This special meeting will present a wide-ranging perspective of the story of the history of television, from the early development of electronic and then color television, into the all-digital high-definition future. For all of the utility of the Internet, the events of September 11 and the targets of the anthrax mail show that color television remains both a unifying and threatening technology of remarkable influence.

Alex Magoun, director of the David Sarnoff Library, will present an illustrated history of the development of electronic color television and moderate questions and comments by retired RCA speakers and the audience.

Glenn Reitmeier will describe of the development of digital and high-definition television and discuss the current state of the adoption of DTV and HDTV. Glenn will speculate on the future of broadcast television as it continues to develop and merge with Internet and other video-delivery systems.

This meeting is part of Sarnoff Corporation's celebration surrounding the IEEE's Milestone award to the RCA Laboratories for the invention of electronic, monochrome-compatible, color television between 1946 and 1953. The Milestone program is the IEEE's way of publicizing the significant accomplishments of electrical and electronic engineers around the world; color television now joins a list including the first trans-Atlantic telegraph cable, Marconi's trans-Atlantic reception of a radio signal, and the ENIAC.

Alex Magoun received his Ph.D. from the University of Maryland with his dissertation on the development of the phonograph record, 1877-1950. For the last three years he has been engaged in resurrecting the non-profit David Sarnoff Library as a center for the study and display of the innovative spirit as represented by Mr. Sarnoff and the employees of RCA. The Library is currently co-funded by Sarnoff Corporation and the New Jersey Historical Commission.

Glenn Reitmeier is Vice President of Digital Television and Web Media at Sarnoff Corporation. He was one of the key members of the Grand Alliance and a leading contributor to the ATSC Digital Television standard. He has been a major contributor to developments in MPEG-4 and MPEG-2 compression, integrated circuits for DTV receivers, and the integration of video in computers. His efforts have contributed to forming six startup companies and have resulted in two technical Emmys. He holds over 40 patents in digital television technology.

A pre-meeting dinner with the speaker is held at 6 p.m. at the Rusty Scupper on Alexander Road in Princeton. If you would like to attend, please RSVP with an e-mail to princetonacm@acm.org.

Princeton ACM / IEEE Computer Society meeting are open to the public. Students and their parents are welcome. There is no admission charge, and refreshments are served.