By replacing the radio, in the 1950s as a mode of entertainment, Television has played an integral role in the daily lives of people. Now it is challenging to imagine one’s life without Television. It has helped the world becoming ‘global village’ to some extent by both reflecting and shaping cultural values. Significant events like F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King assassinations, Vietnam War (1960), World Trade Center Attack (2001), Hurricane Katrina devastation (2005) reached to people uniting them with hope shaped by tragedy. Today, with Internet Technology and live satellite broadcasting has changed the way television is used by people, adding more to its functions. One can estimate that the number of TVs is more than the population of a nation. Ideas and imaginations of inventors like Vladimir Zworykin, Charles Jenkins, John Baird, etc. contributed little by little to this evolution, joining puzzle piece by piece.
Transformation:Time machine to Smart System
The Television counts among those designs that change the 20th-century human civilization so drastically. The earliest modern Television was Octagon, designed by General Electric (1928). It consists of a mechanical rotational disc technology that displays images on a 3 inches size screen. It was not mass-produced but played considered the world’s first drama, “The Queen’s Message.”
Since its initial demonstration, Television has undergone four significant shifts with an increase in their spread. The first TVs were high contrast, i.e., Black and White, but with the introduction of color, Television changed the whole scenario. Color TVs then continued improvement in quality, color effects, more significant in size, and broadcast better quality pictures with sensitive in-built cameras. The second change was the time-shift in TV technology. After the invention of digital Television, proclaiming the admiration and obsession of the audience reached its height. The advantages brought by Digital Television were huge. The obvious one is better picture quality and an increased number of channel signals broadcasting at the same time.
Moreover, enhanced customer services and worldwide coverage were an integral part of this change. Replacing the 4:3 formats by 16:9 widescreen formats grew digital television popularity. It allowed the broader frame of TV shits, a better fit for films without letterboxing of cropping the video. The first Commercial TV, in the 1930s, was huge with the 12-inch display screen. They were cheap as per house income was $1300-$1500 dollars, and the price of TV was around $300-$500 dollars per piece. During WWII, the hype of Television has just vanished in the air, but the economy was stable after the war; therefore, to know the situation out there, the TV Market witnessed the bloom. Two types of TVs bought in the market, the console and tabletop (Emyvisor and Cossor). The shows of Stars like Howdy Doody and Milton Berle contributed to the popularity of TV on time.
In two years, only the sell reached more than eight lakhs only in America. Magazines like TV GUIDE made successful entry and were number one seller that year. The slogans like ‘Family means will never to the same’ were used for marketing. This decade was marked in golden terms as TV was in more demand than Newspapers. The American obsession with the thought of Space travel was the moment captured by many on their Rogers, Marconi, Motorola, and Sharp. The Beatles show and the Vietnam War resulted in TV becoming an integral part of daily lives. During 1970, Sesame Street and the introduction of video games like Pong that could play on TV increases the price to 700 dollars. Ted Turner’s cable network grew the idea of cable television, where the subscriber can watch many channels. This the time when channels like Disney, HBO, Cinemax, Showtime, and many more started coming up.
The introduction of Video games and VCR in the 1980s was again, revolutionary thought. The ability to record and capture the moments of a program or any event and then play it later on (VOD) transformed ‘TV to Time Machine.’ The most significant drastic changes in technology were in the 1990s, the age of innovation when personal computers were available for the people. It was the favorite time till today as shows like the FRIENDS, the Simpsons, the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air broadcasted. This decade has produced great movies too. After this, the period of great innovation in the TV industry began with the entry of slim LCD, PLASMA, etc. Introduction of DVDs in 2000′ was like a Home- Theater experience, larger screens with better picture quality. With the increased use of Internet connections, the next evolution of Television: place shifting took place. In 2009, Television became digital. It probably started with devices like Slingbox, 2005, which allowed streaming of a variety of TV shows online anywhere anytime with an internet connection. This model adopted by Big Service providers like Netflix and BBC iPlayer. This ‘intelligent’ television system also allows live broadcasting; users can stream broadcasts at home using home networks and can download shows via apps.
Most of the top producers of smart TV are Samsung, Sony, LG, Panasonic, offering exceptional quality and are high in line. Availability to connect with the internet, your mobile phone, speakers, 4K resolution- best for video games and movies make the SMART TV that you can admire.
Seventy-five years ago, no one could have imagined that a fascinating small black box-like TV will change civilization all over the world the way we look at the world. It connects different cultures, provides knowledge and truth. Starting from a black and white TV with a different purpose (purpose to find the truth), today, like a flat-screen with a high definition picture, we can look at anything, anywhere, anytime on a slim screen controlled remotely only by a click. Initially known as a fancy toy for wealthy, today, people are so attached to the TV that it is essential for the living room furniture with a sofa. The latest trend in the TV market is a curved screen with at least 4k resolution, which means watching things in ultra-high quality.
