Peter Vogel | |
---|---|
Born |
Sydney, Australia |
August 30, 1954
Known for | computer designer |
Peter Vogel (born 30 August 1954, Sydney) is an Australian inventor and technologist.
In his youth Vogel was interested in science, particularly electronics. In the late 1960s he won a number of awards, 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.
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. 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.
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.
After rebirthing Fairlight Instruments in August 2009 and releasing the CMI-30A, the 30th anniversary model of the Fairlight CMI, and Fairlight iOS apps for the Apple iPhone and iPad, Vogel renamed Fairlight Peter Vogel Instruments in July 2012. When announcing the name change, the company foreshadowed a new range of synthesisers was being developed.