Dalton Pritchard
Encyclopedia
Dalton H. Pritchard, born September 1, 1921, was one of the early color television systems pioneers, working at RCA Laboratories.
degree in Electronics from Mississippi State University
in 1943. He received specialized radar training at Harvard University
and MIT when he entered the U.S. Army Signal Corps, then served as captain in the Asiatic-Pacific Theater during World War II
. He was awarded the Bronze Star medal.
Between 1960 and 1970 Mr. Pritchard worked developing video processing circuitry for color TV receivers, colorimetry
and decoder
matrix methods, information display techniques, and analog
techniques employing Charge-coupled device
s for TV applications. He also worked on Selectavision
VideoDis]k development.
As a member of the Television Research Laboratory, Mr. Pritchard was involved in research related to high-definition TV (HDTV) systems that include applications of digital signal processing techniques.
and member of Sigma Xi
, Tau Beta Pi
, and Kappa Mu Epsilon
. He is listed in American Men and Women of Science
and in Who’s Who in the East.
In 1975 he was appointed a Fellow of the Technical Staff, RCA laboratories.
In 1977, he received the Vladimir K. Zworykin Award for "significant contributions to color television technology"
at the IEEE Consumer Electronics Spring Conference, Chicago.
In 1981, he was a team member recipient of the David Sarnoff Award for Outstanding Technical Achievement, “for the development and implementation of a CCD comb filter integrated circuit in color TV receivers.” Also in 1981 Mr. Pritchard was the only American among nine corecipients of the international Eduard Rhein Prize 1980, presented in Berlin, and was cited for numerous contributions in the field of video techniques and particularly as a leader in the development of the Dynamic Detail Processor employed in RCA ColorTrak
receivers. He was also appointed a member of the New Jersey Governor’s state panel of Science Advisers.
In 1983 Mr. Pritchard was elected to membership in the U.S. National Academy of Engineers (NAE).
Early life
Dalton Pritchard earned a BSEEBSEE
BSEE may stand for:* Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering, an undergraduate degree.* Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, an agency of the U.S. Department of Interior....
degree in Electronics from Mississippi State University
Mississippi State University
The Mississippi State University of Agriculture and Applied Science commonly known as Mississippi State University is a land-grant university located in Oktibbeha County, Mississippi, United States, partially in the town of Starkville and partially in an unincorporated area...
in 1943. He received specialized radar training at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
and MIT when he entered the U.S. Army Signal Corps, then served as captain in the Asiatic-Pacific Theater during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. He was awarded the Bronze Star medal.
RCA career
In 1946 Mr. Pritchard joined RCA Laboratories as a Member of the Technical Staff at Riverhead, NY, where he was engaged in communications research. In 1950 he transferred to RCA laboratories, Princeton, NJ. There his research involved many aspects of color television systems development, receivers, color kinescopes, transmitting encoders, cameras, and magnetic recording of TV. This work included the planning and testing of systems and circuits proposed for adoption by the National Television System Committee (NTSC).Between 1960 and 1970 Mr. Pritchard worked developing video processing circuitry for color TV receivers, colorimetry
Colorimetry
Colorimetry is "the science and technology used to quantify and describe physically the human color perception."It is similar to spectrophotometry, but is distinguished by its interest in reducing spectra to the physical correlates of color perception, most often the CIE 1931 XYZ color space...
and decoder
Decoder
A decoder is a device which does the reverse operation of an encoder, undoing the encoding so that the original information can be retrieved. The same method used to encode is usually just reversed in order to decode...
matrix methods, information display techniques, and analog
Analog
- In literature and language :* Analog, an object, concept or situation which in some way resembles a different situation:** Analog , a literary work that shares motifs, characters or events with another, but is not directly derived from it...
techniques employing Charge-coupled device
Charge-coupled device
A charge-coupled device is a device for the movement of electrical charge, usually from within the device to an area where the charge can be manipulated, for example conversion into a digital value. This is achieved by "shifting" the signals between stages within the device one at a time...
s for TV applications. He also worked on Selectavision
SelectaVision
The Capacitance Electronic Disc was an analog video video disc playback system developed by RCA, in which video and audio could be played back on a TV set using a special needle and high-density groove system similar to phonograph records....
VideoDis]k development.
As a member of the Television Research Laboratory, Mr. Pritchard was involved in research related to high-definition TV (HDTV) systems that include applications of digital signal processing techniques.
Awards
Mr. Pritchard received seven RCA Laboratories Outstanding Achievement Awards. He is a Fellow of the IEEE and of SIDSID
SID may refer to:* Amilcar Cabral International Airport, Sal Island, Cape Verde.* Saab Information Display in most Saab automobiles built since 1994* The Scientific Investigation Division of the Los Angeles Police Department...
and member of Sigma Xi
Sigma Xi
Sigma Xi: The Scientific Research Society is a non-profit honor society which was founded in 1886 at Cornell University by a junior faculty member and a handful of graduate students. Members elect others on the basis of their research achievements or potential...
, Tau Beta Pi
Tau Beta Pi
The Tau Beta Pi Association is the oldest engineering honor society in the United States and the second oldest collegiate honor society in America. It honors engineering students who have shown a history of academic achievement as well as a commitment to personal and professional integrity...
, and Kappa Mu Epsilon
Kappa Mu Epsilon
Kappa Mu Epsilon is a mathematics honor society founded in 1930 to focus on the needs of undergraduate mathematics students. There are now over 100 chapters at various American universities and colleges, primarily at mid-sized public universities or smaller private institutions...
. He is listed in American Men and Women of Science
American Men and Women of Science
American Men and Women of Science is a biographical reference on leading scientists in the United States and Canada published as a series of books and online by Gale, a unit of Cengage Learning. Gale acquired the title from Information Today, Inc. in 2001....
and in Who’s Who in the East.
In 1975 he was appointed a Fellow of the Technical Staff, RCA laboratories.
In 1977, he received the Vladimir K. Zworykin Award for "significant contributions to color television technology"
at the IEEE Consumer Electronics Spring Conference, Chicago.
In 1981, he was a team member recipient of the David Sarnoff Award for Outstanding Technical Achievement, “for the development and implementation of a CCD comb filter integrated circuit in color TV receivers.” Also in 1981 Mr. Pritchard was the only American among nine corecipients of the international Eduard Rhein Prize 1980, presented in Berlin, and was cited for numerous contributions in the field of video techniques and particularly as a leader in the development of the Dynamic Detail Processor employed in RCA ColorTrak
Colortrak
Colortrak was a trademark used on several RCA color TVs throughout the 1970s to the 1990s. After RCA was acquired by General Electric in 1986, GE sold the RCA consumer electronics line to Thomson SA...
receivers. He was also appointed a member of the New Jersey Governor’s state panel of Science Advisers.
In 1983 Mr. Pritchard was elected to membership in the U.S. National Academy of Engineers (NAE).