Vatican Radio ( Italian : Radio Vaticana ; Latin : Statio Radiophonica Vaticana ) is the official broadcasting service of Vatican City .
123-732: Established in 1931 by Guglielmo Marconi , today its programs are offered in 47 languages, and are sent out on short wave , DRM , medium wave , FM , satellite and the Internet . Since its inception, Vatican Radio has been maintained by the Jesuit Order . Vatican Radio preserved its independence during the rise of Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany . Today, programming is produced by over 200 journalists located in 61 countries. Vatican Radio produces more than 42,000 hours of simultaneous broadcasting covering international news, religious celebrations, in-depth programs, and music. The current general director
246-458: A line of sight path, limiting its range to the visual horizon like existing forms of visual signalling. Hertz's death in 1894 brought published reviews of his earlier discoveries including a demonstration on the transmission and detection of radio waves by the British physicist Oliver Lodge and an article about Hertz's work by Augusto Righi . Righi's article renewed Marconi's interest in developing
369-706: A 500 kW transmitter for the Far East and Latin America. Radio Vaticana was one of 23 founding broadcasting organisations of the European Broadcasting Union in 1950. In the 21st century, Vatican Radio has experimented with digital transmission technologies (DRM, T-DAB, T-DMB) and has used electronic newsletters, podcasts, and other new technologies to distribute its programming. Vatican Radio and CTV began their own YouTube channel in 2010, operating in four languages, and operates six Twitter accounts. In May 2009 it
492-487: A child and did not go on to formal higher education. Instead, he learned chemistry, mathematics, and physics at home from a series of private tutors hired by his parents. His family hired additional tutors for Marconi in the winter when they would leave Bologna for the warmer climate of Tuscany or Florence . Marconi noted an important mentor was professor Vincenzo Rosa, a high school physics teacher in Livorno . Rosa taught
615-552: A consortium of private equity investors consisting of Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. (KKR), Silver Lake Partners and AlpInvest Partners . On 21 August 2006, Bain Capital and Apax Partners announced that they had signed definitive commitments to join the acquiring consortium, a process which was completed on 1 October 2006. In 2006, Philips bought out the company Lifeline Systems headquartered in Framingham, Massachusetts , in
738-512: A deal valued at $ 750 million, its biggest move yet to expand its consumer-health business (M). In August 2007, Philips acquired the company Ximis, Inc. headquartered in El Paso, Texas , for their Medical Informatics Division. In October 2007, it purchased a Moore Microprocessor Patent (MPP) Portfolio license from The TPL Group. On 21 December 2007, Philips and Respironics, Inc. announced a definitive agreement pursuant to which Philips acquired all of
861-410: A dispute between the station and some local residents who claim the non-ionising radiation from the site has affected their health. Guglielmo Marconi Guglielmo Giovanni Maria Marconi, 1st Marquis of Marconi ( Italian: [ɡuʎˈʎɛlmo marˈkoːni] ; 25 April 1874 – 20 July 1937) was an Italian electrical engineer , inventor, physicist and politician known for his creation of
984-491: A distance of about 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) across Salisbury Plain . On 13 May 1897, Marconi sent the first ever wireless communication over the open sea – a message was transmitted over the Bristol Channel from Flat Holm Island to Lavernock Point near Cardiff , a distance of 6 kilometres (3.7 mi). The message read "Are you ready". The transmitting equipment was almost immediately relocated to Brean Down Fort on
1107-407: A generator set as originally planned. The result, rated at 180/200 W electrical output from a bore and stroke of 55 mm × 27 mm , was designated MP1002CA (known as the "Bungalow set"). Production of an initial batch of 250 began in 1951, but it became clear that they could not be made at a competitive price, besides the advent of transistor radios with their much lower power requirements meant that
1230-442: A key product recall cut the company's market value by more than half over the previous year. He was to be replaced by Philips's EVP and Chief Business Leader of Connected Care, Roy Jakobs, effective 15 October 2022. In 2023, the company announced that it would be cutting 6,000 jobs from the company worldwide over the next two years after reporting 1.6 billion euros in losses during the 2022 financial year. The cuts came in addition to
1353-553: A large shortwave and medium-wave transmission facility for Radio Vatican. The Santa Maria di Galeria Transmitter was established in 1957 and it is an extraterritorial area in Italy belonging to the Holy See. Vatican Radio's interval signal , Christus Vincit , is a well-known sound on shortwave radio. One aerial for the medium wave frequency 1530 kHz which consists of four 94-metre-high (308 ft) grounded freestanding towers arranged in
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#17328516222241476-580: A manufacturer of devices to treat heart disease, for €1.9 billion (£1.68 billion) expanding its image-guided therapy business. In May 2016, Philips' lighting division Philips Lighting went through a spin-off process, and became an independent public company named Philips Lighting N.V. In 2017, Philips launched Philips Ventures, with a health technology venture fund as its main focus. Philips Ventures invested in companies including Mytonomy (2017) and DEARhealth (2019). On 18 July 2017, Philips announced its acquisition of TomTec Imaging Systems GmbH. In 2018,
1599-585: A member of the Fascist Grand Council . Marconi was an apologist for fascist ideology and actions such as the Italian invasion of Ethiopia in the Second Italo-Abyssinian War . In his lecture he stated: "I reclaim the honour of being the first fascist in the field of radiotelegraphy, the first who acknowledged the utility of joining the electric rays in a bundle, as Mussolini was the first in
1722-559: A multidisciplinary sports club called PSV Eindhoven in 1913. The Philips Company was founded in 1891, by Dutch entrepreneur Gerard Philips and his father Frederik Philips. Frederik, a banker based in Zaltbommel , financed the purchase and setup of an empty factory building in Eindhoven, where the company started the production of carbon-filament lamps and other electro-technical products in 1892. This first factory has since been adapted and
1845-619: A patent on 2 June 1896. British Patent number 12039 titled "Improvements in Transmitting Electrical impulses and Signals, and in Apparatus therefor", which became the first patent for a communication system based on radio waves. Marconi made the first demonstration of his system for the British government in July 1896. A further series of demonstrations for the British followed, and, by March 1897, Marconi had transmitted Morse code signals over
1968-493: A patent was obtained. He also encouraged Marconi to come to Britain, where he believed it would be easier to find the necessary funds to convert his experiments into practical use. Finding little interest or appreciation for his work in Italy, Marconi travelled to London in early 1896 at the age of 21, accompanied by his mother, to seek support for his work. (He spoke fluent English in addition to Italian.) Marconi arrived at Dover , and
2091-546: A plan to split the company into two, separating the lighting business from the healthcare and consumer lifestyle divisions. It moved to complete this in March 2015 to an investment group for $ 3.3 billion. In February 2015, Philips acquired Volcano Corporation to strengthen its position in non-invasive surgery and imaging. In June 2016, Philips spun off its lighting division to focus on the healthcare division. In June 2017, Philips announced it would acquire US-based Spectranetics Corp,
2214-468: A practical radio wave -based wireless telegraph system. This led to Marconi being credited as the inventor of radio , and winning the 1909 Nobel Prize in Physics with Karl Ferdinand Braun "in recognition of their contributions to the development of wireless telegraphy". His work laid the foundation for the development of radio, television , and all modern wireless communication systems. Marconi
2337-435: A radio transmitter and receiver to his mother, a set-up that made a bell ring on the other side of the room by pushing a telegraphic button on a bench. Supported by his father, Marconi continued to read through the literature and picked up on the ideas of physicists who were experimenting with radio waves. He developed devices, such as portable transmitters and receiver systems, that could work over long distances, turning what
2460-510: A reporter from The New York Times to talk with Bride, the surviving operator. After this incident, Marconi gained popularity and became more recognised for his contributions to the field of radio and wireless technology. On 18 June 1912, Marconi gave evidence to the Court of Inquiry into the loss of Titanic regarding the marine telegraphy's functions and the procedures for emergencies at sea. Britain's Postmaster-General summed up, referring to
2583-473: A reputation for being technically conservative, in particular by continuing to use inefficient spark-transmitter technology, which could be used only for radio-telegraph operations, long after it was apparent that the future of radio communication lay with continuous-wave transmissions which were more efficient and could be used for audio transmissions. Somewhat belatedly, the company did begin significant work with continuous-wave equipment beginning in 1915, after
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#17328516222242706-789: A series of tests at La Spezia , in his home country, for the Italian government. A test for Lloyd's between The Marine Hotel in Ballycastle and Rathlin Island , both in County Antrim in Ulster , Ireland , was conducted on 6 July 1898 by George Kemp and Edward Edwin Glanville . A transmission across the English Channel was accomplished on 27 March 1899, from Wimereux , France to South Foreland Lighthouse , England. Marconi set up an experimental base at
2829-611: A signal on behalf of the merchant vessel Elbe which had run aground on Goodwin Sands . The message was received by the radio operator of the South Foreland lighthouse, who summoned the aid of the Ramsgate lifeboat. In the autumn of 1899, his first demonstration in the United States took place. Marconi had sailed to the U.S. at the invitation of The New York Herald newspaper to cover
2952-519: A son, Giulio, 2nd Marchese Marconi (1910–1971). In 1913, the Marconi family returned to Italy and became part of Rome society. Beatrice served as a lady-in-waiting to Queen Elena . At Marconi's request, his marriage to Beatrice was annulled on 27 April 1927, so he could remarry. Marconi and Beatrice had divorced on 12 February 1924 in the free city of Fiume ( Rijeka ). Marconi went on to marry Maria Cristina Bezzi-Scali (2 April 1900 – 15 July 1994),
3075-468: A square, which carry wires for a medium wave aerial on horizontal crossbars. The direction of this aerial can be changed. From May 2014 to December 2016 the antennas of Santa Maria di Galeria were progressively decommissioned, which radiated the medium wave signal on 1530 kHz with programs destined for Italy, Europe and the Mediterranean area. The Santa Maria di Galeria transmitter site is the subject of
3198-579: A transmission from the Marconi station in Glace Bay , Nova Scotia, Canada, became the world's first radio message to cross the Atlantic from North America. In 1901, Marconi built a station near South Wellfleet, Massachusetts , that sent a message of greetings on 18 January 1903 from United States President Theodore Roosevelt to King Edward VII of the United Kingdom. However, consistent transatlantic signalling
3321-721: A wealth of information, which they later licensed to other companies. The first Philips shaver was introduced in 1939, and was simply called Philishave . In the US, it was called Norelco . The Philishave has remained part of the Philips product line-up until the present. On 9 May 1940, the Philips directors learned that the German invasion of the Netherlands was to take place the following day. Being prepared, Anton Philips and his son-in-law Frans Otten , as well as other Philips family members, fled to
3444-568: A wireless telegraphy system based on radio waves, a line of inquiry that Marconi noted other inventors did not seem to be pursuing. At the age of 20, Marconi began to conduct experiments in radio waves, building much of his own equipment in the attic of his home at the Villa Griffone in Pontecchio (now an administrative subdivision of Sasso Marconi ), Italy, with the help of his butler, Mignani. Marconi built on Hertz's original experiments and, at
3567-554: Is Father Federico Lombardi , S.J. On 27 June 2015, Pope Francis , in a motu proprio apostolic letter , established the Secretariat for Communications in the Roman Curia , which absorbed Vatican Radio effective 1 January 2017, ending the organization's 85 years of independent operation. Vatican Radio began broadcasting with the callsign HVJ on two shortwave frequencies using 10 kilowatts (kW) of power on 12 February 1931, with
3690-550: Is a Dutch multinational conglomerate corporation that was founded in Eindhoven in 1891. Since 1997, its world headquarters have been situated in Amsterdam , though the Benelux headquarters is still in Eindhoven. The company gained its royal honorary title in 1998. Philips was founded by Gerard Philips and his father Frederik, with their first products being light bulbs . Through
3813-659: Is available in English and Italian on the satellite through Eutelsat Hot Bird 13°est (11334 MHz, pol.H, Sr 27500,3/4) as well as on terrestrial TV in the Rome metropolitan area , and Vatican Media Europe multilanguage on Hot Bird 13B (12475 MHz, pol.H, Sr 29900, 3/4). Vatican Radio Europe is available via satellite through Eutelsat Hot Bird 13°est (12476 MHz, pol.H, Sr 29900, 3/4) and Radio Vaticana 5, in Italian Eutelsat 9B (12466 MHz, pol.V, Sr 41950, 3/4). The signals are transmitted from
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3936-452: Is used as a museum. In 1895, after a difficult first few years and near-bankruptcy, the Philips's brought in Anton , Gerard's younger brother by sixteen years. Though he had earned a degree in engineering, Anton started work as a sales representative; soon, however, he began to contribute many important business ideas. With Anton's arrival, the family business began to expand rapidly, resulting in
4059-672: The Elettra , was commandeered and refitted as a warship by the German Navy. She was sunk by the RAF on 22 January 1944. After the war, the Italian Government tried to retrieve the wreckage, to rebuild the boat, and the wreckage was removed to Italy. Eventually, the idea was abandoned, and the wreckage was cut into pieces which were distributed amongst Italian museums. In 1943, the Supreme Court of
4182-523: The Marchese Marconi suffered nine heart attacks in the span of three years preceding his death. Marconi died in Rome on 20 July 1937 at age 63, following the ninth, fatal, heart attack , and Italy held a state funeral for him. As a tribute, shops on the street where he lived were "Closed for national mourning". In addition, at 6 pm the next day, the time designated for the funeral, transmitters around
4305-690: The America's Cup international yacht races off Sandy Hook , New Jersey . The transmission was done aboard the SS Ponce , a passenger ship of the Porto Rico Line . Marconi left for England on 8 November 1899 on the American Line 's SS Saint Paul , and he and his assistants installed wireless equipment aboard during the voyage. Before this voyage the Second Boer War had begun, and Marconi's wireless
4428-575: The BBC , and he spoke of the close association of aviation and wireless telephony in that same year at a private gathering with Florence Tyzack Parbury , and even spoke of interplanetary wireless communication. In 1924, the Marconi Company co-established the Unione Radiofonica Italiana (now RAI ). Have I done the world good, or have I added a menace? In 1914, Marconi was made a Senator in
4551-646: The Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia ), and later PHI broadcast in English and other languages to the Eastern hemisphere, while PCJJ broadcast in English, Spanish and German to the rest of the world. The international program Sundays commenced in 1928, with host Eddie Startz hosting the Happy Station show, which became the world's longest-running shortwave program. Broadcasts from the Netherlands were interrupted by
4674-564: The Elettra ' s crew was Adelmo Landini , his personal radio operator, who was also an inventor. In December 1898, the British lightship service authorised the establishment of wireless communication between the South Foreland lighthouse at Dover and the East Goodwin lightship , twelve miles distant. On 17 March 1899, the East Goodwin lightship sent the first wireless distress signal ,
4797-584: The Haven Hotel , Sandbanks , Poole Harbour , Dorset , where he erected a 100-foot high mast. He became friends with the van Raaltes, the owners of Brownsea Island in Poole Harbour, and his steam yacht, the Elettra , was often moored on Brownsea or at The Haven Hotel. Marconi purchased the vessel after the Great War and converted it to a seaborne laboratory from where he conducted many of his experiments. Among
4920-580: The International Court of Arbitration ruled in favour of Philips, awarding compensation of € 135 million in the process. In April 2013, Philips announced a collaboration with Paradox Engineering for the realization and implementation of a "pilot project" on network-connected street-lighting management solutions. This project was endorsed by the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC). In 2013, Philips removed
5043-645: The Respironics brand), and Personal Health (manufacturing electric shavers , Sonicare electric toothbrushes and Avent childcare products). Philips has a primary listing on the Euronext Amsterdam stock exchange and is a component of the Euro Stoxx 50 stock market index . It has a secondary listing on the New York Stock Exchange . Acquisitions included Signetics and Magnavox . It also founded
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5166-850: The Senate of the Kingdom of Italy and appointed Honorary Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order in the UK. During World War I , Italy joined the Allied side of the conflict, and Marconi was placed in charge of the Italian military's radio service. He attained the rank of lieutenant in the Italian Royal Army and of commander in the Regia Marina . In 1929, he was made a marquess by King Victor Emmanuel III . While helping to develop microwave technology,
5289-679: The Somerset coast, stretching the range to 16 kilometres (9.9 mi). Impressed by these and other demonstrations, Preece introduced Marconi's ongoing work to the general public at two important London lectures: "Telegraphy without Wires", at the Toynbee Hall on 11 December 1896; and "Signalling through Space without Wires", given to the Royal Institution on 4 June 1897. Numerous additional demonstrations followed, and Marconi began to receive international attention. In July 1897, he carried out
5412-460: The Titanic disaster: "Those who have been saved, have been saved through one man, Mr. Marconi ... and his marvellous invention." Marconi was offered free passage on Titanic before she sank, but had taken Lusitania three days earlier. As his daughter Degna later explained, he had paperwork to do and preferred the public stenographer aboard that vessel. Over the years, the Marconi companies gained
5535-768: The White Star Line but by the Marconi International Marine Communication Company . After the sinking of the ocean liner, survivors were rescued by the RMS Carpathia of the Cunard Line . Carpathia took a total of 17 minutes to both receive and decode the SOS signal sent by Titanic . There was a distance of 58 miles between the two ships. When Carpathia docked in New York, Marconi went aboard with
5658-453: The compact cassette audio tape format in 1963, and it was wildly successful. Cassettes were initially used for dictation machines for office typing stenographers and professional journalists. As their sound quality improved, cassettes would also be used to record sound and became the second mass media alongside vinyl records used to sell recorded music. Philips introduced the first combination portable radio and cassette recorder, which
5781-523: The mini-cassette , although it was not as successful as the Olympus microcassette . The mini-cassette became the predominant dictation medium up to the advent of fully digital dictation machines. Philips continued with computers through the early 1990s (see separate article: Philips Computers ). In 1972, Philips launched the world's first home videocassette recorder , in the UK, the N1500. Its relatively bulky video cassettes could record 30 minutes or 45 minutes. Later one-hour tapes were also offered. As
5904-407: The 17-year-old Marconi the basics of physical phenomena as well as new theories on electricity. At the age of 18 and back in Bologna, Marconi became acquainted with University of Bologna physicist Augusto Righi , who had done research on Heinrich Hertz 's work. Righi permitted Marconi to attend lectures at the university and also to use the university's laboratory and library. From youth, Marconi
6027-432: The 1930s, the station made experimental television broadcasts. Apart from a brief experimental revival in the 1950s (callsign HVJ, started 1953. Channel 8 on the French standard for VHF, had plans to switch to the standard used in the rest of Europe), it was not until the 1990s that a regular 'satellite' television service began. The programs of TV2000 include programming from Vatican Television Center . Vatican Channel HD
6150-466: The 1990s and 2000s led to a period of downsizing, including the divestment of its lighting and consumer electronics divisions , and Philips' eventual reorganization into a healthcare-focused company. As of 2024, Philips is organized into three main divisions: Diagnosis and Treatment (manufacturing healthcare products such as MRI , CT and ultrasound scanners), Connected Care (manufacturing patient monitors , as well as respiratory care products under
6273-425: The 2010s. On 5 December 2012, the antitrust regulators of the European Union fined Philips and several other major companies for fixing prices of TV cathode-ray tubes in two cartels lasting nearly a decade. On 29 January 2013, it was announced that Philips had agreed to sell its audio and video operations to the Japan-based Funai Electric for €150 million, with the audio business planned to transfer to Funai in
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#17328516222246396-462: The 20th century, it grew into one of the world's largest electronics conglomerates , with global market dominance in products ranging from kitchen appliances and electric shavers to light bulbs , televisions , cassettes , and compact discs (both of which were invented by Philips). At one point, it played a dominant role in the entertainment industry (through PolyGram ). However, intense competition from primarily East Asian competitors throughout
6519-457: The Curia's Secretariat for Communications on 1 January 2017 Vatican Radio director Msgr. Dario Viganò has indicated that he plans to pare down short-wave radio operations and institute cost control measures in the service's other broadcast operations. On 24 March 2017, Vatican Radio made its final English-language shortwave transmission to Asia after 59 years of service. Vatican Radio's English Service for Asia has then continued online. During
6642-424: The Customs officer opened his case to find various apparatuses. The customs officer immediately contacted the Admiralty in London. With worries in the UK about Italian anarchists and suspicion Marconi was importing a bomb, his equipment was destroyed. While in the UK, Marconi gained the interest and support of William Preece , the Chief Electrical Engineer of the General Post Office (the GPO). Marconi applied for
6765-429: The Dutch International Service. Some PCJ programs, such as Happy Station , continued on the new station. Philips was instrumental in the revival of the Stirling engine when, in the early 1930s, the management decided that offering a low-power portable generator would assist in expanding sales of its radios into parts of the world where mains electricity was unavailable and the supply of batteries uncertain. Engineers at
6888-418: The Dutch Philips Group bought out nearly a one-third share and took over the management of the German company Grundig . Also in 1984, Philips split off its activities on the field of photolithographic integrated circuit production equipment, the so-called wafer steppers, into a joint venture with ASM International , located in Veldhoven under the name ASML . Over the years, this new company has evolved into
7011-462: The German invasion in May 1940. The Germans commandeered the transmitters in Huizen to use for pro- Nazi broadcasts , some originating from Germany, others concerts from Dutch broadcasters under German control. In the early 1930s, Philips introduced the "Chapel", a radio with a built-in loudspeaker. Philips Radio was absorbed shortly after liberation when its two shortwave stations were nationalized in 1947 and renamed Radio Netherlands Worldwide ,
7134-407: The Italian Ministry of Post and Telegraphs, then under the direction of Maggiorino Ferraris, explaining his wireless telegraph machine and asking for funding, but never received a response. An apocryphal tale claims that the minister (incorrectly named first as Emilio Sineo, later as Pietro Lacava ) wrote "to the Longara" on the document, referring to the insane asylum on Via della Lungara in Rome, but
7257-430: The Japanese makers, whose tapes were significantly cheaper. Philips made one last attempt at a new standard for video recorders with the Video 2000 system, with tapes that could be used on both sides and had 8 hours of total recording time. As Philips only sold its systems on the PAL standard and in Europe, and the Japanese makers sold globally, the scale advantages of the Japanese proved insurmountable and Philips withdrew
7380-502: The Needles Station at the Isle of Wight, was published on board the SS Saint Paul before its arrival. At the turn of the 20th century, Marconi began investigating a means to signal across the Atlantic to compete with the transatlantic telegraph cables . Marconi established a wireless transmitting station at Marconi House, Rosslare Strand , County Wexford , in 1901 to act as a link between Poldhu in Cornwall , England, and Clifden in Connemara , County Galway , Ireland. He soon made
7503-413: The Philips Radio factory in Eindhoven with few casualties among the Dutch workers and civilians. The Philips works in Eindhoven was bombed again by the RAF on 30 March 1943. Frits Philips , the son of Anton, was the only Philips family member to stay in the Netherlands. He saved the lives of 382 Jews by convincing the Nazis that they were indispensable for the production process at Philips. In 1943, he
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#17328516222247626-495: The Stirling engine for many years and asserted that modern materials and know-how should enable great improvements. Encouraged by their first experimental engine, which produced 16 W of shaft power from a bore and stroke of 30 mm × 25 mm , various development models were produced in a program which continued throughout World War II . By the late 1940s, the "Type 10" was ready to be handed over to Philips' subsidiary Johan de Witt in Dordrecht to be produced and incorporated into
7749-489: The United States handed down a decision on Marconi's radio patents restoring some of the prior patents of Oliver Lodge , John Stone Stone , and Nikola Tesla . The decision was not about Marconi's original radio patents and the court declared that their decision had no bearing on Marconi's claim as the first to achieve radio transmission, just that since Marconi's claim to certain patents was questionable, he could not claim infringement on those same patents. There are claims
7872-406: The United States taking a large amount of the company capital with them. Operating from the US as the North American Philips Company , they managed to run the company throughout the war. At the same time, the company was moved (on paper) to the Netherlands Antilles to keep it out of German hands. On 6 December 1942, the British No. 2 Group RAF undertook Operation Oyster , which heavily damaged
7995-508: The V2000 system and joined the VHS Coalition. Philips had developed a LaserDisc early on for selling movies, but delayed its commercial launch for fear of cannibalizing its video recorder sales. Later Philips joined with MCA to launch the first commercial LaserDisc standard and players. In 1982, Philips teamed with Sony to launch the compact disc ; this format evolved into the CD-R , CD-RW , DVD and later Blu-ray , which Philips launched with Sony in 1997 and 2006 respectively. In 1984,
8118-429: The announcement that the message was received at Signal Hill in St. John's , Newfoundland (now part of Canada ), on 12 December 1901, using a 500-foot (150 m) kite-supported antenna for reception – signals transmitted by the company's new high-power station at Poldhu , Cornwall. The distance between the two points was about 2,200 miles (3,500 km). It was heralded as a great scientific advance, yet there also
8241-446: The company started to manufacture other products, such as vacuum tubes . For this purpose the Van Arkel–de Boer process was invented. In 1924, Philips joined with German lamp trust Osram to form the Phoebus cartel . On 11 March 1927, Philips went on the air, inaugurating the shortwave radio station PCJJ (later PCJ) which was joined in 1929 by a sister station (Philips Omroep Holland-Indië, later PHI). PHOHI broadcast in Dutch to
8364-407: The company struggled for many years to provide reliable communication to others. The role played by Marconi Co. wireless in maritime rescues raised public awareness of the value of radio and brought fame to Marconi, particularly the sinking of RMS Titanic on 15 April 1912 and RMS Lusitania on 7 May 1915. RMS Titanic radio operators Jack Phillips and Harold Bride were not employed by
8487-417: The company was housed in the Rembrandt Tower . In 2002, it moved to the Breitner Tower. Philips Lighting, Philips Research , Philips Semiconductors (spun off as NXP in September 2006), and Philips Design, are still based in Eindhoven. Philips Healthcare is headquartered in both Best, Netherlands (near Eindhoven) and Andover, Massachusetts , (north of Boston ). In 2000, Philips bought Optiva Corporation,
8610-507: The company's research lab carried out a systematic comparison of various power sources and determined that the almost forgotten Stirling engine would be most suitable, citing its quiet operation (both audibly and in terms of radio interference) and ability to run on a variety of heat sources (common lamp oil – "cheap and available everywhere" – was favored). They were also aware that, unlike steam and internal combustion engines, virtually no serious development work had been carried out on
8733-401: The competition came from Sony 's Betamax and the VHS group of manufacturers, Philips introduced the N1700 system which allowed double-length recording. For the first time, a 2-hour movie could fit onto one video cassette. In 1977, the company unveiled a special promotional film for this system in the UK, featuring comedy writer and presenter Denis Norden . The concept was quickly copied by
8856-669: The daytime is not possible because of the heavy absorption of the skywave in the ionosphere. It was not a blind test; Marconi knew in advance to listen for a repetitive signal of three clicks, signifying the Morse code letter S . The clicks were reported to have been heard faintly and sporadically. There was no independent confirmation of the reported reception, and the transmissions were difficult to distinguish from atmospheric noise. A detailed technical review of Marconi's early transatlantic work appears in John S. Belrose's work of 1995. The Poldhu transmitter
8979-475: The first large (42-inch) commercially available flat-panel TV, using Fujitsu plasma displays. In 1998, looking to spur innovation, Philips created an Emerging Businesses group for its Semiconductors unit, based in Silicon Valley . The group was designed to be an incubator where promising technologies and products could be developed. The move of the headquarters to Amsterdam was completed in 2001. Initially,
9102-426: The first person with Down Syndrome to work at any Vatican office, which he did as an intern at Vatican Radio. As of 2016, Vatican Radio had a staff of 355 people who produce more than 66 hours of daily programming in 45 languages on air, and 38 languages on the website. Programs are broadcast via short wave, FM and satellite. Vatican Radio has been losing between €20 and €30 million annually. With its absorption into
9225-686: The first to show that radio signals for medium wave and longwave transmissions travel much farther at night than during the day. During the daytime, signals had been received up to only about 700 miles (1,100 km), less than half of the distance claimed earlier at Newfoundland, where the transmissions had also taken place during the day. Because of this, Marconi had not fully confirmed the Newfoundland claims, although he did prove that radio signals could be sent for hundreds of kilometres (miles), despite some scientists' belief that they were limited essentially to line-of-sight distances. On 17 December 1902,
9348-406: The founding of Philips Metaalgloeilampfabriek N.V. (Philips Metal Filament Lamp Factory Ltd.) in Eindhoven in 1908, followed in 1912, by the foundation of Philips Gloeilampenfabrieken N.V. (Philips Lightbulb Factories Ltd.). After Gerard and Anton Philips changed their family business by founding the Philips corporation , they laid the foundations for the later multinational company. In the 1920s,
9471-506: The frequency of the waves compared to the dipole antennas used by Hertz, and radiated vertically polarized radio waves which could travel longer distances. By this point, he concluded that a device could become capable of spanning greater distances, with additional funding and research, and would prove valuable both commercially and militarily. Marconi's experimental apparatus proved to be the first engineering-complete, commercially successful radio transmission system. Marconi applied to
9594-690: The high court was trying to nullify a World War I claim against the United States government by the Marconi Company via simply restoring the non-Marconi prior patent. Marconi was a friend of Charles van Raalte and his wife Florence, the owners of Brownsea Island ; and of Margherita, their daughter, and in 1904 he met her Irish friend, The Hon. Beatrice O'Brien (1882–1976), a daughter of The 14th Baron Inchiquin . On 16 March 1905, Beatrice O'Brien and Marconi were married, and spent their honeymoon on Brownsea Island. They had three daughters, Lucia (born and died 1906), Degna (1908–1998), and Gioia (1916–1996), and
9717-515: The independent Philips Lighting N.V. was renamed Signify N.V. However, it continues to produce and market Philips-branded products such as Philips Hue color-changing LED light bulbs. In 2021, Philips Domestic Appliances was purchased by Hillhouse Capital for $ 4.4 billion. The company, now known as Versuni , continues to sell small appliances under the Philips brand under license. In 2022, Philips announced that Frans Van Houten , who had served as CEO for 12 years would be stepping down, after
9840-573: The introduction of the oscillating vacuum tube (valve). The New Street Works factory in Chelmsford was the location for the first entertainment radio broadcasts in the United Kingdom in 1920, employing a vacuum tube transmitter and featuring Dame Nellie Melba . In 1922, regular entertainment broadcasts commenced from the Marconi Research Centre at Great Baddow , forming the prelude to
9963-527: The latter half of 2013, and the video business in 2017. As part of the transaction, Funai was to pay a regular licensing fee to Philips for the use of the Philips brand. The purchase agreement was terminated by Philips in October because of breach of contract and the consumer electronics operations remained under Philips. Philips said it would seek damages for breach of contract in the US$ 200-million sale. In April 2016,
10086-670: The letter was never found. In 1896, Marconi spoke with his family friend Carlo Gardini, Honorary Consul at the United States Consulate in Bologna, about leaving Italy to go to Great Britain . Gardini wrote a letter of introduction to the Ambassador of Italy in London, Annibale Ferrero, explaining who Marconi was and about his extraordinary discoveries. In his response, Ambassador Ferrero advised them not to reveal Marconi's results until after
10209-447: The maker of Sonicare electric toothbrushes . The company was renamed Philips Oral Healthcare and made a subsidiary of Philips DAP. In 2001, Philips acquired Agilent Technologies ' Healthcare Solutions Group (HSG) for EUR 2 billion. Philips created a computer monitors joint venture with LG called LG.Philips Displays in 2001. In 2001, after growing the unit's Emerging Businesses group to nearly $ 1 billion in revenue, Scott A. McGregor
10332-495: The mammography division of Sectra AB . Because net profit slumped 85 percent in Q3 2011, Philips announced a cut of 4,500 jobs to match part of an €800 million ($ 1.1 billion) cost-cutting scheme to boost profits and meet its financial target. In 2011, the company posted a loss of €1.3 billion, but earned a net profit in Q1 and Q2 2012, however the management wanted €1.1 billion cost-cutting which
10455-449: The maximum transmission distance for radio waves. A breakthrough came in the summer of 1895, when Marconi found that a much greater range could be achieved after he raised the height of his antenna and, borrowing from a technique used in wired telegraphy, grounded his transmitter and receiver. With these improvements, the system was capable of transmitting signals up to 2 miles (3.2 km) and over hills. The monopole antenna reduced
10578-606: The microphone: "With the help of God, who places so many mysterious forces of nature at man's disposal, I have been able to prepare this instrument which will give to the faithful of the entire world the joy of listening to the voice of the Holy Father". Marconi joined the National Fascist Party in 1923. In 1930, Italian dictator Benito Mussolini appointed him President of the Royal Academy of Italy , which made Marconi
10701-556: The only daughter of Francesco, Count Bezzi-Scali. To do this he had to be confirmed in the Catholic faith and became a devout member of the Church. He was baptised Catholic but had been brought up as a member of the Anglican Church . On 12 June 1927, Marconi married Maria Cristina in a civil service, with a religious ceremony performed on 15 June. Marconi was 53 years old and Maria Cristina
10824-601: The open. Places and organisations named after Marconi include: The asteroid 1332 Marconia is named in his honour. A large crater on the far side of the Moon is also named after him. The Marconi Wireless Company of America, the world's first radio company, was incorporated in Roselle Park New Jersey, on West Westfield Avenue, on 22 November 1899. Philips Koninklijke Philips N.V. ( lit. ' Royal Philips ' ), commonly shortened to Philips ,
10947-769: The oppression of the Catholic Church in Poland, Pope Pius XII decided, among other measures, to use Vatican Radio to provide "information regarding the condition of the church in Poland." The German broadcast on 21 January 1940 compared German activities to "what the Communists imposed on Spain in 1936"; the English service noted the attacks on the Church were not limited to the Soviets. During World War II , Vatican Radio's news broadcasts were (like all foreign broadcasts) banned in Germany. During
11070-431: The original rationale for the set was disappearing. Approximately 150 of these sets were eventually produced. In parallel with the generator set, Philips developed experimental Stirling engines for a wide variety of applications and continued to work in the field until the late 1970s, though the only commercial success was the "reversed Stirling engine" cryocooler . However, they filed a large number of patents and amassed
11193-466: The outstanding shares of Respironics for US$ 66 per share, or a total purchase price of approximately €3.6 billion (US$ 5.1 billion) in cash. On 21 February 2008, Philips completed the acquisition of VISICU in Baltimore, Maryland, through the merger of its indirect wholly-owned subsidiary into VISICU. As a result of that merger, VISICU has become an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of Philips. VISICU
11316-512: The papacy, Castel Gandolfo . In 1936, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) recognized Vatican Radio as a "special case" and authorized its broadcasting without any geographical limits. On 25 December 1937 a Telefunken 25 kW transmitter and two directional antennas were added. Vatican Radio broadcast over 10 frequencies. Following a December 1939 report from Cardinal August Hlond of Poznań detailing
11439-459: The political field who acknowledged the necessity of merging all the healthy energies of the country into a bundle, for the greater greatness of Italy". Not one Jew was allowed to join the Royal Academy during Marconi's tenure as president from 1930, three years before Adolf Hitler took power in Germany and eight years before Benito Mussolini 's race laws brought his regime's antisemitism into
11562-512: The pontificial message "Omni creaturae" of Pope Pius XI . Also in attendance was Guglielmo Marconi and Cardinal Eugenio Pacelli, who would become Pope Pius XII . Its first director was physicist Giuseppe Gianfranceschi , who was also the president of the Accademia dei Nuovi Lincei . In 1933, a permanent microwave link was established between the Vatican Palace and the summer residence of
11685-430: The sale of its Assembléon subsidiary which made pick-and-place machines for the electronics industry. Philips made several acquisitions during 2011, announcing on 5 January 2011 that it had acquired Optimum Lighting, a manufacturer of LED based luminaires. In January 2011, Philips agreed to acquire the assets of Preethi, a leading India-based kitchen appliances company. On 27 June 2011, Philips acquired Sectra Mamea AB,
11808-439: The same time, North American Philips was formally dissolved, and a new corporate division was formed in the US with the name Philips Electronics North America Corp. In 1997, the company officers decided to move the headquarters from Eindhoven to Amsterdam along with the corporate name change to Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V., the latter of which was finalized on 16 March 1998. In 1997, Philips introduced at CES and CeBIT
11931-595: The sanctity of life and the unity of humankind. In so doing the Pope pursued a policy of spiritual resistance to Nazi ideology and racism. In 1948, services expanded to 18 languages. Due to space constraints, the Holy See acquired a 400- hectare (1½ sq. mi.) area located 18 kilometres (11 miles) north of Rome at Santa Maria di Galeria (GC: 42°2′39″N 12°19′22″E / 42.04417°N 12.32278°E / 42.04417; 12.32278 ). The Italian Republic granted
12054-656: The second son of Giuseppe Marconi (an Italian aristocratic landowner from Porretta Terme who lived in the countryside of Pontecchio ) and his Irish wife Annie Jameson (daughter of Andrew Jameson of Daphne Castle in County Wexford , and granddaughter of John Jameson, the Scottish founder of whiskey distillers Jameson & Sons ). His father, who was a widower with a son, Luigi, married Jameson on 16 April 1864 in Boulogne-sur-Mer , France. Alfonso, Marconi's older brother,
12177-434: The site extraterritorial status in 1952. In 1957, a new broadcasting center was placed in operation, with a Philips 100 kW shortwave transmitter, two 10 kW shortwave transmitters, and one 120 kW mediumwave transmitter, with 21 directional and one omnidirectional antenna . The next phase involved two 100 kW transmitters aimed at Africa and Oceania , a 250 kW mediumwave transmitter for Europe, and
12300-535: The slogan "Let's make things better" in favor of a new one: "Sense and Simplicity". In December 2005, Philips announced its intention to sell or demerge its semiconductor division. On 1 September 2006, it was announced in Berlin that the name of the new company formed by the division would be NXP Semiconductors . On 2 August 2006, Philips completed an agreement to sell a controlling 80.1% stake in NXP Semiconductors to
12423-550: The suggestion of Righi, began using a coherer , an early detector based on the 1890 findings of French physicist Édouard Branly and used in Lodge's experiments, that changed resistance when exposed to radio waves. In the summer of 1894, he built a storm alarm made up of a battery, a coherer, and an electric bell, which went off when it picked up the radio waves generated by lightning. Late one night, in December 1894, Marconi demonstrated
12546-510: The war, the radio service operated in four languages. While some critics have said Pope Pius XII was too quiet regarding the Holocaust, Jacques Adler examined the transcripts of wartime broadcasts over the Vatican Radio. Adler argues that it exposed Nazi persecution of the Church and opposed collaboration with Nazism. It appealed to Catholics to remain true to their faith's injunctions: to defend
12669-554: The word "Electronics" from its name – becoming Royal Philips N.V. On 13 November 2013, Philips unveiled its new brand line "Innovation and You" and a new design of its shield mark. The new brand positioning is cited by Philips to signify company's evolution and emphasize that innovation is only meaningful if it is based on an understanding of people's needs and desires. On 28 April 2014, Philips agreed to sell their Woox Innovations subsidiary (consumer electronics) to Gibson Brands for $ US135 million. On 23 September 2014, Philips announced
12792-432: The work of James Clerk Maxwell . At the time, this radiation was commonly called "Hertzian" waves, and is now generally referred to as radio waves . There was a great deal of interest in radio waves in the physics community, but this interest was in the scientific phenomenon, not in its potential as a communication method. Physicists generally looked on radio waves as an invisible form of light that could only travel along
12915-473: The world observed two minutes of silence in his honour. The British Post Office also sent a message requesting that all broadcasting ships honour Marconi with two minutes of broadcasting silence. His remains are housed in the Mausoleum of Guglielmo Marconi in the grounds of Villa Griffone at Sasso Marconi , Emilia-Romagna, which assumed that name in his honour in 1938. In 1943, Marconi's elegant sailing yacht,
13038-428: The world's leading manufacturer of chip production machines at the expense of competitors like Nikon and Canon . Philips partnered with Sony again later to develop a new "interactive" disc format called CD-i , described by them as a "new way of interacting with a television set". Philips created the majority of CD-i compatible players. After low sales, Philips repositioned the format as a video game console , but it
13161-413: Was 26. They had one daughter, Maria Elettra Elena Anna (born 1930), who married Prince Carlo Giovannelli (1942–2016) in 1966; they later divorced. For unexplained reasons, Marconi left his entire fortune to his second wife and their only child, and nothing to the children of his first marriage. Marconi wanted to personally introduce in 1931 the first radio broadcast of a Pope, Pius XI , and announced at
13284-588: Was a two-stage circuit. Feeling challenged by sceptics, Marconi prepared a better-organised and documented test. In February 1902, the SS Philadelphia sailed west from Great Britain with Marconi aboard, carefully recording signals sent daily from the Poldhu station. The test results produced coherer-tape reception up to 1,550 miles (2,490 km), and audio reception up to 2,100 miles (3,400 km). The maximum distances were achieved at night, and these tests were
13407-594: Was also an entrepreneur, businessman, and founder of The Wireless Telegraph & Signal Company in the United Kingdom in 1897 (which became the Marconi Company ). In 1929, Marconi was ennobled as a Marchese (marquis) by King Victor Emmanuel III of Italy, and, in 1931, he set up Vatican Radio for Pope Pius XI . Guglielmo Giovanni Maria Marconi was born in Palazzo Marescalchi in Bologna on 25 April 1874,
13530-486: Was an increase from €800 million and may cut another 2,200 jobs until end of 2014. In March 2012, Philips announced its intention to sell, or demerge its television manufacturing operations to TPV Technology . After two decades in decline, Philips went through a major restructuring, shifting its focus from electronics to healthcare. Particularly from 2011 when a new CEO was appointed, Frans van Houten. The new health and medical strategy have helped Philips to thrive again in
13653-576: Was announced that Vatican Radio would begin broadcasting commercial advertisements for the first time in July. The decision was made to meet the radio's rising costs, namely 21.4m euros a year. All advertisements would have to meet "high moral standards". Vatican Radio stopped transmitting short- and medium-wave broadcasts to North America , South America , and Europe on Sunday 1 July 2012. The Vatican Press Office closed Vatican Information Service in August 2012. In 2014 Michael Gannon, from Ireland, became
13776-527: Was born in 1865. Between the ages of two and six, Marconi and Alfonso lived with their mother in the English town of Bedford . Having an Irish mother helped explain Marconi's many activities in Great Britain and Ireland. When he was three years old, on 4 May 1877, Giuseppe Marconi decided to obtain British citizenship. Marconi could have thus also opted for British citizenship anytime, as both his parents had British citizenship. Marconi did not attend school as
13899-491: Was difficult to establish. Marconi began to build high-powered stations on both sides of the Atlantic to communicate with ships at sea, in competition with other inventors. In 1904, he established a commercial service to transmit nightly news summaries to subscribing ships, which could incorporate them into their on-board newspapers. A regular transatlantic radio-telegraph service was finally begun on 17 October 1907 between Clifden , Ireland, and Glace Bay , but even after this
14022-427: Was essentially a laboratory experiment into a useful communication system. Marconi came up with a functional system with many components: In the summer of 1895, Marconi moved his experiments outdoors on his father's estate in Bologna. He tried different arrangements and shapes of antenna but even with improvements he was able to transmit signals only up to one half-mile, a distance Oliver Lodge had predicted in 1894 as
14145-526: Was established as a joint venture between Philips, the Taiwan government and other private investors. In 1990, the newly appointed CEO, Jan Timmer, decided to sell off all businesses that dealt with computers which meant the end of Philips Data Systems as well as other computer activities. In 1991, the businesses were acquired by Digital Equipment Corporation. In 1991, the company's name was changed from N.V. Philips Gloeilampenfabrieken to Philips Electronics N.V. At
14268-586: Was held at the internment camp for political prisoners at Vught for several months because a strike at his factory reduced production. For his actions in saving the hundreds of Jews, he was recognized by Yad Vashem in 1995 as a " Righteous Among the Nations ". After the war, the company was moved back to the Netherlands, with their headquarters in Eindhoven . In 1949, the company began selling television sets . In 1950, it formed Philips Records , which eventually formed part of PolyGram in 1962. Philips introduced
14391-690: Was interested in science and electricity. In the early 1890s, he began working on the idea of " wireless telegraphy " – i.e., the transmission of telegraph messages without connecting wires as used by the electric telegraph . This was not a new idea; numerous investigators and inventors had been exploring wireless telegraph technologies and even building systems using electric conduction , electromagnetic induction and optical (light) signalling for over 50 years, but none had proved technically and commercially successful. A relatively new development came from Heinrich Hertz , who, in 1888, demonstrated that one could produce and detect electromagnetic radiation , based on
14514-399: Was marketed as the "radio recorder", and is now better known as the boombox . Later, the cassette was used in telephone answering machines , including a special form of cassette where the tape was wound on an endless loop. The C-cassette was used as the first mass storage device for early personal computers in the 1970s and 1980s. Philips reduced the cassette size for professional needs with
14637-596: Was named the new president and CEO of Philips Semiconductors. McGregor's appointment completed the company's shift to having dedicated CEOs for all five of the company's product divisions, which would in turn leave the Board of Management to concentrate on issues confronting the Philips Group as a whole. In February 2001 Philips sold its remaining interest in battery manufacturing to its then partner Matsushita (which itself became Panasonic in 2008). In 2004, Philips abandoned
14760-524: Was soon discontinued after being heavily criticized amongst the gaming community. In the 1980s, Philips's profit margin dropped below 1 percent, and in 1990 the company lost more than US$ 2 billion (biggest corporate loss in Dutch history). Troubles for the company continued into the 1990s as its status as a leading electronics company was swiftly lost. In 1985, Philips was the largest founding investor in TSMC which
14883-549: Was the creator of the eICU concept of the use of Telemedicine from a centralized facility to monitor and care for ICU patients. The Philips physics laboratory was scaled down in the early 21st century, as the company ceased trying to be innovative in consumer electronics through fundamental research . In 2010, Philips introduced the Airfryer brand of convection oven at the IFA Berlin consumer electronics fair. Philips announced
15006-533: Was to bring news of the conflict to passengers at the request of "some of the officials of the American line." On 15 November the SS Saint Paul became the first ocean liner to report her imminent return to Great Britain by wireless when Marconi's Royal Needles Hotel radio station contacted her 66 nautical miles off the English coast. The first Transatlantic Times , a newspaper containing wireless transmission news from
15129-471: Was – and continues to be – considerable scepticism about this claim. The exact wavelength used is not known, but it is fairly reliably determined to have been in the neighbourhood of 350 metres (frequency ≈ 850 kHz). The tests took place at a time of day during which the entire transatlantic path was in daylight. It is now known (although Marconi did not know then) that this was the worst possible choice. At this medium wavelength, long-distance transmission in
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