The 2007 NAB convention didn’t offer any truly earth-shattering introductions, pointing to the maturity of HD, tapeless and IP technologies, the three dominant forces at NAB for more than a decade. Panasonic’s P2 format hit 64 GB per card, Sony’s XDCAM HD made the leap to 4:2:2, and Omneon’s ProCast is pushing file-transfer speeds to the limit for the Olympics and beyond. So what were the top 10 storylines at this year’s show? Read on!

Of all the buzzwords crisscrossing the show floor at NAB, one seemed to pop out – 3D HD. From Missy Elliot to the Dallas Mavericks, everyone was jumping into (and out of) 3D HD, making NAB 2008 a cornerstone for a future where 3D broadcasting is a reality. “It was a really good NAB, probably a historic NAB,” explains Mark Horton, strategic marketing manager for Quantel, one of a handful of companies to showcase 3D technology at NAB. “We will probably look back on this NAB as a turning point.”

In-arena and stadium technologies continue to gain traction as Vivid Sky’s handheld video replay and information system is currently deployed not only by the Detroit Red Wings but also in Major League Baseball stadiums. “Less than two years ago the first device we offered weighed about as much as a laptop and had a stylus the size of a number two pencil,” says Tim Hayden, Vivid Sky president. “Now we have the Apple iPhone and iPod Touch. We have the Sony PSP. And soon we’ll have the new Google Android phones. Technology is evolving…quickly.”

So far, the threat of a recession has not slowed the migration of ad dollars to the Internet. But as the New York Times reports, the slowing economy might be changing where those ad dollars are being spent. Increasingly, marketers are looking to ad networks, which sell display advertising across groups of Web sites. Some networks offer targeted advertising while others include sites that focus on one subject, like sports.

MSNBC reports that while many organizations say they care about the environment and improving energy efficiency, the NHL is doing something about it. Keith Wachtel, Senior Vice President, Corporate Sales & Marketing of the NHL answers questions about the league's recent partnership with GreenLife.

The World Championship Sports Network has joined forces with Adidas and MarathonGuide.com to provide the first-ever global webcast of the Boston Marathon, live and on demand, for free. Fans worldwide can logon to WCSN.com to watch the 112th running of the event live on April 21 and on demand after the event’s conclusion.

Fantasy Sports Ventures, which made news last month with the acquisition of HoopsHype.com, now has more money to spend. Gannett (NYSE: GCI) flagship USA Today took a minority stake in a first round for the company, built so far on angel funding in the seven-figure range from nearly three dozen investors.

Samford University in suburban Birmingham, Alabama is home to over 4,000 students and the brand new, $32 million Pete Hanna Arena for sports, fitness, and special events. Samford contacted regional contractor dB Audio and Video to design and install a sound system for the arena that would serve their multiple needs with volume, intelligibility, and musicality. Central to their success? Twenty Danley Sound Labs SH-50 and two SH-100 full-range loudspeakers.

Premier Productions Radio Network, a division of Premier Productions, is using a joint Barix audio over IP hardware and StreamGuys internet distribution solution to deliver live and recorded sports programming to 35 radio stations in Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota. The end-to-end IP architecture provides a reliable, scalable, high-quality audio solution that vastly reduces operational costs compared to the company’s previous reliance on satellite technology for program distribution.

Harris Corporation has acquired the assets of DESKTOPBOX, a Toronto-based technology firm that offers a unique, real-time Internet broadcasting platform that enables synchronization between a television or radio broadcast and an automatic PC browser Web-page broadcast. Harris will integrate DESKTOPBOX technology into its H-Class software product line and market it worldwide.

When the Olympic Games begin in August this year in Beijing, China, many viewers will be able to watch live High Definition (HD) broadcasts of the games on their laptops, thanks to an initiative between Legend Silicon and Intel. The move is part of the rapid evolution of digital television (DTV) in China, where the new Digital Terrestrial TV Broadcasting (DTTB) standard supports both fixed HDTV (High Definition TV) sets as well as viewing on mobile devices. Legend Silicon developed the core technology behind China's DTTB standard.

The Shure UR1M Micro-Bodypack is now available and, at half the size of most standard bodypacks and weighing just three ounces with two AAA batteries, the company believes it will quickly find a place in the market.

NBA playoffs ratings have gotten off to a fast break for ESPN and ABC. The Walt Disney Co.-owned services, which enjoyed significant growth during the regular-season with their pro hoops telecasts, netted major double-digit gains in four out of five games over the opening post-season weekend.