United Nations International Telecommunications Union Gets Emmy

The United Nations International Telecommunications Union (ITU) has received a coveted Emmy Award for its part in coming up with a means to allow high-quality video to reach devices ranging from mobile phones to High Definition Televisions.

The United Nations International Telecommunications Union (ITU) was awarded an Emmy Award for its part in developing a means to allow high-quality video to reach devices ranging from mobile phones to High Definition Televisions. The honour recognized the Joint Video Team, which comprises the ITU, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), for its highly efficient video compression method to significantly reduce both the bandwidth needed to deliver high-quality video and the space to store it. The technology “is a jewel in the crown of international standards collaboration,” Malcolm Johnson, Director of ITU’s standardization bureau, said. “Its widespread adoption is testament to the flexibility and efficiency that has been engineered by a group of people that have dedicated themselves to achieving this goal,” he added. Called H.264 | MPEG-4 AVC, the technology is used in products for companies such as Adobe, Apple, BBC, France Telecom, Motorola, Sony and Toshiba to send high-definition video images over broadcast television, cable television, satellite television services, Blu-Ray, mobile phones and Internet Protocol television.