TV History: Grand Alliance Completes System Integration at Sarnoff Field Lab

By Phil Kurz
published

March 30 is the 25th anniversary of the Grand Alliance finishing its integration work on the world’s first digital HDTV broadcast system.

(Image credit: Glenn Reitmeier)

Twenty-five years ago (March 30), the integration of the Grand Alliance system for digital HDTV was completed at Sarnoff’s Field Lab, laying the foundation for its world premiere a week and a half later at the 1995 NAB Show in Las Vegas.

To mark the anniversary, consulting engineer Glenn Reitmeier, who played an instrumental role in development of the system, has posted a brief video online identifying the team responsible for the integrated system, its component pieces and historical video of the actual system.

As noted in the video, the Grand Alliance HDTV system became the ATSC standard for digital television, a world first, in September 1995. The FCC approved the ATSC standard on Dec. 24, 1996.

Watch the video online.  

Phil Kurz
Phil Kurz

Phil Kurz is a contributing editor to TV Tech. He has written about TV and video technology for more than 30 years and served as editor of three leading industry magazines. He earned a Bachelor of Journalism and a Master’s Degree in Journalism from the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Journalism.