As I prepare for a week in Las Vegas for the National Association of Broadcasters show (NAB), just 2 weeks away now, I start to think about problems that I need solutions for. Sometimes there are several vendors with solutions to my problems, other times, there is only one solution, and occasionally, there is no solution to my unique (apparently) situation. Of course, I always find things that I never even knew I needed :-)

Thunderbolt Options: I find myself using my i7 MacBookPro more and more for editing, not just in the field, but even in the office. My 8 Core Intel MacPro is just not fast enough any more.

Thunderbolt PCIe Expansion Chasis: A pair of vendors are showing solutions, Magma, and Sonnet Technologies. I need these to add cards like Kona, eSata, or Fibre Channel.

Thunderbolt Expansion: Aside from PCIe cards, I would like the ability to expand things like USB3.0, Firewire, and ethernet. Belkin showed off a neat breakout box at CES and I hope to see an update on a shipping version at NAB. Apple has an expansion hub as well, and it includes a 27” monitor!

Video Monitoring: One area that I am looking for some upgrades in is on-set monitoring solutions. Last year the Pix240 really caught my eye as a way to have an on-board monitor and a Sound Devices audio recorder in one unit. This year I am looking closely at wireless video servers for use on set.

Teradek offers the Cube for wireless streaming to iPads or to the web. I like the flexibility this offers, and will see who else is a player in this space. Teradek has teased about new product offerings too.

Production Cases: I am always looking for ways to bring more gear in with me, in as few cases as possible. I own everything from Portabrace to Kata, but a stumbled on this TrekPak concept on Kickstarter, and it seems really cool. They use aluminum clips in place of velcro to re-position the compartments. Looks like a home run.

Cameras: While I am not necessarily looking for a new camera, I do have my eyes on the landscape.

Sony just announced their latest camera, the FS700, which fits between the FS100 and the F3 in price. It fixes some flaws in the FS100 design, but adds a few new features like 200FPS VFR in 1080P, up to 960fps at lower frame sizes and bit rates.

Canon may show a 4K camera in an SLR form factor or maybe as a new model in the Cinema line. The C300 seems to be popular, but the price point has always rubbed me the wrong way.

Panasonic has teased us with talk of high quality recording at crazy bit rates, but no cameras have been announced. I have heard some rumors about an April 5th announcement for a new pro camera, so we will have to see.