With more than 90,000 attendees from 151 countries expected, the NAB exhibition and conference is without doubt one of the most important annual events for the digital media industry. Taking over the huge Las Vegas Convention Center for a week in April each year, it attracts leading players from the broadcasting world, including many from Europe.

Representatives of the EBU Technology & Innovation Department will be at NAB 2013 to take stock of the latest trends in the production and delivery of content across all mediums.The EBU is also well represented on the NAB conference programme this year, with Lieven Vermaele, Hans Hoffmann and Jean-Pierre Evain all scheduled to speak.

Super Session

EBU Director of Technology & Innovation Lieven Vermaele will speak at a Super Session titled "Mapping the Future of Broadcast Television". He'll join fellow panellists from NAB, Fox Networks, Fisher Communications and CBC New Media Group to discuss the impact that the multiplicity of platforms and devices are having on the TV business.

FIMS to feature

In a joint presentation with Brad Gilmer of the Advanced Media Workflow Association, the EBU's Jean-Pierre Evain will present a technical paper on FIMS, the Framework for Interoperable Media Services. The FIMS initiative is designed to promote interoperability to allow flexible media production workflows. The FIMS 1.0 specification will be presented, along with early lessons from the implementation at Bloomberg TV. Visitors to the exhbition can meet FIMS users on the FIMS/EBU/AMWA booth (N1434).

Future focus

In his capacity as SMPTE's vice president of engineering, the EBU's Hans Hoffmann will chair a session on New and Emerging Standards in Digital Cinema, part of the Technology Summit stream. Also looking to the future, but back in the broadcast domain, Peter MacAvock will represent the EBU at a meeting of the FoBTV initiative, joining other key stakeholders as they work to forge a common path forward for terrestrial broadcast technology on a global basis.

And finally, Hans Hoffmann and Lieven Vermaele will also both speak during the breakfast sessions organized by SET, the Brazilian Society of Television Engineers. It will be a busy NAB all round for the EBU!