Quantel-the first fifteen years

Digital television techniques have been with us for almost 30 years and commercially available digital television sub-systems were introduced almost 25 years ago. One of the first suppliers of such products was Quantel, formed in 1973. Not the very first to deliver digitally based equipment but the only survivor from the early seventies whose entire business depends solely on digital television and image processing equipment and which has survived the take-overs and mergers. It is that focus on digital television and digital images which has sustained continuous development of a wide range of applications, and created growth not by acquisition as is often the case today, but simply as a result of the volume of business. The Quantel product range has evolved through concentration on innovative solutions to customers needs rather than marketing analysis driven designs. This paper concentrates on the first 15 years or so focusing on the technology, some important product milestones and most importantly the personalities without whom the name Quantel may never have existed.