Television

Television, often called TV, is a way to send moving pictures and sound from one place to many others. It can mean both the system that sends these pictures and the actual screen people watch at home. TV is very important for sharing news, sports, shows, and ads with lots of people.

TV started in the 1920s, but it didn’t become common until after World War II. At first, it was only in black and white, but color TV came in the 1960s. Over time, people found new ways to watch TV, like using special tapes, DVDs, and now the Internet.

Today, most homes have TVs, and the screens have changed a lot. Big, thin screens have replaced the old, bulky ones. TVs can also connect to the Internet, letting people watch shows and movies on services like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, iPlayer, and Hulu. This makes watching TV more flexible than ever.

Etymology

The word television comes from the Ancient Greek word τῆλε (tele) meaning 'far' and the Latin word visio meaning 'sight'. A scientist named Constantin Perskyi first used it in 1900 at a meeting in Paris.

Later, new informal words for television appeared, such as "telly" in the UK and "the tube," named after the old TV screens that looked like tubes. The short form TV began being used in 1948.

History

Main article: History of television

The history of television started with machines that used moving parts to show pictures. Early inventors like Paul Julius Gottlieb Nipkow and John Logie Baird showed the first mechanical televisions. Baird’s public show in 1926 is often called the first real television broadcast.

As technology improved, electronic television came along. The cathode-ray tube (CRT) became important, giving better picture quality. Inventors like Philo Farnsworth and Vladimir Zworykin helped create electronic television. By the 1930s, electronic television replaced the older mechanical systems, bringing clearer and more reliable shows.

Television changed from black-and-white to color in the 1950s. The 1990s brought digital television, which improved picture quality and added more choices. Today, many TVs are “smart,” connecting to the internet for extra content and features.

Broadcast systems

Main article: Terrestrial television

See also: Timeline of the introduction of television in countries

Television can be broadcast in several ways. One way is through terrestrial television. TV stations, also called channels, are licensed by governments to broadcast on specific frequencies. This was the main way to get TV because there were only a few channels available. In the U.S., stations could show ads starting in 1941 but had to promise to provide public service content. The U.K. used a different system, charging a fee to fund public broadcasting.

Cable television delivers TV programs to subscribers through wires, unlike traditional TV that uses radio waves. This allows many more channels and can also carry internet and phone services.

Satellite television sends TV signals from space using special dishes and receivers. This is useful in places without regular TV service and offers many channels. Over time, satellite TV has changed from older, big dishes to smaller, digital systems.

Internet television delivers TV shows and movies over the internet using streaming services. Companies like Netflix and services from cable and satellite providers let people watch TV on many devices. This became especially popular during the COVID-19 pandemic when many people stayed at home.

Sets

A television set, also called a television receiver, is a device that shows shows and lets you hear their sound. It has a tuner, a screen, an amplifier, and speakers. TVs were invented in the late 1920s and became very popular after World War II, especially when they added color in the 1950s. Over time, TVs changed from big, heavy tubes to thinner, lighter ones like LCDs and LEDs.

Different ways to make screens have been used in TVs. Early TVs used a spinning disk, and for many years, they used cathode-ray tubes. Later, digital light processing (DLP), plasma, and liquid-crystal displays (LCD) became popular. Today, most TVs use LED technology, and OLEDs may become more common soon. These changes have made TVs smaller, lighter, and better at showing clear and bright pictures.

Content

Television shows can reach viewers in many ways. One way is by making new episodes and selling them to a TV station or network. Another way is by selling shows to other stations or countries after they have first been shown.

Television has many kinds of shows, such as dramas, comedies, science fiction, and reality shows. Some shows, like dramas, cost more to make, while others, like game shows, cost less. TV shows are paid for in different ways, such as through ads, subscriptions, or government money. Ads are a big way to pay for TV, with companies paying to show commercials during popular programs. Rules about ads on TV differ in different countries.

Social aspects

Television has been important in how people interact and learn, especially in the last hundred years. It can help children learn when used in smart ways. Some religious groups choose not to watch TV because they believe it can lead to bad behavior. Many people find that watching shows can help them feel less lonely by connecting with characters they like.

Negative impacts

Young children can be hurt if a TV falls on them. Older CRT-style TVs are very heavy, and newer flat-screen TVs can tip over if a child pulls on them. These accidents can cause injuries.

Watching too much TV might affect school performance. Old TVs contain materials that can harm the environment when they are thrown away. This makes it hard to recycle and dispose of old electronics properly.