WABE 2024, the annual convention of the Western Association of Broadcast Engineers, is less than a month away, set to take place Sept. 23-25 at the JW Marriott Ice District in Edmonton.
Forging ahead in media’s new landscape can’t be done alone, and a community of professionals has already signed up to attend, discuss, learn, and find opportunities across sectors, from AV and live events to radio, broadcast, and post-production. Don’t miss the free exhibit hall, filled with vendors, suppliers, and manufacturers ready to help you with your next project.
By exploring these topics together, we can discover new ideas on how others are navigating media’s evolving landscape. Join us to listen, learn, and be inspired by innovative approaches from across the industry. Topics at this years convention that will get you talking include:
Kirk Nesbitt, the Technical Advisor to the Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB) and a professional engineer with extensive experience in broadcasting, will discuss how emergency alerting is managed in the new media landscape, highlighting the challenges and opportunities.
Sébastien Testeau, a media technology architect with 20 years of experience, leads the adoption of C2PA and leverages AI for content discoverability at CBC/Radio-Canada. He previously worked on media archiving, video streaming, and computer vision at the National Film Board of Canada and will discuss Content Credentials and the C2PA initiative, which aim to increase transparency and combat misinformation online by certifying the source and history of media content.
Rob Poretti, a wireless expert with over 30 years of experience, works at AVL Media Group, specializing in RF solutions for broadcasters and live events. He will explore whether wireless digital transmission is truly superior to traditional FM-based systems by examining their technical differences, such as spectrum masks, power levels, and intermodulation, and discussing RF link budgets, multi-zone deployments, and strategies to mitigate system weaknesses, with case studies from theatres, concert halls, and broadcast facilities.
Vladimir Anishchenko, President/CTO of Avateq Corp, has over 30 years of experience in R&D, specializing in designing digital signal processing systems for various applications, including terrestrial repeaters and digital modulators. Mark Corl, SVP of Emergent Technology Development at Triveni Digital, focuses on leveraging ATSC 3.0 for data distribution innovation and serves as a key contributor to the ATSC 3.0 standard, including chairing several implementation teams. Orest Sushko, Director of the Broadcast-Broadband Convergence Lab at Humber College, brings over 30 years of audio engineering experience and leads R&D on emerging audio technologies and ATSC 3.0/5G convergence. The panel will discuss their collaborative work on ATSC 3.0 at the Humber lab, including Smart City development in Calgary, market adoption strategies, and technical demonstrations of the ATSC 3.0 Broadcast Positioning System.
Roy Folkman, who has over 35 years of experience in sales and technical roles within the media community and currently works for CineSys, is presenting part 2 of a panel discussion on AI’s impact on the media industry. Joined by Jonathan Mechling from Diversified, a sound artist and designer, writer, broadcaster, musician, and interactive media producer, as well as Don Hill, a former CBC national radio host, this discussion will explore both current and future effects of AI on workflows and jobs, examining both positive and negative perspectives.
The Forging Ahead in Media’s New Landscape Panel aims to explore the future of media and entertainment by examining new workflows, operational strategies, and growth opportunities enabled by technology. The discussion will highlight how innovation is shaping the industry, focusing on both challenges and positive developments within the Canadian landscape and beyond. At WABE, we provide a platform to discuss technology’s impact on content creation and distribution, aiming to strengthen the industry and its supporting sectors. Panelists include Shawn Gardner from TV2Go, Andrew Snook from Pattison Media, and Chris Lapp from Cisco.
For our first-ever Vendor Showcase, Blackmagic Design will present a session led by Matt Jefferson, Worldwide Director of Developer Partnerships. With over 30 years of experience in building video, computer graphics, and networking ecosystems, Matt leads developer relations and third-party hardware partnerships at Blackmagic. His notable achievements include successful collaborations with NBC News, Reuters, and BBC News using Decklink products. The showcase will demonstrate how to quickly build a cost-effective hybrid SMPTE 2110 workflow, integrating IP, HDMI, and SDI for various broadcasters.
Don’t miss this opportunity to connect and learn with industry partners, leaders, and influencers this fall in Edmonton. Register today!
Avid and its customer-led Avid Community Association has awarded a sponsorship to the South Georgian Bay Media Association (SGBMA), a collective of media and film artists that offers students free access to their programs, and works with the Saugeen First Nation to provide barrier-free access to workshops. Awarded to organizations that help promote and inspire under-represented grassroots talent in the media and entertainment industry, since its launch in 2021, the program has awarded 24 community education organizations. The three-year sponsorship includes membership in the global Avid Learning Partner (ALP) program, Avid creative tools software licenses (for Pro Tools, Media Composer, and Sibelius), staff training and certification, and course materials and certifications for students.
