NAB Keynote Address by HP's CEO

Carly Fiorina, chairman and chief executive officer of Hewlett-Packard, will deliver the All-Industry Opening keynote address on April 19.

Fiorina joined HP in July 1999 and has led HP as the company applies new technology for businesses and consumers. Fiorina led the HP merger with Compaq, which was completed in May 2002.

John Cochran to Moderate Regulatory Face-Off

Veteran ABC News correspondent John Cochran will moderate a panel of four FCC commissioners and the acting director of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration in a discussion on regulatory issues facing broadcasters during The Regulatory Face-Off on April 20.

FCC Commissioners Kathleen Abernathy, Michael Copps, Kevin Martin and Jonathan Adelstein will be joined by Michael Gallagher, NTIA’s acting director. The FCC is currently considering many issues that will have a lasting effect on broadcasting. At the Face-Off, the panel will address topics such as media ownership, indecency and the transition to digital television and radio.

Cochran, chief Washington correspondent for ABC News, is a veteran reporter in the political arena. He reports for various ABC News programs, but primarily covers Washington for World News Tonight. He has received two Emmy Awards for reporting, the first in 1981 for his coverage of the Solidarity movement in Poland, and the second for his coverage of the overthrow of the Communist regime in Romania in 1989. Cochran has covered numerous presidents, including the last two and half years of the Clinton administration, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush. He has also covered the Congress, the State Department and the Pentagon, and was a foreign correspondent for 10 years.

Armstrong Transmitter X Link STL system

Booth N706

An analog STL system, the X Link is a 10W system that replaces the FML 10 system. The transmitter and receiver feature microprocessor control that evolves the FML10 to a user friendly menu driven system. Frequency, power output, signal strength and all metered parameters are available on the front panel LCD display and via remote control. The system's receiver is more sensitive making it useful for long STL paths. This system interfaces easily with Armstrong's two and four channel digital converters to allow a station to add digital audio to the analog platform. The transmitter and receiver operate on 24Vdc, 110 or 220V ac.

Burk Technology ARC-16 Web interface

Booth N3702

Providing Web-based control and monitoring for the ARC-16 transmitter remote control system, all connected ARC-16 units can be linked to a single Web Interface to allow site control from a standard Web browser on any networked PC. LAN/WAN capability provides users the means to control their sites via their local network, the company intranet or from anywhere using the Internet. The Web interface also sends alarm notifications by e-mail or SMS to any e-mail-enabled device. The interface needs only one serial connection to the ARC-16 for Web-based control of all connected units, and the connection from the Web interface to the ARC-16 may be direct or via a full-time modem. This allows the user to install the ARC-16 Web Interface at the transmitter site, at the studio location or anywhere an Ethernet connection is available.

Henry Engineering Studiodrive

Booth N1100

Studiodrive makes a PC with a soundcard into a complete studio-in-a-box. This product is a stereo audio mixer that fits in the drive bay area of any PC. It features six inputs (one mic and five line), and has on-air and soundcard outputs. Sources can be mixed for a live broadcast or recorded and edited on the PC. There is also a built-in telephone coupler, a mix-minus output, and provision for remote mic control. The monitor system features automatic muting when the mic is on, plus control of on-air warning lights.

Eventide H3000 Bank Delays

Booth N704

The plug-in will provide Pro Tools users with the feature set and functionality of the Band Delays algorithm from the H3000 in a plug-in format. The plug-in features Hot Keys, which provides four editing controls, providing quick access to scalable multiple parameter manipulation of the four most important adjustments to the effect. The product also features eight tempo-based delays each with programmable resonant filters and independent panning controls.

JK Audio Autohybrid

Booth N4616

A passive, auto-answer and disconnect telephone line hybrid, this interface allows simultaneous send and receive audio through analog telephone lines. The desktop unit easily converts to a rack-mount unit using the optional RA4 rack panel. The RA4 holds four Autohybrids in a 1U rack space. The dual transformer hybrid circuit provides a nominal 20dB separation of send and receive audio. Detachable screw terminal block for easy connection to remote control features. Balanced XLR jacks for easy connection to professional audio equipment. Other features include: transmit female XLR, 1000 ohms balanced, line level; receive male XLR, 600 ohms balanced, line level; off-hook LED' and auto-answer switch.

Mackie dxb*200 and dxb*400

Booth SL5913

The dXb*200 and dXb*400 share same basic architecture and footprint. Both feature dual touch-screen interfaces, 96kHz operation, on-board automation and effects, 25 100mm Penny+Giles faders, configurable I/O card cage and a Firewire I/O card option for streaming to desktop or laptop computers. Both are compatible with select VST plug-ins and both integrate Mackie Control Universal functionality for controlling Pro Tools and Logic. The dXb*400, features a 96 x 96 channel I/O matrix and 72 channels of EQ and dynamics at 96kHz. The unit is also equipped with more advanced surround sound functionality that includes 24 buses, flexible panning assignment and complete surround monitoring features.

Sennheiser Electronics HD 650

Booth N2812

Based on the design of the HD 600, these dynamic open-air headphones combine a flat frequency response (10Hz to 39.5kHz, 0 to -10dB) with natural dynamics, superior resolution and a smooth, uncolored sound. This model features an enhanced bass response and includes an upgraded cable and reduced distortion in the high frequencies, making it useful for editing and mastering applications. Additional features of this unit include matched transducers with tight tolerances (±1dB), computer-optimized magnet systems for minimizing harmonic and intermodulation distortion, lightweight aluminum voice coils to ensure accuracy and fast transient response and Neodymium ferrous magnet systems for high efficiency.

Symetrix Air Tools 6200

Booth N1610

This dual-channel, DSP-driven voice processor can handle signal processing of microphone or line-level signals in dual-mono or stereo. Processing blocks are editable from the front panel or from a Windows-based GUI accessed via USB or Ethernet ports, and changes are stored in any of the 1024 onboard preset locations. Processes include filtering, parametric equalization, compression, de-essing, gating and room simulation. The processor also supports Homer Link, an interconnect protocol that makes it compatible with the Studio Matrix system.

Studer On-Air 3000

Booth N1018

This console is aimed at the mid-to-upper-segment of the radio market. The console's operating concept is similar to Studer's other consoles in the On-Air line, but now includes color GUI screens. The system is a modular design and uses the new fan-less S-Core DSP engine. The standard fader module is comprised of six channel strips. As many as eight modules may be fitted, providing a maximum console size of 48 faders. Layout options range from an engineer-operated continuity console to a single-fader panel for announcer and newsroom use or a PC-operated system with no physical desk controls. The console offers three main stereo mix buses and an audition facility, four stereo aux buses, 16 mix-minus sends configurable as auxes and three independent studio monitoring/talkback circuits, including two PFL circuits for split desk operation. Individual channels are each equipped with four-band parametric EQ, full dynamics, de-esser, HPF and comprehensive input/output routing.

Tapco S-8

Booth SL5913

The eight-inch S-8 is a two-way, bi-amplified monitor with dual high-precision internal amplifiers that deliver a total of 120W RMS. The speaker offers a one-inch waveguide-loaded silk-dome tweeter that provides smooth, non-fatiguing high end. Rear panel controls allow for acoustic tailoring with low-frequency boost and high frequency cut and boost switches. Inputs include 1/4-inch TRS/XLR balanced and RCA unbalanced. All rear-panel controls and connections are recessed into an amplifier panel. The front panel includes separate power and clipping LEDs.

Rohde & Schwarz R&S UVP

Booth C2532

This is a compact instrument for all measurements occurring in the analog and digital audio world. Features of this product include a digital audio interface with up to a 192 kHz sampling rate, expanded measurement bandwidths and analysis tools. This unit can perform several measurement functions simultaneously, and presents the results in conclusive graphics that can be intuitively operated using the Windows operating system.

Engineering Sessions for Sunday, April 18

There are two full days of sessions before the convention floor even opens on Saturday and Sunday. Some of the highlights for the Sunday sessions follow.

NAB Broadcast Engineering Conference Keynote; 9:00 - 9:30 a.m.
Consumer Electronics Association President Gary Shapiro will keynote the NAB2004 Broadcast Engineering Conference. The title of Shapiro’s talk will be Broadcasting in the Balance - A Consumer Technology Perspective. Shapiro has been an early and active leader in the launch of digital and high definition television. He co-founded and chaired the HDTV Model Station and served on the board and executive committee of the Advanced Television Test Center (ATTC). He is a charter inductee to the Academy of Digital Television Pioneers, and in 2003 received its highest award as the industry leader most influential in advancing HDTV. Shapiro has also maintained that digital radio is radio’s destiny.

State of the Art in Radio 2004; 9:30 a.m. - 12 noon; Chairman: Al Kenyon
9:30 a.m. Expanding Digital Broadcast Services Using MPEG-4 HE AAC and Other SBR-Enabled Technologies - David Frerichs, Coding Technologies
10:00 a.m. Tomorrow Radio - Mike Starling, National Public Radio
10:30 a.m. A Modern Radio Station - Marvin Born, Dispatch Broadcast Group
11:00 a.m. State-of-the-Art in Receiver Design for HD Radio - Trudy Stetzler, Texas Instruments
11:30 a.m. Advances in AM Modulation Techniques that Improve Digital Transmission for HD Radio and DRM - Ky Luu, Harris

Preparedness, Security and Recovery for Radio and Television; 1:00 - 6:00 p.m.; Chairman: Thomas Weber, WISH-TV
1:00 p.m. New Industry Standard for Public Alert Receivers - David Wilson, Consumer Electronics Association
1:30 p.m. Design Considerations for Emergency Power Systems at Broadcast Facilities - Gregory Forbes, PBS
2:00 p.m. Broadcast Business Continuity - Sidney Skjei, Skjei Telecom
2:30 p.m. Violations of Basic Computer Security Principles within the Television Broadcast Community and Some Suggested Solutions - Paul Claxton, American Forces Radio and Television Service
3:00 p.m. DTV Datacast Networking for Homeland Security and Distance Education - Richard Ducey, Spectrarep
3:30 p.m. Network Disaster Recovery Challenges and Implementation - Tom Mikkelsen, Starz Encore Group
4:00 p.m. Eliminating Failover and Achieving Continuous Uptime for Tapeless Windows - Pablo Esteve, Thomson Grass Valley
4:30 p.m. Keeping Broadcast Facilities Online in the Digital Age - Alan Katz, MGE UPS Systems
5:00 p.m. EAS and Disaster Preparedness: Can They Work Together? - Roswell Clark, Cox Radio
5:30 p.m. Mission Critical Broadcast Design; The Show Must Go On - Leo Soucy and Linda Sand, Facilities Engineering

What to do After the Convention

Looking for something to do besides gamble? Look no further.

The Hoover Dam is located 30 miles southeast of Las Vegas on US Highway 93 at the Nevada-Arizona border. The Bureau of Reclamation started conducting tours through the Hoover Dam and Power Plant in 1937. Today, close to 1,000,000 visitors a year take the tour and millions more drive across the dam. The Visitor Center is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Built during the Depression, it took less than five years to build the largest dam of its time. The dam is a National Historic Landmark and has been rated by the American Society of Civil Engineers as one of America's Seven Modern Civil Engineering Wonders.

AJ Hackett Bungee next to Circus Circus is open Sunday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., weather permitting. Jump off a 171ft. tower with a rubber band wrapped around your ankles. This is not for the faint-hearted, but it is something different.

If you like being airborne but don't like the long drop, try Flyaway Indoor Skydiving at 200 Convention Center Dr. Experience all of the fun of falling through the air without actually having to jump out of a plane. This indoor facility has a vertical wind tunnel capable of generating a stiff-breeze up to 120 mph. It's open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.