Blog Post 4

 

EOTO: Television  

History  

Mechanical Television and the Scanning Disc

The television was pioneered by numerous engineers from the 1870s to 1920s. However, in 1926, John Logie Baird was

the first to create an image using the scanning disc, invented by Paul Nipkow, to transmit the first moving image of a human's face.

 

The first moving image of a human face

 

 

 

The Baird Televisor was one of the first televisions on the market, becoming available to the public in 1929. Only

around 1000 were made, but became the reference point for later televisions. The Baird Televisor had a far smaller 

screen and lower frames-per-second (FPS) than later sets.

 

Ad for the Baird Televisor

  

Cathode-Ray Tube

 

The cathode-ray tube, or CRT, was invented in 1897, but did not see usage in television sets until the 1930s. 

From the 1930s to early 2000s, the CRT was television, though saw improvements with the transition to color 

television, increase of screen size, and Sony's usage of aperture grille technology as compared to earlier shadow 

masks. 

Diagram of the cathode-ray tube

 

However, the CRT had issues, with the most notable being size and weight. Due to the front panel being made 

of glass, CRTs could be extremely heavy. 

 

Additionally, it was not practical to make large screens, as the cathode-ray tube would need to be longer depending on the 

screen's size. The largest CRT television ever made, the Sony KV-4300, was only 43 inches, but weighed 440 lbs. Despite these 

shortcomings, televisions were made with CRT technology for nearly 70 years. 

 

In the early 2000s, CRTs saw quick replacement by both the plasma screen and liquid-crystal display (LCD). Notably, 

despite decline in usage, CRT televisions are becoming increasingly difficult to recycle, due to lead within the glass 

classifying it as hazardous waste. Since July 1, 2011, it has been made illegal to dispose of televisions in landfills in 

North Carolina (Session Law 2010-67, Senate Bill 887).

 

 Within recent years, CRTs have seen a small resurgence among the the retro gaming community, due to their optimization for older video games. Additionally, CRTs have little to no input lag compared to their modern counterparts, often making them still preferable for competitive games.

 

My 2008 Sansui DTV2798, one of the final CRTs made in America

 

    The Sony KV-4300, the largest cathode-ray TV ever made

 

Liquid-Crystal Display (LCD) 

In 1964, development of liquid-crystal displays began, with inventor George Heilmeier creating the 

first LCD, though being optimized and patented later on by James Fergason. Currently, LCDs are thinner,

lighter, and have high definition (HD) displays. Most standard definition (SD) televisions utilized analog signal, but digital transmissions became standard almost simultaneously with the transition from CRTs to LCDs.

 

Impact  

Television, as one would expect, reduced interest in radio broadcasts. Eventually, movies were able to be

watched from home, though not with resistance from companies such as Disney. Television is a combination

of visual and audio communication which has become more accessible than ever with the addition of streaming. However,

television has also faced recent challenges due to mobile devices and the decline of cable usage.