SMPTE appoints new director of standards development

April 3, 2018

1 minute read

Thomas Bause Mason will be replacing outgoing Howard Lukk as SMPTE’s new director of standards development

The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) has named Thomas Bause Mason as the society’s new director of standards development. Howard Lukk, who will be returning to his career in post production, will conclude his tenure as SMPTE director of engineering and standards this May, after assisting Bause Mason in transitioning to his new role.

Barbara Lange, executive director of SMPTE, commented: “We’re pleased to be welcoming Thomas to the SMPTE team as a staff member. Not only has he been deeply involved in the standards development process, including chairing several technical committees and study groups, but his IT background also lends itself well to our ongoing need to be more software-focused.”

Prior to joining SMPTE, Bause Mason was former owner and managing director of Open Media Consulting. He previously worked at West German Television (WDR) and Cologne Broadcasting Centre, where he led the quality control department. He joined NBCUniversal in 2005, where he focused on emerging digital media technology, and held the role as the company’s lead on the Video Services Forum (VSF) TR-03/TR-04 and SMPTE ST 2110 standardisation efforts.

In his work to develop and promote standards for media and entertainment technology, Bause Mason has chaired the North American Broadcasters Association (NABA) Media over IP (MoIP) subcommittee; organised the MoIP Workshop — presented by the Alliance for IP Media Solutions (AIMS), NABA, SMPTE and VSF — that promoted the use of SMPTE ST 2110; and chaired the SMPTE Studio Group on Flow Management in Professional Media Networks.

Bause Mason concluded: “SMPTE has made great strides in enabling the industry to move forward into the future of media creation and consumption, and I look forward to working on SMPTE staff to keep up the pace of standards development.

“The incredible evolution across our industry makes this an exciting and challenging time for media technologists, creatives and other professionals, and I see an enormous opportunity for SMPTE in shaping new standards, and in assisting the industry to leverage the possibilities of emerging technologies.”