Leading AV/IT engineer recognized for his numerous contributions to the advancement of file-based video storage, playback and interchange for use in television production

Avid® today announced that Al Kovalick, enterprise product strategist at Avid, is a recipient of the SMPTE 2009 David Sarnoff Medal –honoring his contributions to the advancement of file-based video storage, playback and interchange for use in television production. The award will be presented during a special ceremony at the SMPTE Technical Conference on Thursday, October 29 in Hollywood, Calif.



The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE), is the leading technical society for the motion imaging industry. Each year, the organization recognizes an individual who has made outstanding contributions in the development of new techniques or equipment which have contributed to the improvement of the engineering phases of television, including theater television.

Kovalick has worked in the field of hybrid audio/video (AV) and information technology (IT) systems for the past 16 years. He is an SMPTE Fellow, an active and visible member of the SMPTE standards committees and a founding member of Pro MPEG Forum and the Advanced Media Workflow Association (AMWA). He has 18 U.S. and international patents, is the author of the first book in the field on converged AV and IT systems, Video Systems in an IT Environment, Second Edition: The Basics of Professional Networked Media and File-based Workflows, and has authored more than 50 published papers.

Kovalick has a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from San Jose State University and a Master of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from UC Berkeley.