Nowadays there is a TV in every home, but attempts to transmit image and sound over a distance were crowned with success not so long ago. The transmission of sound became possible after the discovery of radio waves and the invention of radio, but electromagnetic radiation, which allows the transmission of images, was tamed later, let's find out who invented the television.
The essence of television broadcasting is the conversion of light waves into electrical signals , followed by the transmission of electrical signals through a communication channel and decoding of information in the reverse order - from electrical impulses to pictures.
Who invented the first television
The inventor of the camera obscura back in the Middle Ages was able to turn light into an optical pattern. And the conversion of light into electricity became possible with the discovery of the chemical element selenium in 1817 . It was possible to practically use the properties of the “lunar” mineral in 1839. The first step towards television was taken. The idea of inversely converting an electrical signal into a light signal was realized in 1856, when I. G. Geisler invented an inertia-free tube that converted electrical energy into an optical image using a conductor gas.
In 1875, Bostonian George Carey presented the first prototype of a television - a mosaic structure consisting of gas-discharge tubes. Almost simultaneously, in the period from 1877 to 1880, three scientists from different countries unveiled a scheme involving alternate transmission of signals. Among them was our compatriot Porfiry Ivanovich Bakhmetyev, the inventor of the “telephotograph”. The Russian scientist presented a completely achievable idea, according to which, before transmission, the image was divided into separate parts, and after receiving it was restored into a single picture. In 1889, Professor Stoletov invented the photocell , after which, in 1907, B. L. Rosing created a patented principle of reverse conversion of electrical signals into an image using a cathode cathode ray tube. Since then, this invention has been actively used in the design of television apparatus. Without Boris Rosing, who was able to obtain a picture consisting of dots and figures , the appearance of the first electronic television device would have been impossible.
Disadvantages of Plasma
Disadvantages of plasma TVs:
- lack of models with small diagonals;
- heating during prolonged viewing;
- high energy intensity: power consumption of a 42-inch plasma TV is approximately 160 - 190 W/hour and 0.5 W in standby mode;
- the appearance of afterimages on static elements;
- Brightness is inferior to LCD TVs.
A lot of electricity is spent converting inert gas into plasma. For cooling, fans are provided, which further increase the energy consumption of plasma TVs.
The contrast of the plasma decreases over time, and after several years of use the image becomes less colorful than at first.
Plasma pixel burnout can occur when a static image is presented on the screen, for example, when connected to a computer. During normal viewing, this phenomenon may not occur at all. New TV models have practically no problems with pixel burnout.
Vladimir Zvorykin
After establishing a theoretical basis that provides an understanding of the essence of phenomena and the possibility of controlling signals of different nature, as well as the appearance of a number of inventions, the world has come to the emergence of special devices designed for television broadcasting .
There is no clear answer to the question of who is considered the inventor of the television. Attempts to implement the process of converting light waves into electrical waves with subsequent restoration of the optical image were made by various scientists and inventors.
In 1884, the German scientist Paul Nipkow created the first device for optical-mechanical beam scanning - the so-called “Nipkow Disk”. In fact, the device was an electronic telescope that read the image line by line.
Using the idea of a talented German student, John Logie Baird was able to get a picture on the screen of the receiving device . On January 26, 1926, members of the Royal Institution of Great Britain watched the first television broadcast .
Despite the fact that the image was very generalized and unclear, and there was no sound, it was still television. The scientist was not without a commercial spirit: Baird’s company began producing televisions.
Forecasts and prospects
Most likely, in 10 years, the question of choosing a digital or analog TV will completely disappear, since new technology is actively developing, displacing old TV from the market. Since 2013, most satellite TV providers have stopped offering an analogue signal, and since 2021 free TV has also switched to a digital format.
With these changes, more and more companies are looking to introduce commercial-grade LCD TVs into their businesses, consigning old analog TVs to the dustbin of history.
However, do not rush to throw away your old TVs, because with the help of a set-top box they can produce quite a good picture. Also, given its durability, the old TV can be temporarily connected if the LCD TV suddenly breaks down.
How the first TV worked
The first television set , proposed by John Baird, was based on a Nipkow disk . The device was a large rotating disk with holes located from the outer circumference to the center (along the Archimedean spiral). The size of the broadcast image was directly proportional to the size of the disk in the bounding box. The number of holes corresponded to the number of lines on the TV screen. The Nipkow disk rotated, moving the perforation, as a result of which a single image was divided into lines. The design had technical limitations that did not allow the translator screen to be enlarged. It was not possible to increase the number of holes indefinitely: the more the disk is covered with perforations, the smaller the size of the holes that should transmit light to the photocell. As a result, the screens of the first television receivers were tiny - only 3 x 4 cm.
Low-line television made it possible to broadcast a television signal on long and medium waves, thanks to which they could “catch” a signal from Moscow even in Europe. But the use of the Nipkow Disk did not allow the screen to be enlarged even to the size of a standard photograph - in this case, the translator had to be equipped with a huge two-meter disk. But the principle of electronic television, proposed by Vladimir Zvorykin, was limited in frequency, since the picture was divided into a huge number of elements, the transmission of which would take up all the power. It was decided to broadcast television signals on ultrashort waves with a range of less than 10 meters. Ultrashort waves travel in a straight line, just like light pulses.
Zvorykin's TV worked on a different system. The device was based on inventions patented by the scientist - an iconoscope (a transmitting cathode ray tube) and a kinescope (a receiving tube that reproduces an image). In the late 1920s, the idea of electronic television spread throughout the world.
Comparison of durability of old and new models
The true lifespan of modern LED TVs remains unknown as the technology is constantly changing and evolving. Some manufacturers, such as Samsung, claim that their devices will provide about 100,000 hours of active use. With six hours of use every day, this gives approximately 45 years of service. In other words, it is likely that a modern TV will fail due to some other component rather than the LEDs themselves.
However, in the realities of modern mass production, a number of models are made using an assembly line method or with hidden defects. This means they will fail much sooner than they should. Whether you get a long life from your TV depends largely on an element of chance.
In this regard, analog TVs have a much longer service life. This is due to the fact that previously TV sets were bought less, and accordingly, there was no assembly line production. Therefore, each model was made with high quality. Many analog TVs manufactured in early 2000, or even earlier, still work.
The first TV in the USSR
The first television broadcast in the vastness of the Soviet Union took place in April 1931 . At that time, domestic televisions had not yet been produced. The first television in the USSR appeared later, as the authorities relied on radio broadcasting , since they believed that this method of transmitting information was more effective from the point of view of propaganda . Nevertheless, at that time in the USSR paper Nipkow disks were produced. Television signals were broadcast on long and medium frequencies. The sound was transmitted separately, and the picture separately.
Domestic craftsmen quickly mastered the intricacies of assembling television receivers. A cardboard perforated disk was supplemented with a neon lamp, providing signal reception and image formation on a miniature screen . A radio receiver was purchased to receive the sound signal. Assembly diagrams for homemade televisions were published in the magazine Radiofront.
Later, the Leningrad enterprise Comintern began producing domestic televisions operating according to the Nipkow system. The device resembled a set-top box with a 3 x 4 cm screen , designed to connect to a radio receiver. Television broadcasting has become regular. For a long time, only one channel broadcast on the territory of the USSR - Channel One , whose work was interrupted during the Great Patriotic War.
In the post-war period, the principle of electronic television began to be used, and the first kinescope television receiver was released. The second domestic television channel began broadcasting.
Like James Bond
In 1982, Seiko released the T001 TV Watch with a built-in screen that supports 10 shades of gray. To use them, you only needed to connect the transmitter and headphones. This watch gained popularity after the release of the film "Octopussy", where it was worn by James Bond himself, and entered the Guinness Book of Records as an example of the smallest television screen.
Seiko T001 TV Watch
In 1990, the Sony Trinitron PVM-4300 appeared with the largest diagonal among CRT televisions - 43 inches or 109 cm. This “box” weighed 200 kg and cost $40,000. The TV was intended for connoisseurs of high quality images: it supported... 480 pixels! Of course, it was a luxury product - and it confidently took pride of place among other significant TV “boxes”.
Sony Trinitron PVM-4300
First color TV
The ideas for the first color television and the transmission of color images were developed in parallel with the implementation of the plan for black and white television broadcasting. The same John Baird in 1928 guessed to build a three-color filter into his television device. The images were transmitted through a light filter one by one. It is likely that the principle used by Baird was based on a proposal by Alexander Polumordvinov, who in 1900 applied for a patent for the first color three-component television system, Telefot. The inventor also proposed combining a perforated Nipkow disk with multi-colored filters.
In 1907, Hovhannes Adamyan patented a two-color television system with simultaneous color transmission. Later, the scientist came up with a scheme for sequential transmission of three color signals. Adamyan's reaming apparatus was equipped with three series of holes covered with red, blue and green filters. It was this idea that John Baird later implemented. The disadvantage of the scheme was its incompatibility with black and white television .
The first real color TV was released in America in the 20s of the last century. RCA devices could be freely purchased on credit.
Later it turned out that the developers were ahead of the needs of the public: at that time, television viewers were quite satisfied with a black and white picture. The idea of color television was returned to after the end of World War II.
Generation Smart
In the 1990s, CRT televisions were replaced by projection televisions. Their advantage was a thinner body, and they weighed less. But soon they were forced out of store shelves by LCD, LED and plasma TVs.
However, we note that CRT televisions live out their days not only in old houses. They are actively used by fans of games from the 1970s to the 90s. There are even championships held where a lot of these “TVs” are brought in to make gamers more accustomed to playing.
Over the past 30 years, televisions have changed, and so has the approach to them. Technologies are developing so rapidly that design takes a back seat to functionality. Externally, televisions are often distinguished only by the brand indicated on them. Manufacturers strive to amaze users with a bright and clear picture in high resolution, screen size, thinness of the case, and the ability to watch 3D movies at home. There are curved and even bendable models (feel the difference!), 4K and 8K TVs and even “screenless displays” that consist of tiny particles of moisture - yes, yes, there is such a thing!
TVs are becoming “smart” and not only broadcast TV channels, but also show videos from the Internet. They can be integrated with a home computer network, they interact with various devices - video cameras, cameras, flash drives. The software content of Smart TV is becoming more important than technical characteristics.
Modern screens allow you to do much more than just watch the broadcast. And their evolution continues constantly. Who knows, maybe soon holograms will really replace the TVs we are used to?
The first color TV in the USSR
Research on color television in the USSR continued in 1947. On November 7, 1952, Leningrad Television successfully conducted an experimental broadcast of a television program with color images .
In 1954, Soviet scientists developed the OSCM television broadcasting standard, and already in 1956 the same Leningrad Television Center broadcast the first film with color images. The quality of signal reception was tested on domestic black-and-white devices.
Since October 1, 1967, color television broadcasting in the USSR has been carried out using the SECAM standard. In 1977, domestic television broadcasts were broadcast entirely in color.
In the Soviet Union, their own color television was released later, although development began during the time of Zvorykin. In 1953, domestic enterprises produced Rainbow televisions based on Nipkow disks with color filters. After the transition to the principle of electronic television, the updated “Rainbow” and the “Temp-22” model were released.
The first domestic mass TV with color images was called “Rubin”.
Who invented plasma TV
In July 1964, University of Illinois professors D. Bitzer and G. Slottow developed the first prototype of a modern plasma TV. At that time, the technology did not arouse much interest. The topic of plasma apparatus was returned to with the advent of digital television. They invented and studied the properties of plasma. By that time, it became clear that the kinescope broadcast system needed to be replaced - electronic televisions did an excellent job of transmitting video, but to broadcast computer video graphics, a fundamentally new solution was needed.
The first device was equipped with only one cell. Modern TVs are equipped with millions of pixels.
In 1999, the world saw a Panasonic plasma TV with a sixty-inch diagonal. At that moment, televisions became much thinner than devices of previous generations.
With the advent of liquid crystal screens, plasma TV technology has somewhat suspended its development. The demand for “plasma” has decreased.
Progress does not stand still
Inventors tried to improve the result - this is how the remote control appeared in 1956. Who created such a useful device? It was developed by Robert Adler in 1956. The principle of its operation was the transmission of ultrasonic signals, which were modulated by the appropriate commands. The very first remote control could only control the volume and change channels, but even at that time this was a pretty significant statement.
As for the infrared version of the remote control, it appeared in 1974 as a result of developments by Grundig and Magnavox. Its birth was dictated by the advent of teletext, which required more precise control, which means that buttons appeared then. And already in the eighties, the remote control was additionally used as an analogue of a gamepad, because then televisions also became an additional monitor to the first household computers and game consoles.
With the advent of VCRs, there was a need for the additional implementation of a component video input (in addition to the already existing analog antenna).
With the beginning of the twenty-first century, the era of picture tubes came to an end - plasma panels and LCD TVs began to appear. And by the 2010s, CRT models were practically forced out of the market by flat devices in LCD and PDP formats. Many of them can connect to the Internet and even demonstrate the ability to view 3D content.
Today's television receiver bears little resemblance to its ancestor - it has the functions of a home media center, while retaining the functions of watching over-the-air and cable television. And this is not to mention the quality of the image itself, transmitted in high definition (and in top models, ultra-high definition).
