| Milestones
- 2000s
2000
Desk-top
computers become technically capable of handling content
for television production, and R&D
seeks ways to ensure that the full benefits of this can
be obtained
by the BBC.
Digital Radio Mondiale, the new digital short wave system,
starts to make major technical advances.
World's first - R&D's handheld digital
radio camera used for live broadcasts.
2001
The government launches its digital action plan to drive
the transition from analogue to digital broadcasting.
Speech recognition is used as an aid to provide subtitles
as part of the BBC's drive to provide access to all.
2002
Freeview is launched.
ATM routing developed to provide audio signals around Broadcasting
House.
The first production digital radio camera was delivered
in time for the Golden Jubilee.
Wavelet-based video compression systems are developed for
HD. 2003
R&D
engineers work closely with production teams to create
innovative virtual characters in programmes
such as
Fightbox and Bamzooki.
2004
HRH The Duke of Edinburgh visited BBC
R&D and was
shown our work on automated camera control, Digital Radio
Mondiale, and Access services for digital TV.
BBC R&D won the RNIB's "Simply The Best 2004" "Accessible
Leisure Award" for their technical development of
receiver-mix audio description for digital terrestrial
television. Audio description is now available on both
digital terrestrial and satellite.
Freeview electronic programme guide (EPG) service launched.
We developed and installed a new IP-based method of delivering
ringmain services (BBC broadcast services and internal
communications) at the BBC's Media Centre. This could
replace all the RF cable-based systems used previously.
A pilot multicast service was launched to coincide with
the Olympic Games to deliver live video over the broadband
internet.
Specifications for the new generation of Personal Video
Recorders created by TV-Anytime Forum, R&D is a
member of this team.
BBC R&D won the Royal Television Society's prestigious
Judges' Award for sponsoring and contributing to the
development of the MXF standard for interchange of digital
television programme files.
We participated in the first demonstration of the new
DVB-S2 satellite transmission standard carrying HDTV
channels at IBC. The demonstration used both H.264
and VC-1 image coding formats.
2005
Watch this space...
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