US government pays for video study................................
ijumpstart.com
LAS VEGAS - When it comes to advancements in digital video technology, you don't expect to hear the words, "I'm from the government and I'm here to help." That is, unless you're the National Institute of Standards Technology (NIST) and you've been brought in to sponsor a multimillion-dollar three-year project to study alternative methods of delivering video as well as improving existing systems.
Members of NIST along with five of the eight companies participating in the project sponsored by NIST's Advance Technology Program (ATP) gave a progress report at NAB98. David Hermreck ATP's manager of the Digital Video Program, says ATP's goal in instituting the study was to provide funding to the video industry to take on the high-risk technology that would benefit the public and the U.S. economy.
The federal government has provided $55 million for the project, matched by $60 million in private funding. Companies involved include NBC, Sarnoff, Comark Communications, IBM [IBM], Philips [PHG], MCI [MCIC], Sun Microsystems [SUNW] Tektronix and Thomson Consumer Electronics.
Hermreck says the ATP project, now in its second year, is focusing more towards interactive applications of digital video but is still accepting proposals on compression technology, digital cinema and applications that could affect the DTV transition. Proposals are accepted on a competitive basis and although a competition for new proposals has recently closed, Hermreck anticipates another call for proposals within the next year. |
