Adapt or Die
Spring
is here, another NAB has come and gone, and now it's time for DigitalVideoEditing
to tell you what the heck it all means. So there I went, well-prepared
for NAB this year -- with appointments with every digital video editing
vendor under the sun. I was set to cover this sucker. Jumping all over
it. But what's this? They all want to talk about streaming. Hey, that's
not what our Web site is about! This is pure digital video editing,
man. Streaming? That's for another site here on Digital Media Net, right?
Well, yes and no. As one slick talker pointed out to me: How do you think the video gets to the point where it's ready to be streamed? Editing is an integral part of that chain. Hey, he's right. Regardless of delivery mechanism, unless you're just putting up raw video or shooting live, footage needs some editing. So from now on, even though we're still talking editing here on this site, we tip our hats to streaming. The vendors at NAB sure were. Discreet, Avid, Media 100, DPS, Digital Origin, and on and on -- each claim to be the best, shiniest, most advanced doggone streaming company in the world. But the bottom line is, the chain of production usually includes editing. So, to remain stylish and avant garde, we'll say that Shooting -- Editing -- Compressing -- Streaming was certainly the cool chain to nuzzle up to at this year's NAB.
That brings up a point that I heard discussed a number of times on the show floor: What does all this talk of streaming mean for broadcasters? Does this make them dinosaurs? Let's not get delirious here. Certainly, the excitement and frenzy of the annual NAB party-a-thons can hamper your judgment, but let's not go overboard. Sure, lots of people have computers, and sure, broadband is getting more and more prevalent every day, but streaming video is simply not here yet, at least not for the majority of the world. To answer the question, "Are broadcasters dinosaurs?", I'd have to say, well, yes, but the comet hasn't hit yet. Extinction has not begun to fell huge numbers of broadcasters just yet. In fact, owning a broadcast outlet still is equal to holding a license to print money. And, the companies supplying hardware and software to broadcasters are still acutely aware of this. So were show-goers at NAB, strolling down the aisles looking at "booths" that are so gigantic that if they were fitted with flotation devices they would certainly qualify as cruise ships. Just as when you look around Las Vegas and gape at the opulent palaces, gambling halls fit for a king and billion-dollar hotels, you can't help but think: Something is paying for all this. Something enormously powerful and compelling. In the case of the Vegas colossus, well, it's a national obsession with games of chance. With the broadcast vendors' "booths", well, it's the most powerful mass medium the world has ever known that's footing the bill: Television. Not dead yet, OK?
But we can see that comet coming, off in the distance, can't we? It's going to hit, and anything that's not able to adapt to the sudden change after that fateful impact will die. Broadcasting's not immune to this, either. That's why lots of companies are hedging their bets, calling themselves streaming companies, inventing ingenious schemes like "any in/every out" where any format can be input or output according to its destination, which could be broadcast, Web or anywhere in between. It's just a matter of time before the Web becomes a delivery mechanism for television, with quality that's at the level of HDTV, but with one key advantage over broadcasting: No scarcity. In broadcasting, the number of frequencies are limited. A broadcast frequency, a scarce commodity, truly is a license to print money. But as soon as the Web is able to deliver broadcast-quality video to a critical mass of viewers, this coveted license will be granted to anyone with a DV camera and an Internet connection. So here's where the real convergence takes place: high definition television will be streamed across the Web, eventually replacing broadcast as the delivery mechanism of choice for millions of viewers across the planet.
This isn't happening today, or maybe not even for five more years. But strolling around NAB, you could just smell it in the air. It was palpable. It's going to happen. But no matter how the final product is delivered, we will still need to have sharply-honed editing skills to take all that raw footage and make coherent sense of it all. Editors will be at a premium, especially those who really know when to cut and when to dissolve, how long to stay on a cutaway, when to use music and when to insert b-roll. And above all, that license will not be one to print money unless the programs that are delivered are worth watching. Deliver crap, and that license to print money you were fantasizing about quickly turns into a license to lose money.
So, [whatever]casters, go ahead -- pump the pictures out there however you want! No matter how it gets there, quality will still reign supreme. In the meantime, here at DigitalVideoEditing.com, we'll help you sharpen your editing skills so that no matter what bag the customer brings home his groceries in, the contents will be worth sinking his teeth into.
Here's a specific roundup of NAB 2000
Charlie
White has been writing about digital video editing since it was
the laughingstock of the post-production industry. He's an Emmy award-winning
producer and director for PBS, and producer of this Web site. Do you
have comments? C'mon! Send Chazz a note at cwhite@digitalmedianet.com.
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Mac? Just Another Pretty Face
The Digital Video Editing
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for Bringing These NLEs For Me
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Digital Video's Pizza Syndrome
HD Video Editing is Here. Now.
Welcome to Digital Video Editing.com