Shortly before the start of the SMPTE 2016 Annual Technical Conference & Exhibition, NewBay editors spoke with Matthew Goldman about his plans as incoming SMPTE President. He’ll take office on Jan. 1, 2017.
TV TECHNOLOGY: How does it feel to preside over year 101?What are SMPTE's primary goals or initiatives for 2017?
MATTHEW GOLDMAN: I am very excited to be leading SMPTE into its second century. There are moments over the past 100 years where new technology pushed us forward into new areas, or more efficient ways of performing our traditional workflows, or creating and delivering better quality, or new ways of thinking overall. With the advent of software-defined media processing, network function virtualization and more agile ways of responding to customer needs, this is definitely one of those times. Our primary goals for 2017 and beyond include bringing our expertise together to assist the industry in achieving the benefits of this new technology, through interoperability—fostered by relevant standards—and expanding on our education to increase the effectiveness of those passionate about motion pictures and television. We also plan to investigate how we can leverage adjacent industries and bring in more expertise from those sources.
TVT: How do you see SMPTE evolving to keep up with the enormous technological changes that will happen at a continually increasing rate for the foreseeable future?
MG: We already have started the evolution. We have and continue to embrace new software-defined methodologies into how we approach industry solutions. With our collaboration with the Hollywood Professional Association, we are addressing both the creative and the engineering sides of our business. And we plan to expand the influence of “people skills” by looking into user groups where “birds of a feather may flock together” to nurture ideas and grow our reach.
TVT: What aspect of SMPTE's identity do you feel the organization must retain in order to continue being SMPTE?
MG: One of our greatest assets is that our membership consists of independently minded professionals who truly are getting together for the benefit of our industry.
TVT: Does the industry at large have an accurate picture of what SMPTE does? Are there any misconceptions or outdated notions that SMPTE needs to address through industry outreach?
MG: This depends heavily on where you sit within the industry-at-large. Often, what SMPTE does is behind the scenes, and it may not be so obvious where hundreds, or possibly thousands, of team hours were invested to address or solve an industry need. This is why we have stepped up our educational programs to help the industry improve and grow, which in turn gives us the recognition of where the industry should turn to get such assistance.
MatthewGoldman, a SMPTE Fellow who has previously held SMPTE board roles including executive vice president, finance vice president, and Eastern Region Governor, will serve a two-year term as SMPTE president. He is Senior Vice President Technology, TV & Media, at Ericsson, where he is focused on video processing and media delivery solutions. He has been actively involved in the development of digital television systems since 1992.
