Joseph Flaherty, 87, former CBS senior vice president-technology and widely heralded as the “father of HDTV,” died Tuesday in Greenport, New York. Flaherty organized the first HDTV demonstrations for the Hollywood production community at the February 1981 SMPTE technical conference,…
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and his efforts led to his appointment as planning committee chairman of the FCC’s Advisory Committee on Advanced Television Service. Flaherty’s work made the U.S. “the first country in the world to convert to a digital HDTV system,” blogged Robert Seidel, CBS vice president-engineering and advanced technology, Wednesday. “Television viewers around the globe are still benefiting from the technology innovations of Joe Flaherty,” said Seidel. Broadcasters “have lost a friend and broadcast innovators have lost a true legend” with Flaherty’s passing, said NAB President Gordon Smith. “As broadcasters prepare to bring American consumers the wonders of Next Generation Television, we honor the life, legacy and extraordinary accomplishments of Joe Flaherty.” People around the world today “enjoy a richer TV viewing experience than ever, in no small part because of Joe's focus on excellence,” said CTA President Gary Shapiro of Flaherty, a 2009 Consumer Technology Hall of Fame inductee. Flaherty's survivors include his wife and five children. A funeral Mass is planned for 10 a.m. Tuesday at St. Agnes Church in Greenport, New York, said Seidel.