TAG Video Systems’ Peter Wharton Has Died

Paul Wharton
(Image credit: TAG Video Systems)

News of the death of TAG Video Systems’ chief strategy and cloud officer Peter Wharton has prompted an outpouring of condolences and laudatory comments about his technical contributions to the industry.

“A star in our skies has gone supernova, our beloved friend Peter Wharton has passed on,” noted Paul Briscoe, chief architect at TAG Video Systems in a lengthy LinkedIn post. “I've had the incredible pleasure and privilege of knowing Peter initially through our varied SMPTE work over many years, and most recently working shoulder-to-shoulder with him in our roles at TAG. Peter was an amazing friend, generous, thoughtful and kind with a huge heart. He could be as objective or subjective as a situation called for, was persnickety on demand and always brought an enlightening and thought-provoking point of view to any conversation.”

“I miss him terribly,” Briscoe added, “but he succeeded in leaving a big mark on me, on the industry and on everyone he knew. It's this legacy that we carry with us, and I will forever use the `what would Peter do’ test to better understand things.”

Dozens of other comments on his career and his contributions to the industry can be viewed here

Wharton long and illustrious career included being named chief strategy and cloud officer of TAG in July of 2020 and being extremely active in SMPTE for many years. 

He was vice president of membership at SMPTE between Dec. 2017 and Dec. 2020 and produced SMPTE’s  "Bits By The Bay" Technical Conference with his SMPTE colleagues for the Washington D.C. Section for more than 20 years. 

He was also Secretary/Treasurer at SMPTE between 2013 and 2017 and was Governor, Eastern Region for SMPTE in 2013. 

Many more highlights from his career are available here

Wharton died on Tuesday, August 11 from cancer. 

TV Tech will post more information on Wharton’s passing as we get it. 

George Winslow

George Winslow is the senior content producer for TV Tech. He has written about the television, media and technology industries for nearly 30 years for such publications as Broadcasting & Cable, Multichannel News and TV Tech. Over the years, he has edited a number of magazines, including Multichannel News International and World Screen, and moderated panels at such major industry events as NAB and MIP TV. He has published two books and dozens of encyclopedia articles on such subjects as the media, New York City history and economics.