When are Digits Going to Meet the Action?

Interest in the digital coding of broadcast television signals may be said to have started in about 1966. At that time several organisations, including Bell Laboratories in the USA and the BBC, had built suitable high speed analogue-to-digital converters. A BBC Research Department Review of Progress contained the following statements which are of interest in the light of subsequent events:- “It is intended to use the digital equipment to do subjective tests in order to establish the correct number of levels for digital signal processing.” It also said, “Within two years it may well be possible to develop a competitively priced standards converter using digital techniques.” Both highly prophetic statements.

Published

1980-02

Content type

Original Research

DOI

10.5594/M00432

ISBN

978-1-61482-909-6