Image showing CRT television with blue screen and stereo speakers
Fig. 1: Image showing CRT television with blue screen and stereo speakers
One of the most popular inventions of the 21st century was surrounded by controversy. Television, which has become an indispensable part of our lives, is the result of several discoveries.
The early stages of television's development witnessed several inventors employing combinations of electronic, optical, and mechanical technologies to capture, transfer, and transmit visual images. In the late 1800s, images were transferred via fax for the first time. Soon after the appearance of the telephone, electrical transmission of moving TV images, known as the telephonoscope, began. Science fiction writers were of the opinion that someday light would pass through wires like sound. And many people have worked hard to provide this excellent entertainment tool.
Revolutionary works by Michael Faraday and Joseph Henry in 1831, launch of the pantelegraph by Abbe Caselli, and works by inventors and scientists Sheldon Bidwell, George Carey, Edison, Bell, and Eugen Goldstein all paved the way for Nipkow's invention.
Paul Gottlieb Nipkow of Germany developed the rotating disc technology known as the Nipkow disc. In the year 1884, this young student patented an electromagnetic TV system, employing a scanning disk with several holes spiraling towards the center, for rasterization purposes. The holes in the disk were situated at equivalent angular intervals, so that the disk allowed light to pass through each hole in a rotation about the light-receiving selenium sensor that produced electrical pulses. But the design could only be used for transmitting halftone images.
Eventually, designs emerged that used rotating mirror drum scanner to capture images and CRT as display device. However, moving images were not yet available due to the poor sensitivity of selenium sensors. In 1907, Boris, a Russian scientist, used CRT in his experimental TV receiver. It made use of mirror drum scanner to transmit geometric shapes to the CRT.
After a few decades, in the 1920s, a Scottish inventor named John Baird patented technology that used several transparent rods to transmit images to be viewed and transmitted on TV sets. Backlit figures have been replaced with 30-line resolution. John clarified that his patented technology was based on Nipkow's invention. He broadcast the first television images of moving objects, human faces, and moving entities in real time in the years 1924, 1925, and 1926, respectively. Baird was the first person to invent the Phonovision video recording engine. Using the traditional audio recording mechanism, he modulated the TV camera output signals, down to the audio track, while capturing signals on wax audio discs. Some of his recordings remained alive and were decoded into viewable images in the 1990s with signal processing technologies.
In the year 1926, the Hungarian engineer named Kalman Tihanyi also designed a television that featured a fully electronic display and digitizing elements. This instrument used the principle of charge storage in the scan tube. And the invention was soon followed by mirror drum-based TV by a Russian inventor named Leon Theremin in 1927. Herbert Ives of Bell Labs transferred moving images from a 50-aperture disk.
Philo Farnsworth, the electronic inventor discovered the first electronic television. He created a TV system that offered electronic display digitization and capture services. In the year 1927, he achieved almost double resolution compared to Baird. Philo transmitted the image of the dollar sign made up of about 60 horizontal lines. He showed off his invention to the press in September 1928.
In 1938, Werner Flechsig, a German engineer, unveiled his shadow mask for color TV. He presented the ancestor of today's analog television. And in the year 1939, TV was shown for the first time at the New York World's Fair and the San Francisco International Exposition. David Sarnoff broadcast the first presidential address at the World's Fair.
In the year 1938, the manufacturing of TV sets was started by the DuMont Company and before long these sets became the standard by which all other TVs were measured. DuMont Laboratories began exploring and working with cathode ray mechanisms in the year 1931. In the year 1946, the company's TV network became the first network in the world. This network was created basically to sell television sets.
Under the guidance of Peter Goldmark, CBA scientists produced mechanical color TV based on Baird's designs in 1940. Goldsmark showed his color TV system in 1946 to the Federal Communications Commission. His set worked with the help of rotating blue, green and red wheel on the face of the spoke tube. In the year 1948, approximately one million television sets were sold in the United States.
The mountains of Pennsylvania gave rise to cable TV known as CATV in the year 1940. The first color TV was broadcast commercially by the FCC in 1953. The first TV control known as Lazy Bones was introduced in 1950 by the Zenith Corporation and entered in American homes in 1956. .
Television has now become one of the most important sources of entertainment for many of us. It works as a rejuvenator, companion and cheerleader every day. Starting from black and white, television has completely transformed. 3D TV is the latest edition in the world of entertainment. It takes the viewer to a new world where the landscapes look realistic. This technology creates the illusion of watching TV not just from a single angle, but from multiple angles. Equipped with infrared emitters, TVs with 3D technology offer users an exclusive experience.
Not just in terms of viewing experience, TV has also progressed in terms of appearance and features. A plethora of features are offered by the latest LED TVs. Excellent audio and video clarity adds to the delight of viewers. The best thing about these televisions is that they consume much less energy compared to conventional ones. Savings on electricity bills convinced people to invest in these televisions. The ultra-thin and elegant look of this TV allows users to adorn any corner of the room.
Equipped with USB ports, you can easily watch movies or other videos by connecting the device through the TV. Whether it is LED or 3D TV, the TV viewing experience for users has improved greatly. There has been a remarkable improvement in television since the time it was launched. And development hasn't stopped; there is a lot to come in the near future as well.
