News Releases

A Predecessor to HDTV: NHK Awarded IEEE Milestone
for World’s First Direct Broadcast Satellite Service

21 November 2011 – On 18 November, David Burger, IEEE History Committee, presented an IEEE Milestone in Electrical Engineering and Computing plaque to Naoji Ono, executive vice president of NHK, Japan’s public broadcasting organization. The dedication ceremony, held in Tokyo, Japan, recognized NHK for its role in developing technology for the world’s first direct broadcast satellite service (DBS) in 1984.  The Milestone was sponsored by the IEEE Tokyo Section.

NHK’s research and development team implemented technology that efficiently delivered signals across mountainous regions and remote islands, laying the foundation for today’s satellite television. The DBS relied on a satellite in geostationary orbit broadcasting to small antennas atop home receivers.

The IEEE Milestones in Electrical Engineering and Computing program honors significant technical achievements that occurred at least 25 years ago in technology areas associated with IEEE.

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