Milestones - 1990s

1990
First trials of Digital Audio Broadcasting using the Eureka system were carried out in January from Crystal Palace with an active repeater at Kenley.

In parallel there was an evaluation of audio bit-rate reduction codecs.

Completion of Phase 1 of the Eureka Project 95 High Definition Television developments.

Completion and testing of the experimental motion vector measurement hardware used in the Eureka 95 High Definition Television project.

Completion of the Department's enhanced computer image processing facility with semiconductor storage to give seven seconds of full bandwidth High Definition Television.

Installation of the first digital audio routing system in Broadcasting House, London (with Design Group and Network Radio).

1991
Demonstration of Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB) to the press and other selected parties.

DAB compared with the FM service on board a specially adapted coach in Birmingham.

The NICAM 728 stereo service was officially launched on BBC-2 during the summer.

Work was completed on the basic design of a Line-Shuffling technique, to improve the decoded "VideoCrypt" picture quality used for conditional access of terrestrial television.

The Eureka Project 625 VADIs (Video/Audio Interactive System) commenced, with 12 European Partners, to develop world standard digital compression algorithms for Phase 2 of the Motion Picture Experts Group (MPEG).

Demonstration of HDTV to the Royal Television Society at Cambridge.

Second phase of the RACE WTDM project on fibre-optic signal routeing commenced.

1992
World Administrative Radio Conference held at Torremolinos, Spain. Research Department provided programme material and hardware for an EBU-sponsored demonstration of wideband digital HDTV. Particular attention was given to the provision of two new frequency bands for HDTV and DAB transmissions.

Completion of RACE HIVITS project.

DAB single-frequency network tests carried out at Kingswood.

Low power digital terrestrial television transmission tests carried out from Crystal Palace.

Tests with a switched-horn radio camera developed at Research Department were carried out at Wembley stadium by Television Outside Broadcasts.

1993
DAB network of four transmitters set up in the London area and demonstrated to the trade. Government made a frequency band available for possible future DAB broadcasting.

Eureka 147 project, to establish a European DAB standard, now in the public domain comment stage. Kingswood's engineers made important contributions to this.

High power (10 kW) field trial of digital terrestrial television from Crystal Palace transmitter. HDTV signal used 34 Mbit/s data rate with 5-channel sound. Good results obtained, even in areas where reception of standard PAL was very poor.

License agreement reached for the manufacture of the switched-horn camera by Multipoint.

Com3* Composite Compatible Component system, developed at Kingswood for upgrading PAL/NTSC studios to component quality at minimum cost, now being commercially marketed.

* This is a registered trademark of Snell & Wilcox Ltd.

Research input to the MPEG-2 specification under the European VADIS project produced two scalability proposals (spatial and SNR) which were included in the MPEG-2 standard.

1994
R&D Service Planning Section at the forefront of planning the DAB broadcasting service announced to commence in September 1995. An initial 27-station transmitter construction plan established.

Construction of prototype hardware for constant luminance coding commenced, following the promise shown by simulation work.

Advanced Communication Technologies & Services (ACTS) seminar held at R&D. (An embryo programme by European Commission encouraging the transfer of communications technology to the market place.)

Eureka 148 phase II was completed, with the provision of the DAB specification to ETSI and written user guidelines, giving the system protocols. R&D had provided chairmen for four key committees responsible for the DAB standards.

1995
The new Digital Radio service started in September 1995. The system was implemented using technology and support provided by R&D.

Tests of satellite Digital Radio by R&D using the Mexican Solidaridad satellite were a great success. We were pipped to the post for a world first by the Australians who beat us by a matter of days using their OPTUS satellite.

Demonstrations were given of the new fibre-optic studio routing system developed as part of the COBRA project. It was the first Wavelength and Time Division Multiplexing system used for this purpose.

A new 2D system for Virtual Production was demonstrated for the first time.

The new dynamic range control system for audio broadcasting was demonstrated for the first time.

The Montreux demonstrations of digital television (based on work in RACE dTTb and HDSAT projects) gave the DVB standardisation process a major boost.

The VALIDATE project was set up to test and assess the new DVB standard as it evolves.

The CEPT held a DAB Planning Meeting to allocate spectrum for new digital audio services.

A significant contribution was made by the R&D team who provided and operated the computer planning facility for the UK delegation.

The BBC, ITC and NTL commenced preparing a joint plan for digital television broadcasting in the UK.

1996
Digital Television Pilot was set up. This was the first fully compliant test of the new DVB transmission standard.

An end-to-end pilot of a digital transmission chain, using the new 16:9 format, was assembled as part of the Trooping of the Colour broadcasts. These demonstrated the issues involved in linking programmes through a complete production chain from an Outside Broadcast through to two transmitters.

A new multimedia system was demonstrated for Digital Radio.

1997
BBC invents the Mole* in partnership with Snell & Wilcox. This is a tool which minimises distortion in digital signals which are subject to repeated coding and decoding

* This is a registered trademark of Snell & Wilcox Ltd.

First demonstration of Trumatte at IBC 1997. This is a retro-reflective screen invented at R&D which replaces the traditional blue screen in Virtual Production Studios. At the same time, a new method of measuring the position of the camera in a studio, now called Free-d, was demonstrated.

The CEPT Planning Meeting at Chester provides the ground rules for co-ordination of digital terrestrial television services. R&D provided specialists who took on key roles at the meeting.

BBC web services start. R&D provides the hardware and network communications to support the service, as well as technical guidance on the emerging features of streaming audio, video and push technologies.

Early work on domestic digital recorders begins - this will lead to Share it! and the TV-Anytime specification in the new millennium.

1998
BBC launches digital satellite television service on 22 June. R&D provides the system design authority and makes a major contribution to the commissioning of the new studio play out centre.

BBC R&D collaborated with LSI-Logic to produce a new chip set for Digital Terrestrial Television.

Sunday 15 November saw the public launch of digital terrestrial television in the UK. BBC R&D were a key part in the team which delivered the technical infrastructure for this service.

1999
The BBC's exciting new Digital Text service was successfully launched to air on DTT on Thursday, 20 May. This new information service is the digital replacement for analogue Teletext. The launch will receive greater publicity when suitably equipped receivers are available in the shops.