The NAB Show has announced the winning products of 2022. The Sony VENICE 2 and the Canon Cinema EOS R5 C are the cinema cameras that took the prize. What’s the main reason for this decision? Explore below.
NAB Show – Product of the Year
NAB Show has announced the winners of the fourth annual Product of the Year Awards during a live awards ceremony on April 26 at the 2022 NAB Show in Las Vegas. According to NAB, the awards recognize the most significant and promising new products and technologies exhibited for the first time at the 2022 NAB Show. Winners were selected by a panel of industry experts in 15 categories. To be eligible for an award, nominated products had to come from companies exhibiting at the 2022 NAB Show and are delivered within the 2022 calendar year.
Revolutionizing the content industry
“The 2022 NAB Show Product of the Year Awards honor innovative breakthroughs that will change the way the media and entertainment industry creates, connects, and capitalizes content,” said NAB Executive Vice President of Global Connections and Events Chris Brown. “This year’s winners can help storytellers at all stages of the content lifecycle meet the challenges of today and tomorrow and revolutionize the content industry.” The list includes products that offer a broad range of solutions, including industrial, broadcast, and cinema. The categories are :
- Audio Production, Processing, and Networking
- Camera Support, Control, and Accessories
- Graphics, Editing, VXF, Switchers
- Location/Studio Lighting
- Radio
- Remote Production
- Cloud Computing and Storage
- Hardware Infrastructure
- IT Networking/Infrastructure & Security
- Monitoring and Measuring Tools
- AI/Machine Learning
- Streaming
- Asset Management, Automation, Playout
- Digital Signage and Display Systems
As you can see, these are the fields that NAB Show focuses on. The ‘cinema’ segment is very marginal. Luckily we have Cine Gear for that. Anyway, here’s the complete list of the winning cameras:
- Sony Electronics: Venice 2
- IO Industries: 8KSDI
- IO Industries: Volucam 245D60
- Canon: Canon EOS R5 C
- BZBGEAR: ADAMO
- Emergent Vision Technologies: Zenith HZ-10000G 100GigE 10MP 1000fps Camera
- Insta360: Insta360 ONE RS
- ARRI: ARRI AMIRA Live
- AVer: AVer MD330U Series Medical Grade PTZ Camera
Sony VENICE 2 and Canon EOS R5 C
The Sony VENICE 2 and the Canon Cinema EOS R5 C are the only cinema cameras by definition that took the prize. Although these cameras are very much different from each other and thus fit dissimilar purposes and markets, they’re both considered cinema cameras which according to NAB, allow content creators to break their creative boundaries. Also, guess what’s common between the two? Right! 8K image acquisition. Why is that important? Because it seems that 8K image acquisition and broadcasting was the hot topic at this year’s NAB.
8K, or go home
“The 2022 NAB Show features a host of new technologies likely to transform the industry in the next decade, including demonstrations of new equipment and technologies for stunning 8K video, which offers 16 times the resolution of HD and four times the resolution of 4K”. That statement is quoted from the NAB Show Daily article that deals with one of the most popular technologies in this year’s show. Most people are unlikely to have that experience anytime soon, however. Only 1 million 8K TVs were sold globally in 2021, according to Strategy Analytics, which is predicting that about 72 million households worldwide will have an 8K set in 2025, a tiny fraction of the 1.7 billion homes with TV sets in the world. Nevertheless, 8K technologies are playing a growing role in efforts to improve the way HD, HDR, and 4K content is produced today. Being able to capture in 8K, and then master in 4K, is a solid advantage. What are your thoughts about this? Should NAB 2023 be concentrated on 12K?
Product List
Here’re the products mentioned in the article, and the links to purchase them from authorized dealers.
- Canon EOS R5 C Mirrorless Cinema Camera
- Sony VENICE 2 Digital Motion Picture Camera (8K)
- Sony VENICE 2 Digital Motion Picture Camera (6K)
8K cameras top the list of winners from NAB 2022. This includes the Venice 2, EOS R5 C and 8KSDI cameras from Sony, Canon, and IO Industries. The authors note that 8K plays an increasingly important role in capture and 4K finishing and ask if 12K cameras should be the next focus area.