Digital Video - February 2008 - (Page 4) PREROLL BY DAVID E. WILLIAMS VOLUME 16 NUMBER 2 FEBRUARY 2008 “NEWISTS,” BEWARE DV .COM EDITORIAL EDITOR-IN-CHIEF David E. Williams dwilliams@nbmedia.com MANAGING EDITOR Douglas Bankston dbankston@nbmedia.com TECHNICAL EDITOR Jay Holben jayholben@gmail.com CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Frank Capria, Thomas A. Crowell, Robert M. Goodman, John Jackman, Matt Jeppsen, Nels Johnson, Larry Lueck, Kendal Miller, Oliver Peters, Jay Rose, Todd Sali, Stefan Sargent, Ned Soltz, David O. Weissman, Adam Wilt ADVERTISING EAST COAST SALES MANAGER Susan Simon ssimon@nbmedia.com NORTHWEST SALES MANAGER Pete Sembler psembler@nbmedia.com MIDWEST AND SOUTHWEST SALES MANAGER Jeff Victor jvictor@nbmedia.com EUROPE SALES MANAGER Bob Kennedy bkennedy@nbmedia.com DV EXPO SALES Jacqueline Gospodinoff jgospodinoff@nbmedia.com CLASSIFIED AD SALES Anesha Kovalsky akovalsky@nbmedia.com ART & PRODUCTION SENIOR ART DIRECTOR Nicole Cobban ART DIRECTOR Annmarie LaScala PRODUCTION MANAGER Fred Vega ASSISTANT PRODUCTION MANAGER Ariel Steinberg CIRCULATION ASSOCIATE CIRCULATION DIRECTOR, AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT Anne Drobish CIRCULATION CUSTOMER SERVICE Michele Fonville SUBSCRIPTIONS: DV, P.O. 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New York, NY 10019 Tel: 212.378.0400 Fax: 212.378.0470 Web: www.nbmedia.com I t’s remarkable for those who make a living by developing and marketing production technology to suggest that we should perhaps step off the ever-ascending escalator even for a second. But that’s exactly what I heard in two separate meetings with two different leaders from two very different markets. I was at a breakfast with Graham Sharp, the vice president and general manager of Avid’s video division. An industry veteran, Sharp joined Avid in 2001 to lead sales, marketing and support operations for the company in Europe, Africa, the Middle East and India. However, one of his most recent moves, pulling Avid out of the upcoming 2008 NAB confab in Las Vegas, created a speculative Internet buzz to be reckoned with. That prompted our meeting. After citing the expense involved with operating at NAB — roughly totalling $500 per face-to-face meeting with potential customers (resulting in costs exceeding, some say, $6 million) — Sharp described how that money could be better spent. In essence, he sees better value in smaller meetings with Avid customer groups, which would not only allow Avid to more clearly deliver their message, but get feedback from users — an exchange, he candidly admitted, the company had failed to foster in recent years. But then Sharp said something remarkable: Avid had perhaps been too focused on introducing new upgrades, new features and new products, rather than helping users to catch up with all the intricacies their current NLE and storage systems in order to get the most out of them. Perhaps that should be their new goal. Huh? Not introduce an all-new update that will compel users to upgrade or perish? Not force artificial obsolescence? Just days later, during Band Pro Video’s “One World On HD ‘07” conference, company president and event host Amnon Band opened with an impassioned speech about the industry’s rapid adoption of HD: a move, he reasoned, that has been fuelled by the public’s desire for high def, not camera manufacturers’ marketing efforts. If consumers didn’t want HD, then HD cameras — such as the Sony F23 (which Band Pro exclusively represents in the U.S.) would be languishing on shelves, and entry-level HD cams, such as Sony’s PMW-EX1, would remain in R&D rather than cradled in the hands of filmmakers. However, Band (after announcing Sony’s upcoming F35 camera) also noted that given the great strides that have taken place in getting HD tools to the market, perhaps manufacturers should take a breather. This moment would allow cinematographers and videographers a chance to catch up on all the capabilities of their new cameras, allow post workflows to further evolve and even allow rental houses a chance to accumulate some much-needed ROI. What?! Not introduce an all-new model that will compel users to upgrade or perish? Not force artificial obsolescence? The “newists” out there — technophiles who thrive on the visceral thrill of downloading the latest update and being the first on their block to buy each year’s ever-better model — aren’t going to like this. But users everywhere who want tools to serve their creativity will. David E. Williams, Editor dwilliams@nbmedia.com 4 dv february 2008 www.dv.com http://www.nbmedia.com http://www.dv.com
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