Evolution of Television Over the Years

Posted by Marie Claire on February 27th, 2018

Once there was a time when television was a luxury, and only elite class could afford it in their living rooms. But now it has become a necessity and can now be seen in almost every house. Its very first and basic model was demonstrated in mid of the 1920s, and since then it has evolved tremendously. From black and white to LED, there have been significant developments which have simultaneously affected the way viewers consume it. According to a few surveys, the most advanced TV-watching country in the world is the UK. Not only adults or elders in the family are fond of it, but even children under five are watching TV for more than 2.5 hours per day. The recent discoveries have given us a new advancement called place-shifts.  
But, before discussing this, our mass communication assignment help experts have listed the five major phases that television has gone through. Give it a quick read:
 
Black and white TV
The original TV models were black and white which had grainy picture. But, with the improved camera and scanning systems, it got better. The amplified mechanical televisions were invented by John Logie Baird, and from 1925 to 1936, it went through many experiments. Electric TVs were introduced in 1932 by Philo Farnsworth, an American inventor. BBC was the first one to broadcast the regular HD (high-definition) television service on 2 November 1936 which scanned 405-lines to create black and white images.  
 
Color TV
In 1954, first color TVs were demonstrated in the US and used National Television Systems Committee (NTSC) standard to encode brightness and color separately so as to enable B/W TVs to use signal too. Later in 1963, European color standard was introduced with Phase Alternating Line (PAL). Its superior technology dealt with weather better than the former one. In the UK, under the supervision of Sir David Attenborough, BBC2 became the first channel to broadcast in color. With time and advancements, the quality was upgraded, screens were sharper and larger, cameras were improved, and pictures became better.
 
Time-Shift TV
Although ‘time-shift’ term was coined much later, the video tape recorders with the same technology came in the early 1950s. It used reel-to-reel magnetic tape and television industry also employed this technique. It gradually became popular among viewers as video cassette recorder and had different formats, but the initial one was Philips Model 1500. It allowed people to record a show and play it back conveniently whenever they wish. The invention was then succeeded by VHS, DVD, and DVR recorders.
 
Digital TV
The next big thing in TV sector was digital broadcasting. The primary benefit from this was better quality pictures and increased number of channels. After being first adopted by the UK in 1998, other countries also switched from analogue to digital broadcasts. It also made the way for further evolution and technology like 4G mobile data network.  
 
Widescreen and High-definition
Earlier, black bars were used at the top and bottom of the screen called letterboxing, to make TV better fit for films. But now 16:9 widescreen format have replaced the traditional 4:3. From 2000 to 2003, all major TV broadcasts moved to 16:9 and introduced HD channels. Although screens grew in size, the pictures were sharper and crisper. Ultra-high definition (UHD), is expected to take over HD as it has 3840 x 2160 pixel resolution, but it will be too soon to reach any conclusion.  
 
Place-Shifting
‘Anywhere, and anytime’ TV allows viewers to watch programmes at any time or place, all they just need is an internet connection. Place-shift became famous with Netflix and BBC iPlayer, where you can view your favorite series or movies as and when you want. Seeing their popularity, many traditional broadcasters are moving towards place-shifts. You can now download shows, stream via an app, and have video-on-demand services with just one click. The one barrier that stands in the way is copyright protection and licensing agreements for movie and TV studios.  
 
These were the six major evolution shifts of television sets. We may hope for other additions and replacements considering the growing technological advancements across the world.