television

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Television, early 20th century – Brought the world into people’s homes

Engineers make interactive television possible. Engineers are involved in all aspects of interactive TV technology, from designing new cables, to creating new film emulsions, to engineering better sound quality. This technology allows viewers to select any program, film, or game from more than 500 channels.
— Fun and Exciting Facts About Engineering

Television (TV) – a widely used telecommunication system for broadcasting and receiving moving pictures and sound over a distance. The term may also be used to refer specifically to a television set, programming or television transmission.

Television is one of the greatest engineering achievements of the 20th century. Commercially available since the late 1920s, the television set has become commonplace in homes, businesses and institutions, particularly as a vehicle for advertising, a source of entertainment, and news.

Television is a way of sending and receiving moving images and sounds over wires or through the air by electrical impulses. The big breakthrough in technology was the ability to send sound and pictures over the air. The TV camera converts images into electrical impulses, which are sent along cables, or by radio waves, or satellite to a television receiver where they are changed back into a picture. more… broadcast, digital

Television is a three-part invention

  • TV camera that turns a picture and sound into a signal
  • TV transmitter that sends the signal through the air
  • TV receiver (the TV set in your home) that captures the signal and turns it back into picture and sound. Early Cathode-ray tube (CRT) have been replaced by newer Flatscreen technology.

How television works – pretty extensive writeup on the whole process – pictures, diagrams

Video: How a television works (1:24)
Video” entire process (4:01) – camera, encoding, transmission, receiver, satellite

technical standards

  • analog
  • digital television (DTV)
  • high-definition television (HDTV)

What’s the problem?
Change the channel on the TV without leaving the sofa.
Remote control – An IR remote (also called a transmitter) uses light to carry signals from the remote to the device it controls. These codes represent commands, such as power on, volume up, or channel down. Once the signal is decoded, the microprocessor executes the commands.

  • Ask – How can you control the TV set 10 feet away without a direct connecting wire?
  • Imagine – In both World War I and World War II, radio-frequency devices were used to control boats and explosive devices remotely. There are two main types of technology: infrared (IR) technology or radio frequency (RF) technology.
  • Design, Build – Infrared (IR) technology is easily adapted for this use.
  • Improve – IR remotes use LED lights to transmit their infrared signals. Although there is a limited range of about 30 feet, this is fine for a TV remote.

That’s engineering

  • transmitter
  • receiver

Engineering ideas

  • LED, light of sight,

Do it
Here are some challenges for you to work on…

  • try using your TV remote from different locations. How far away does it work? Does it work equally well at different distances from the TV? Does the angle from the TV make a difference? Does it work from another room?

Learn more…

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