Forum for former BBC staff

Forum for former BBC staff
http://www.ex-bbc.net/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl >> Notices, obituaries and tributes >> Charlie Sandbank (Memorial Service) http://www.ex-bbc.net/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?num=1258577924 Message started by TerenceJ on Nov 18^th, 2009, 8:59pm

Title: Charlie Sandbank (Memorial Service)
Post by TerenceJ on Nov 18^th, 2009, 8:59pm

There will be a memorial service for Charlie Sandbank at All Souls Church in London on 24 November 2009 at 3.30p.m. Audrey Sandbank would be very pleased to see Charlie’s friends and colleagues at the service. If you wish to attend RSVP to Audrey@bbceng.info. Emails to this temporary address will be sent to Audrey (only), but she will not be able to enter into correspondence at this stage. Dr Charles ("Charlie") Sandbank was the BBC's Deputy Director of Engineering in the late 1980's and remained active in ETSI, DVB, ITU and other circles for many years.

LIFE HISTORY OF PROFESSOR CHARLES P. SANDBANK FREEng. Bsc. DIC HonDUniv FinstP FIET FRSA
Educated at Bromley Grammar School and London University
Professor Charles Sandbank started his long connection with Imperial College when he was sponsored by his employer STC to do a DIC in Electrical Engineering which included attendance at LSE where he widened his sphere of interests.

He started his career with STC where he developed some of the first semi-conductor integrated circuits to be produced in Europe. He later became head of the Electron Devices Laboratory at STL in Harlow and in 1968 became Manager of the STL Communications Division. He was responsible for the team that pioneered the use of Optical Fibres for communications and in 1976 built the world’s first wideband digital optical fibres communications system. At this time he was also concerned with establishing standards in a completely new field for aircraft navaids with safety critical, political and commercial implications.

In 1978 he took up the post of Head of Research and Development with the BBC Research Department where he was a breath of fresh air. ‘Call me Charlie’ he said when referred to as ‘Sir’. Whilst there he was instrumental in the setting up of the BBC Micro project, one of the earliest computers, and its introduction into schools throughout the country. He exploited Nicam Stereo sound for television which became the world’s first digital broadcasting system and realised the potential of HDTV. He became the first Chair of the EBU’s HDTV Committee. He was instrumental in the introduction of Digital Television and has written one of the seminal works on the subject. His generous personality and enthusiasm for projects was vital in persuading politicians and organisations to invest in new technologies and he developed the digital audio broadcast system DAB.

It is a little known fact that the reason drivers can continue to listen to BBC programmes as they travel through the Dartford Tunnel is because Sandbank was instrumental in persuading the BBC and the builders of the tunnel to work together in installing the necessary equipment.

As Chairman of the EBU New Systems and Services Committee he led the EBU’s preparation for contributions to Standards bodies. He played a major part in the work between the EBU and SMPTE leading to the CCIR Digital TV Production Standard Rec.601 on which most current TV production is based.

In 1988 Charlie became a Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Scientific Instrument Makers.

After leaving the BBC Charlie became Broadcasting Technology Advisor to what was then The Department of Trade and Industry advising on radio standards, frequency bands and their standardisation, chairing international committees where he had a talent for getting agreement between members whilst remaining a popular contributor. Prof Sandbank was actively involved in international standards bodies such as the ITU and ETSI. He was a member of several academic advisory bodies. He had a high reputation in SMPTE of which he was a Fellow, RTS, BKSTS, EBU and ABU.

As founding Chairman of the ETSI JTC Charlie established the relationship with DVB which led to extensive worldwide acceptance of the European Digital TV standard. Charlie conceived the ‘Umbrella’ concept whereby the standards for terrestrial, satellite and cable all sit under a basic standard unlike the competing US standards for the three transmission media which are all different. This hindered their adoption compared with DVB which also had the benefit of a superior modulation method.

Charles attended, hosted or chaired UK Standardisation Co-ordination meetings to help establish UK policy and develop briefs for the UK response to papers from other administrations. He had regular discussions, gave and sought advice on standards issues with DTI, OFCOM and DCMS colleagues.

He had good relations with many people at all levels in the European Commission as well as professionals in Broadcasting, Manufacturing and Content Creation Industries throughout the world.

In 2001 he became founding co-chairman of the European Digital Cinema Forum lobbying government backed bodies, including the UK Film Council, to invest in electronic digital projectors for cinemas throughout the UK. He was enthusiastic about the development of 3D Cinema.

From 1982 until his death he was the Royal Academy Visiting Professor in the Principles of Information Systems Design at Bradford University who awarded him an Honorary Doctorate of Engineering.

He was on the Court of Surrey University, who also awarded him an Honorary Doctorate in 1994, as well as the Court of Imperial College where he was an enthusiastic attendee at student degree ceremonies and similar events.

He has served as member or Chairman of several SRC, SERC and EPSRC panels. In addition to his two books on Optical Fibres and Digital Television, he is author or co-author of over 100 papers and a similar number of patents.

Charlie’s engaging personality and breadth of knowledge and interests made him a much sought after speaker and lecturer. He predicted many of the advances in technology that we now take for granted and some that have yet to have their day! His sense of humour was legendary.

In spite of his busy lifestyle he always made time for his family and was a devoted grandfather to his eight grandchildren, a loving husband of over fifty years and caring father to his son and two daughters. His son Barry followed in his father’s footsteps becoming an alumnus of Imperial College and achieving his first degree in Physics. The family connection continues with his son-in-law Paul Robinson who is a Reader in the Aeronautics Department.

This life history was provided for BBCeng by Charlie's widow Audrey.

Title: C.P.SANDBANK FREng BSc DIC DUniv DEng
Post by Administrator on Nov 18^th, 2009, 10:49pm

From:-
ITU-T NEWSLOG

Charles Peter Sandbank, who was very well known to many in ITU, and was recently elected as Chairman to ITU-T’s Study Group 9 has died aged 77.

Charlie, as he was affectionately known to friends and colleagues, started his long and distinguished career with STC making radio valves and later transistors. During his time here he developed some of the first semiconductor integrated circuits to be produced in Europe. Among his early papers were proposals for the techniques now commonly used in ASICS and the principle of surface mount.

In 1964 he was appointed head of the Electron Devices Laboratory at Standard Telecommunications Laboratories and in 1968 became Manager of the STL Communications Systems Division. While at STL he was responsible for the team which pioneered the use of optical fibres for communications and in 1976 built the world’s first wide band digital optical fibre communications system (140 Mbit/s between Hitchin and Stevenage) installed in BT ducts. He edited one of the first books on the technology of optical fibre communications in which he proposed the optical amplifier as now commonly used in long haul systems.

In 1978 he joined the BBC as head of its Research Department and became BBC Deputy Director of Engineering in 1984. He made personal contributions to the BBC’s work in electronic graphics; the ‘BBC MICRO’ project; HDTV and particularly digital broadcasting. NICAM stereo sound for TV was among the activities which he initiated while he was Head of Research. He played a leading role in the establishment of the technology and world-wide standards for Digital Television (a subject on which he also edited a book). The work he initiated at the BBC contributed to the establishment of the world’s first terrestrial digital radio service in 1997 and TV service in 1998. After leaving the BBC in 1993 he became a Director of Snell and Wilcox Ltd and DTI Broadcasting Technology Adviser.

He was a founder member of the DVB project, the founding Chairman of the ETSI/EBU JTC and founding co-chair of the European Digital Cinema Forum. He was also the Royal Academy of Engineering’s Visiting Professor in the Principles of Information Systems Design at the University of Bradford.

He was elected to the Royal Academy of Engineering in 1983, was also FIET and FInstP. He received Fellowships from the RTS, BKSTS and SMPTE for contributions to broadcast engineering and Honorary Doctorates from the Universities of Surrey and Bradford.

In the ITU he participated actively since the late 1970s in ITU-R SG6 (previously SG10 and 11) and in ITU-T SG9 since its formation, acting as a Vice Chairman in the last two study periods before being appointed Chairman at WTSA-08 in Johannesburg. He played a major role in the drafting of the basic Digital TV Recommendation ITU-R Rec. 601, and more recently in the ITU-T network independent middleware Recommendations. He chaired the JRG1 the joint T/R Rapporteur group on middleware and was a co-chair of the joint activity of ITU-T SG9 and ITU-T SG9 on IPTV.

Source:-
http://www.itu.int/ITU-T/newslog/Obituary+CPSandbank+FREng+BSc+DIC+DUniv+DEng.aspx