BBC Research

BBC Research
BBC Research logo
Formation	1993
Legal status	Subsidiary of the BBC
Purpose/focus	Technological broadcasting research
Region served	UK
Membership	Electronics engineers
Controller, R&D	Matthew Postgate
Website	BBC Research

BBC Research & Development is the technical research department of the BBC.

Function

It has responsibility for researching and developing advanced and emerging media technologies for the benefit of the corporation, and wider UK and European media industries, and is also the technical design authority for a number of major technical infrastructure transformation projects for the UK broadcasting industry.

Structure

BBC R&D is part of the wider BBC Future Media, and is led by Matthew Postgate, Controller Research & Development. In 2011 the North Lab moved into Salford MediaCityUK along with several other departments of the BBC, whilst the South Lab remained in White City in London.

History

Former site at Kingswood Warren

The department as it stands today was formed in 1993 from the merger of the BBC Designs Department and the BBC Research Department. From 2006 to 2008 it was known as Research and Innovation but has since reverted to its original name. BBC Research & Development has made major contributions to broadcast technology, carrying out original research in many areas, and developing items like the peak programme meter (PPM) which became the basis for many world standards.

Innovations

It has also been involved in many well known consumer technologies such as teletext, DAB, NICAM and Freeview. It was at the forefront of development of FM radio, stereo FM, and RDS. These innovations have led to Queen's Awards for Innovation in 1969, 1974, 1983, 1987, 1992, 1998, and 2001.

Closure of Kingswood Warren and move to London and Salford

In early 2010 the department had approximately 135 staff based at three locations: White City in London, Kingswood Warren in Kingswood, Surrey, and the R&D (North Lab) at the BBC's Manchester offices at New Broadcasting House, Oxford Road, Manchester. In early 2010 the Kingswood Warren site was vacated and the bulk of the department relocated to Centre House, in White City, London co-locating with the main campus of the BBC in London, whilst a significant number have moved to the new North Lab in Media City UK in Salford.

Future projects

BBC R&D engineers and researchers are currently active on approximately 50 projects, including 7 active national and international collaborative research efforts.

See also

• A-weighting
• CEEFAX
• Dirac (codec)
• Equal-loudness contour
• ITU-R 468 noise weighting
• NICAM
• Peak programme meter
• Sound-in-Syncs
• VERA videotape format
• Kamaelia (concurrency framework/set of concurrency friendly components)
• Backstage.bbc.co.uk

External links

• BBC Research at BBC Online
• BBC R&D Blog at BBC Online
• Move
• Location of South Lab

Video clips

• History of the department and interviews with the staff
• Talk by Matthew Postgate in Manchester in November 2009 at TEDx