zachary c foss
This is a list of the key innovations that led to the development of Television as we know it today.
The internet has allowed for the creation of movie and TV show streaming sites, as well as places dedicated to TV networks, and Movie studios. It is the culmination of every innovation on this list in one way or another.
Cable TV enlisted the combined works of long range communication with Television. It allowed people anywhere to have access to TV, as the lines could be stretched great distances, or packed tightly together to accommodate highly dense populations.
Satellite was a major step forward for many people in the availability of TV. Just one satellite could provide TV to millions, and the eventual network that we spawned in our atmosphere is amazing. While not as reliable as a direct cable line, the shear number of channels that could be streamed made up for this greatly.
Before the great creation of YouTube and the eventual streaming websites, physical items containing movies and TV shows had to be used. People could record and playback long expanses of tape using VHS tape players without having massive sets of expensive equipment, like the ones movie directors had. DVD's were an even larger jump, as one DVD could hold an entire movie, or more. The compact size of DVD's and amount of stored data quickly overcame the VHS, but both are responsible for TV as we know it.
Let's be honest, we have all used Netflix or a similar site like Hulu to watch our favorite TV shows and Movies on demand. The practicality, ease-of-use, and availability have all played in to the uprising of digital Television over physical copies. The fact that some shows now are exclusive to some sites indicated how popular they are. Over 40 million people are subscribed to Netflix currently.
From the first of W3XK, or recent ones like the History Channel, TV stations are providers of specialized content that allow viewers to get specific info, or entertainment constantly. The big channels of NBC, CBS, and MSNCB were created as pseudo brands that could push content to viewers as well as advertise for companies. They provided news, entertainment, and became household names, furthering sales of Television sets.
Adding color to the otherwise drab Black and White television screens of American was a major step in making televisions a household item. The year that color was introduced, television sales skyrocketed to above 6 million nationwide. This a testament to the superficiality of America. As long as it looks pretty we like it.
HDTV is the biggest improvement in visual quality since the invention of color TV. The first TV's had 30 lines to produce video. by 1970 they had upgraded to around 450. When the first HDTV's were introduced, they doubled that, and contained over 1000 lines. Nowadays HDTV's contain million of pixels, and thousands of lines.
Pay-Per-View was a new idea in the 70's, and only a few networks were willing to risk charging extra for specific content at risk of losing their viewers. The first successful use of pay-per-view was in the Ali-Frazier boxing match of 1975, which grossed over 1.5 million for HBO. In 1975 this was an absolutely absurd amount of money that asserted pay-per-view as a real force in generating funds for networks rather than running advertisements. In a way this gave rise to on demand styles of TV that require a subscription to use their services.
Movie rental businesses, while having a short lifespan, saw an amazingly profitable one while it lasted. Before movie kiosks were invented rental stores were the only real source of watching movies after they had appeared in theaters. They were cheap, effective, and efficient, and laid the foundation for online rental companies.
