The bet is for Latin America

NAB Show, during its 2011 edition in Las Vegas, United States, showed countless positive notes, but to the joy of Latin America the event allowed to perceive the bet that the industry makes for a market like ours, which, several years ago, ceased to be Cinderella to become the priority of most companies in the industry.

The above, although it has economic, technological and logistical implications for the bulk of the companies in the sector, will also be reflected in countless business possibilities for them, thanks to the transition from analog to digital TV that is experienced in all the countries of the region.

Marco A. Brea, marketing supervisor of broadcast and audiovisual products of the Panasonic company, sees with great satisfaction the current behavior of the Latin American market and is firmly committed to the success that it will deliver to the industry this year.

The Panasonic representative also warns that unlike previous years, in 2011 customers are arriving very fluently and with concrete projects to be carried out in the next two or three months. Regarding the balance sheet, Marco Brea indicates that the region's economy is recovering and that television channels are making their increasingly strong expansion to digital technologies.

He also adds that "we announced this year that more than 200,000 P2 units have been sold worldwide, especially in the Americas where there are already more than 1,500 new users who have acquired P2 technology. This year 2011 we have received a large influx of clients from Peru, Chile, Colombia and Venezuela that has differentiated from previous years have brought concrete projects and more real opportunities to close in the coming months. "

Another benefit that Brea emphasizes is a fundamental element for the good moment that Panasonic is living is that the company provides its customers with a very complete solution both in the range of projectors and in the range of monitors, news cameras, reporting cameras, studio cameras and production cameras.

"Our company is placing special emphasis on ABC technology and our customers are receiving it with very good acceptance, which means that their servers are already prepared to work with ABC technology, understand ABC Intra and ABC HD, and this facilitates HD migration to many of the countries in the region. We have cameras that have been a resounding success throughout Latin America last year, such as the HPX370 model of which Panasonic has distributed throughout the region, excluding Brazil and Argentina, about 350 – 400 units in a single year, "says the Panasonic representative.

Meanwhile, José Calles, regional sales manager for the Americas of the company AVID, expresses his satisfaction with the good results that have been given during this year in Latin America and, at the same time, warns about the great dynamics that this area represents for the industry in general.

"For AVID, NAB Show represents the culmination and beginning of a work cycle that has been done every year for more or less 25 years. NAB is the opportunity in which our company shows its new developments, that is, the result of the application of the needs of customers, "says our guest.

In the same way, Calles comments that the fair has represented for his company a resounding success, in which the participation of a greater number of customers and press than in previous years should be highlighted. But above all, it emphasizes the great reception by the Latin American public.

"Today emerging markets, such as Latin America, are of tremendous importance for our work and the presentation of our products, since the participation of customers in this region has become a priority for the industry in general," he emphasizes.

Also the representative of AVID emphasizes that "in Latin America something very particular happens that makes the eyes of the industry stand on this specific region, since the transition from analog to digital television is being lived, but digital television in HD, a little different from what happened for example in the United States, country where this transition took many years, as several stages were presented before the definitive change. In Latin America this transition is being faster, because we are moving from an analog world to a world almost in digital TV in HD, and this is convenient because the experience is already accumulated".

Another factor that the regional sales manager for the Americas of AVID considers as preponderant for the good climate that is lived in the region is that today the markets of Latin America are large, added to the fact that in general Latin America is preparing to receive large events, for example Mexico is preparing to host the Pan American Games and Brazil will host the World Cup and the Olympic Games. In short, the adoption of the television standard in all the countries of the area is a factor that is demanding many solutions that, to tell the truth, do not do anything other than give dynamism to this market and awaken the interest of the industry in this region.

For his part, Nahuel P. Villegas, regional vice president for the Caribbean and Latin America of Harris Corporation, stressed that this year the number of people who attended the show is quite good, not only for the quantity as such, but for the quality, since most of this year's attendees are people who make decisions on projects, even during the show, as Villegas acknowledged, this company had the opportunity to close important deals.

Likewise, the representative of Harris Corporation highlighted the importance of the Latin American market today, "this region I believe stopped being an emerging market to become one that is concrete, tangible and real. Within Harris Latin America, in the last three or four years, tripled its size compared to the rest of the markets in the world, so it has a preponderant position within the company. Another aspect that has been given priority is the resources that have been invested in the region, which are very strong and increasing, and that is demonstrated by the offices, We opened one in Buenos Aires (Argentina), we already have one in Mexico, one in Brazil, and the one in Miami that was the first. All of the above added to the transmitter factory that we have just opened in Brazil, which we are already seeing expand to other areas, a situation that speaks to the current importance of this region for the company and its business portfolio."

On the other hand, José Luis Reyes, vice president of sales and operations of the company Inviso affirms that "this has been one of the most important shows in recent years for us due to the enormous presence of Personnel of Latin American television stations, this due to the demand for high quality products that has been growing every year in this region, because as is evident every time the systems are bigger which represents a challenge for us".

It also concludes that Latin America is a difficult market for several reasons, including its extension, its idiosyncrasy, its difference in languages and work systems, which represents a great challenge for any manufacturer or distributor, although it recognizes that the opportunities in the region are immense for all actors in the industry.

NAB consolidates itself as a benchmark in the industry
NAB Show managed to consolidate itself as the largest event in the industry thanks to the nearly 93 thousand attendees who attended its annual event.

In short, the predominant voice was that of satisfaction, since during the event it was possible to perceive innumerable business opportunities for manufacturers and service providers with representatives from practically all segments of the industry.

"Content professionals from around the world flock to the NAB Show every year, and 2011 was no exception," said NAB Executive Vice President Dennis Wharton, who further added that "We are thrilled to welcome the audience to the annual convention, and delighted that NAB Show remains the premier event for the industry."

The directors of the contest also revealed that during NAB Show 2011, a total of 1,314 journalists and about 26,000 international attendees from 151 countries around the world were represented.