I normally don't initiate postings, but as last year, I wanted to post a couple of things to keep in mind for those of you who are going to be attending NAB:

Last year I had warned against taking anything that you're told at face value, especially when comments are made about other manufacturer's products. This comment drew a lot of flak (as I am sure that parts of this posting will also do) from those who apparently felt guilty about their demo style. I know most of the demo folks out there, and I can tell you that the majority of them are honest - but there are a few who don't mind telling you bald-face lies in order to help make a sale. I was told that one of the demoers with whom I'll be working with this year was on another booth last year, tag-teaming with one of the long-time demoers for that company; after the long-timer did his presentation which included talking about what the "other guys' couldn't do, this demoer went to the long-timer & told him that the "other guys" product COULD do all of the things that the long-timer said it couldn't do...he was told by the long-timer "I know that - but the customer will never bother to check it out". My advice this year is the same as last year - the only people who have a right to COMPARE other manufacturer's products are those that actually WORK on the other products. Salesmen & marketeers tend to get their info by reading the same brochures that you & I can get. While I have a pension for telling people that only REAL TD's should be doing product demos, it would be safer to say that when you get a demo that incorporates ANY info about another manufacturer, ask about what experience the demoer has - find out if they've WORKED on a Kahuna or a Kayak or a Kalypso or a ROSS or a SONY before believing ANYTHING that they have to say about the other guys.

Actually, I believe that the best demos don't even offer a "comparison" with other products unless the customer actually asks for that. A product should stand on its own without having to bash the competition: If you hear "bashing" it's a warning sign about the integrity of the demo.

And if you're there to get a demo, get a DEMO. While there's a place for the "staged" presentation, the demoer should have enough respect for you to tailor their presentation to YOUR needs. If the "expert" doing the demo can't show you HOW to do that cool thing that they're presenting, then how can YOU be expected to do it? Remember that PowerPoint presentations are for board rooms and for Kiosks (and for Managers who don't operate), not a one-on-one switcher or DVE demo. But with this, keep in mind that NAB is not only to show off equipment (and by the way, be very VERY cautious of any new product that's at software version 1.0...remember the 1st Kalypsos or 8000's? Yikes!), it's for SALES - unless you have a major influence in the product-buying decision making process or unless you write the checks, you probably won't get the level of attention that someone with deep pockets will receive; it's not a slam on you...it's business.

Be aware of the potential longevity of a product. If you're not seeing new hardware, then look for new software...either for release AT NAB or soon afterwards - it's a good indication of the lifespan of a product. A product that's in development always has new software in the works. An integer is normally a major release (like 7.0 or 15); the 1st dot is normally a minor release (7.2 or 12.3), the 2nd or 3rd dots are usually bug fixes (like 6.1.4 or 11.1.1). If you don't see new software, ASK about when the next release is due, and what may be in it - manufacturers will usually be open about general features for new software. If you get the run-around when asking about software, it's another warning sign that you're looking at a product that is at or near the end of its life.

Finally, be aware of the "smoke-and-mirrors" technique - if you see something stunning, you have a right as a potential customer to know how it's done and if it really is something special or just a cheap "parlor trick". As an example, there's some folks out there who as part of their demo show off things like "floating keyers" - these "floating keyers" are nothing more than partitioning an M/E and re-entering the secondary side into another M/E (which means that you're cutting the number of keyers from the stolen M/E AND buring up one keyer from the Target M/E to re-enter the 2nd M/E: the control of these "folating keyers" still lives on the "stolen" M/E, so they don't REALLY float... it's nothing special); this is something that virtually EVERY high-end switcher can do...most people don't show it in this way because it's not really a "floating key" and it's misleading to claim that this trick is anything more than what it is...a trick that virtually ANY big switcher can do; but some people would have you believe that it's some sort of special feature - that's like playing math games & saying that because you have 100 registers on M/E 1, 100 on M/E 2, etc. that you really have THOUSANDS of registers. Sure it sounds rediculous when it's explained for what it is, but you'd be surprised at how many people get duped by slick presentations like this. Remember, there's little difference between the demo folks at NAB and the people in those booths at the county fair that are selling the Vita-Mix machines, the "miracle" cookware, or the towel that can "hold 5 gallons of water" - we're all there to sell you something, so do your homework before getting "wowed" by a presentation, only to find out that the product really isn't the best for your needs because you trusted the rhetoric & didn't bother to find out what the other guys could do.

If you are at NAB & get the chance, stop by & say hi to me (I'll be in the SONY booth), or Ken S. (at Snell & Wilcox - a good guy), or John W. (Thomson/GV - also a good guy) - I know that any of us would welcome the chance to meet face-to-face the others who post on this forum.