In Greek, ‘tele’ means ‘far’ and the Latin ‘visio’ means sight.
Television, also known as the box, the tube, the small screen, the telly, is one of the
most powerful forms of modern communication known to man.
Few inventions have had as much influence on society as the television…think about
it, how many people do you know without a TV in their home?
Yes, there are a rare few, but reports show that around 89% of all homes in the world
have at least one TV set.
It will come as no great surprise to learn that China has the highest number of TVs on
the planet with 400 million, followed by the entertainment hub of the world, America, with
around 220 million.
Average Americans spend between two and five hours a day watching the box.
The first true television success, the transmission of a live human face, was achieved by John
Logie Baird in Britain in 1925.
At first, the idea of transmission was laughed at with early TV being quite primitive and
all action captured on one single camera, but in time, companies started to realize
the potential of TV - advertising, sharing of information/ideas and the possibilities
of broadcasting caught their eye.
After World War II, televisions became standard furniture in households in the UK and the
USA.
They started off as simple black & white images.
By the mid-1960’s, color TV was introduced and was starting to become influential on
public opinion in most developed countries all over the world.
It was around this time that TV started to compete with newspapers as the primary source
of news.
The TV remote control was also a major advancement in the 1950’s; ironically the first version
was named ‘Lazy Bones’ and was connected to the TV by a wire!
The first wireless remote was created in America in 1955 and so the term “couch potato”
came into use!
Criticized heavily for creating a lazy, neglectful, inactive group of individuals, the television
also has its haters.
Some viewers become easily addicted to watching TV, which tends to go hand-in-hand with snacking,
lounging around, and general anti-social behavior.
Thanks to advances in technology, following the introduction of video recorders, and cable
& satellite TV, there are now several kinds of TV available - 3D, flat-screen, wide-screen,
digital, LED, and Smart, to name a few.
Nowadays, more and more Smart TVs are found in the home - a TV that integrates a computer,
a digital media player, and a television, essentially all connected to the internet.
By the end of 2020, and most probably influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic, 34% of global households
owned a Smart TV.
This figure will inevitably continue to grow as the use of Smart items also increases and
consumers look to update their regular TV sets.
With the establishment of Smart TV came subscription streaming services, most notably Netflix,
which was launched in 1997.
It has gone on to become one of the world’s leading entertainment channels, available
in 190 countries (Netflix is not available in China, Syria, North Korea, or Crimea).
The magic of services like Netflix, HBO, Disney+, Hulu, Amazon Prime, etc…is that viewers
can watch anytime, anywhere, even on their smartphones or tablets (as long as they have
a decent internet connection) and can pause, rewind, fast-forward, replay or bookmark and
categorize shows, movies & music at their own convenience.
The future of TV is most likely to include sets that will integrate virtual reality eye-wear,
headsets, and interactive remotes or gadgets.
Even the couch potatoes will have to get up and get involved…pass the remote please!