Leonardo Chiariglione
Encyclopedia
Leonardo Chiariglione is an Italian
engineer. He has been at the forefront of a number of initiatives that have helped shape media technology and business as we know them today, in particular he is the chairman and co-founded the Moving Picture Experts Group
(MPEG) together with Hiroshi Yasuda
.
(1967), then obtained his Ph.D. degree at the University of Tokyo
in 1973, where he also learned to speak Japanese. Chiariglione speaks seven languages including English and French.
From March 1971 until July 2003, he was with CSELT, the corporate research center of the Telecom Italia
group. His final position there was Vice President, Multimedia, at Telecom Italia Lab, the new name given to CSELT in 2001.
He has led a number of European collaborative projects :
He has initiated various efforts to define internationally agreed specifications, such as DAVIC
(the Digital Audio-Visual Council) in 1994 and FIPA
(the Foundation for Intelligent Physical Agents) in 1996.
But the project for which he is probably best known started in 1988, when he originated the ISO standardization activity known as MPEG (or Moving Pictures Experts Group) (officially ISO TC97/SC2/WG8/MPEG, now ISO IEC
-JTC1/SC29/WG11), of which he has been the Convenor from the start. This group, with a membership of over 300 experts, representing 20 countries and various industries having a stake in digital audio and video, produced the MPEG-1
and MPEG-2
standards that have facilitated the digital audio-visual revolution.
Leonardo Chiariglione has received the IBC
1999 John Tucker Award, IEEE Masaru Ibuka Consumer Electronics Award
(1999), and Kilby International Award
(1998).
In 1999, he was asked to be the Executive Director of Secure Digital Music Initiative
, a forum comprising hundreds of companies to develop specifications for a open standard
secure digital music delivery technology. He stepped down from this post in 2001, having expressed frustration about conflicts between the members of the group, which had failed to produce effective anti-piracy specifications.
Leonardo Chiariglione was appointed as Distinguished Invited Professor at Information and Communication University, Daejeon
, Korea in 2004.
engineer. He has been at the forefront of a number of initiatives that have helped shape media technology and business as we know them today, in particular he is the chairman and co-founded the Moving Picture Experts Group
Moving Picture Experts Group
The Moving Picture Experts Group is a working group of experts that was formed by ISO and IEC to set standards for audio and video compression and transmission. It was established in 1988 by the initiative of Hiroshi Yasuda and Leonardo Chiariglione, who has been from the beginning the Chairman...
(MPEG) together with Hiroshi Yasuda
Hiroshi Yasuda
Prof. Dr. of Engineering Hiroshi Yasuda is an Emeritus Professor at the University of Tokyo and works as a Consultant for Nippon Telegraph and Telephone....
.
Biography
He earned a masters in Electronic Engineering at the Polytechnic of TurinPolytechnic University of Turin
The Polytechnic University of Turin is an engineering university based in Turin, northern Italy. Established in 1859, Politecnico di Torino is Italy’s oldest Technical University. In 2011 it was ranked as the best engineering university in Italy in the Academic Ranking of World Universities.It is...
(1967), then obtained his Ph.D. degree at the University of Tokyo
University of Tokyo
, abbreviated as , is a major research university located in Tokyo, Japan. The University has 10 faculties with a total of around 30,000 students, 2,100 of whom are foreign. Its five campuses are in Hongō, Komaba, Kashiwa, Shirokane and Nakano. It is considered to be the most prestigious university...
in 1973, where he also learned to speak Japanese. Chiariglione speaks seven languages including English and French.
From March 1971 until July 2003, he was with CSELT, the corporate research center of the Telecom Italia
Telecom Italia
Telecom Italia is the largest Italian telecommunications company, also active in the media and manufacturing industries. Now a private concern listed on the Borsa Italiana, it was founded in 1994 by the merger of several state-owned telecommunications companies, the most important of which was...
group. His final position there was Vice President, Multimedia, at Telecom Italia Lab, the new name given to CSELT in 2001.
He has led a number of European collaborative projects :
- IVICO - a RACE project investigating cost-effective integrated video codecs,
- COMIS - an ESPRIT project supporting the development of the MPEG-1 standard and
- EU 625 - VADIS a EUREKAEUREKAEUREKA, often abbreviated as "E!" or "Σ!", is a pan-European research and development funding and coordination organization. EUREKA aims to coordinate efforts of governments, research institutes and commercial companies concerning innovation...
project aiming at developing a European hardware and software technology for the MPEG-2 standard.
He has initiated various efforts to define internationally agreed specifications, such as DAVIC
DAVIC
DAVIC, Digital Audio Video Council, was founded in 1994 with the aim of promoting the success of interactive digital audio-visual applications and services by promulgating specifications of open interfaces and protocols that maximise interoperability, not only across geographical boundaries but...
(the Digital Audio-Visual Council) in 1994 and FIPA
FIPA
The Foundation for Intelligent Physical Agents is a body for developing and setting computer software standards for heterogeneous and interacting agents and agent-based systems....
(the Foundation for Intelligent Physical Agents) in 1996.
But the project for which he is probably best known started in 1988, when he originated the ISO standardization activity known as MPEG (or Moving Pictures Experts Group) (officially ISO TC97/SC2/WG8/MPEG, now ISO IEC
International Electrotechnical Commission
The International Electrotechnical Commission is a non-profit, non-governmental international standards organization that prepares and publishes International Standards for all electrical, electronic and related technologies – collectively known as "electrotechnology"...
-JTC1/SC29/WG11), of which he has been the Convenor from the start. This group, with a membership of over 300 experts, representing 20 countries and various industries having a stake in digital audio and video, produced the MPEG-1
MPEG-1
MPEG-1 is a standard for lossy compression of video and audio. It is designed to compress VHS-quality raw digital video and CD audio down to 1.5 Mbit/s without excessive quality loss, making video CDs, digital cable/satellite TV and digital audio broadcasting possible.Today, MPEG-1 has become...
and MPEG-2
MPEG-2
MPEG-2 is a standard for "the generic coding of moving pictures and associated audio information". It describes a combination of lossy video compression and lossy audio data compression methods which permit storage and transmission of movies using currently available storage media and transmission...
standards that have facilitated the digital audio-visual revolution.
Leonardo Chiariglione has received the IBC
IBC
IBC is an initialism that can stand for:*IBC Root Beer*Impedance Boundary Condition*Independence Blue Cross*Índice Bursátil Caracas, a stock market index of the Caracas Stock Exchange*Inflammatory Breast Cancer*Institute of Business Consulting...
1999 John Tucker Award, IEEE Masaru Ibuka Consumer Electronics Award
IEEE Masaru Ibuka Consumer Electronics Award
The IEEE Masaru Ibuka Consumer Electronics Award is a Technical Field Award of the IEEE given for outstanding contributions to consumer electronics technology. It is named in honor of Masaru Ibuka, co-founder and honorary chairman of Sony Corporation. The award is currently given each year to an...
(1999), and Kilby International Award
Kilby International Awards
The Kilby International Awards was an award created by the High Tech Committee of the North Dallas Chamber of Commerce, in 1990 to boost interest in the area. It was named after inventor Jack Kilby...
(1998).
In 1999, he was asked to be the Executive Director of Secure Digital Music Initiative
Secure Digital Music Initiative
Secure Digital Music Initiative was a forum formed in late 1998, composed of more than 200 IT, consumer electronics, security technology, ISP and recording industry companies, ostensibly with the purpose of developing technology specifications that protected the playing, storing and distributing...
, a forum comprising hundreds of companies to develop specifications for a open standard
Open standard
An open standard is a standard that is publicly available and has various rights to use associated with it, and may also have various properties of how it was designed . There is no single definition and interpretations vary with usage....
secure digital music delivery technology. He stepped down from this post in 2001, having expressed frustration about conflicts between the members of the group, which had failed to produce effective anti-piracy specifications.
Leonardo Chiariglione was appointed as Distinguished Invited Professor at Information and Communication University, Daejeon
Daejeon
Daejeon is South Korea's fifth largest metropolis and the provincial capital of Chungnam. Located in the center of the country, Daejeon had a population of over 1.5 million in 2010. It is at the crossroads of Gyeongbu railway, Honam railway, Gyeongbu Expressway, and Honam Expressway. Within the...
, Korea in 2004.
Further reading
- Chiariglione and the birth of MPEG (IEEE Spectrum September 1997 Volume 34 Number 9) Online copy at Chiariglione's home page
- An interview with Leonardo Chiariglione (IEEE Spectrum January 2000 Volume 37 Number 1)