ESPN’s Chuck Pagano Among SMPTE’s 2013 Honorees and Award Winners

The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE), the worldwide leader in motion-imaging standards and education for the communications, media, entertainment, and technology industries, today revealed the outstanding industry members who will be recognized Thursday, Oct. 24, at the SMPTE 2013 Honors & Awards Ceremony. Among those honored will be ESPN’s Chuck Pagano who will receive the David Sarnoff Medal.

The David Sarnoff Medal recognizes outstanding contributions to the development of new techniques or equipment that have contributed to the improvement of the engineering phases of television technology, including large-venue presentations. Chuck Pagano will receive the 2013 award for his pioneering technology and innovation efforts with ESPN, including the creation of ESPN’s first Bristol-based Digital Center; the adoption of HD; the creation of ESPN’s infrastructure for its expanding online, mobile, and TV Everywhere efforts; the 2009 opening of the L.A. Production Center, which was the world’s first 1080p production center; groundbreaking experiments in virtual reality; pioneering 3D sports production advances; globe-spanning fiber networks; new research facilities that are now testing 4K technologies; and work on the new Digital Center 2, a 195,000-square-foot facility that will feature a number of other technical firsts when it goes live in 2014. Pagano is a true innovator who is always experimenting and looking towards the future in order to best serve sports fans — anytime and anywhere.

The Progress Medal is the highest SMPTE medal award and recognizes outstanding technical contributions to the progress of engineering phases of the motion picture, television, or motion imaging industries.Keiichi Kubota has earned the 2013 Progress Medal Award in recognition of his 37-year career in television science and technology and his significant contributions in the areas of HDTV standardization activities for SMPTE, ATSC, and the FCC Advisory Committee on Advanced Television.

The Archival Technology Medal recognizes significant technical advancements or contributions related to the invention or development of technology, techniques, workflows, or infrastructure for the long-term storage, archive, or preservation of media content essence. The 2013 award will be presented to Milton R. Shefter in recognition of his long-standing and continued leadership contributions to the motion picture and television industry in defining practices for the storage and archive of the industry’s film legacy and digital media content.

The Digital Processing Medal recognizes significant technical achievements related to the development of digital processing of content for cinema, television, games, or other related media. The 2013 award will be presented to R. Norman Hurst in recognition of his invention of methods for splicing MPEG-2 transport streams, the development of test bitstreams for evaluating video and audio compression equipment performance, and the development of electronic test patterns that enable evaluation of video encoding and processing systems through visual observation of the outputs they produce.

The Kodak Educational Award honors an individual who advances the educational process at any level through innovative and inspirational methods, and it recognizes outstanding contributions in new or unique educational programs utilizing the technologies of film. Edward J. Giorgianni will receive the 2013 award for his contributions to color management and workflow innovation in motion pictures through the digital intermediate and digital cinema eras.

The Samuel L. Warner Memorial Medal recognizes outstanding contributions in the design and development of new and improved methods and/or apparatus for motion picture sound, including any step in the process. Thomas A. Scott will receive the 2013 award for his dedication to the art and technology of motion picture sound.

The Technicolor/Herbert T. Kalmus Medal recognizes outstanding contributions that reflect a commitment to the highest standards of quality and innovation in motion picture postproduction and distribution services. The 2013 award will be presented to William C. Feightner for his extensive contribution to the art and science of digital motion picture film image science.

The Workflow Systems Medal recognizes outstanding contributions related to the development and integration of IT file-based systems and infrastructures into production processes. John Anthony Footenwill receive the 2013 award in recognition of his pioneering the introduction of workflow-improving approaches such as service-oriented architecture (SOA) into the media industry and his leadership in both the standards and education pillars of the SMPTE mission.

William C. Miller has earned the 2013 SMPTE Presidential Proclamation for contributions spanning decades and covering all aspects of the Society’s key objectives in standards, education, and membership.

Each year, one SMPTE Journal Award is presented to the author of the most outstanding paper originally published in the SMPTE Motion Imaging Journal during the preceding calendar year. The 2013 SMPTE Journal Award will be presented to Wayne E. Bretl for “Theoretical and Practical Limits to Wide Color Gamut Imaging in Objects, Reproducers, and Cameras,” published in the May/June 2012 issue of the SMPTE Motion Imaging Journal. Journal Certificates of Merit will also be presented to Brian Long, Roger Schwenke, Peter Soper, and Glenn Leembruggen for their November/December 2012 journal article titled, “Further Investigations Into the Interactions Between Cinema Loudspeakers and Screens,” and to Martin S. Banks, Jenny C. A. Read, Robert Allison, and Simon J. Watt for their May/June 2012 SMPTE Motion Imaging Journal article titled, “Stereoscopy and the Human Visual System.”

The Citation of Outstanding Service to the Society, which recognizes individuals for dedicated service for the betterment of the Society over a sustained period of time, will be conferred upon five SMPTE members:

Peter Collis, for his consistency and tenacity in the work he has done for the Australia Section. Collis has been a long-standing and diligently active member of the section leadership team, providing consistently high levels of support to meeting events, including the biennial Australia Section Conference and Exhibition. He has shown absolute commitment to SMPTE ideals, and he is tireless in his promotion and support of the Australia Section, the Society, and its work.

Tim Dwight, for his tireless efforts in organizing New York Section meetings. Dwight has consistently made the effort not only to improve section meetings, but also to ensure that meeting notices are distributed and meetings are publicized in advance of the events. He has also played a vital role in enlisting new members in the section. Dwight has been the consummate “doer” for the good and improvement of the New York Section.

Bruce Follmer, for his consistent support of the New York Section since 1977. As a section manager, Follmer has been involved in organizing and producing numerous section events. He has attended meetings consistently and has contributed and initiated many ideas, which he has organized and implemented. Follmer’s contributions to the New York Section have far exceeded that of a typical section officer.

Eric Gsell, for his dedicated service, positive attitude, and technical knowledge and support of the Hollywood Section. Gsell has been a consistent resource in helping with section meetings, as well as the SMPTE Annual Technical Conference & Exhibition, for many years. He has been an invaluable member of the Hollywood Section and a creative, hardworking contributor to the success of both section and Society events.

Oleg Nikolayevich Raev, for his invaluable work in the Russian Federation Section. Since 2009, Raev has been instrumental in initiating and organizing annual 3D conferences that have become the central events for 3D scientists and technicians in the Russian region. He has played a major role in helping to support the continued success of members in the Russian Federation, as well as the motion picture industry.

The Excellence in Standards Award recognizes individuals or companies that have been actively involved in advancing Society standards activities and processes. The 2013 award will be presented to John Hurstfor his sustained efforts in D-Cinema standards and interoperability. In these areas, he consistently provides objective evaluation of the technical/business trade-offs to arrive at the most cost-effective solutions with rigorous attention to technical detail in ensuring the accurate interrelationship of SMPTE’s D-Cinema standards.

The Louis F. Wolf Jr. Memorial Scholarship is designed to help students further their undergraduate or graduate studies in motion pictures and television, with an emphasis on technology. The 2013 scholarship will be awarded to Joshua P. Berkowitz, who is pursuing a degree in motion picture science from the Rochester Institute of Technology. 

Fourteen new SMPTE Fellows also will be recognized during the event.