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HISTORY OF TELEVISION:Early History, The Black & White Images, Color Television

<< REVISION:CURRENT AFFAIRS, RADIO FEATURE, MUSICAL PROGRAMS
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LESSON 23
HISTORY OF TELEVISION
The electronic way of communication was quite well known by the start of the 20th century but
in almost all cases it was limit to sending or receiving voice messages. Since most
researchers and scientists were focusing on the voice transmission, the radio broadcast
resulted almost simultaneously in many parts of the world with the exception of a difference of
few years. The name of Marconi, however, stands distinguished in the eyes of many as ­ the
inventor of radio.
The inventor of television, the device responsible for receiving voice as well as images, is
John Logie Baird of Scotland. Controversy, however, surrounds the matter to mark as who
really invented the television. Most historians have settled the issue by reaching the
conclusion that it is an outcome of many scientists who worked on different areas of this
outstanding device, which, ever since its inception, has been bringing about so many social,
cultural and economic changes - and that too with rapid speed, and is considered as one
major factor to help globalize human thinking and understanding on various matters by fully
exploiting all the elements possible in visual communication, or say broadcasting.
Here below we will make an attempt to see TV history and various stages, it has scaled so far.
Early History
Although the Scotsman John Logie Baird is generally considered to be the creator of
television, it remains a challenging job about television history from where exactly to begin.
Most inventions begin with a vision and so for the sake of argument we can begin our story as
far back as 1869. For that was the year that the French artist Albert Robida, published a
picture of a man, reclining in an armchair in the comfort of his own home, And this more than
two decades before the American inventor Thomas Alva Edison had caught one of his
assistants, Fred Ott, sneezing on camera, which was then copyrighted as 'Record of a
Sneeze', on 7th January 1894. But whilst scientists and photographers the world-over had
been trying to invent the movies for years, television had its own definite requirements, and
these were not the result of a single discovery, but of successive and independent
developments.
The discovery of a material known as selenium is said to be very important, if we have to
begin from somewhere.
In 1817 the Swedish scientist Berzelius discovered selenium, a metalloid in the oxygen group
with electrical properties. But it wasn't until 1873 that a telegraph operator named Joseph May
discovered the photosensitive properties of selenium which led to the possibility of converting
light waves into electrical impulses. But it wasn't until 1881 that another American, Shelford
Bidwell, demonstrated a method for transmitting silhouettes. Paul Nipkov's disc scanner made
use of the selenium cell, but like other inventors and demonstrators around that time his
equipment lacked the means of amplifying the impulses.
Karl Ferdinand Braun introduced the first cathode-ray tube for commercial use in 1897 and
four years later Dr Ambrose Fleming patented the two-diode thermionic valve. After this there
was little in the way of public recognized progress until 1923 when a number of scientists in
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the US, France and England had progressed to the point where they were able to transmit
shadows.
It's at this point, that Baird came onto the scene in a big way. Although he had been
developing his own methods of televised images for many years, it was in 1924 that he first
demonstrated a mechanically scanned television system which transmitted objects in outline
and went on the following year to show the head of a dummy, not just in outline but as a real
image.
Since the time of Baird, the dizzyingly rapid development of the medium of television has
taken many of the disparate elements chanced upon by those early, far-sighted, pioneers and
consolidated them into a unified whole which has arguably become one of the key
cornerstones of modern society.
Viewed with the benefit of perfect hindsight, the beginning and subsequent rise of television
can now be appreciated as a complex mosaic of inspired individuals. A vision, which
ultimately combined to form a cohesive foundation for one of the most important and far
reaching invention in human history.
The Black & White Images:
Though many companies patented the new technology in their respective countries, the world
saw an unusual interest in the black and white programs which normally consisted of the
filmed music, live chats announcements and news. Since TV transmission was very limited in
covering distance, only urban population was there to enjoy early days of TV life.
THE World War II
The
sudden
outbreak of World
War  II  halted  to
some
extent
progress  on  TV
transmissions  and
improvement
in
technological
advancement
in
making
TV
a
household item for
most.  The  B/W
limited  scale  TV
transmission
continued to excite
people. The images
of war ridden and
ravaged sites on mini screens of old-fashioned TV sets would pull crowd to watch those and
get influenced by the devastation of the mad war. Seeing is believing, worked to make people
understand as who was winning the war and who was controlling the noted and known cities
at different stages of the years long fighting. It was a sight not to be forgotten for those who
first witnessed defeat of German armies at different fronts and marching of the allied forces on
the German land towards the last days of the war.
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Color Television
A German patent in 1904 contained the earliest recorded proposal for a color television
system. In 1925, Zworykin, a scientist, filed a patent disclosure for an all-electronic color
television system. Both of these systems were not successful, however, they were the first for
color television.
"Between 1946 and 1950 the research staff of RCA Laboratories invented the world's first
electronic, monochrome compatible, color television system." ­
In 1940, prior to RCA, CBS researchers led by Peter Goldmark invented a mechanical color
television system based on the 1928 designs of John Logie Baird. The FCC authorized CBS's
color television technology as the national standard in October 1950, despite the fact that the
system was bulky, flickered, and was not compatible with earlier black and white sets. Color
television production was halted during the Korean war in the early years of the 50s.
Those factors provided RCA, manufacturers of TV sets, with the time to design a better color
television. Their system passed FCC approval in late 1953 and sales of RCA color televisions
began in 1954.
In December of 1954, RCA introduced their 21" color TV. Although the number recorded in
history books is 5,000 units sold, the common belief (amongst collectors) is that the actual
number sold to the public was considerably less.
1950-1959 was an exciting time period for television. In the USA, B&W television exploded
onto the scene at the beginning of the decade, mid-decade saw electronic color television and
remote controls launched, and at the end of the decade the public witnessed some interesting
styling changes and the introduction of transistorized television.
Nature of Programs
TV took most of its program patterns from radio. Classification of its transmission has been
made in the following manner;
·
News
·
Music
·
Films
·
Comedy shows
·
Live shows
·
Sports
The Cultural Revolution
There have been changes in the lifestyle of societies which have been brought about by the
introduction of TV broadcast. The following factors helped take TV broadcast across the world
and effect changes in the living style of people;
Tourism
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Languages
Immigration policies
Education
The Transmission Systems
Since a range of technical advancement on some different lines was available when TV
transmission was introduced in 40s and 50s in different countries, there are still different
systems which operate the whole functions of transmission and receiving TV signals.
Here below is some detail of various valid systems, and a chart of countries showing the
system they allowed for TV transmission.
The
table
below
shows
the
type
of
television
broadcast
standard
used in most countries around the world.
There are currently 3 main television standards used throughout the world:
NTSC - National Television Standards Committee. The oldest existing standard, developed in
the USA. First used in 1954, consists of 525 horizontal lines of display and 60 vertical lines.
SECAM - Systčme Électronique pour Couleur avec Mémoire. Developed in France. First used
in 1967. A 625-line vertical, 50-line horizontal display.
PAL - Phase Alternating Line. Developed by German engineer Walter Bruch and the German
electronic corporation Telefunken. Walter Bruch patented his invention in 1963 and the first
commercial application of the PAL system in August 1967. Also a 625/50-line display and
alternative of NTSC. Proponents call it "Perfection At Last."
Television Standards by Country:
COUNTRY
SIGNAL TYPE
AFGHANISTAN
PAL B, SECAM B
ALBANIA
PAL B/G
ALGERIA
PAL B/G
ANGOLA
PAL I
ANTARCTICA
NTSC M
ANTIGUA & BARBUDA
NTSC M
ARGENTINA
PAL N
ARMENIA
SECAM D/K
ARUBA
NTSC M
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AUSTRALIA
PAL B/G
AUSTRIA
PAL B/G
AZERBAIJAN
SECAM D/K
AZORES
PAL B
BAHAMAS
NTSC M
BAHRAIN
PAL B/G
BANGLADESH
PAL B
BARBADOS
NTSC M
BELARUS
SECAM D/K
BELGIUM
PAL B/H
BELGIUM (ARMED FORCES NETWORK)
NTSC M
BELIZE
NTSC M
BENIN
SECAM K
BERMUDA
NTSC M
BOLIVIA
NTSC M
BOSNIA/HERZEGOVINA
PAL B/H
BOTSWANA
SECAM K, PAL I
BRAZIL
PAL M
BRITISH INDIAN OCEAN TERRITORY
NTSC M
(AF DIEGO GARCIA TV - AFRTS)
BRUNEI DARUSSALAM
PAL B
BULGARIA
PAL
BURKINA FASO
SECAM K
BURUNDI
SECAM K
CAMBODIA
PAL B/G, NTSC M
CAMEROON
PAL B/G
CANADA
NTSC M
CANARY ISLANDS
PAL B/G
CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC
SECAM K
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CHAD
SECAM D
CHILE
NTSC M
CHINA (PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC)
PAL D
COLOMBIA
NTSC M
CONGO (PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC)
SECAM K
CONGO, DEM. REP. (ZAIRE)
SECAM K
COOK ISLANDS
PAL B
COSTA RICA
NTSC M
COTE D'IVOIRE (IVORY COAST)
SECAM K/D
CROATIA
PAL B/H
CUBA
NTSC M
CYPRUS
PAL B/G
CZECH REPUBLIC
PAL B/G (cable), PAL D/K (broadcast)
DENMARK
PAL B/G
DIEGO GARCIA
NTSC M
DJIBOUTI
SECAM K
DOMINICA
NTSC M
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
NTSC M
EAST TIMOR
PAL B
EASTER ISLAND
PAL B
ECUADOR
NTSC M
EGYPT
PAL B/G, SECAM B/G
EL SALVADOR
NTSC M
EQUITORIAL GUINEA
SECAM B
ESTONIA
PAL B/G
ETHIOPIA
PAL B
FALKLAND ISLANDS (LAS MALVINAS)
PAL I
FIJI
NTSC M
FINLAND
PAL B/G
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FRANCE
SECAM L
FRANCE (FRENCH FORCES TV)
SECAM G
GABON
SECAM K
GALAPAGOS ISLANDS
NTSC M
GAMBIA
PAL B
GEORGIA
SECAM D/K
GERMANY
PAL B/G
GERMANY (ARMED FORCES TV GERMANY)
NTSC M
GHANA
PAL B/G
GIBRALTAR
PAL B/G
GREECE
PAL B/G
GREENLAND
PAL B
GRENADA
NTSC M
GUAM
NTSC M
GUADELOUPE
SECAM K
GUATEMALA
NTSC M
GUIANA (FRENCH)
SECAM K
GUINEA
PAL K
GUYANA
NTSC M
HAITI
SECAM
HONDURAS
NTSC M
HONG KONG
PAL I
HUNGARY
PAL K/K
ICELAND
PAL B/G
INDIA
PAL B
INDONESIA
PAL B
IRAN
PAL B/G
IRAQ
PAL
IRELAND, REPUBLIC OF
PAL I
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ISLE OF MAN
PAL
ISRAEL
PAL B/G
ITALY
PAL B/G
JAMAICA
NTSC M
JAPAN
NTSC M
JOHNSTONE ISLAND
NTSC M
JORDAN
PAL B/G
KAZAKHSTAN
SECAM D/K
KENYA
PAL B/G
KOREA (NORTH)
SECAM D, PAL D/K
KOREA (SOUTH)
NTSC M
KUWAIT
PAL B/G
KYRGYZ REPUBLIC
SECAM D/K
LAOS
PAL B
LATVIA
PAL B/G, SECAM D/K
LEBANON
PAL B/G
LESOTHO
PAL K
LIBERIA
PAL B/H
LIBYA
PAL B/G
LIECHTENSTEIN
PAL B/G
LITHUANIA
PAL B/G, SECAM D/K
LUXEMBOURG
PAL B/G, SECAM L
MACAU
PAL I
MACEDONIA
PAL B/H
MADAGASCAR
SECAM K
MADEIRA
PAL B
MALAYSIA
PAL B
MALDIVES
PAL B
MALI
SECAM K
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MALTA
PAL B
MARSHALL ISLANDS
NTSC M
MARTINIQUE
SECAM K
MAURITANIA
SECAM B
MAURITIUS
SECAM B
MAYOTTE
SECAM K
MEXICO
NTSC M
MICRONESIA
NTSC M
MIDWAY ISLAND
NTSC M
MOLDOVA (MOLDAVIA)
SECAM D/K
MONACO
SECAM L, PAL G
MONGOLIA
SECAM D
MONTSERRAT
NTSC M
MOROCCO
SECAM B
MOZAMBIQUE
PAL B
MYANMAR (BURMA)
NTSC M
NAMIBIA
PAL I
NEPAL
B
NETHERLANDS
PAL B/G
NETHERLANDS (ARMED FORCES NETWORK)
NTSC M
NETHERLANDS ANTILLES
NTSC M
NEW CALEDONIA
SECAM K
NEW ZEALAND
PAL B/G
NICARAGUA
NTSC M
NIGER
SECAM K
NIGERIA
PAL B/G
NORFOLK ISLAND
PAL B
NORTH MARIANA ISLANDS
NTSC M
NORWAY
PAL B/G
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OMAN
PAL B/G
PAKISTAN
PAL B
PALAU
NTSC M
PANAMA
NTSC M
PAPUA NEW GUINEA
PAL B/G
PARAGUAY
PAL N
PERU
NTSC M
PHILIPPINES
NTSC M
POLAND
PAL D/K
POLYNESIA (FRENCH)
SECAM K
PORTUGAL
PAL B/G
PUERTO RICO
NTSC M
QATAR
PAL B
REUNION
SECAM K
ROMANIA
PAL D/G
RUSSIA
SECAM D/K
ST. KITTS & NEVIS
NTSC M
ST. LUCIA
NTSC M
ST. PIERRE ET MIQUELON
SECAM K
ST. VINCENT
NTSC M
SAO TOMÉ E PRINCIPE
PAL B/G
SAMOA, AMERICAN
NTSC
SAUDI ARABIA
SECAM B/G, PAL B
SAMOA
NTSC M
SENEGAL
SECAM K
SEYCHELLES
PAL B/G
SIERRA LEONE
PAL B/G
SINGAPORE
PAL B/G
SLOVAKIA
PAL B/G
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SLOVENIA
PAL B/H
SOMALIA
PAL B/G
SOUTH AFRICA
PAL I
SPAIN
PAL B/G
SRI LANKA
PAL
SUDAN
PAL B
SURINAME
NTSC M
SWAZILAND
PAL B/G
SWEDEN
PAL B/G
SWITZERLAND
PAL B/G
SYRIA
SECAM B, PAL G
TAHITI
SECAM
TAIWAN
NTSC
TAJIKISTAN
SECAM D/K
TANZANIA
PAL B
THAILAND
PAL B/M
TOGO
SECAM K
TRINIDAD & TOBAGO
NTSC M
TUNISIA
SECAM B/G
TURKEY
PAL B
TURKMENISTAN
SECAM D/K
TURKS & CAICOS ISLANDS
NTSC M
UGANDA
PAL B/G
UKRAINE
SECAM D/K
URUGUAY
PAL N
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
PAL B/G
UNITED STATES
NTSC M
UNITED KINGDOM
PAL I
UZBEKISTAN
SECAM D/K
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VENEZUELA
NTSC M
VIETNAM
NTSC M,SECAM D
VIRGIN ISLANDS (US & BRITISH)
NTSC M
WALLIS & FUTUNA
SECAM K
YEMEN
PAL B/NTSC M
YUGOSLAVIA
PAL B/G
ZAMBIA
PAL B/G
ZIMBABWE
PAL B/G
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Table of Contents:
  1. BROADCASTING:Historical Facts about Radio, Wireless and Radio
  2. CLASSIFICATION OF PROGRAMS:NEWS, Language, Sensationalizing
  3. CURRENT AFFAIRS:Talk Shows, Discussions, Seminars, Live Shows
  4. OUTDOOR BROADCASTING I:VIP Movement, Suddenly Assigned Events
  5. OUTDOOR BROADCASTING II:Pakistan Day March Past, General Elections
  6. CURTAIN RAISER:Political, Financial, Sports, Academics
  7. RADIO FEATURE:Personality Features, Features on Events
  8. MUSICAL PROGRAMS:Classical Music, Light and Film Music, Folk Music
  9. RADIO DOCUMENTARY:Narrative, Dramatized, Imagination, Close to places
  10. DISC JOCKEY:Women in Focus, Daily/ Weekly Division, Making Titles
  11. VOICE IN BROADCASTING:Speech, Accent, Loudness, Stress
  12. NOISE:Physical, Medium itself, Problem at sender’s end, Semantics
  13. STUDIO:Drama Studio, Studios for Talk Shows/ Discussions, Music Studios,
  14. RADIO DRAMA I:Stage Dramas, Early Radio Dramas, Ethics, Classification
  15. RADIO DRAMA II:Selection of director, The Playwrights, Script, Voices
  16. ADVERTISEMENT – INCOME GENERATION:Similarities, More Analysis
  17. ADVERTISERS’ APPROACH:Dramatized, Dialogue based, News
  18. FM – A NEW GENERATION IN BROADCASTING:Low Cost, The Difference
  19. MICROPHONE TO TRANSMITTER:Amplifiers, Modulator, Transmitter
  20. WRITING SCRIPT FOR RADIO BROADCAST:NEWS Script, Interviews
  21. INTERACTIVE BROADCASTING:On-line, E-mails, Interview, Views in News
  22. REVISION:CURRENT AFFAIRS, RADIO FEATURE, MUSICAL PROGRAMS
  23. HISTORY OF TELEVISION:Early History, The Black & White Images, Color Television
  24. PAKISTAN TELEVISION (PTV):The Excitement, Timing, Live Broadcast
  25. BROADCASTING LAWS:Laws in the 19th century, Press Council of Pakistan
  26. REPLICAS OF RADIO BROADCAST:The Staff, News Reading, Programming
  27. NEW SCRIPT WRITING AND DIRECTION TECHNIQUES:TV Script
  28. SETS:Permanent Sets, Hot & Cover Sets, Special Sets, Economical
  29. CAMERA SHOTS – THE VISUAL LANGUAGE:Angle Shots, Movement shots
  30. LIGHTS IN VISUAL BROADCASTING:Light Temperature, Light and Distance
  31. INTERIOR AND EXTERIOR:NEWS and Interviews, Dramas and Music
  32. BROADCASTING AND MEDIA IMPERIALISM:The truth in the debate
  33. ENVIRONMENT OF TV BROADCAST:Optical Illusions, POV, Depth of Field
  34. BUDGET:First Part, Second Part, Third Part, The Sponsors
  35. COMPARISON AND CONTRAST OF DIFFERENT RADIO AND TV FORMATS:TV NEWS
  36. CURRENT AFFAIRS – FROM RADIO TO TV:Seminars, Interviews
  37. PRE-PRODUCTION:Brain Storming, Scripting a new program, Approval
  38. PRODUCTION & POST-PRODUCTION:Booking Shifts, Rehearsals
  39. TV ADVERTISEMENTS – MONEY WITH ENTERTAINMENT:Early Phase, Getting Spots
  40. ENIGMA OF MORE CHANNELS:The Investment, Fresh Ideas, Closure of channels
  41. ANCHORPERSON:Appearance and Confidence, Job Opportunities
  42. COMPARISON BETWEEN RADIO AND TV BROADCAST:The Difference, Script
  43. TERRESTRIAL TO SATELLITE TO CABLE TV:Cable Network, CD Channels
  44. CAREER IN BROADCASTING:Production, Direction, Lighting Director, Script Writer
  45. REVISION (LESSON 23 TO 44):Broadcasting Laws, PEMRA, Budget