NAB in 3-D!

I have seen the future of television news and it is 3-D! Okay, so I can't think of a single reason why you'd want to watch your local newscaster in three dimensions, but if the National Association of Broadcaster's Show is any indication, you soon won't have much a choice. Every other booth here at the world's largest electronic media show requires those doofy glasses...3-D cameras, 3-D sets, I'm pretty sure I even saw a 3-D weather hotie hurling frontal systems and shout-outs from on high... It's all alarmingly easy to mare fun of - until you don the oversized specs - and then I have to admit: it's pretty freakin' cool. It's the kindof thing you have to see to appreciate and no amount of my purple prose can do it justice. But enough about gratuitous gimmicks; let's talk about the show...

The Las Vegas Convention Center is currently packed to the rafters with satellite trucks, high-end editing suites and enough snotty Europeans to fill a thousand Diehard villain casting calls. Throw in an army of plaid-shirted engineers, several dozen silent spokesmodels and smarmy sales weasels of every stripe for a clearer picture of the mob Team 'Slinger has been fighting for oxygen inside this cavernous space. Much of the technology I've seen is beyond my grasp, but I can tell you this: if ever you wanted to buy a gleaming fleet of sat vans, add to your collection of levitating monopods or just feast your eyes on endless Jumbotrons bristling with masturbatory graphics, then Vegas is the place for you this week. Now let's meet the stars!

More than every before, my ad-hoc coverage of the annual NAB Show is a team effort. Chris Weaver, Adam Krolfifer and Rick Portier are roaming the floor with me: shooting video, snapping photos and haranguing rival camera crews. This despite the fact we're all suffering from three hours sleep, residual whiskey and altered time zone hallucinations! Whatsmore, we've already ran into several featured players. B-roll.net founder Kevin Johnson stopped by to play tee-vee with us, resulting in some goofy videos that I'll probably regret when I fully sober up. Amanda Emily has also joined our troop, providing additional camera coverage and technical support - provided we promised never to point a lens her way. News Director Peggy Phillips even consented to an interview and made us all feel better about being photogs. i even received a personal phone call from El Ocho ex-pat Council Bradshaw, who promised to rendezvous with us once he left his private jet. And the best part: we're just getting started!

I just a couple of hours we'll travel to the Harley-Davidson Cafe for the B-roll Bash for shop talk, fellowship and more hair of the dog that bit us. It's a hangover in the making! So while I go shave my eyelids in preparation for tonight's festivities, peruse these photos, watch this video and know that much, much more is on the way...

Alas, it will only be in 2-D. Sorry - budgetary constraints, don't ya know...