Fifty Years Of Television – What’s Next?
For the past half a century most households in the UK have had a 'window to the world' in their living room and in that time the traditional television set has undergone some amazing developments and improvements.
Advertisement Feature
The first generation of domestic televisions in the UK were only capable of receiving black and white picture transmissions on a small cathode ray tube and owning a set was something of a novelty. By the 60s it had become much more common and television designs began to focus on the set itself with a range of classic sci-fi inspired models appearing in various guises.
It wasn't until later in the decade that the UK saw its first colour transmissions and the switch to 625 lines of transmission. Even then colour TVs didn’t begin to sell in mass market numbers until the 70s.
With this in mind, the past decade has seen an enormous leap forward in television technology and design, with the cathode ray tube now a thing of the past and LCD and plasma screens the new norm. Not only has the display type changed but the transmission of the signals themselves has undergone a massive revolution with the 'digital switchover' programme having now swept across the UK.
Consequently the TV set which has taken pride of place in most houses for the past couple of generations is now a very different device from fifty years ago and it is currently in the midst of its next quantum leap in evolution.
The 'smart' TV is already a common site in showrooms and, although still in its infancy, can fully engage with the functions that the concept of 'convergence' has been predicting for some years. Instead of being a device that merely receives television broadcasts, the new era seethe TV take its place at the centre of communication and entertainment in the home.
At the very basic level, a smart TV is a television enhanced for the digital and internet age. There are many devices on the market which offer 'add on' capabilities for your existing set, ranging from thumb drive sized sticks which plug into a spare HDMI port (if you have one), to fully fledged internet boxes with full Wi-Fi capabilities. The fact is that these devices are very much stop gap measures, much as the original digital broadcast set top boxes were. The future of the television is very much a device with all these new functions 'built in'.
If you are looking to join the next stage of the television revolution, most major manufacturers and trusted brands are already producing excellent fully functioned sets at very attractive prices. The best places to check out the models on offer in Birmingham are at stores and outlets which have a tried and trusted reputation for providing cutting edge technology at great prices backed up with the support of knowledgeable and informed staff.
Richer Sounds is well known for fitting this criteria, as well as offering a range of devices for different budgets with a hard won reputation for providing value and innovation. You can see the latest deals on smart TVs here.