The Television history presents a story about a revolutionary technology that transformed the way information is disseminated across the world. Just like most inventions, it began as an experiment out of curiosity before becoming what it is today.
Television is more than just a technological tool of entertainment; it has evolved over the years into a cornerstone of present day civilization and has her footprint on almost everything from societal norms to public opinion.
This article seeks to unearth the behind the scenes phenomenon that led to the development and evolution of the television, delving into the contributions of notable discoverers, the technological breakthrough that made widespread broadcasting of television possible and the cultural influence.
Early Concepts and Foundations
Television history actually began in the late 19th and 20th centuries. Inventors at that time were fascinated by the challenge of transmitting images over distances; and so in 1873, an electrical engineer named Willoughby Smith discovered the photoconductivity of selenium.
“Photoconductivity is an optical/electrical phenomenon in which a material becomes more electrically conductive due to the absorption of electromagnetic radiation (such as visible light, ultraviolet light, infrared light or gamma radiation)”.
Simply put, when light shines on a photoconductive material, it makes electric current to flow through it. This concept later became useful for several inventors who were interested in early image transmission experiments.
In 1884, a German engineer named Paul Nipkow used the concept of photoconductivity in his invention of a mechanical device called “Nipkow disk”. It had the ability to scan images and transmit them as electrical signals.
Nipkow disk
Nipkow disk laid the groundwork for future experiments in image transmission. As expected many inventors continued to build on it, some of whom where Charles Francis Jenkins in the United States of America and John Logie Baird in Scotland.
In 1925 and 1926 respectively, they both demonstrated the huge progress they had made individually in the development of similar mechanical television system. While Charles made use of a spinning disk to scan and reproduce images, John used a Nipkow disk instead but the result from both TVs wasn’t great. So it became clear that the realm of electronics was the way to go.
The Development of Electronic Television
The swift turn from mechanical to electronics made a significant mark in television history. This era saw the ground breaking inventions of inventors like Philo Farnsworth and Vladimir Zworykin, whose contributions laid the foundation of the modern television technology that lasted for decades.
Philo Farnsworth
In 1927, an American inventor named Philo Farnsworth developed the first fully electronic television. As opposed to his predecessors, his design for the television system used an image dissector camera tube to display images.
It works by converting visual images to electronic signals which then gets transmitted to a receiver and is displayed on a screen. This was a significant leap because the results were clearer and it had great prospects for widespread broadcasting.
At about this same time, a Russian American named Vladimir Zworykin who was working for RCA (Radio Corporation of America) were he was busy creating his own version of the electronic television. He used an Iconoscope (an early camera tube) and Kinescope (a cathode-ray-tube based receiver) to develop the television technology for RCA.
With two great minds racing to invent a perfect television set for the public, legal battle ensued but their contributions would go a long way in setting the standards for the development of a television system which eventually made a lasting mark in television history.
Commercialization and Growth of Television
The 1930s marked the beginning of another era in Television history; the technology was good enough for public display and so people began to see a bit of it in action, mostly in the United States and Europe before World War II took off.
In 1930, Charles Francis Jenkins broadcasts the first television commercial in the United States. By 1936, the BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) started the first frequent high-definition television service from Alexandra Palace in London.
By late 1930s, experimental broadcasting was already happening with the first public demonstration of television being showcased to the American public by RCA at the 1939 World’s Fair in New York City. This wowed the audience and aroused their interests in this technology.
In spite of the excitement, World War II began leading to the temporary delay in the development of the television for commercial use due to the diversion of attention and resources for war.
After the war, The Federal Communication Commission (FCC) of the United States adopted some technical standards for television broadcasts in 1941 to ensure uniformity and regulation of the rapidly evolving television industry.
By late 1940s, television broadcasting and ownership skyrocketed with more TV shows and news program emerging in the United States, Europe and across the world. By early 1950s the golden age in television history had already began with the introduction of colour television broadcasting in 1953.
This was followed by RCA mass production of coloured television sets for the market with the first happening in 1954. By Late 1950s, there was significant improvement in quality, more variety shows came up and television became the prepotent for information and entertainment.
Technological Advancement and Global Spread
With the successful launch of the Telstar satellite in 1962, the first live transatlantic broadcast was presented that same year allowing people from diverse continents watch the same broadcast concurrently.
Moving to 1967, BBC2 marked a global shift from black and white broadcast to becoming the first channel to performed coloured broadcast in the UK. Thereafter, we saw the rise of cable and satellite TV from 1970s to 1980s.
This was very beneficial in regions where traditional over-the-air receivers were poor. CNN (Cable News Network) then launched the first 24-hours news channel in 1980, revolutionizing how news was broadcast.
The Digital Revolution
The 1990s witness another significant leap in Television history with the FCC (Federal Communication Commission) adoption of the ATSC (Advanced Television System Committee standard) in 1996 to enable transition to digital television in the United States.
We then had the first high-definition television (HDTV) broadcasts kick off in 1997 in the United States. It had tremendous improvements in picture quality as compared to analog broadcasts. TiVo was later introduced in 1999 to enable users pause and record live broadcast.
The advent of broadband internet in the 2000s significantly made yet another mark in television history. With Netflix launching as a streaming service in 2007 to allow subscribers watch Tv shows and movies on demand, traditional TV consumption was disrupted.
By 2009, the transition from analog to digital television was completed in the United States with a significant decline of analog and the rise of internet-based streaming continued, radio spectrum also become free for other uses.
Modern Era (2010s – Present)
The modern era is marked by constant innovation with the advent of 4k Ultra High Definition (UHD) televisions rolling out in the dawn of the 2010s offering four times the resolution of standard HD.
As we got to the 2020s, 8k television emerged offering even better resolution display. At the same time, Smart TVs surfaced and seamlessly integrated traditional television with the internet.
With one click of a remote button, you can switch from cable channels to streaming platforms, surf the web and even access social media. What used to be a simple box in your room is now a tale of technological mutation.
A Researcher and Software Engineer who is committed to bridging the digital divide in underserved communities.
