Television: The Life Story of a Technology (Greenwood Technographies)

For better or worse, television has been the dominant medium of communication for 50 years. Almost all American households have a television set; many have more than one. Transmitting images and sounds electronically is a relatively recent invention, one that required passionate inventors, determined businessmen, government regulators, and willing consumers. This volume in the Greenwood Technographies series covers the entire history of television from 19the-century European conceptions of transmitting moving images electrically to the death of TV as a discrete system in a digital age. Magoun also discusses the changing face of television in the displays that people watch around the globe. Television: The Life Story of a Technology appeals to students and lay readers alike in highlighting key events and people: the American engineers and entrepreneus such as Vladimir Zworykin and David Sarnoff who ignited the television industry; the bloom of programming choices in tandem with the Baby Boom generation; the development of cable and satellite TV; the Asians who innovated American inventions in videorecording and flat-panel displays; the use of TV in wartime; and the new worlds of digital and high-definition television. Based on the latest research, this crisply written, sometimes provocative survey includes a glossary, timeline, and bibliography for further infomration. For better or worse, television is the dominant medium of communication in today's culture. Almost all American households have a television; most have more than one. But the ability to send images and sounds through the air, or via a cable, is a relatively recent invention, one that required inquisitive inventors, clever business people, and creative entertainers. This volume in the Greenwood Technographies series will will cover the entire history of television from the early twentieth-century ideas of transmitting images by electromagnetic waves to the current issues involving HDTV. In addition, the volume will discuss the continuing importance of television in the lives of people across the globe.

Television: The Life Story of a Technology will appeal to students and lay readers alike by relating the stories of some of the most influential and interesting events of the past century:
-The earliest engineers -- such as Philo Farnsworth and Vladimir Zworykin -- whose work ignited the entire television industry
-How the television industry and commercial programming bloomed in tandem with the Baby Boom generation
-The late-twentieth century expansion of cable television and the decline of the broadcast networks, and the new world of high-definition television.

The volume includes a glossary of terms, a timeline of important events, and a selected bibliography of resources for further information. Explores The History And Evolution Of Television In The United States With References To Developments In Other Places In Regards To The American System's Growth. Discusses The Origins And Birth Of Television And Describes The Role Of People Involved In Its Conception Including Inventors, Scientists, Engineers, Broadcasters, Advertisers, Performers, And Consumers. Also Covers The Commercialization Of Television And The Future Of Digital Technology. Includes A Timeline And Glossary Of Terms. Introduction -- Timeline -- Conception, 1873-1911 -- Birth Of A Technology ; Or Invention, 1912-1928 -- Parenthood : Television's Innovation, 1928-1941 -- Working For A Living : Television's Commercialization, 1941-1966 -- Children Of The Revolution, 1947-1987 -- The Digital Generation And The End Of Television. Alexander B. Magoun. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [187]-193) And Index. Part of a series that tells the "life story" of the objects and technologies that have become so vital to our daily lives. This volume combines a discussion of technical developments with a description of the effect the technology has on the fabric of society and culture. It traces the history of Television from its beginning.