Peter Vogel (computer designer)

Peter Vogel (born 30 August 1954, Sydney) is an Australian inventor and technologist.

History

In his youth Vogel was interested in science, particularly electronics. In the late 1960s he won a number of awards,[1] for science research projects.

He has worked in the electronics industry since graduating from high school in 1972. His first major achievement was the development of the world's first commercial sound sampling electronic musical instrument, the Fairlight CMI. Along with his school friend Kim Ryrie, Vogel was co-founder of Fairlight, the company which made the CMI from 1975 to 1999.

In 1982, he designed a medical emergency response device called Vitalcall.[2]

In 1988 Vogel started Right Hemisphere Pty Ltd. This took him from the field of sound and vision processing to the wider realm of computers and communications. He obtained his first patent (for a telephone trunk barring device) at the age of 16, and has been named the inventor on many patents since then.

Around the time of starting Right Hemisphere,Vogel filed a number of patents for inventions in the television field. In particular, these inventions were directed at making television viewing more enjoyable, for example, by providing an on-screen program guide. His inventions included a device for removing commercials from TV recordings, which decades later brought him into conflict with certain television broadcasters.

In 2003, Vogel closed down Right Hemisphere to concentrate on developing IceTV.[3] IceTV provided Australia's first subscription based electronic program guide for television, offering a TiVo-like service including the ability to remotely instruct digital video recorders, to record content using mobile phones and internet browsers.

In 2006 IceTV was sued by the Nine Network who alleged that IceTV's electronic program guide (EPG) breached their copyright. The financial damage caused by the lawsuit resulted in Vogel losing his job as Chief Technical Officer of IceTV. He left IceTV in October 2006 and with three other professionals with expertise in technology, media and commerce, started a new consultancy, Vogel Ross Pty Limited.[4]

The Nine Network vs IceTV case was fought all the way to the High Court of Australia, which in 2009 ruled in IceTV's favour. The decision has been described in legal circles as a significant landmark in Australian copyright law.[5][6]

In 2009, Vogel announced that he will be producing a limited edition remake of the Fairlight CMI to celebrate the thirtieth anniversary of the first CMIs sold. The company was initially called Fairlight Instruments Pty Ltd but, in 2012, the company's name was changed to Peter Vogel Instruments Pty Ltd. First shipments of the CMI-30A were at the end of 2011.

References

  1. ↑ "Peter's Geek File". Anerd.com. Retrieved 1 October 2012.
  2. ↑ "Medical Alert System | Personal Monitoring Services". VitalCall. Retrieved 1 October 2012.
  3. ↑ "Online TV Guide for Australian Free-To-Air TV". IceTV. Retrieved 1 October 2012.
  4. ↑ "Vogel Ross". Vogel Ross. Retrieved 1 October 2012.
  5. ↑ Nine Network v IceTV
  6. ↑ Copyright Law Nine v IceTV

External links

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