This year was like no other. The 2026 NAB Show came in strong. I felt like I was inside a very cool highlight reel the entire time. There was, as always, much (too much?) to see and do. That, of course, is part of the excitement of it all. But in my opinion, and just in case you haven't noticed lately, there was a fundamental shift at this show, and also a noticeable shift in our collective creative production world that became crystal clear this year. I feel fortunate to have been there to witness so many of these changes firsthand.

I saw the continued phenomenal advances in the use of artificial intelligence (AI) across almost every section of production and in nearly every booth. That shouldn't surprise anyone. What is news, however, is how much time AI is reportedly saving in productions, an estimated 34% overall. We all know that time IS money, right?

Next, I learned that audiences are demanding that we produce content of all kinds in the vertical format, and that demand is nothing short of meteoric. It was stated by a reliable source that 88% of all content currently being produced is being viewed vertically. It definitely is a new way of doing things. I know that we will all get there, and we're all on that learning curve together. But before we get ahead of ourselves, let's take stock of where we are right now and talk about some exciting new products that are here in the right here and now.

ProductionHUB Awards of Excellence

Being the tech nerd that I am, it goes without saying that I am more than impressed with all the new ways and new tools that were introduced at the 2026 NAB Show - advanced tools like AI in production, post, and distribution. As I mentioned, these new tools provide a very cool and different way to work. That's great news, but at the end of the day, we still need to get in there and do the actual physical creative work! Nothing frames up that new thought process better than our very own ProductionHUB Awards of Excellence. We chose real tools used every day by both production and post-production professionals — content creation and post-production tools like the exciting new Adobe Color Mode, Atomos Sumo Pro-19, Astera Quickbeam, Avid Content Core, and Blackmagic Design Resolve 21, just to name a few. Please be sure to check out the entire exclusive award winners list.

What Else Did I See?

Not that we like to brag too much about it (yes, we do), but we think our ProductionHUB AoE list is a pretty great thing. There was, however, so much more of the show that I want to share with you. After all, an estimated 58,000 of our closest friends registered to be in Las Vegas and visit with more than 1,100 exhibitors. Yes, there were approximately 1,100-plus exhibitors! We hit the ground at full tilt, determined to see it all. It's a challenge, as it is every year, to take everything in. I promise we will get to AI, content creation in the vertical, and everything else. But first, here are a few of the many new products we were able to see and hear about while at the show. 

Zeiss Aatma Primes

On the production front, there were some incredible new product developments. Let's start with a bang and tout a few of the big ones, the new series of Aatma Primes from Zeiss. I rarely say you must get a certain prime lens on a camera, but you need to get one of these lenses on a camera as soon as they become available to you. I saw an 85mm Prime paired with a Blackmagic Design Pyxis camera over in the BMD booth. It was a great pairing, and the images I saw were the "I'm going to sell my soul to shoot with this" variety. Just stunning. My eyes thought I was looking at something like a rehoused vintage lens, boy, was I wrong. These lenses are a brand-new offering, yet they have such a gorgeous vintage look. Not cheap, coming in at $20,000 and $25,000 individually, but after one long look? I would say completely worth the price.

Sony HDC-5500R/V, HDC-3500R/V, and HDC-3200R/PXW-Z300

Sony always presents an outstanding product lineup, so I am always looking forward to what new products they'll have, and they never disappoint. Sony continued with their iconic presence and a knockout booth at the NAB Show, holding down the fort with developments in a new lineup of broadcast cameras and some monitors that would be fantastic in post or on set.

Sony shone with its HDC live production camera lineup, showing new R-Series models designed for improved image quality, dynamic range, and high-frame-rate performance. The new HDC-5500R/V, HDC-3500R/V, and HDC-3200R models are built for high-end live production teams that need stronger performance in less-than-ideal lighting conditions. Sony put a focus on simultaneous HDR and SDR production, which continues to be a key workflow requirement for broadcasters. According to Sony, the new HDC R Series uses 2/3-inch Global Shutter 3-CMOS sensors and delivers 4K image quality with significantly improved signal-to-noise performance. Extended Dynamic Range and Multi Sensitivity Modes will provide more flexibility in tough shooting environments, especially when lighting conditions aren't ideal. All in all? Some superb-looking images from the R Series.

On a different Sony camera note, the most important update around the versatile PXW-Z300 is connectivity. Sony made sure to highlight the LiveU TX1, a compact transmission unit designed specifically for Sony professional cameras. It supports 4G, 5G, and Wi-Fi and connects through SDI or USB-C, giving field teams a more direct way to move footage and live video from camera to destination.

Be sure to check out my recent hands-on review of the PXW-Z300.

Blackmagic Design DaVinci Resolve 21 Beta / Fairlight Live

Trying to describe the Blackmagic Design presence at the 2026 NAB Show in one word? Overwhelming, and maybe too many cool new things to take in at once. Blackmagic Design always shows up strong and seems to be making huge strides, not only in product development but also in the sheer number of new products and upgrades. Case in point: starting with big upgrades in DaVinci Resolve 21 (Beta) with a Photo Page and new cameras, along with a new Blackmagic Design 100G Ecosystem. BMD didn't stop there and rolled out what I think is an even bigger announcement with the introduction of Fairlight Live Software and the control surfaces that, in my opinion, really help complete the Blackmagic Design Ecosystem.

Right from the start, Fairlight Live is unlike traditional hardware-based audio mixers. It is a FREE software-based mixer that supports features such as spatial audio mixing and SMPTE-2110 broadcast workflows — so broadcast first, post second. In addition, if you are working in a live production and it goes down, you have full built-in redundancy. Having been there at some point ourselves, I think you'd agree that a failsafe backup IS a big deal, trust me. If you need to handle complex audio, Fairlight Live has your back. It can handle hundreds or even thousands of audio channels, depending on your computer — I think I'll need more computing power. It also works with standard computer audio or USB audio from ATEM live production switchers, giving you a fully customizable live audio mixer.

In a nod to my traditional audio mixing friends, you can also upgrade with a solid mixing console in 10, 20, and 40-input configurations, which a lot of seasoned professionals will appreciate. There is something to be said about "flying" a mixing console or switcher during a live show. For a complete look at everything Blackmagic Design at the 2026 NAB Show, grab a coffee and a couple of snacks, then sit down and check out their full video.

RED DIGITAL CINEMA®

RED DIGITAL CINEMA's continued growth was on full display this year at a very crowded RED booth. We saw demos highlighting new workflows for live production, multi-camera environments, and IP-based broadcast integration. Not lost on me was the exceptional image quality delivered by RED's newest cinema cameras, including the latest addition to the Z Cinema line, the RED V-RAPTOR XE. The V-RAPTOR XE delivers large-format, cinema-grade performance at a $14,995 entry point. According to RED, the result is a compact, accessible camera that brings RED's signature cinematic fidelity and dynamic range to a wider range of productions.

Updates also delivered major advancements to RED Connect, now fully supporting RED's Broadcast Color Pipeline along with Phantom Track functionality. These enhancements unlock new high-performance live workflows, such as 4K 240fps EVS-ready slow motion and full 8K live production using RED's powerful broadcast-optimized color tools. There was also a great immersive production demo where booth visitors could virtually step onto the court and experience fast-paced, immersive live production in action. RED's 8K live R3D streaming, powered by RED Connect, delivered a fun basketball demo showcasing real-time, cinema-quality imagery.

Delivering on AI, Making Vertical Content, and Other Cool Technology

You knew this was coming, right? The tidal wave of AI and other technologies that have the entire media world buzzing.

AWS Elemental Inference

AWS, with some 20 AI partnerships, continues to lead the way in collaborative technology deployments, with a clear focus on being the most trusted AI partner. So with that in mind, let's start with an introduction to AWS Elemental Inference. Among the many services and solutions featured in the booth, AWS Elemental Inference was presented as a strong case for how AWS is helping to solve one of the biggest new challenges for broadcasters and streamers: reaching mobile audiences in real time. AWS Elemental Inference applies AI in parallel with live video encoding, enabling broadcasters and streamers to automate 16:9 vertical video creation in just 6 to 10 seconds. According to figures provided by AWS, Gen Z viewers now consume 88% of streaming content on smartphones, and 92% engage with mobile video platforms. This shift to mobile-first, AI-powered distribution was a key focus of our discussions. With AWS Elemental Inference, broadcasters and streamers can take a "process once, optimize everywhere" approach as they produce content and build next-generation entertainment experiences. Current customers include Fox Sports Digital and NBCUniversal.

FOR-A IMPULSE / GoVertical! AiDi

I hate to say it, but FOR-A can be one of those great companies that flies under the radar way too often — even though they always have some great products. For the 2026 NAB Show, FOR-A focused on software-defined, AI-driven solutions. On the AI front, FOR-A IMPULSE will gain new AI functionality in the platform's Graph Editor in the future. Within the Graph Editor, AI will be able to automatically perform the node graphing necessary to create a system diagram. One of the most notable FOR-A developments at NAB was the expansion of viztrick AiDi — an on-device AI solution developed by Nippon TV and delivered globally by FOR-A. This AI-powered technology operates at true broadcast speed, enabling near-real-time processing. At the FOR-A press conference, a major network sports group praised how well the device performed. GoVertical! AiDi delivers 9:16 autocropping for immediate live streaming to mobile platforms, and it tracks objects — including players and the ball, in real time, automatically keeping the action centered and optimized for vertical viewing. No pun intended, but viztrick AiDi is poised to be a true game changer in the vertical content delivery marketplace.

The "Other" Cool Technology — A Quick Look

As I said earlier, covering 1,100-plus exhibitors is getting to be quite a challenge. But I had to get this other cool stuff in here. These are some of the best "sleeper" products and services I've seen in a while. They may not have the big, shiny booths, but the tech is impressive and the people behind them are genuinely enthusiastic believers in what they've built, which I can absolutely appreciate. Check them out, and if you're as tech-geeky as I am, I'm sure you'll be just as impressed.

Mavis Studio

Let's start with what I think might be the next big thing in the podcasting and worship production world. Mavis has introduced a genuine game changer, a new iPad app that transforms mobile devices into fully functional, affordable, full-scale live production tools. It's a really nice, compact, easy-to-set-up, and user-friendly system. Operating entirely within the Apple ecosystem, Mavis Studio combines multi-camera switching, streaming, recording, graphics, and audio mixing all in one iPad. Mavis Studio is designed to bring traditional broadcast capabilities into a compact, mobile-first workflow, integrating multi-camera video switching, playback, graphics, audio mixing, recording, and live streaming within a single interface optimized for touch.

This is going to be a fantastic tool for podcasters who want to raise their production values without going broke. The platform supports direct streaming to services like YouTube, Facebook, and Twitch, while also offering RTMP and SRT protocols for custom workflows. Internal recording is included, along with support for professional codecs such as Apple ProRes.

Proton Camera Innovations

If you watched any coverage from the most recent Winter Games, Proton Camera Innovations and their partners were all over the action, providing some truly once-in-a-lifetime images. Riding on custom drones at incredible speeds, their miniature cameras got us as close to the action as you could possibly get. Cutting-edge technology — but Proton didn't stop there. At the 2026 NAB Show, Proton Camera Innovations launched the Proton Pro, a miniature broadcast camera featuring a 2/3-inch global shutter sensor. The 2/3-inch global shutter sensor delivers 12-bit dynamic range and prevents image skew during high-speed, fast-action shots, addressing key needs of sports broadcasters.

The company also showcased 3D applications with Proton Flex and 4K Flex cameras and partnered with Wave Central and Domo to integrate their cameras into wireless live production workflows. Literally two of the tiniest cameras I have ever seen. Now I just have to figure out how I'm going to use them.

Verizon Business

Straight up, I did not see this one coming. At every NAB, I always seek out a company or service I know absolutely nothing about. That may seem counterintuitive, but it's part of my process, and has been for almost as long as I've been covering the show. This year, I wanted to learn what Verizon Business was all about and why they were at the 2026 NAB Show. As they explained their services, it suddenly made total production and delivery sense. Their example? Verizon Business was tasked with the impressive challenge of deploying a temporary, portable private 5G network specifically for an extreme remote production — a contained bubble of high-bandwidth, low-latency cellular coverage completely separated from public traffic. Verizon came in and built the system that made it possible to send signals from anywhere within a vast remote region, in real time. The Verizon network supported everything from 5G-enabled electronic news gathering cameras to the wireless communication systems keeping the crew in contact across the wilderness. How cool is that? That, my friend, is some high-level problem solving.

Closing Thoughts with Ashleigh Coffelt

Normally this is where I try to come up with something witty or thought-provoking to wrap things up. But the more I thought about it, the more I figured, after 10 years (yes, 10!) of wrapping up NAB coverage, you might want to hear from somebody else for a change. And honestly? She nailed it. Please let me introduce you to Ashleigh Coffelt, a Filipina American writer, director, and cinematographer based in Los Angeles. A proud Marylander, she serves as Narrative Innovation Director and Multimedia Visionary Partner of CA in LA, the multimedia company she co-founded with Courtney Birk in 2016. Here is what Ashleigh had to say:

"We had the opportunity to present at the newly expanded Creator Lab twice, speaking about creating on-the-go productions and interactive live broadcast. Our audiences were curious and inquisitive about the future of creativity."

"Overall, NAB Show 2026, while seeing a decline in attendance, still represents hope in technological achievement. Many of the new, notable innovations we saw were centered around the content creator, representing a major shift among brands and the overall sentiment regarding the state of the industry. NAB for us remains, above and beyond, a place to reconnect with friends and cultivate new, lasting relationships that go beyond the convention floor."

Well said, Ashleigh.