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This Thursday, 21 November, is World Television Day — a moment to reflect on how TV has evolved since its introduction into homes in the 1930s and in South Africa almost 50 years later.
The 2024 theme for World Television Day is: “Accessibility”, focusing on making television content inclusive and ensuring it promotes education, social change, and global connections.
Two years after the moon landing, the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) – which focused on radio at the time – introduced television, but it only started with experimental broadcasts some four years later in 1975.
The initial plan was for English, Afrikaans and ‘TV Bantu’ channels, but the reality proved too difficult, so only one channel was introduced on 5 January 1976.
Unlike most nations that started with black-and-white television, South Africans experienced colour TV from the start, using a system known as Phase Alternating Line (PAL).
This was funded through a UK-based licence, after which advertising began to generate revenue in 1978.
By 1981, a second TV channel had been introduced for African language speakers, with TV1 catering to English and Afrikaans.
In 1986, the SABC finally lost the monopoly of television broadcasting with the introduction of M-Net, a subscription-based service funded by newspaper publishers – Naspers among them, according to Hirsch’s.
In 1996, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) declared November 21 World Television Day.
The UN recognised television as having an increased impact on decision-making as well as being an ambassador for the entertainment industry.
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A 21-year-old inventor by the name of Philo Taylor Farnsworth invented the world’s first electronic television.
Taylor lived in a home without electricity until he was 14 years old. In high school, he began to think of a system that could capture moving pictures, change them into a code, and then move those images with radio waves to different devices.
Since then remarkable day television has become a symbol of communication and globalisation that educates, informs, entertains and influences our decisions and opinions.
Over nearly a century, not only has the way we watch TV changed but so has the technology behind it.
One notable aspect is the battle of the brands when it comes to innovation and manufacturing a TV that gives you that immersive experience and being part of the show.
In the competitive world of technology, creating exceptional experiences is of the utmost importance.
TV display technology decisions can make or break the overall guest impression whether it’s at home or at a mall or office.
Tyrone Young, from LG Electronics South Africa, said there is a difference between household and commercial TVs
“While household TVs are designed for dim living rooms, commercial displays ensure perfect viewability in any lighting condition. With higher brightness output and specialised anti-glare coatings, commercial TVs deliver crisp, clear imagery whether in direct sunlight or the lobby at high noon.”
Televisions continue to evolve at a rapid pace and tech companies like LG, Samsung, Sony, Skyworth and TCL among others search for the latest innovation to edge out their competitors.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) may be the most popular technology in the news right now, said manufacturing giant TCL with many companies now offering tangible products that leverage AI that you can experience today.
“With all this AI power dedicated to the visuals, audio is not left behind. Look forward to Dolby Atmos three-dimensional audio created by the speaker array that is backed up by an ONKYO subwoofer to deliver not just clear sound, but also hard bass,” said TCL.
The recent arrival of web-based streaming services has revolutionised the television-watching experience.
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