The television industry is something that is so very interesting. Most people have a connection to television in some way in modern times, but you might not know that much about the early days of television. Keep reading to learn about the history of television. This will give you some insight into the humble beginnings of the television industry.
The Concept of Television
You might be interested to hear that the concept of television was first presented way back in 1880. This was before the first public radio broadcast even took place. There was an article published in a magazine called The Scientific American that talked about the idea for a working television system. This would spark people around the world to begin working on the concept to turn it into a real thing.
A man named Paul Gottlieb Nipkow is the one who created the first mechanical module of television. He developed a method for using rotating metal discs to scan and send images through wires, but they only had 18 lines of resolution. This would eventually be combined with cathode-ray tube technology by Boris Rosing to create an electronic television system. Of course, the electronic television system is the one that would go on to become popularized.
The Early Days of TV
The early days of TV didn’t find much success, and TVs wouldn’t become commercially available in the United States until 1938. In 1939, network television came into being, and television would become much more successful after World War II finished. CBS, NBC, and ABC were the three big networks, and they offered a variety of different programs to appeal to audiences of the time. In 1955, people would be able to utilize the revolutionary remote control to change channels without having to get up from the couch.
Color TV
Color TV is something people take for granted now, but it was a huge innovation back in 1954. The first color TV broadcast in 1954 was a big deal, and people would start to slowly adopt color TVs over the next several decades. The three networks wouldn’t broadcast all of their programs in color until 1972, but the sales of color televisions would eventually far surpass black and white television sales.