Passing away of SMPTE Color Bar Inventor
 

Hi to all,

Sad news, the passing away of CBS Broadcast pioneer Hank Mahler of SMPTE Color Bar fame and many other achievements in the field of Broadcast Audio :

https://www.tvtechnology.com/news/ha...rs-passes-away

Best Regards
jhalphen
Paris/France

Sad news. Working for the Broadcast division of Sony in NJ, I had many interactions with Hank regarding our equipment. I recall once when another engineer and I stayed at the office until 5AM doing final "tweaks" on a new Betacam unit that we had to show to Hank at the lab in Stamford, CT at 10AM. He was always meticulous in his evaluations and if he did not like something, he let you know, with a detailed description of why, but always open to listen to technical reasoning and explanations. In the end though, he had the final say as to wheather CBS would accept the product. He was personable as well as a brilliant engineer and we spent many interesting hours together over the years. A real down to earth person, you would never guess he had so many worthwhile and far reaching accomplishments. I am fortunate that I had the privledge of knowing him.

I worked with Hank on a few committees, and "down to earth" is exactly how I would describe him. Not a pretentious or self-aggrandizing bone in his body; he was always focused on the technical facts.

RIP

A true pioneer that we all owe a big debt of gratitude.

Very sad.....................