Opening session of NAB broadcast engineering and IT conference shines light on a bright future for broadcasting

The Opening Session of the 77th NAB Broadcast Engineering and Information Technology (BEIT) Conference began at NAB Show 2023 today, celebrating new advancements in broadcasting technology and services.

In his opening remarks, NAB Executive Vice President of Technology and Chief Technology Officer Sam Matheny spoke about the progress of Next Gen TV, also known as ATSC 3.0. Matheny noted that the voluntary ATSC 3.0 TV transition is pacing 30% ahead of the mandated predecessor DTV transition at the same point in time after FCC adoption of the standard. He also said that broadcasters “need regulatory assistance to go further faster. It is difficult to have a market driven transition, with no new spectrum, while still mandating that legacy services be maintained and duplicated.” Ending on an optimistic note, he predicted that due to the industry’s hard work since its 2017 launch debut, Next Gen TV would “soon be an overnight success.”

“It is an honor to be with you at this centennial celebration and to explore the exciting innovations that will drive the next 100 years,” NAB President and CEO Curtis LeGeyt told attendees as he welcomed the audience.

In special remarks from Jungsu Song, vice president and CEO of the Korea Radio Promotion Association, which is sponsoring “The Korean NEXTGEN TV Alliance” exhibit in the Futures Park area of the exhibit floor, he said, “ATSC 3.0 is an opportunity for innovation and a new growth engine for traditional TV broadcasting in Korea.”

The keynote speech was delivered by Renard Jenkins, senior vice president, Production Integration and Creative Technology Services at Warner Bros. Discovery and president of the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers. In his expansive talk, he spoke about the importance of preparing teams for the present and near future and the challenges of recruiting and retaining highly talented staff in the fast-changing media industry.

In his talk titled “New Tools, New Opportunities: Preparing Engineers and Technologists for Longevity” he told the audience of media technologists, “Take advantage of what you have in front of you. We went into this business to have fun. Don’t lose that fire. The work you do impacts so many people.”

The NAB Best Paper Award was also presented at the opening session to Liam Power, systems engineer at ONE Media, for his paper in the NAB Proceedings of the BEIT Conference titled “Audio Services Over ATSC 3.0: A Proof of Concept.”

The NAB BEIT Conference runs through Tuesday afternoon, April 18.
BCS Bureau