LAS VEGAS – NewTek (www.newtek.com) is showing a powerful, yet low-cost nonlinear editor at NAB that allows users to mix HD and SD video all on the same timeline. Priced at $495 and scheduled to ship this summer, SpeedEdit supports AVI, QuickTime, Flash and MPEG formats.

The annual NAB show attracts as many as 100,000 attendees to Las Vegas every April for the purpose of checking out the latest in broadcast technologies. But, as anyone who frequents iTunes knows, the meaning of broadcasting is changing, and you no longer have to be a network or TV station to distribute content.

ANCHORAGE, AK – Minneapolis-based freelance director of photography, Mark Falstad, is the first in the US to get his hands on Sony’s new XDCAM HD camera. The company approached Falstad to shoot footage for its upcoming NAB exhibit. It needed to show the capabilities of the new HD camera as well as reassure potential buys as to the stability and reliability of both the camera and its optical disk media. So off to Alaska Falstad headed to participate in the annual Iditarod dog-sled race, where the PDW-350 would be exposed to both sub-zero temperatures and the dangers of the Iditarod trail.

CHICAGO – Agency FCB, here, recently came up with a marketing idea for client KFC that combats a television audience’s willingness to skip over commercials while promoting the restaurant chain’s Buffalo Snacker sandwich, and even rewarding astute viewers for paying attention in return.

With NAB only weeks away, a number of manufacturers have already shown their hand, revealing what they'll have on display in Las Vegas.

SANTA MONICA, CA - Spitfire Media (www.spitfire-media.com)
got into UMD authoring right after Sony introduced the PSP in early 2005. The studio has an ongoing relationship with Universal, having authored a number of DVD titles, and found itself in a position to take on UMD work for titles it was already familiar with.

LAS VEGAS - Editors looking to brush up on their skill or learn additional applications might want to attend this year's NAB Post|Production World Conference (www.nabshow.com), which returns to Las Vegas on April 21-27 for the third year. The event is the result of a collaboration between Future Media Concepts and the National Association of Broadcasters, and offers attendees the opportunity to sit in on any of 200 technical and business session, many of which focus on editing applications.

3D Training Institute and The Fashion Institute of Technology teamed up to host the "3D Animation Career Advancement Seminar" last month, offering attendees advice on how to find work in the animation industry. The two-hour discussion featured three panelists, all of whom are active in the animation industry and influential in the hiring process.

Back in September, this space looked at the NLE rental business, particularly two companies that were seeing success in New York. Well, the rental business is thriving elsewhere, too. Across the pond, for example, Peter Watson, director/manager of LEM Digital (London Editing Machines), says the 25-year-old company that services the London filmmaking community is also quite busy.