ARRIS celebrates 25th anniversary of digital TV
June 2, 2015
By Colin Mann
IP, video and broadband technology specialist ARRIS is marking the 25th anniversary on June 1st of its involvement in the birth of digital TV under a previous entity (General Instrument Corporation, subsequently acquired by Motorola) in a FCC proposal that launched a new standard for TV and paved the way for today’s TV experiences.
ARRIS celebrated this milestone at its office in San Diego, California – where the members of the design team pioneered the original system for digital TV. Industry pioneers in attendance included Dr. Jerry Heller, Dr. Woo Paik, Dr. Paul Moroney, Bob Rast, and Marc Tayer.
The San Diego team proposed the first all-digital TV system to the FCC’s Advisory Committee on Advanced Television Service. This invention led to modern advances in TV – beginning with digital satellite service in 1994, digital cable in 1996, and terrestrial over-the-air digital broadcasts, and continuing with today’s mobile and streaming Internet TV, DVR, 4K, and multiscreen experiences.
ARRIS’s celebration brings five of the original team members together for a panel that will review their impact on digital broadcasting, digital cable, and modern television technology—along with a discussion of the future of TV.
“We’re proud to celebrate the milestone that started it all and that gave us TV as we know it today. We salute our pioneers for their vision and contributions to modern TV,” said Moroney, now SVP of Advanced Technology at ARRIS. “Today, ARRIS is building on this legacy of innovation to deliver the next era of entertainment and communications,” he declared.