Is anyone else amazed at how much television has evolved since it's beginning?

Question

I'm thinking that soon we will be able to watch a footbal game and actually get to swat our favorite player on the butt for a good play or watch a baseball game and be able to smell the hot dogs cooking.

Answer 1

Amazed and disgusted.
Amazed at the quality of the images displayed (It seems as though you SHOULD be able to reach out and high five the players) and disgusted by the lack of quality and integrity in the content. Some of the things that are shown on television are shocking!
The language alone is disturbing. Would you allow a stranger to come into your living room and speak that way in front of your mom or kids? No, you'd either tell them to clean it up or you'd kick them out. But we sit in front of the Stupid Box and let this filth stream into our homes.
You have to use such vigilence with what kids see on tv. Smut and violence rule the screen.
I watch very little television beyond sports, Food Network and discovery or history channels. I guess that qualifies me as an old fart, but , oh well.

Answer 2

absolutely .....there are so many variations on 'interactive' entertainment in the pipeline. I have heard for some years now about the smell-o-vision. You would have to purchase a "Scent Box" which would release odor combinations when programmed.

There is the 3D holographic TV with lasers that would project into the room. In this set up you could stop and step into the scene for a different view.

Then there is the "Thin TV" which could be shown on what amounts to wall paper. you could be watching in the kitchen and have the program follow you into the dining room. When the TV was off you could program your walls for any color you wanted. I won't go into what fiendish things the "Playboy/Playgirl" have in mind .... I like my Y!A account.

Answer 3

I remember "Howdy Doody."

I am amazed at the progress of medium, but somehow the content is lacking. TV as we know it will be dead within 5 years, anyhow.

Historically, TV was supposed to be the beginning of a new Renaissance (just as the invention of the machine gun, the submarine, and the A-Bomb was supposed to eliminate war.) People of a previous generation thought it might lead to better education. They died disappointed.

As for me, give me research on the Internet that I control, or give me a good book...

(But I'm cool with the new "video" games--- we were hoping for such technology stuff when my generation was programming Atari 8-bits--- )

Books still remain king of civilization. Once printed, they're less susceptible to spam.

Answer 4

It is pretty amazing that people used to watch a little black and white television, and now there are huge, 60-70 inch dlp or lcd or watever kinda televisions. I don't know how much better they can make it, beside what u said.

Answer 5

I agree.
I was watching an episode of I Love Lucy (1954) were they show to neighbors (Ethel and Fred) home movies from their baby.And I remenber all about the 8mm camera ,the screen and the huge proyector all meant for home movies.Actually this didnt change until the late 60s my folks had one like it.I remenber they need to edit and glue the reel .My mother tells that Tv didnt make it to Peru until the 60s .People had the tv set before the first tv transmition was launched.They spend hours waiting for any sign at their sets.lol
Now we have more than 100 channels to choose from countries we ever think we will learn to speak their language.Plasma and Lcd Tvs ,Tv on our cars,market mostly everywhere we go and computers(we can edit and save images)Sometime I bet they will made a portable TV ipod ....I think I saw one already ? of course is in our cell phones we can watch tv too.
But about Tv programs I like to watch the early ones....I like it simple black and white .One of the greatest inventions after the tv possible was the control remote?I remenber getting up to switch channels were only 9 channels avalaible.

Here is more information about Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz they were televison producers and innovators .Created the rerun,multiple camera set up and ...........Desilu Productions

With Ball, he founded Desilu Productions. At this time, most television programs were broadcast live, and as the largest markets were in New York, the rest of the country received only kinescope images (the result of placing 35 mm or 16 mm film cameras in front of a television monitor shipping the prints to other time zones for broadcast at a later date, resulting in extremely poor quality). Arnaz developed the multiple-camera setup production style using adjacent sets that became the standard for all subsequent situation comedies to this day. The use of film enabled every station around the country to broadcast high-quality images of the show. Initially, Arnaz was told that it would be impossible to allow an audience onto a sound stage, but he worked with the famous cameraman Karl Freund to design a set that would accommodate an audience, allow filming, and also adhere to fire and safety codes.

Network executives considered the use of film an unnecessary extravagance. Arnaz convinced them to allow Desilu to cover all additional costs associated with the filming process, under the stipulation that Desilu owned and controlled all rights to the film. Arnaz's unprecedented arrangement is widely considered to be one of the shrewdest deals in television history. As a result of his foresight, Desilu reaped the profits from all re-runs of the series.

Arnaz also pushed the network to allow them to show Lucille Ball while she was pregnant. According to Arnaz, the CBS network told him, "You cannot show a pregnant woman on television." Arnaz consulted a priest, a rabbi and a minister, all of whom told him that there would be nothing wrong with showing a pregnant Lucy or with using the word pregnant. The network finally relented and let Arnaz and Ball weave the pregnancy into the story line, but remained adamant about eschewing use of pregnant, so Arnaz substituted expecting, pronouncing it 'spectin' in his Cuban accent. Oddly, the official title of the episode announcing the pregnancy was "Lucy Is Enceinte," employing the French word for pregnant.

In addition to I Love Lucy, he produced December Bride, The Mothers-in-Law, The Lucy Show, Those Whiting Girls, Our Miss Brooks, The Danny Thomas Show, Leave It to Beaver, The Andy Griffith Show, and The Untouchables, all Top Ten shows in their time. He is also credited with the invention of the rerun.

I liked your question :)

Answer 6

Ya, I was just watching the beginning of a Leave it to Beaver the other day. They were backing out the driveway and there wasn't a rear windshield and they boys were looking out smiling. I was LMAO.

Answer 7

Now that you mention it, it is pretty amazing. It definitely hasn't evolved for the better though. There are way too many adult programs that kids really should not see.

Answer 8

evolved? How? No wonder I'm reading 'Anna Karenina' by Tolstoy and 'The Sparrow Falls' by Wilbur Smith..

Answer 9

No they put on shows to get you to watch commercials and buy products the same as it has been for years.

Answer 10

yes, i'm amazed. i threw out my tv around 1990 because it had evolved into a vast wasteland.