NEW YORK, NY -- Noticeably absent from Mac Expo this week in Boston, Apple Computer joined a strong contingent of video companies including Adobe, Canon, Panasonic and Sony on Wednesday at the exhibition opening of the third annual Digital Video Expo East at the Jacob K. Javits convention center in New York City.
More than 11,000 professionals are attending conferences and exhibits through Friday covering production, post-production, delivery and business practices related to the video industry, according to shower organizers.
75 exhibitors are on hand to show off their products and services to attendees, including 3D software, animation and design tools, audio solutions, authoring software, cameras, DVD duplication tools, editing hardware and software, lighting equipment and more. Among other exhibitors include Canpous, Discreet, JVC, and Matrox.
Independent director and film maker John Waters will impart his wisdom about making independent films at a special keynote address Wednesday. Waters is best known for his often tasteless and always original films such as "Pink Flamingos," "Polyester," "Cecil B. Demented" and "Hairspray."
Digital Video East also marks the debut of the Extreme Video Fest, which will be held Wednesday night at the Westin Hotel in Times Square, sponsored by Xtreme Video Magazine. The event will feature the best in extreme video action sports and adventure video production. Companies and experts in the field will be on hand to share their experiences and tips.
A large majority of attendees have been attending conference sessions since Monday on a variety of subjects. Among the topics have included a full-day conference on lighting techniques, a two-day crash course producing DV documentaries, the top 10 DVD authoring nightmares, project management, visual effects, and audio techniques.
Apple is making its third straight return as an exhibitor at DV Expo East. While itis booth is not as expansive as what Mac Expo attendees are use to seeing, it is one of the larger booths on the show floor and sits at the front entrance to the exhibit hall, making it hard for attendees to miss and not visit.
In addition to conferences and courses on a variety of subjects, Apple is also offering certification courses on Motion!, Final Cut Pro HD and DVD Studio Pro 3 during the conference. Those wanting to gain their certification in one of the three products can do so during a two-hour certification session this coming Friday at DV Expo.
Show organizers are very pleased with the turnout of this years event. Show press spokesman Steven Wright-Mark told The Mac Observer that CMP Media LLC, the owners of DV magazine, are very pleased with the pre-registration numbers for the show.
"We had 11,000 people pre-registered to attend," Mr. Wright-Mark said. "Weire very happy with this number and we know weill get many more attendees just walk up and register this week."
Mr. Wright-Mark said the pre-registration number was equal to last year and also said those who registered for the week-long conferences was double from 2003.