Blog Post #4

 The Television

Who & What & When?

 

Philo Farnsworth was an American inventor who developed the first electronic television system. He was born in Utah in August of 1906 and passed away in March of 1971. In 1922 he started working on the current issue of the time, the mechanical television system, and began working on his creation of an electronic system. By 1928, he was giving demonstrations of his work, the “image dissector,” to different industries such as the Radio Corporation of America and Philadelphia Storage Battery Company, but rejected their offers to begin his own company. Farnsworth Television was licensed with American Telephone & Telegraph (AT&T) in 1937, and together they reorganized the industry to Farnsworth Television and Radio. In 1937, they started the production of radios. As they continued to produce the television, World War II slowed the development process down, and the company went into deep financial trouble. But in 1949, it was taken over by the International Telephone and Telegraph (IT&T) and was reorganized again as Capehart-Farnsworth. Philo Farnsworth was retained as vice president of research and the company produced televisions into 1965 until the RCA took over. 

Why was it made?

     Philo Farnsworth believed a major current problem of his time period was mechanical television systems. During this time period, they used rotating disks to scan images, creating a constant rotation of photographs. These machines produced low resolution image quality and were not reliable for long periods of time. Philo Farnsworth invented the first electronic television that used electron beams, which completely took over mechanical televisions. By 1939 they were completely replaced by electronic systems. Cable television, which was originally known as Community Antenna Television (CATV), was developed in the 1940s in remote or “mountain areas,” including Arkansas, Oregon, and Pennsylvania, to enhance the poor connection of regular television signals. In the late 1950s, cable operators began experimenting with microwaves to bring signals from further cities, which allowed a broader range of channel services and choices. This allowed places like Pennsylvania, which originally had three channels, to have over double the number of channels as cable began to import from independent stations from further cities such as New York and Philadelphia. By 1962, almost 800 cable systems were in use and served 850,000 subscribers. In the 1950s, colour technology was produced in televisions, but did not gain popularity until the 1960s. Following World War II, the National Television System Committee (NTSC) worked to develop an all electronic colour system that would be compatible with black and white television systems, which finally gained approval in 1953. A year later, NBC made the first national color broadcast when it previewed the Tournament of Roses Parade. But still, until 1972, colour television did not gain widespread popularity in the United States. Electronic television systems were developed to overcome the limitations of mechanical televisions, which were unreliable. The advancement of electronic systems paved the way for many future innovations we have today, shaping modern television. 

Impact on the world

The first ever electronic television system laid the foundation for modern television by introducing the concept of transmitting moving images to a screen to visually experience news, sports, and entertainment. This changed how information was created, consumed, and shared as a monumental landmark in historical technological advancements and communication. The evolution of television and the advancements in its features, including color television, remote controls, satellite and digital broadcasting, and more, shaped how we watch and consume the media today. The shift to digital broadcasting and smart technology has expanded global connectivity, which makes television more accessible than ever. 

Influence on communication

 

The invention of the electronic television revolutionized modern communication by transforming how people receive and share information. Without the inventors of early television, today’s entertainment, live broadcasts, and global media networks would not be available, and maybe not even be possible. The ability the modern day television to broadcast images and videos to a large audience revolutionized how information is shared, which paved the way for mass media and shaped modern day communication. It essentially marked the beginning of a mass communication program. It became an extremely powerful medium for news broadcasting, allowing real-time coverage of global events and shaping public opinion. It also influenced culture and entertainment, by connecting audiences worldwide through shared experiences in sports, music, storytelling, and more, people from around the world can bond. Television influences modern day communication by paving the way for digital communication and advancements, which influenced the development of the Internet, streaming services, and even social media. Today, television continues to impact modern communication by collaborating with other platforms and providing instant access to information. 

Sources

• https://blog.history.in.gov/the-damned-thing-works-philo-t-farnsworth-the-invention-of-television/

• https://www.historyofinformation.com/detail.php?id=597

• https://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/object/nmah_1288388

• https://www.earlytelevision.org/baird_and_farnsworth.html

• https://www.thehistoryoftv.com/mztv-ptf-tour

• https://www.britannica.com/biography/Philo-Farnsworth

• https://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/object/nmah_1288388

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gw_V1GYUoQo

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ykKdnTKJ_zs

• https://courses.lumenlearning.com/suny-massmedia/chapter/9-1-the-evolution-of-television/