Milestones - 1980s

1980
Demonstrations of 12:4:4 digital YUV (luminance and colour-difference) coding given to EBU Technical Committee as part of their deliberations in formulating technical standards for digital television studies.

Research Department's graphics computer "ERIC" demonstrated and licensed for manufacture by Logica as "Flair".

CARFAX road traffic information service trial successfully completed but loses Government support and is shelved.

1981
BBC Microcomputer developed as part of the BBC's computer literacy programme. The device was made by Acorn, and released early in 1982.

"Songs of Praise" is the first programme to use the Transportable Earth Station built by Research Department for live transmissions from Guernsey via the Orbital Test Satellite.

Digital television picture stills store, to enable "grabbed" pictures to be recorded, under development in cooperation with Rank-Cintel who dubbed it "Slide File".

Mixed polarisation introduced into main London VHF/FM transmitter (Wrotham) as part of the re-engineering scheme to improve stereo reception on portables and in cars.

Active steerable high frequency receiving array installed at Crowsley Park near Caversham for the BBC Monitoring Service.

Optical fibre link equipment built to study serial digital communications.

1982
The Home Secretary announces his acceptance of the Part Panel's recommendations that UK DBS services should use the C-MAC transmission system with a continuous sound multiplex of the form first proposed by Research Department. The Department had earlier given demonstrations of PAL, Extended PAL and C-MAC to the Panel at Kingswood Warren to help its deliberations.

High Definition Television (HDTV) studies commence in earnest.

Research Department, Designs Department and Communications Department cooperate in establishing an experimental digital optical fibre link (at 280 Mbit/s) between Television Centre and Lime Grove. Semiconductor laser transmitting equipment built at Research Department in 1981 was used for the tests.

Solid state line-array telecine demonstrated at the International Broadcasting Convention, Brighton, in cooperation with Rank-Cintel.

1983
Research Department hosts EBU selection tests of new television system for DBS.

Proposed unified Radio Data System for broadcasting to "intelligent" FM receivers demonstrated to EBU Technical Committee in Copenhagen.

Rostrum camera/animation store and Slide File equipment installed at Television Centre.

Research Department in cooperation with Designs Department, Communications Department and British Telecom, successfully transmits two 68 Mbit/s PAL television/sound/data packages over a 140 Mbit/s link between London and Birmingham.

Research Department re-assesses digital system for stereo sound with television, proposing a digital subcarrier at 6.55 MHz above the vision carrier ·field trials from Wenvoe.

Acoustic design of the present generation of Outside Broadcast vehicles initiated.

1984
The world's first YUV component-coded signals transmitted over a 140 Mbit/s link (London to Birmingham) first used to send PAL coded signals in 1983.

World Administrative Radio Conference, Geneva, on Planning of VHF Sound Broadcasting in Band II. Research Department assists External Services with technical support.

Regional Administrative Conference, Geneva on Planning of VHF Sound Broadcasting in Band II. Research Department provides considerable technical support at the Conference in addition to much preliminary work beforehand.

Amplitude Modulation Companding (AMC) tests from the Radio Bristol transmitter. AMC is a method of reducing the mains power requirement of transmitters and thus making them more economical to run.

Video watermarking, a method of electronically labelling television pictures, devised.

Computer processing of television pictures starts in earnest. This will enable the study of television systems in non-real time.

EBU Radio Data System (RDS) Specification published. This Specification describes the methods used to transmit data to a new generation of "intelligent" FM receivers.

First "all digital" transmission of stereo sound with television from Crystal Palace using the Research Department proposals of last year for a digital subcarrier. This system later becomes known as NICAM 728.

Film dirt detection and concealment equipment installed at Television Centre.

1985
World Administrative Radio Conference "ORB-85" Geneva, held to plan the radio frequency spectrum for satellite use in the geostationary orbit. Research Department provides technical back-up to support the BBC's future requirements.

405-line television transmissions, first launched in 1936, come to an end.

A new data service "Datacast" (conditional access teletext) launched. A proposed Specification was prepared at Research Department and endorsed by the British Videotex/Teletext Technical Coordination Committee in July and subsequently included in CCIR documentation as "System B" teletext.

Experiments to assess the effect of Amplitude Modulation Companding on high frequency transmitters conducted at Rampisham with the intent of improving intelligibility.

LF Radio Teleswitching service commences in April. This enables the Electricity Supply Industry to remotely control radio teleswitches in homes, offices and factories in order to optimise power distribution at peak demand times.

Research Department devises a new television bandwidth reduction system known as DATV (Digitally Assisted Television) which is of special importance to HDTV.

Second generation active high frequency steerable monitoring array installed at Crowsley Park near Caversham for the BBC Monitoring Service.

Collapse of Direct Broadcasting by Satellite consortium because of doubts of financial viability. Research Department continues its investigations to cover future possibilities.

1986
BBC Radio gives press conference to announce its plans for launching the VHF radio-data system, RDS, in 1987.

The BBC's NICAM 728 system for digital stereo sound with television, accepted by the Department of Trade and Industry as the British Standard. Provisional Specification, drawn up jointly with the IBA and in consultation with BREMA, published.

CCIR Plenary Assembly, Dubrovnik, to discuss plans for worldwide HDTV studio standard. Research Department continues to study factors affecting choice despite non-agreement at Assembly.

The European Community announces the setting up of Eureka Project 95 to establish a European HDTV standard.

HDTV picture store and high line-rate picture monitor demonstrated at the International Broadcasting Convention, Brighton.

Tests undertaken to assess sound insulation requirements for the proposed Music Studio in the Television Centre Stage 5 development. A 100:1 scale model was built and used to help determine the requirements for this studio, to be located in a noisy environment.

1987
BBC begins trade test transmissions of RDS from all national and Local Radio FM transmitters in England.

The Eureka 95 high definition MAC-compatible television project becomes contractually established and co-operative research between many industrial partners begins in earnest.

Establishment of substantial parts of the European Community's RACE Main Phase five-year programme. Research Department joins three RACE (Research and development of Advanced Communications system in Europe) projects, leading that engaged on wavelength and time division multiplexing, and taking part in those on advanced forms of bit-rate reduction and mobile communications.

"Art File", the Rank Cintel version of Research Department's add-on graphics system for Slide File, introduced into service.

BBC joined the Eureka 147 collaborative group. This group developed the new Digital Audio Broadcasting standard.

The Department's digital audio editor demonstrated.

Spectrum found for 5th UK UHF TV channel whilst preserving existing networks and expansion.

1988
World Administrative Radio Conference "ORB-88", Geneva. Research Department provides technical support for geostationary satellite orbit plans, and assists with the first public demonstration of an advanced digital sound broadcasting technique under the auspices of the EBU.

12 GHz radio-camera antenna developed with Television Outside Broadcasts for the Seoul Olympic Games proves highly successful.

National Radiological Protection Board publishes new guidance on human exposure to electromagnetic radiation hazards and intensifies search for better measurement methods close to broadcasting antennas. Research Department advises on measurement techniques.

Research Department contributes in a major way to the Eureka Project 95 HDTV demonstrations at the International Broadcasting Convention in Brighton.

Full NICAM 728 Specification published.

Conditional access television VCR downloading experiments with British Medical Television commence.

BBC RDS service publicly launched at the Earls Court Radio Show.

Digital audio editing equipment on trial at Broadcasting House.

1989
Experimental steerable flat-plate antenna demonstrated receiving new DBS television broadcasts.

Helitrak (automatic helicopter-tracking radio-camera link) successfully demonstrated during the Boat Race.

HDTV digital recordings made with the Department's multiplex of D1 recorders at the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships, the FA Cup Final and the Royal Albert Hall Promenade Concerts.

Euroradio satellite system comes on stream for Radio 1 Roadshow throughout the summer.