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Television set

technology Maturity 9-11 Next article →

A television set is an electronic device for seeing and hearing broadcasts.

Museum für Kommunikation - Depot Heusenstamm - Technik 12 - Flickr - KlausNahr
Museum für Kommunikation - Depot Heusenstamm - Technik 12 - Flickr - KlausNahr

It works by combining three main parts: a tuner, a display, and loudspeakers. These devices have changed a lot over many years. They moved from large wooden boxes to very thin screens.

RCA 630-TS Television
RCA 630-TS Television

Today, you can use them to watch shows from the internet. You can also plug in a USB device to see content. Television has become a huge part of how people spend their time.

Old televisions used a special part called a cathode ray tube, or CRT.

Crt14
Crt14

A CRT is a large, heavy glass tube that holds a vacuum. Inside, an electron gun shoots beams of tiny particles at a screen. These beams are moved by magnetic fields to scan a picture. This process creates the images you see on the screen. Because the electrons move at high speeds, the glass must be thick. This thick lead glass helps protect people from radiation.

Many people helped create the technology we use today.

RCA 630-TS Television
RCA 630-TS Television

Karl Ferdinand Braun first thought of using a CRT in 1897. Later, Kenjiro Takayanagi showed the first working electronic system in Japan in 1926. The Baird "Televisor" was the first mass-produced TV, sold between 1930 and 1933. In 1934, Telefunken made the first commercial electronic TVs in Germany. By 1946, the RCA 630-TS became the first mass-produced electronic set in the U.S. These early steps changed how the whole world saw information.

Television grew very fast after World War II.

LCD generic tv
LCD generic tv

In 1946, only 0.5% of U.S. homes had a TV. By 1962, that number jumped to 90%. Color television became very popular after 1953. In the 1960s, many people used outdoor antennas to get signals. By 1960, Sony had sold over 4 million portable sets worldwide. These sets used transistors to become smaller and easier to carry. This allowed people to watch shows in many different places.

Modern screens are very different from the old glass tubes.

LCD generic tv
LCD generic tv

Most new TVs use liquid-crystal display, or LCD, technology.

Some newer models use OLED technology for even better pictures.

Samsung LE26R41BD and Yamada DVD player 20030624
Samsung LE26R41BD and Yamada DVD player 20030624

These flat-panel screens are much thinner and lighter than CRTs. Some very advanced TVs can even roll up or become transparent. As technology gets better, screens are getting much larger and cheaper. This makes it easy for almost anyone to enjoy a big screen.

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🖼️ Images & Media (9)
File:Museum für Kommunikation - Depot Heusenstamm - Technik 12 - Flickr - KlausNahr.jpg
Museum für Kommunikation - Depot...
File:RCA 630-TS Television.jpg
RCA 630-TS Television.jpg
File:Samsung LE26R41BD and Yamada DVD player 20030624.jpg
Samsung LE26R41BD and Yamada DVD player...
File:Crt14.jpg
Crt14.jpg
File:Christie Mirage 5000.jpg
Christie Mirage 5000.jpg
File:LCD generic tv.jpg
LCD generic tv.jpg
File:LG전자, 깜빡임 없는 55인치 3D OLED TV 공개(2).jpg
LG전자, 깜빡임 없는 55인치 3D OLED TV 공개(2).jpg
File:TV set (46 inch) in self-customized box for sending via parcel service N.3.jpg
TV set (46 inch) in self-customized box...
Consumer Reports - product testing -...
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