In September 2000 a 5-year research project to develop a high-definition compressed digital studio was completed. The project was a joint venture le d by Sarnoff Corporation with IBM, Thomcast, NJN, Thomson, MCI, Sun Microsystems, and Philips, and co-funded by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). This paper provides an overview of the goals and accomplishments of the High-Definit ion Television (HDTV) Broadcast Technology joint venture. Beginning in the late 1980s, the U.S. has concentrated on adopting a digital television standard for terrestrial broadcasting based on MPEG-2 compression. The focus of this effort was efficient delivery of high-definition television (HDTV) to the home. Sarnoff Corporation recognized that considerable effort would also be needed to achieve a cost-effective flexible HDTV studio and that such a studio should be based on compression technology to help manage the very high data rates required for HDTV (1.5 Gbits/sec uncompressed). In response to a National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Advanced Technology Program (ATP) to encourage companies to develop advanced digital video technologies, Sarnoff led the joint venture to an award from NIST for a multiyear ATP to develop the studio technologies described in this paper.