Peter Wilson
Principal
Peter Wilson set up his company High Definition & Digital Cinema Ltd in 2005, specialising in hi-tech consultancy and training. He has had a fascinating and wide-ranging career, constantly managing to be at the forefront of pioneering technical developments in television and film.
After an electronic and mechanical apprenticeship, he worked in TV studio engineering, before joining Sony Broadcast, working on TV and recording developments. He moved into High Definition TV early on, working on demo production at Channel 5 in Italy, where he was technical facilitator, and later worked on the ground breaking RAI feature movie "Julia and Julia", which used HDTV production techniques for eventual transfer to 35mm for distribution. Peter’s role as technical facilitator was to bring together all the then new technologies involved in HD production and the subsequent transfer to film using the Sony Electron beam recorder. As a consequence of this, Peter became responsible for all of Sony Professional's new business areas, including supercomputing, instrumentation recording for general industry, and high data rate recorders used in astronomy and military applications.
He developed a reputation as a practical engineer who can make things happen, which provided the openings enabling him to work on the 1986-1990 Montreux Jazz Festival HD Recordings, the first regular musical productions captured in HDTV, and on the HD production for the 1987 Genesis concert at Wembley, the first ever multi-camera live concert captured on the High Definition Video System, transferred to 35mm using the Electron Beam recording process and then blown up to 70mm.
Digital Cinema has long been part of his life. Peter organised the technical facilities for the first Digital Cinema Demonstration at IBC Brighton in 1988, in collaboration with Rank Industries, who at that time were the biggest 'players' in British Cinema, owning everything from Pinewood Studios to your local High Street cinema! Rank was a very high-level technology provider for the TV and film industries, pioneering the use of Texas Instruments DLP technology in cinema. Peter was technical facilitator for the 1989 BBC NHK HD Co-production "Ginger Tree", using the High Definition Video System.
Working for Sony Europe he set up Europe’s first HD - 35mm Film-out facility using Electron Beam recording technology. Peter became involved with the Ford Motor Company, developing a unique application for High Definition technology for life-size capture and visualisation in the design and evaluation phase of new motor vehicles. This project integrated the disciplines of Engineering Design, Aesthetic Design and visualisation.
He joined Snell and Wilcox as Product Manager and Product Planner for HD and Display Products. He was chosen as co-facilitator for the UK DTI "Celluloid or Silicon" roadshow in October-November 2000. In 2003, he became Chairman of the EDCF Technical Module, where he continues to work hard on Digital Cinema inter-operability matters.
Under the HDDC banner, Peter provides training in HDTV, UHD TV and Digital Cinema matters. Peter is a respected lecturer in several European countries.
Peter now chairs the Event Cinema Association's Technology Group on an informal basis.
Curriculum Vitae
March 2005 – PresentHigh Definition & Digital Cinema Ltd
Founder, Managing Director
Founded HDDC Ltd as a Technology, Techno-politic, Product Management & Training Consultancy.
Participating in the following areas:
- European & UK Technology Projects
- Product & Project Management
- Operator of comprehensive HD TV, UHD TV, Digital Cinema and Stereoscopic technology courses
- Current Director of the EDCF Technical Support Group and EDCF Board Director
- Current Member of the DCMS Digital Cinema Committee (Founding Member)
- Current Member of the DTG Production Systems Group and Chairman of the Live Cinema Subgroup
- Current Chairman of the Event Cinema Association's Technology Group (on an informal basis)
- Current Member of the UK UHDTV Forum
- Current Member of the European Broadcasting Union's FAME (Forum for Advanced Media in Europe)
1991–2005
Snell and Wilcox Ltd
HD Guru
Vice President, Display Processing
- Head hunted as the manager of Strategic Planning from Sony Broadcast Ltd.
- Led teams in HD, Digital Cinema and Higher Resolution applications in hardware and software for long term product planning.
- Latterly promoted S&W as a world reference in Digital Cinema processing. Responsible for the conception, planning and introduction of more than 20 Pioneering Products in the HDTV, wide screen TV and Display Processing areas.
1981–1991
Sony Broadcast Ltd
Senior Manager New Business Development
1982-1983:
Service Manager for Benelux Region
1984-1991:
Responsible for introducing new product areas into the market:
- HDVS High Definition Video Systems
- SIPS Sony Image Processing System (Super Computer)
- Data and Instrumentation Recorders.
Successfully promoted Sony HDVS in a politically hostile environment. Introduced HDTV into the car industry as both a design tool (Ford) and promotional tool (BMW and Mercedes).
1978–1981
National Film and TV School
Founding TV Studio Engineer
Installed and operated the first TV facility in the school.
Introduced film students to video principles and processes.
1977–1978
Royal College of Art & Design
TV Studio Engineer
Maintained and operated the TV facility in the Film school.
Introduced film students to video principles and processes.
1972–1977
Portsmouth Polytechnic
Lab technician, founding TV Studio Engineer
Installed and operated the first TV facility in the school.
Introduced film students to video principles and processes.
1967–1972
C&N Electrical Ltd
Electrical Engineering Apprenticeship
Broad Apprenticeship - Radar sets to boat-building, Electronic, Electrical, Mechanical, Machining and Sheet Metal.
Accomplishments
On 3rd October 2000, Peter Wilson and colleagues at Snell & Wilcox received a technical Emmy award from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences in the United States, for the company's work in the field of High Definition up- and down-conversion.
On 19th February 2014, the BKSTS held its annual prestigious Bernard Happé Lecture & Awards Ceremony at the London Film Museum. The event was attended by leading industry personalities and the Guest of Honour was Baroness Floella Benjamin OBE DL, who presented the awards on behalf of the Society. Peter Wilson was inducted as a Fellow of the Society 'for his tireless effort to ensure that the UK film industry technical requirements are represented internationally and particularly for his work at the EDCF
On 28th October 2015, Peter Wilson is among fifteen industry leaders inducted as Fellows of the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE), during a luncheon held at the SMPTE 2015 Annual Technical Conference & Exhibition, Loews Hollywood Hotel in Los Angeles. Fellowship 'is conferred on individuals who have, by proficiency and contributions, attained an outstanding rank among engineers or executives in the motion-picture, television or related industries.
TV Appearances
"South Today" current affairs programme (BBC South)"The Money Programme" (BBC)
Technical Articles
Published in the following magazines:- Electronics and Wireless World.
- FTKG (Germany)
- Eizo Shimbun (Japan)
- BKSTS Moving Image Society (UK)
- SMPTE
- ZERB (UK)
- Royal Television Society Journal (UK)
- EDCF (various publications)
Tutorials
for- IBC (International Broadcasting Convention)
- SMPTE (Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers)
- BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts)
- RTS (Royal Television Society)
- IAB (International Association of Broadcasters)
- BKSTS (The Moving Image Society)
- EEBC (Telecom & Broadcasting Ukraine)
- IABM (International Association of Broadcast Manufacturers)
- IAB (International Academy of Broadcasting) Switzerland
- Digital Film School Milano
- TV3 Norway
- S4C
- Southampton Solent University
- Cilect
Papers, Presentations, Webinars & Session Chairs
- SMPTE (Numerous)- SATIS (Paris)
- CSTB (Moscow)
- Cinegrid (USA)
- SBE (Society of Broadcast Engineers USA)
- IBC (Numerous)
- IET (Institute of Engineering Technology)
- NAB (Numerous) (National Association of Broadcasters USA)
- Montreux TV Symposium (Numerous)
- BKSTS (Numerous)
- RTS
- Hollywood Post Alliance (Numerous)
- ICTA (International Cinema Technicians Association)
- Dimension 3 (Paris)
- 3D Stereo Media (Liege)
Technical / Political Milestones
- Commissioned and Co-designed three HD OB Trucks- Facilitated the first ever multi-camera HD pop concert: ('Invisible Touch' Tour, Genesis @ Wembley, Sony)
- Facilitated HD Coverage of the Montreux Jazz Festival, 1986-89
- Facilitated the first ever HD for 35mm Feature Movie: ('Julia and Julia' starring Kathleen Turner & Sting, 1987, Budget $90M, Produced RAI, Cinematographer Peppino Rotunno)
- Facilitated the first ever Digital Cinema Demonstration BT/Sony IBC Brighton 1988
- Facilitated the first ever HDTV transfer to 70mm Film
- Presented "HD Magic Windows" to Princess Diana
- Presented HDTV to HRH Prince Phillip
- Received the Queens Award for Technology for S&W Supervisor product
- Received a Technical Emmy Award for S&W HD Up-converter product (picture above)
- Demonstrated S&W/IBM Up-converter& Scaler Silicon to US Senators, Circa 1997
- Facilitated the first UK public D-cinema trials S&W/BT/JVC/CH4/Virgin
- Co-facilitated the DTI-sponsored "Celluloid or Silicon?" Road Show
- Participated in discussions between DCI (Hollywood Studios) and the EDCF
- Core member in the SMPTE group adding European Frame Rates to Digital Cinema
- Member of the SMPTE Additional Framerate Group
- Member of the ISDCF
- Fellow of the BKSTS (picture above)
- Fellow of SMPTE (picture above)
Contact
High Definition & Digital Cinema Ltd
Office:30 Park Lane, Cosham, Hampshire PO6 2QS, UK
Tel: + 44 (0) 23 9237 0513
Fax: + 44 (0) 23 9279 0158
e-mail: info@hddc.co.uk