capacity, speed, and reliability, the G-Speed (Shuttle and Studio) are something you should look at. They come in 2-drive to 8-drive models, and work over Thunderbolt to both Mac and Windows systems.
But I was much more interested in products G-Technology introduced a bit earlier but hadn’t seen or used yet: the G-Dock (below) and the G-Drive ev ATC (above). The G-Drive ev ATC is rated IP66 (see my upcoming article on sansmirror next week about weatherproofing, particularly the end where I'll discuss IP ratings). With up to a 1TB 7200 rpm (HGST) drive in it, the ev ATC is a portable shell around a dockable drive. Literally, you pop the drive out of the protective housing and put it directly into the G-Dock ev. Or you use the ev ATC as a single drive in its protective housing (there’s a built-in cable that pops out, and which kept the unit from getting an IP67 rating).
The black drive in the lower slot was popped out of the ev ATC and put into the dock.
I’ve been looking for a better external drive solution to take into the rough situations where I teach workshops. Combining the ev drive with the dock provides me the ability to back up drives (via the dock), yet keep them protected most of the time (via the housings). Both Thunderbolt and USB 3.0 versions of these products are available, again supporting both Mac and Windows. This site’s exclusive advertiser, B&H, carries the G-Technology products (use one of the links below, then search for G-Technology or one of the product names on the B&H site).
Another product that was just announced that I hadn’t seen yet was tucked into another corner of the ballroom, the new Sennheiser MKE-440 stereo microphone for DSLRs. Take a look. Here it is mounted on my Sony A6300:
Unfortunately, Sennheiser’s “press kit” URL isn’t live yet, so I can’t give you all the details on that product, but I expect to see a number of these popping up in mirrorless and DSLR video use soon. Simple, compact, high quality, and sturdy (the shock mounting on the individual mics is unseen inside the V shell). The arrangement of the two mics is optimized for getting a clean left-right stereo presentation while putting a good emphasis on what’s straight ahead. Looks promising, and I can’t wait to try one.
Miles walked: 7.16 (I walked from the Sony Press Conference at the Hard Rock to the ShowStoppers at the Wynn Encore, then back to my hotel at the other end of the strip)
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This site is supported by B&H, the site’s exclusive advertiser and supporter for over a decade. The following is the B&H “NAB Just Announced” product list, followed by their “NAB Show Specials":
And here are the B&H NAB show specials:
