First Impressions

By Jeff Gralnick, NBC Universal

CES is what NAB was.

Millions of square feet of what the developers and sellers hope are the next big idea. It's psychic, sensory and selling overload on the grandest of scales. It's every bit a carnival midway where all those barkers want to do is get you into the tent.

At NAB it was virtual studios and techless control rooms that were being pitched along with next generation minicams and the newest in transmission portability.

And what's changed? Not much. Now it is virtual everything that is on offer along with next generation DV cameras and camcorders and the total portability that current and next generation wireless technologies are producing.

21st century CES, like 20th century NAB before it, is an open door on the future of our business. Smaller. Faster. Lighter. Cheaper. Those were the hallmarks of what we looked for at NAB and are the hallmarks of what all 140,000 of us are looking for now.

It's the future we're finding ways to hurry into and that's why we're here.