Television Systems: Innovation and Evolution

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Introduction

Countless innovations and inventions have been developed over the years ever since human beings inhabited planet earth. Some have caught the fancy of the people for their usefulness while a majority of them have faded away, the hard work that went behind each of them go unrecognized. The invention and subsequent innovation and evolution of the television may not be the greatest since ‘the invention of the wheel’. But everyone will agree that this is one invention that had caught the fancy of the public for its myriad uses that include entertainment, education, and communication. The many great minds behind the concept may be forgotten, but the technology and the product that has evolved through the years remain one of the most widely used gadgets in the life of a man or woman today. This paper traces the innovation and evolution of television systems right from their birth, their first steps, and subsequent development into the HDTVs and LCD TVs that one sees today. The word television is derived from two Greek words tele (meaning – far off) and videre (meaning – to see). (Danesi, p.226).

Invention, innovation, and evolution

These words may sound similar in meanings but have different connotations when looked into more deeply. An invention usually results in the creation of something new altogether. It may be a concept or product that has not been thought of or made by any other person. An innovation on the other hand can be defined as “the process that translates knowledge into economic growth and social well-being. It encompasses a series of scientific, technological, organizational, financial, and commercial activities”. (Glossary of Terms: Innovation). Any process that involves innovation needs to have economic or social well-being in mind and can happen in any of the diverse fields mentioned above. So, an invention is something that happens more for its creativity rather than for any social or economic benefit to society. Evolution though usually associated with the field of biology can and will happen in other fields also. It simply means “a process in which something passes by degrees to a different stage (especially a more advanced or mature stage).” (Noun).

In the world of television and television systems, it indicates the development that has happened over the years since its conception in the early years of the nineteenth century. It is also a process that will continue to evolve until some invention or innovation comes along that makes the TV redundant.

History of Television

The television set which we use today has passed through several milestones from nowhere to the most modern remote-controlled one. These upgrades were done by not a single person. Instead, the hard work and enthusiasm of a team of engineers resulted in the conversion of old mechanical television to the most modern electronic remote-controlled set. The evolution of television can be broadly bifurcated into two:

Mechanical Era
Electronic Era

Mechanical Era

In the history of television, the period before 1935 is called the mechanical era. This period is featured by the use of some mechanical devices.

Electronic Era

During this period, many electronic television technologies were developed. The invention of the Cathode Ray Tube in 1897 by German Scientist, Karl Braun is a landmark in the history of computers because it paved the way for the development of the CRT Screen. Electronic television is based on the Cathode Ray Tube, which is still the picture tube used in television. The remote control was invented in 1956 by Zenith Electronics Corporation. In the area of the television display, a new invention was made in 1964 by Donald Blitzer, called Plasma Television. (Bellis).

Innovation and evolution of television systems

An analysis of the history of television itself was given above. As with any invention, innovation and evolution soon followed and new systems that advanced the technology to higher degrees of quality and sophistication began to emerge. It is common knowledge that television broadcasts began with low-resolution black and white pictures. The review of this section will begin with the black and white television systems of the early years of television.

Black and white television systems

The first recognized broadcast of black and white television moving images (in fact the first transmission of any type of electronic TV signals) was to the astounded visitors to the San Francisco Merchant Exchange in 1928. This was done on an experimental basis by Philo T Farnsworth with the camera placed in his laboratory in a place called Green Street a mile away from the Merchant Exchange. (The Evolution of Broadcast TV Technology).

With further developments in technology, it became imminent that something had to be done about the standardization of video transmission. This was left to a group of about 170 specialists in the field by the US Federal Communications Commission in 1940. Their recommendations about black and white transmission (and later for color also) became the transmission system being used in the USA even today. The committee eventually came to be called the NTSC (National Television Standards Committee). The standard that was fixed for the whole nation was 525 alternating lines. The frame rate was fixed at thirty per second for each of the alternating horizontal lines. This means that each set of 262.5 lines would refresh at the rate of thirty frames per second bringing the total frame rate to sixty.

The color switch: In the field of optics, the development of technology to split colors into the so-called primary colors of red, green, and blue (in reality they are cyan, yellow, and magenta) was the primary impetus for the switch to color TV transmission. The human eye also uses these colors to form all the other millions of colors one sees in the world today. “Our eyes have three sets of sensors with peak sensitivities at light frequencies that we call red (580 nm), green (540 nm), and blue (450 nm). Light at any wavelength in the visual spectrum ranging from 400 to 700 nanometres will excite one or more of these three types of sensors.” (Color vision).

Why different systems

There is more than one TV system used in the world today like NTSC, PAL, and SECAM. It would be worthwhile to briefly reflect on why a universal system did not come about. “To work TV receivers require a source of field timing reference signals. These are signals that tell the TV receiver to be ready to receive the next picture in the stream of images.” (King).

The Mains power supply frequency was used by developers even during the early days of TV broadcasting and this practice was never abandoned even now. The problem was that the whole world did not use a single mains power source frequency. Some countries used a 60 Hz frequency and others used a 50 Hz frequency. This resulted in the usage of two different frames per second namely the 25 frames per second (for 50 Hz) and the 30 frames per second (for 60 Hz). This was the primary reason that led to the evolution of different systems in use today. “In the main, there has been no substantive change in the reference signal because there has never been an alternative suggested that was sufficiently compelling to drive a change in established practice.” (Symes, p.2).

The extent of relationship to previous product/service/process

There is no particular relation with existing products or services since the TV was using new technology. The only relationship was that both radio and TV signals are broadcast. Also, the TV was a visual medium like the movies.

Existing competition when first innovated

When the TV arrived on the scene, the only other competitor it had was the radio and the movies. The radio could transmit audio of music, news, etc. Both were very popular forms of entertainment at that time and continue to be popular. The advent of digital transmission of radio by satellite and streaming audio (using the internet) has only made it more popular than ever before. It should be noted that TV is still more popular even though the radio and movies have evolved in their ways.

Subsequent competition

The advent of the internet has proven to be a major competitor to the television industry and TV set manufacturers. Studies on the topic show that a lot of people have become a net savvy and spend a lot of time online chatting, socializing, using emails and looking for information. The internet has also become a source of education that is much more popular than what is available with TV. TV programs are now available live or recorded on the internet. Websites like Youtube allow users to upload and also view the content. Most of this content was what was shown on various TV programs around the world.

The arrival of satellite radio (and FM stations much earlier) has also been a competitor. Satellite radio offers digital-quality sound and a wide variety of channels to choose from. Moreover, satellite radio receivers are now mobile and listeners can take the equipment with then just like a Walkman. Mobile television is not very effective as the screen will be small in size. The inclusion of multimedia in today’s mobile phones is also forming a competition for TV.

Levels of uncertainty

Whenever a new technology is developed or major innovations take place in an already existing technology, the first reaction of the people is uncertainty. There are four levels of uncertainty and is expressed as Level 1 to Level 4. Level 1 is also called Variation where the future may vary slightly with what has been expected or predicted. Level 2 is called Foreseen uncertainty, where some variance is expected due to foreseen evidence. Level 3 is called Unforeseen uncertainty and here some factors just cannot be predicted. The last level is referred to a state of chaos. (Answers for the Workplace E-Memo). It can be said that the TV is at Level 2 where alternatives like digital/FM radio and internet exists.

It is only natural that people avoid uncertainty. When something new is being developed most are not familiar with the concept and hence sees uncertainty there. Resistance to innovation is basically resistance to change. “In fact, the vast majority of people who have no a priory desire to change may be more typical and even more rational than a small minority of individuals who seek change for its own sake rather than, or in addition to, the intrinsic value of the innovation.” (Sheth, p.274).

Sources of resistance to innovation

Resistance exists due to uncertainty. The uncertainty begins with the people who innovate fearing that it may not be accepted by the people. The manufacturers (in case it is different from the innovator) may also feel uncertain to take on such a risk. Once the product is ready for the market, the public may be unsure of the product. An example would be the introduction of the microwave where people were unsure and skeptical of how cooking can be done without generating heat. These are also the sources from where resistance comes.

Stakeholder analysis

The stakeholders in the case of TV are given below. They include the TV set and accessory manufacturers, the studios and the broadcasting companies, the actors and technicians, the viewing public, the advertising companies and their clients and the government for the taxes and other revenue received.

Economic contribution

The TV industry is contributing to the lively hood of all the persons associated with the above mentioned stakeholders (except for viewers and government). The TV also provides large revenue for the government through taxes and other statutory duties.

Future development / possibilities

The analogue format will disappear completely in the coming years and the whole system will switch to digital broadcast. High definition TV will replace existing TV sets. Computers and TV will merge and most of the viewing will be done on them instead of the traditional TV set. The concept of on demand programs will replace fixed broadcasts. The mobile will also turn into a mini TV player. (Future of TV: New Technologies). Once higher speeds are common in downloading, the internet will be used more and more as a mode of transmission.

Conclusion

The problems created by the existence of different systems will continue since these systems may not be replaced in the near future. It is also interesting to see that choice of a system can be due to political reasons rather than for its technicality and practicality. The future of TV is quite safe at the moment but the trend is moving towards total digital transmission and high definition broadcasts. By the next decade or so, analogue transmission may totally disappear to be replaced by digital transmission. The relation between the internet and TV is growing and it could be that TV will become more and more a part of the internet. Innovations will continue to take place, but as of now a totally new technology does not seem to come immediately.

Works Cited

Bellis, Mary. Television History. About.com. 2008. Web.

Color Vision. Photo.net. 2008. Web.

Danesi, Marcel. Encyclopedia Dictionary of Semiotics, Media, and Communication. 2000. Web.

Future of TV: New Technologies. BBC News. 2006. Web.

Glossary of Terms: Innovation. Australian Government: Australian Research Council. 2008. Web.

King, Bevis. Why do Different TV Standard Exists: Why did This Happen? 1995. 2008. Web.

Noun. Word Net 3.0: Cognitive Science Library. 2006. Web.

Symes P D. The Search for a Universal Timing Reference Signal: Reasons for Change. Grass Valley Group. 2001. Web.

The Evolution of Broadcast TV Technology. MLE SAT: Satellite Books, Video Tapes and Software. 2003. Web.

Answers for the Workplace E-Memo. Leadership Development. 2005. Web.

Sheth, Jagadish N. Psychological of Innovation Resistance: Introduction. 1981. 2008. Web.

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