February 10, 2013 - 19:55
Is anyone going to BVE at the end of this month?
If so, please pop by and say "hello" - I will be exhibiting this year - stand H69.
John
February 10, 2013 - 21:03
#1
Re: BVE 2013
Won't be going due to distance but just want to say "hello" anyway, and good luck with your exhibition.
Harry
February 11, 2013 - 08:21
#2
Re: BVE 2013
I'll be going - not sure which day(s) yet.
Ray
February 13, 2013 - 09:47
#3
Re: BVE 2013
I'll try to stop by and say hello John. Will you have any interesting devices on show?
February 13, 2013 - 10:44
#4
Re: BVE 2013
paulears wrote:
I'll try to stop by and say hello John. Will you have any interesting devices on show?
I'll have lots of interesting devices on show. 
A large range of Gefell microphones including the re-issue CMV and the new knuckle joints for the SMS2000 series.
The Turtle boundary mic. adaptor.
The ME-Geithain RL906 nearfield (and portable) monitors
Of most interest to video people will be the AETA 4MinX location recorder - the AETA MIXY mini mixer that can record very high quality into a pocket recorder (eg: Tascam DR100-II - which I hope to have on the stand as well) and the brand new ScoopFone HD Codec that uses "HD Voice" and is proving very popular with broadcasters.
The specialist windshield people, Schulze-Brakel will also be on the stand.
Though I would be happy to say hello even if anyone is not that interested in the products I do - as I do understand that the stuff I distribute is mostly of interest to recording studios and broadcasters rather than the videographer - as, other than the Oxfordshire party at mooblie's place we had a few years back, we don't get much of a chance to meet people (though I did run into Alan Roberts at BVE North last year).
February 23, 2013 - 10:31
#5
February 26, 2013 - 20:56
#6
Re: BVE 2013
I've just got back from BVE, and I have to say I was very unimpressed by this year's effort.
For me BVE is an opportunity to do three main things: try out kit, attend seminars, and do some discount shopping.
The trying out kit bit was fine: there was nothing that I had wanted to get my hands on that wasn't there. I made some purchase decisions but when I went to see if Prestons had the kit I'd decided on as show specials I was surprised to discover that Prestons simply weren't there. Not was Protape, or the other stalls stacked high with show-special-price consumables. No Focal Press stall. Plenty of stands with all sorts of high-end kit of no use to a jobbing videographer like myself. No, the stands servicing me, and selling low end kit at a show discount were notable by their absence. The notable exceptions being Hague, who didn't seem to be offering any special deals, and DVC tucked in a corner in a tiny stall.. I spend all of £14.95 this year. First time in a long time I've spent less than a lot. My inference was that BVE had hiked the prices to exhibitors in the move east, and priced out many.
The seminars were a real mixed bag. I went to a couple of interesting ones in the 4K theatre, where a lot of good points were made about why 4K is worthwhile shooting on, and then I went to some really dull ones in the Cinematography and Live Production Theatre which were just guys slapping each other on the back. Having said that, Arri's Ryan Fletcher was very interesting in a geeky way with his "What is light?" presentation. However, my cameraman who was with me summed it all up by saying it was mostly about the pixels and little about the art of cinematography.
You'd have thought that in a bigger venue there'd be more space for the seminars and talks, but no, the "theatre" sizes were much the same, and since tickets weren't required you had to get there early to get a seat. The most popular speaker, Philip Bloom, had a queue halfway down Excel for his presentation. He was scheduled to start at 1530 and people were queuing from 1500. There was no way the space was going to be big enough to hold them all.
On the plus side, Excel is a far better venue than Earls Court. It was cool, quieter, and in the Boulevard are lots and lots of food and coffee outlets selling at pretty much normal prices. Absolutely none of Earls Court's price gouging.
Nice to meet a couple of other DVDoctor members. But I really wonder whether I can be bothered to go again next year. Where's the trade show that serves the wedding and event videographers, the young hungry DSLR shooters, the people who are trying to improve what their output looks like? The ones - like my cameraman - with a genuine interest in the art of Cinematography? That's the show I want to go to.
Adobe Certified Professional Premiere Pro CS6, Premiere Pro CC
February 26, 2013 - 21:31
#7
Re: BVE 2013
Prestons Open Day Details
Hi
Just a quick email to invite you to our open day on the 20th March 2013 and correct a date in my earlier email.
Just a quick email to invite you to our open day on the 20th March 2013 and correct a date in my earlier email.
It is going to be held at our Malvern showroom:
H.Preston, 103 Worcester Road, Malvern, Worcs, WR14 1EP.
We have Alister Chapman as a guest speaker and we'll be showing of lots of the latest equipment.
There will also be lots of special deals and we still have our 12 Months 0% credit available.
If you need any further information please call me or drop me an email.
Best Regards
John Preston
www.hpreston.co.uk
February 26, 2013 - 22:05
#8
Re: BVE 2013
I'm with Mark M: what he says. BVE is a great place to rent an OB truck but no place for the freelancer such as my self. Maybe the IOV show in the midlands will replace the Video Forum of the early naughties.
tom.
February 27, 2013 - 09:02
#9
Re: BVE 2013
The clue is in the title "Broadcast Video Expo" It`s not for any of the street level guys unless you are into broadcast production work.
February 27, 2013 - 10:10
#10
Re: BVE 2013
BUT - if you were a broadcast oriented attendee you too would have found holes. Until Mark mentioned it, I hadn't noticed the lack of the people actually selling kit. I didn't need to buy tape stock this year, or other odds and ends (bought on impulse), so missed their lack of presence. The other thing I noticed was that the volume in the various presentations was too low - the audio level falling bellow the ambient hubbub noise, making it hard to hear. There were also lots of stands with incomplete kit. What I mean is that there seems little point having a nice long job arm without a camera on the end, or worse, a camera that is switched off!. Or a camera in a studio cradle with the zoom and focus inoperative? One stand selling lighting products had them all switched off. Maybe a power supply problem? Lots of stands that were a bit uninviting. I felt very sorry for the stands from foreign countries hawking their locations - very unusual people manning them, with sour faces.A long journey and expensive project to attend, but I felt these people were feeling rather out of place. I'd done all I needed to ,and seen the few things on my short list by 2pm. Total cost for attending including travel and food £160 for two of us.
I liked the new venue too, the real snag seems to be they don't seem to have matched the needs of the businesses and individuals with the exhibitors. Was it worth attending? Yes but really from the security aspect - confirming the buying decisions I'm making (and have just made) are on the ball - and no wonderful, better and cheaper alternative is available.
On a purely marketing perspective, I did noticed many exhibitors were heavy on the technology and specs, but were forgetting that what the buyer needs to know is what it does for them - and I found that the purpose of many things I played with was simply not clear. I played with a camera in a studio format - doing the usual things, checking sharpness, ease and accuracy of the focus etc - and didn't realise the product being pushed was the viewfinder! - a clever multi input/multi format design. On the Panasonic stand was a studio cradle designed to hold a college popular handheld camera offering the chance to meet the requirements of the studio modules in a course, without wasting many thousands on one-use equipment, but no information or explanations? A lost opportunity.
February 27, 2013 - 11:05
#11
Re: BVE 2013
I went yesterday and generally feel the same.
I wanted to get a hands on to a couple of cameras but as usual there was a throng around them and life's too short.
I've never seen the point of people buying stuff like tape and other media at shows. I used to wonder how much people saved in the old days when you'd see people struggling out with 100 VHS dupe tapes!
Although I did sometimes buy the odd battery bargain, I used it to gen up on tech.
This year, I found myself kind of lost in acronyms and sometimes at a total loss as to what I was supposed to be looking at.
The food was well priced considering, car parking reasonable given my local prices and the fact that it's London. A pain for me to get to, I'll probably go every other year from now on, maybe alternating with the IOV that I have never attended.
It's defo gone more Broadcast only. No problem with that but there are loads of products aimed at near Bcast Quality with small companies and they need to show it somewhere
Given the amount of net based box shifters, the manufacturers need to invest more in a showroom for both explaining and selling the tech.
February 28, 2013 - 10:34
#12
Re: BVE 2013
The show has moved its focus to where the organisers think the money is - and it is obviously not at the level of people who contribute this forum. It has absorbed other shows along the way - for a few years The Production Show was allocated its own space, for example, but this year stands like 'Filming In Wallonia' were left looking forlorn amongst stands selling gear. That was another factor - a lot of the areas seemed very 'mixed' - video, audio, lighting, support hardware, locations all jumbled together.
I'm dreading the amount of email junk that is going to flood in after my badge was scanned umpteen times on different stands and demos!
Jonathan Harrison's 'Lighting On The Run' talk came over well - some good practical advice from a hard-working practitioner, including his laughter-provoking demo of dunking a lit Dedolight into a bath of water!
Earlier in this thread, Tom H mentioned the IOV show in the autumn, but is that still going? Didn't it also get absorbed?
Ray
February 28, 2013 - 11:23
#13
Re: BVE 2013
The biggest aspect of these shows is really what goes on behind the scenes with the networking. The last few times I visited the show I spent most of it talking to people in the pub just down the road!
I'm not sure I fully understand why these shows are still viable. They cost a huge amount for exhibitors. Yet if I want to demo some equipment I am sure that places like CVP would be more than willing to accommodate, and without all the pushing through crowds that the BVE entails!
March 2, 2013 - 00:16
#14
Re: BVE 2013
Interesting to read all the above (generally negative) comments, and I suspect they may make very uncomfortable reading if seen by anyone with any responsibility for the event.
I went on the last day, and can only say that on balance it wasn't as agreeable an experience as in previous years. (Big exception may be the catering outlets.)
I'd be interested to know what it was like on Tuesday and Wednesday, but compared to the past attendance seemed to be noticeably lower. It also seemed that the average age profile was far younger than I remember from the Earls Court days. I don't know if true or not, but one person I had a conversation with said the Thursday had been heavily promoted for students ("bussed in a load of media students" were their actual words!). If true, it may have been just as well - without them it would have been a ghost town. It did at least mean it was possible to have a conversation on a few stands without having to wait very long.
Seminar content seemed to be confusing, not the lectures themselves, but what exactly some were about, what was happening where and (as others have said) the absence of ticketing didn't make for an enjoyable experience in a lot of cases. That seemed exacerbated by having more venues, but each one generally smaller. Result was overcrowding at the most popular sessions.
I'll also pick up on what freeflow says about the networking aspect. In the past I've ended up going on more than one day, simply due to meeting so many people i knew that I didn't get to see all I wanted. Yet yesterday, not one single person I recognised. Not one. I suspect one reason may be that when in Earls Court it may have been more feasible for people to take a couple of hours off from their work - at Excel that's not so easy. It would be interesting to know what exhibitors thought of it. I was also very surprised by the absence of some names from the past and the lack of goods actually on sale. I suspect that next year a few other companies may also decide to give it a miss if it stays at the Excel.
But whinging aside, and thinking about content, it's interesting how every year seems to have the new "theme". I remember when that was HD, then 3D as HD became mainstream, and this year the big buzz must have been 4k - 4k acquisition, and 4k workflows. As such, star of the show must have been the Sony F5/55, and it certainly seemed to be getting more attention than most stands. I picked up a magazine ("Televisual") whilst there which gave a breakdown of most rented cameras in the UK over the last year, and a forecast of what the rental companies are planning to invest in. The article is available online at http://www.televisual.com/news-detail/Top-10-Rental-Cameras--The-Full-Report_nid-2525.html and it makes pretty interesting reading. "The" camera for 2012 appears to have been the Canon C300, going straight to top place, but the forecast for 2013 seems to be for the F5/55 judging by the investment plans of the major hire companies (see end of the article).
Quote: "What’s very clear is that Sony’s two new modular cameras – the F5 and F55 – are going to be well placed in next year’s top 10 rental list. As was the case with the Canon C300 last year, it’s almost a full house for the Sony F5 and F55 when you look at the investment plans of hire firms this year. Hardly any other cameras get a look in, aside from a sprinkling of Canon C500s and Sony PMW-200s and a few more C300s and Arri Alexas."
OK, maybe the F5/55 are above the budget of most on this forum, (including me! :-) ) but for me one the pleasant surprises of the show was on the JVC stand, and that may be of some interest to many here. I'd read about the HM600/650 and my initial reaction was to wonder why on earth JVC were going away from the form factor of the HM700 series and it's predecessors. It seems it's not a replacement for such as the 700 - more filling a different place in the product line. It's a little strange in that in many ways the spec is better than the 700, though it's positioned below it, and I can't help thinking a bigger brother with better ergonomics can't be far away. (NAB?) That aside, the HM650 has a lot to commend it in it's class, and if you're looking at the Sony NXCAM line, or Panasonics AVCCAM, I'd seriously look at the HM650 before parting with your money.
In many respects similar, it has much better manual lens control than comparable Sony or Panasonic models, and a choice of codec - AVCHD, 35Mbs MPEG2 (as mov, mp4, or mxf!), and H264 in varying resolutions. Best of all it allows recording one codec to one SD slot and another to the 2nd slot, aside from options such as making two full res HD copies as backup. My interest is as a possible 2nd camera to a PMW320 - it's the price of a NXCAM or AVCCAM, but has XDCAM as a codec and isn't just limited to AVCHD. If you're interested: http://jvcpro.eu/files/product/file/GY-HM650_brochure.pdf
March 2, 2013 - 09:49
#15
Re: BVE 2013
Let's wait and see if there IS another BVE next year - the promoters may have overreached themselves. If it folds, there is room for a Video Forum-size show (something less costly to run and less costly for exhibitors) to take its place. Three or four years ago I went to a big music show at Excel. It had moved there from Wembley Conference Centre but it obviously lost money because there was no show at all the year after that. Instead, smaller local shows have taken its place.
Did you notice that the vast Excel Centre only had ONE other show apart from BVE? This time (between Christmas and Easter) should be prime time for exhibitions, but it was nearly empty.
The backing for Excel comes from Abu Dhabi and I doubt they are running it for their own amusement. It must cost a fortune to maintain. Excel has a lot of design flaws (who decided to put the loos down multiple flights of steps, for example?) and the chilly, windy, walk from the DLR is a cock-up, plus the usual 'running the gauntlet' past the smokers to get into the foyer. Hopefully soon we will have 'No Smoking In Public' to replace the present unsatisfactory situation and town and country will be free of smoke and smoker's litter.
Ray
March 2, 2013 - 10:25
#16
Re: BVE 2013
I didn't make it to BVE London this time, apart from anything else the travel cost from 'up north' is now restrictive even with an advance ticket. I did go to BVE North in November and it sounds as if the same faults I found there were duplicated in London. The seminars were instructive and I did get a decent amount of information from the ones I saw but I did miss the smaller independent exhibitors such as Prestons and Hague.
robo
March 2, 2013 - 15:37
#17
Re: BVE 2013
Quote from the last email from BVE:
Next year promises to be even better. It takes place 25-27 September 2014. See you there.
Have a good one!
Will Strauss for BVE
So it looks like they intend to go head to head against IBC which will be interesting as it could jeopardise both events.
I went on the Tuesday and actually quite enjoyed it. ExCel so is so much better than Earls Court and because of its location it does pull in more international trade. London City Airport is a joy to use and just a few stops away, but I visited by train and it was easy, much easier than Earls Court. I had a list of things I wanted to see and got through them all and being Tuesday morning the exhibitors were at their most enthusiastic.
I agree with infocus that the JVC Cameras were very interesting, they weren't on my list but they took my eye. JVC were quick to mention that the Beeb had put in big order for their journalists, so after what seems like a long time in the wilderness JVC might be making a comeback.
It was more what wasn't there that I noticed after the event. 3D has gone, with only one exhibitor and no interest, so we can cast it back into the novelty vault. I did want to get my hands on those little extras, viewfinders, matte boxes etc which were around the place but harder to find.
Stands are expensive at BVE, one those little stands at the back which could just about fit a person would set you back nearly £5000, I overheard one exhibitor saying that BVE is more expensive than IBC and I can well believe it.
March 2, 2013 - 20:35
#18
Re: BVE 2013
Medidox wrote:
Quote from the last email from BVE:Next year promises to be even better. It takes place 25-27 September 2014. See you there.Have a good one!Will Strauss for BVESo it looks like they intend to go head to head against IBC which will be interesting as it could jeopardise both events.
I suspect that may be a misprint - in the show guide it says "We'll see you next year - 25-27 FEB 2014" (Opposite p28) And that's the equivalent Tues-Thurs next year - the Sept dates are Thurs-Sat, so I think the Feb dates are more likely?
Quote:
I agree with infocus that the JVC Cameras were very interesting, they weren't on my list but they took my eye. JVC were quick to mention that the Beeb had put in big order for their journalists, so after what seems like a long time in the wilderness JVC might be making a comeback.
For an "A" camera I'm not in much doubt that the PMW200 is now easy leader in this class, after the EX1 lost ground to the XF305 over the last year or so, and it's almost certain it will easily outperform the JVC cameras. (It should do - it's more expensive, and the chip size gives it a big advantage.) It's been well reported that the BBC chose PMW500s for their next generation shouldermount news cameras so I'd be pretty sure that any such JVC order from them is for the B cameras, and cameras intended for journalist self-shooting. That makes total sense - the JVC cameras are comparable in price to the NXCAM and AVCCAM ranges, but have the codec advantage. In the BBC case, the same as they are using the PMW500s for.
I just hope JVC do upgrade the larger series soon. Such may still be inferior to the PMW200 due to chip size, but if styled like the 700 series may have an ergonomic advantage. From what I hear, then although JVC may seem in the wilderness here, they are very popular in other countries where even broadcast budgets are very stretched. That's also helped by an extensive range of studio adaptors for these cameras.
Quote:
It was more what wasn't there that I noticed after the event. 3D has gone, with only one exhibitor and no interest, so we can cast it back into the novelty vault.
Not quite. There's still a fair bit of production going on in 3D, probably more than this time last year - but now it's no longer a novelty it doesn't get reported as much. BVE had a screening of David Attenborough in the Galapogus in 3D, and it was pretty impressive (and well attended). A report from CES said that whilst manufacturers had expected 3D to sell sets, buyers are now deciding primarily on quality (and price!) and expect the 3D capability to just be there. Don't forget the gaming market, which may be one of the big drivers for 3D at the moment.
In other words, not quite back in the vault, but waiting for non-glasses based viewing before becoming mainstream.
March 3, 2013 - 10:00
#19
Re: BVE 2013
Quote:
In other words, not quite back in the vault, but waiting for non-glasses based viewing before becoming mainstream.
3D may eventually become easier to display via glasses free technology, but the one thing that won't really change is how awkward it is to shoot. Cameras that are all in one 3D solutions have one insurmountable problem. The lens centres cannot physically be moved closer together than one full lens width apart. This is a huge limitation, and one which is very apparent on both the Sony and Panasonic shoulder mount versions.
With 3D you cannot use telephoto lenses very well, which means often having to stay wider than you normally would. Combine this with the minimum lens offset width you can physically obtain with a side-by-side configuration and you are left with shooting fairly wide shots at a distance from the subject.
Solution? A beam splitter rig. This requires two cameras and is therefore bulky and heavy. This sort of rig will suit those who are shooting drama and who are willing to put up with the faffing, but for many things such a system is simply impractical. I don't think that the limitation for 3D video production is down to display technology, but rather the practicalities of actually shooting it.
March 3, 2013 - 13:40
#20
Re: BVE 2013
BVE was very busy this year - my stand was non-stop from about 11:00 (when people had filtered through to me) until the very end.
Actually I had most interest in the 4MinX portable recorder than anything else.
Yes - it was more broadcast orientated, though not many radio people there in my experience.
I love and hate ExCel - my big hate is the toilets down the stairs - with tired feet at an exhibition that is something you really don't want.
Stand prices were about £500 per m2 - so my little 6m2 stand (3m x 2m) cost £3k + furniture hire + extra publicity packages for each of my distributed brands + new display material + hotel costs, etc.... Probably topped out at around £5-6k for the show.
I was very happy with the show as I was busy all the time and it was good to meet several forum members face to face (even though I don't do very much for the budding videographer - mainly recording and broadcaster gear).
Day 3 was very different from the first two days with a lot of students on the last day - also the equipment looked at was different. I did not get all that many people looking at microphones on the first two days, but loads on the last; with even a couple of serious enquiries on the £10,000 line-array microphone.
For me it was a good show.
Now, what is this IoV show??