Dr. Charles Poynton specialises in the physics, mathematics, and engineering of digital colour imaging systems, including HD/UHD/HDR and digital cinema (D‑cinema). He is the author of Digital Video and HD Algorithms and Interfaces, available in its second edition, and he is a Fellow of the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) and the Colorist Society (CSI). Over thirty years ago, he chose the number 1080 (as in 1920×1080) for HD and digital cinema standards, thereby establishing “square pixels” for HD and digital cinema.
He was awarded the SMPTE's David Sarnoff Gold Medal in 1993.