History of Television: Evolution Over 90 Years

Television has come a long way: from a bulky box with blurry images and poor sound, it has evolved into an interactive screen just a centimeter thick, controlled by a remote. We tell you how it happened.

1920s. Mechanical Television

In 1925, thanks to British inventor John Logie Baird, the first mechanical television was created. It worked simply: the image changed through a special rotating disc, and the picture had only 30 vertical lines. While today's televisions show 24 frames per second, back then there were only five. In the four subsequent years, 1000 devices were sold, which was a big breakthrough for the inventor.

The Germans went further and in 1928 introduced a device that worked like a projector — projecting images onto the opposite wall, showing only shadows and unclear silhouettes.

In 1929, the American company released the first 'Vitaphone' televisions.

However, the device did not gain popularity due to poor image quality. The picture was the size of a stamp, and even with lens magnification, only general outlines were visible, and faces were not distinguishable at all.

1930s. Electronic Television

With the arrival of the new decade, a breakthrough occurred. In 1931, Russian immigrant and RCA employee Vladimir Zworykin invented the 'iconoscope', marking the transition from electromechanical to electronic television.

Vladimir Zworykin, 1930s

In 1931, at the Eighth Radio Exhibition in Berlin, German company LOEWE demonstrated the first image transmission in the world. This was a serious statement for mass television broadcasting.

By 1933, electronic televisions had entered stores in France, the United Kingdom, and the United States. However, they were not accessible to everyone: the cheapest model with a 30-centimeter screen was sold for $445, which is about $7,500 in today's equivalent.

In the same year 1933, company LOEWE launched the first television in the world with a dynamic speaker.
At that time, the sound quality of this television was at an impossibly high level.

1940s. Crisis in Europe

During World War II and several years after it, Europe had no time for television, while in the United States, TV production developed rapidly.

If in 1946, televisions were only in five out of 100 families, by the end of the 1950s, TV receivers were in 77% of the population.

1950s. Color and Remote

In 1953, the U.S. introduced analog color television system NTSC. In the same year, 40 thousand color TVs were sold.

In the 1950s, the first remote control was also introduced. It was developed by Eugene Polley, an employee of the American company Zenith Radio Corporation. However, the remote was connected to the TV via a cable.

In 1955, the wireless remote Flashmatic appeared, which contained a photoelement reacting to light. Today, this principle is used in devices like gate remotes or metro turnstiles.

1960s. Pixels

In the early 1960s, the U.S. launched the first plasma screen. Initially, it was used as an information display board in train stations and airports and had a resolution of only 16×16 pixels.

JFK Airport, New York, 1960s

1970s and 1980s. Infrared and Computers

In 1974, the infrared remote was introduced, which is still used today. In the 1980s, it became possible to connect gaming consoles, VCRs, and computers to TVs.

1990s. Plasma

The first full-color plasma panel appeared in 1992.

A sensation of 1997 was the first television in the world with Internet access from LOEWE. This was the first Smart TV, without which it is impossible to imagine any modern television today.

In 1998, the German company launched one of the first flat-screen TVs from LOEWE Spheros.

2000s. Race for Design

In the early 2000s, among 'plasma' manufacturers, a race began for the largest and thinnest television, as well as a TV with additional effects.

In 2004, Japanese corporation developed backlighting for all sides of the television, enhancing the effect on the screen. However, this technology quickly caused eye fatigue, and the model was discontinued.

2010s. 8K Image and OLED Display

One of the latest technologies for modern TVs became OLED displays with organic LEDs and infinite image contrast.

Many manufacturers plan to release 8K screen resolution models soon. Modern TVs have Internet access, automatic synchronization, and playback from any mobile device.

One of Google's directors, Kevall Desai, put it best: 'The future of television lies in eliminating the difference that exists today between television and the Internet'.

The future of television lies in eliminating the difference between television and the Internet.

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