The NAB honored Electronics Research (ERI) president Thomas Silliman and retired ABC senior advisor of science and technology Antoon (Tony) Uyttendaele with its 2008 NAB Engineering Achievement Awards April 16 during NAB2008.
While at ABC, Uyttendaele played a pivotal role in the evolution of HDTV by working with major broadcast and consumer equipment manufacturers to create 720p hardware. His efforts contributed to the final adoption of 720p by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU).
Uyttendaele also developed and managed the completion of ABC's C-band satellite network distribution system and for a number of years served as international chairman of the ITU-Radiocommunication Sector Working Party on Satellite Newsgathering, which developed numerous recommendations on uniform standards and operating procedures to make SNG practical worldwide.
Known for his accomplishments in the field of antenna engineering, Silliman began his career as a consultant in the engineering firm Silliman & Silliman before developing a design for the patented Rototiller antenna in the 1970s. This circularly polarized FM broadcast antenna rapidly became a popular choice for FM stations in the United States. Since then, Silliman has been a consistent innovator in antenna engineering in the broadcast industry, eventually leading ERI in the development of an antenna system that accommodates both analog and digital transmissions.
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