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	'''Television''' is a widely used ] medium for ] and receiving live, moving greyscale or color images with sound. The term may also be used to refer specifically to a ], ] or television ]. The word is derived from mixed ] and ] roots, meaning "far sight": Greek ''tele'' ({{polytonic\|τ{{Unicode\|ῆ}}λε}}), far, and Latin ''vision'', sight (from ''video, vis-'' to see, or to view in the first person).

	], the television set has become a common household communications device in homes and institutions, particularly as a source of entertainment and news. Since the 1970s, ] recordings on ] and later, digital playback systems such as ]s, have enabled the television to be used to view recorded movies and other programs.

	A television system may be made up of multiple components, so a screen which lacks an internal ] to receive the broadcast signals is called a monitor rather than a television. A television may be built to receive different broadcast or video formats, such as ], commonly referred to as ]. ]] costs more than normal TV but is becoming more available.

	==History==
	{{main\|History of television}}

	The origins of what would become today's television system can be traced back to the discovery of the ] of the element ] by ] in 1873, the invention of a ] by ] in 1884, and ]'s ] in 1927.

	On ], ], ] inventor ] gave a demonstration of televised silhouette images in motion at ] Department Store in ]. In 1927, Baird transmitted a signal over 438 miles of telephone line between London and ]. In 1928, Baird's company (Baird Television Development Company / Cinema Television) broadcast the first transatlantic television signal, between London and New York, and the first shore-to-ship transmission. He also demonstrated an electromechanical color, ] (dubbed "Noctovision"), and ] television, using additional lenses, disks and filters. In parallel, Baird developed a video disk recording system dubbed "]"; a number of the Phonovision recordings, dating back to 1927, still exist.<ref></ref> In 1929, he became involved in the first experimental electromechanical television service in Germany. In November 1929, Baird and ] of ] established France's first television company, Télévision-]-Natan. In 1931, he made the first live transmission, of the ]. In 1932, he demonstrated ] television. Baird's electromechanical system reached a peak of 240 lines of resolution on ] television broadcasts in 1936, before being discontinued in favor of a 405-line all-electronic system developed by ].

	However, ] of Bell Labs gave the most dramatic demonstration of television yet on ], ], when he field tested reflected-light television systems using small-scale (2 by 2.5 inches) and large-scale (24 by 30 inches) viewing screens over a wire link from ] to ], and over-the-air broadcast from Whippany, ]. The subjects, who included ] ], were illuminated by a ] beam that was scanned by a 50-aperture disk at 16 pictures per minute.

	==Geographical usage==
	[[Image:TV-introduction-world-map.svg\|360px\|thumb\|right\|Television introduction by country.
	{{legend\|Red\|1930 to 1939}}
	{{legend\|Orange\|1940 to 1949}}
	{{legend\|Yellow\|1950 to 1959}}
	{{legend\|Lime\|1960 to 1969}}
	{{legend\|Cyan\|1970 to 1979}}
	{{legend\|Blue\|1980 to 1989}}
	{{legend\|Magenta\|1990 to 1999}}
	{{legend\|Grey\|No data}}
	]]
	*]
	{{main\|Geographical usage of television}}

	==Content==
	===Programming===
	{{seealso\|Category:Television genres}}
	Getting TV programming shown to the public can happen in many different ways. After production the next step is to market and deliver the product to whatever markets are open to using it. This typically happens on two levels:

	#'''Original Run''' or '''First Run''' – a producer creates a program of one or multiple episodes and shows it on a station or network which has either paid for the production itself or to which a license has been granted by the producers to do the same.
	#''']''' – this is the terminology rather broadly used to describe secondary programming usages (beyond original run). It includes secondary runs in the country of first issue, but also international usage which may or may not be managed by the originating producer. In many cases other companies, ] or individuals are engaged to do the syndication work, in other words to sell the product into the markets they are allowed to sell into by contract from the copyright holders, in most cases the producers.

	First run programming is increasing on subscription services outside the U.S., but few domestically produced programs are syndicated on domestic ] elsewhere. This practice is increasing however, generally on digital-only FTA channels, or with subscriber-only first run material appearing on FTA.

	Unlike the U.S., repeat FTA screenings of a FTA network program almost only occur on that network. Also, ]s rarely buy or produce non-network programming that is not centred around local events.

	===Funding===
	{{globalize\|section}}
	]

	Around the globe, broadcast television is financed by either advertising, tv licencing (a form of tax) or by subscription or any combination of all three. To protect revenues, subscription TV channels are usually encrypted to ensure that only subscription payers receive the decryption codes to see the signal. Non-encrypted channels are known as '''Free to Air''' or '''FTA'''.

	'''Advertising'''

	Advertising attempts to influence people's behaviour and beliefs and television is therefore a powerful and attractive medium for advertisers to use. TV stations sell air time to advertisers in order to fund their programming.

	* United States

	Since inception in the U.S. in 1940, ] have become one of the most effective, persuasive, and popular method of selling products of many sorts, especially consumer goods. U.S. ] rates are determined primarily by ]. The time of the day and popularity of the channel determine how much a television commercial can cost. For example, the highly popular ] can cost approximately $750,000 for a thirty second block of commercial time; while the same amount of time for the ] and the ] can cost several million dollars.

	In recent years, the paid program or ] has become common, usually in lengths of 30 minutes or one hour. Some drug companies have even created "news" items for broadcast, paying ]s to use them.{{fact\|date=December 2007}} <ref>] of "]" was mock-outraged at this, saying, "That's what we do!", and calling it a new form of television, "infoganda".</ref>

	Some TV programs also weave advertisements into their shows, a practice begun in film and known as ]. For example, a character could be drinking a certain kind of soda, going to a particular chain restaurant, or driving a certain make of car. (This is sometimes very subtle, where shows have vehicles provided by manufacturers for low cost, rather than wrangling them.) Sometimes a specific brand or trade mark, or music from a certain artist or group, is used. (This excludes guest appearances by artists, who perform on the show.)

	*United Kingdom

	The TV regulator oversees TV advertising in the United Kingdom. Its restrictions have applied since the early days of commercially funded TV. Despite this, an early TV mogul, ], likened the broadcasting licence as a being a "licence to print money". Restrictions mean that the big three national commercial TV channels, ITV, Channel 4, and Five can show an average of only seven minutes of advertising per hour (eight minutes in the peak period). Other broadcasters must average no more than nine minutes (twelve in the peak). This means that many imported TV shows from the US have un-natural breaks where the UK company has edited out the breaks intended for US advertising. Advertisements must not be inserted in the course of any broadcast of a news or current affairs program of less than half an hour scheduled duration, or in a documentary of less than half an hour scheduled duration, or in a program for children of less than half an hour scheduled duration. Nor may advertisements be carried in a program designed and broadcast for reception in schools or in any religious service or other devotional program, or during a formal Royal ceremony or occasion. There also must be clear demarcations in time between the programs and the advertisements.

	The ], being strictly non-commercial is not allowed to show advertisements on television. The majority of its budget comes from TV licencing (see below) and the sale of content to other broadcasters. BBC content delivered outside of the UK such may contain advertising because those ouside the UK do not pay the licence fee.

	'''Taxation''' or '''TV License'''

	Television services in some countries may be funded by a ], a form of taxation which means advertising plays a lesser role or no role at all. For example, some channels may carry no advertising at all and some very little.

	* United Kingdom (])
	* ] (])
	* ] (])

	The ] carries no advertising and is funded by an annual licence paid by all households owning a television. This licence fee is set by government, but the BBC is not answerable to or controlled by government and is therefore genuinely independent. The fee also funds radio channels, transmitters and the BBC web sites.

	The two main BBC TV channels are watched by almost 90 percent of the population each week and overall have 27 per cent share of total viewing. <ref>http://www.barb.co.uk/viewingsummary/weekreports.cfm?report=multichannel&requesttimeout=500&flag=viewingsummary viewing statistics in UK </ref> This in spite of the fact that 85% of homes are multichannel, with 42% of these having access to 200 free to air channels via satellite and another 43% having access to 30 or more channels via ]<ref>http://www.ofcom.org.uk/research/tv/reports/dtv/dtv_2007_q3/dtvq307.pdf OFCOM quarterly survey </ref>. The licence that funds the seven advertising-free BBC TV channels costs less than £136 a year (about US$270) irrespective of the number of TV sets owned. When the same sporting event has been presented on both BBC and commercial channels, the BBC always attracts the lion's share of the audience, indicating viewers prefer to watch TV uninterrupted by advertising.

	The ] (ABC) carries no advertising (except for the ABC shop) as it is banned under law. The ABC receives its funding from the Australian Government every three years. In the 2006/07 Federal Budget the ABC received Au$822.67 Million this covers most of the ABC funding commitments. The ABC also receives funds from its many ABC Shops in Australia.

	'''Subscription'''

	Some TV channels are partly funded from subscriptions and therefore the signals are encrypted before broadcast to ensure that only paying subscribers have access to the decryption codes. Most subscription services are also funded by advertising.

	=== Television genres ===
	Television ]s include a broad range of programming types that entertain, inform, and educate viewers. The most expensive entertainment genres to produce are usually drama and dramatic miniseries. However, other genres, such as historical Western genres, may also have high production costs.

	Popular entertainment genres include action-oriented shows such as police, crime, detective dramas, horror or thriller shows. As well, there are also other variants of the drama genre, such as medical dramas and daytime soap operas. Science fiction shows can fall into either the drama or action category, depending on whether they emphasize philosophical questions or high adventure. Comedy is a popular genre which includes ] (sitcom) and animated shows for the adult demographic such as '']".

	The least expensive forms of entertainment programming are game shows, talk shows, variety shows, and reality TV. Game shows show contestants answering questions and solving puzzles to win prizes. Talk shows feature interviews with film, television and music celebrities and public figures. Variety shows feature a range of musical performers and other entertainers such as comedians and magicians introduced by a host or Master of Ceremonies. There is some crossover between some talk shows and variety shows, because leading talk shows often feature performances by bands, singers, comedians, and other performers in between the interview segments.
	''Reality TV'' shows "regular" people (''i.e.'', not ]) who are facing unusual challenges or experiences, ranging from arrest by police officers ('']'') to weight loss ('']''). A variant version of reality shows depicts celebrities doing mundane activities such as going about their everyday life ('']'') or doing manual labour ('']'').

	== Social aspects ==
	{{main\|Social aspects of television}}
	Television has played a pivotal role in the socialization of the 20th and 21st centuries. There are many ] that can be addressed, including:
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	==Environmental aspects==
	With high ] content in ], and the rapid diffusion of new, flat-panel display technologies, some of which (]s) use lamps containing ], there is growing concern about ] from discarded televisions. Related ] concerns exist, as well, for disassemblers removing copper wiring and other materials from CRTs. Further environmental concerns related to television design and use relate to the devices' increasing ] requirements.<ref>{{cite web \|url=http://www.est.org.uk/uploads/documents/aboutest/Riseofthemachines.pdf \|publisher=Energy Saving Trust \|title=The Rise of the Machines: A Review of Energy Using Products in the Home from the 1970s to Today \|date=] ] \|format=PDF \|accessdate=2007-08-31}}</ref>

	==In numismatics==
	]]]
	Television has had such an impact in today's life, that it has been the main motif for numerous collectors' coins and medals. One of the most recent ones is the ] minted in ] ]. The obverse of the coin shows a "test pattern", while the reverse shows several milestones in the history of television.

	==References==
	{{reflist}}

	==See also==
	* ]
	* ]
	* ]

	==Further reading==
	{{sisterlinks\|Television}}
	*Albert Abramson, ''The History of Television, 1942 to 2000'', Jefferson, NC, and London, McFarland, 2003, ISBN 0786412208.
	*], ''On Television'', The New Press, 2001.
	*Tim Brooks and Earle March, ''The Complete Guide to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows'', 8th ed., Ballantine, 2002.
	*] and ], ''Echographies of Television'', Polity Press, 2002.
	*David E. Fisher and Marshall J. Fisher, ''Tube: the Invention of Television'', Counterpoint, Washington, DC, 1996, ISBN 1887178171.
	*], ''Everything Bad is Good for You: How Today's Popular Culture Is Actually Making Us Smarter'', New York, Riverhead (Penguin), 2005, 2006, ISBN 1594481946.
	*], ''Four Arguments for the Elimination of Television'', Perennial, 1978.
	*], ''In the Absence of the Sacred'', Sierra Club Books, 1992, ISBN 0871565099.
	*], '']: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business'', New York, Penguin US, 1985, ISBN 0670804541.
	*Evan I. Schwartz, ''The Last Lone Inventor: A Tale of Genius, Deceit, and the Birth of Television'', New York, Harper Paperbacks, 2003, ISBN 0060935596.
	*Beretta E. Smith-Shomade, ''Shaded Lives: African-American Women and Television'', Rutgers University Press, 2002.
	*Alan Taylor, ''We, the Media: Pedagogic Intrusions into US Mainstream Film and Television News Broadcasting Rhetoric'', Peter Lang, 2005, ISBN 3631518528.

	== External links ==

	{{Portal\|Television\|Television icon.png}}
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	* Some of the rarest sets in America
	* at the ]
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	*, アナログ各TV方式のチャンネルと周波数対照表

	{{Video formats}}

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Revision as of 00:27, 20 May 2008

ideletestuffforfun