New Year's Greeting from the Director-General

The Start of Research at the New STRL Research Complex

Osamu YAMADA,
Director-General, NHK Science & Technical Research Laboratories




Happy New Year! It seems as if the first year of the 21st century has passed in a flash. Following the collapse of the IT bubble, the global situation has changed completely because of the simultaneous terrorist attacks in New York and Washington on September 11 of last year. 2001 was also a year that reminded us of the increasingly significant role of broadcasting, which accurately and promptly delivers news from around the world, keeping pace with constantly changing situations and bringing them into the & homes of the public.
April 1 of this year will mark the start of research at our third-generation Science & Technical Research Laboratories research complex. The new STRL is the result of thorough discussions and planning in cooperation with the Setagaya-ward municipal government and local residents; its design reflects our will to contribute to the community. It has been an enormous construction project, spanning 12 years, including assessment and design stages. The groundbreaking ceremony took place in April 1999, and the completion ceremony in November 2001. The entire STRL staff is relieved to see the building completed without any serious accidents, and we are happy to announce that the official opening ceremony is scheduled for March 6.
Broadcasting technology is currently undergoing a drastic transformation. The most significant technologies of the last 20 to 30 years, such as satellite broadcasting, Hi-Vision (HDTV), digital broadcasting, and plasma display panels (PDPs), are in their final research stages. Although further advancements in these fields will continue for the next 10 to 15 years, new directions in research are expected to define the activities of STRL. To this end, we have laid out our Mid-to Long-Term Vision: Toward the Realization of Dreams, with the goal of promoting it both within and outside NHK.
The Mid-to Long-Term Vision will focus on the following research areas.

1. Advanced ISDB systems
Studies on new broadcasting services, such as human-friendly broadcasting services, and a service that allows the viewer to watch the desired program anytime and anywhere by making use of the digital transmission channels for satellite/terrestrial/cable broadcasting and communications networks.
2. Contents production technologies
Studies on an efficient, effective program production system using computers, networks, and servers.
3. Future broadcasting services and their fundamental technologies
Studies on a 4,000 scanning line television system with a higher sense of reality than that of HDTV, strain-free 3D TV, and research on imaging, recording, and display technologies.

Broadcasting is a cultural activity that uses the latest technology. This lays a significant responsibility upon us, as broadcasting technology engineers; that is, we must ensure that as long as technology advances, broadcasting will also continue to advance.
The new research complex will be a center of excellence (COE) for broadcasting technology, whose researchers will help realize the dreams of our viewers.