The 10 Top Things to See at IBC2025

It’s IBC time again! Which means it's also time once more for Matt Gregory to sort through the noise and bring you the unmissable highlights as IBC2025 takes over the Amsterdam RAI.

The press releases are flying in thick and fast, but remember: nothing beats seeing this kit in action, in your hands, in a hall buzzing with filmmakers, broadcasters, and technologists. Those of us brave enough to go through Schiphol and crazy enough to pay the now *insane* Amsterdam hotel prices will at least be rewarded by a bumper crop of new technology this year. That’s my moan over, there’s a lot more to be excited about than annoyed about so let’s put a plan in place for IBC!

And yes, one last time: get a floor plan. It’s the only way you’ll survive the labyrinth that is the RAI.

Here are my top 10 things to check out this year:

1. Adobe (Hall 7)

Adobe continues its rollout of game-changing updates. Premiere Pro 25.5 introduces over 90 GPU-accelerated effects and transitions, including cinematic glitch, dreamy bokeh, volumetric glow and even a “Surprise Me” button. Pair that with After Effects 25.5’s more intuitive comp navigation and smarter keyframe handling, and editors will feel like their tools are evolving with them.

You are going to see a ton of generative AI features powered by Firefly, Adobe is (IMO) the most open about AI (especially gen AI) and how artists are rewarded which is a cool thing. It’s a tightrope and hard at times but the tech is incredible and it is here.

There is also the new Premiere Pro mobile app that we will be testing during the show. The cool thing about IBC is you can get 1-2-1 with the product managers at Adobe to run through what you love and what you *would love to love* about their products. They are always generous with their time and knowledge so make the most of it and say Hi.

IBC demos at Adobe are always packed for good reason, they don’t just show features, they show workflows.

2. Blackmagic Design (Hall 7)

Two massive announcements here that judging by site traffic on RedShark you are VERY interested in. First: DaVinci Resolve 20.2, with support for ProRes RAW playback, EXR streaming to Vision Pro, AI-driven “Cinematic Haze” and custom metadata handling.

Second: the  ProDock for iPhone 17 Pro/Max — essentially a $295 expansion bay that adds HDMI, SSD recording, timecode, genlock and pro audio. In short, it weaponizes your iPhone for serious production. I want one!

3. Lighting (everywhere)

Lighting continues to wow at IBC. Aputure’s Titan series brings ludicrous punch in a sleek package. Godox’s Mavrix panels are compact, battery-friendly, and surprisingly powerful. And just announced: Nanlux’s Evoke 150C Nebula C8, an RGBLAC spotlight that packs 8-color LEDs into a neat 150W body, big colour flexibility, small footprint. 

Lighting is one of the fastest-moving corners of this industry, the booths are bright, loud, and absolutely worth exploring. The products are also way more affordable than before. Go to Pinewood/ Hollywood and take a look at the lighting that gaffers are choosing. It’s no longer locked into ARRI Skypanels; gaffers are choosing bigger, brighter, and more modular LED solutions from vendors like Aputure at a budget the producers actually approve of!

4. AJA (Hall 7)

AJA is doing what it does best and rolling out several new products and software enhancements to improve signal flow and IP video workflows. Key hardware includes the IP25-R, which converts SMPTE ST 2110 streams to baseband 12G-SDI and HDMI 2.0 (with HDR support) via dual 10/25 GbE ports; the UDC-4K Mini-Converter for 4K/UltraHD conversion, scaling, rate conversion, and sync with 12G-SDI/HDMI2.0 outputs; and the BRIDGE LIVE 12G-4, a 1RU unit offering dense bi-directional SDI/IP codec/protocol transcoding (H.264, H.265, NDI, etc.) for streaming and remote production. AJA never chases hype — it just keeps making gear that ends up indispensable.

5. ASUS (Hall 11)

The ProArt lineup has hit its stride. The monitors are everywhere, post houses, Universities, Studios all seem to be using ProArt displays that are made for creative workflows. The bit you don't see is the adoption of their Motherboards to cope with the increasing demands from power hungry AI workflows in animation/ VFX and beyond. Elsewhere, the company's latest laptops come with built-in AI acceleration, its 4K, 6K and 8K monitors rival reference displays at a fraction of the cost, and the build quality continues to impress across the board.

The big buzz this year has been around the PA32UCDM, which we considered to be the new gold standard for QD-OLED monitors when we tested it earlier this year. There's more to see on the stand though, there always is.

6. Matrox Video (Hall 7)

If IBC has a backbone, Matrox is part of it. Its ORIGIN platform now underpins hybrid IP and cloud broadcast workflows at scale. The Matrox team are brilliant, most will travel from HQ in Montreal, Canada and they love demonstrating how their technology powers control rooms at broadcasters and studios all over the world. They don’t chase headlines, they power them (you can have that for free, Matrox). If you want to understand where broadcast is headed, talk to Matrox.

7. Workflow Tools – QScan & More

Delivery QC doesn’t get glamour shots, but it does save budgets and projects. QScan now supports HDR10+, Dolby Vision, and automated compliance for Netflix, BBC, Disney+ and more. No one loves rejections. QScan (based in the walkway between Halls 7 & 8 that goes above the Beach) helps you avoid them.

Also worth scouting: Frame.io’s secure metadata sharing, and cloud-native solutions smoothing the post-to-delivery pipeline. These are the hidden gems that glue modern workflows together.

8. Camera Innovations – RED, Nikon & Canon

Cameras are hot again this year!

• Nikon ZR: a 6K full-frame cinema camera weighing just 540 g, recording RED R3D, with 32-bit float audio. It’s basically a cinema camera with RED colour science that fits in your jacket pocket. (Full story)
• RED V-RAPTOR XE: 8K full-frame DSMC3 with both Z and RF mounts, dual SDI, proxy recording, insane frame rates, and a sub-$15K price tag. (Full story)
• Canon EOS C50: Canon’s 7K full-frame open-gate cinema camera, offering impressive low-light performance, Canon colour science, and compact ergonomics that should appeal to doc and indie shooters alike. (Full story)
• FUJIFILM GFX ETERNA 55:  the long-awaited FUJIFILM GFX ETERNA 55 is now confirmed to be shipping in October for $16,499. (Full story)

Between these three, you’re seeing the future of cinema workflows: small, powerful, connected. Don’t forget to check out Sony too, who seems to be absolutely dominating the pro space (no new releases, but worth a look at their range)!

9. AI (everywhere)

OK let’s be real, AI is the big theme at IBC2025. Multi-billion dollar corporations like Adobe and ASUS mentioned above are both embedding AI into their core products, from adaptive timelines to hardware-level acceleration. But what’s just as exciting is the startup ecosystem (see The Future Tech Hall below).

On the hardware side check out Renderboxes, who has a spot on the ASUS stand in Hall 11 as it builds multi-GPU workstations (the one it has at IBC has 4x TUF gaming RTX5090 graphics cards, making it possibly the most powerful workstation at IBC!) and is increasingly being asked to spec and build AI first PCs at massive scale - ask Richard the founder and questions you have. Oh, and its build quality/ branding is super cool and worth a look.

This is the year to ask tough questions: how can AI help without overhyping? Walk the halls, and you’ll see plenty of answers being prototyped in real time.

Speaking of questions around AI, ask me one! I am hosting a panel discussion with 2 experts that will be able to answer your question for me! On Saturday September 13th at 2pm on the ASUS stand I’ll be joined by Richard Rogers from Renderboxes and Leon Barnard, industry professional and certified DaVinci Resolve trainer discussing AI hardware considerations for media workflows.

10. The Future Tech Hall (Hall 14)

Don’t skip Hall 14. Every year it quietly shows the tech that will dominate 2–3 years from now. This year the buzz is:

• AI-powered media workflows (Framedrop.ai, TwelveLabs)
• Cloud-native supply chains eliminating hardware bottlenecks (Flomenco)
• Next-gen metadata for true semantic search (Vionlabs, Reka AI)

The best part? You talk directly to the engineers and founders. No sales fluff, just real conversations about what’s possible. Hall 14 is where you spot the next wave before it breaks.

11. The Beach

OK so this should only be 10 but I needed one more….. By mid-show you’ll be exhausted, over-caffeinated, and wondering why you didn’t pack lighter shoes. Head to The Beach - the RAI’s unofficial heart (not like an actual Beach on the windy North Sea Coast, a cool man-made one at the Rai that serves beers, wine and stuff). It’s where you decompress, bump into old colleagues, and sometimes strike deals over a beer. Essential.

Final Thought

That’s my hit list for IBC2025. Whether you’re attending in person or following online, this show remains the best crystal ball our industry has. Take notes, wear good shoes, and don’t forget that floor plan!